Commercial Development A Good Or Bad Idea On This Platform?

[Dunny]

Another thing that is slightly concerning is that people are happy to pirate thousands of ROMs, so would they also be willing to pirate anything you have released? I don't know, but it's something to think about.

I'd just like to add that I have myself pretty much complete sets of Amiga, Megadrive, Speccy, C64 etc images and have been downloading retro-stuff since I got an internet connection.

Having said that, I quite often pay for software I find stunningly good fun - Armadillo Run was the last one, and HamsterBall the one before that. One could be classed as a Puzzle game, and the other probably a "remake" of marble madness - neither terribly imaginative or original, but bloody good fun and worth every penny.

D.

 

[Zeladin]

Adventure Games!! All right!! I'd pay for that... Assuming of course, finances are forthcoming

I'll be interested to see what you come up with. I might have bought payback... except I'm not into GTA style stuff. I don't know how anyone else feels about adventure games/edutainment with historical background, but I think it could make for a quality game...

One could always do a poll to see what genre was most in demand, but perhaps you have a particular game in mind...

 

[Alex.]

I got loads of insults hurled at me by a fair few people over at gp32spain when Burokku was announced.

That's just awful. Burokku is a neat puzzle game. I enjoyed the demo a lot (well, still do), and with some small fixes around the menu and block-combo detection it could be a professional title.

On a side note, I had no idea you were the author of Burokku. Any plans for an updated demo, or full release?

- Alex

 

[Orkie]

Yep, I've been re-writing it recently to sort out the controls (they were quite bad, I admit ) and the detecction routines (it works perfectly now). The menu has been totally rewritten (looks much less tacky) and it has proper credits now
Basically, I'm trying to get together the last of the game resources and see what else I can add in before releasing another demo (and the full version should come not long after that - once I'm confident there are no major issues found from the demo).

Glad to hear somebody is still playing it - I know it's been a long time without an update

 

[DaveC]

Good harvest of opinions, thank you all. Now I'll put my head on the stove for a couple of days and try to evaluate pro and con.

Seen from my point of I get a platform where the SDK is free and very close to something I already know well, but I don't get a very large audience at all. Right now the prospect of making a first breakthrough into the console game world right here where the wall is thin (I live my life in a multimedia linux environment) seems attractive. Once a handful of games have been made, I can later on focus on a PocketPC port or something similar.

Good points from the thread:

o) Don't use DRM. I can't stand that myself.
o) Release a demo. Get peoples opinions as to quality and fairness of price etc.
o) Try to get close to the $10 hurt-threshold
o) Infinite download possibility of a title, once paid for (good, well-functioning website)

Besides that, I will stick to the genres that I like personally: Edutainment and adventure games, often in historic settings.

Well here is my take:

- The game should be of a higher quality, or different, than what can be found on an emulator of 16-bit hardware. For example if a crappy shooter is released that is of lower quality than what can be found on a Neo-Geo you won't sell much.

- Use the system to your advantage. Take advantage of the resolution, colors sound, memory etc. If the game looks like an old Palm game it likely won't do too good.

- Honestly edutainment titles will bomb severely on this system. This is a system mostly used by older users that are into retrogaming, and linux hacking/dev. You aren't going to sell very many kids learning titles on it. The unit is too expensive to buy it and hand it off to some child that will break or lose it. For them there is the GBA or DS. You would do better with adventure titles but if they aren't better than what is out for SNES or Genesis you will struggle. Targeting you game/app is VERY important.

- When a *good* piece of software is released for free on the GP2X many of us will donate to the dev even though we don't have to. Many of us here DO realize the importance of supporting our devs.

 

[Blah]

I don't mind DRM on sd card games...music is another story.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing what comes of this, I'd like a good adventure game

 

[J201605]

Is "Edutainment and adventure games, often in historic settings." something like oregon trail

 

[wiseguy109]

I wouldn't mind paying $15 for a Castlevania or Metal Slug clone. Those are two types of games that are extremely addicting and probably wouldn't take as much time to develop.

 

[Cervante]

I heard people that try to pirate GP2X games gets their places raided by angry start trek fans, never to be heard from again.

 

[Blah]

Is "Edutainment and adventure games, often in historic settings." something like oregon trail

I'll get out the Apple 2 emulator.

 

[pocket]

The problem with the GP2X and the commercial games is the low sales, and the model of distribution.

 

[dodgyville]

The problem with the GP2X and the commercial games is the low sales, and the model of distribution.

Actually, I think the model of distribution is excellent - downloadable games of practically any size for your handheld is a great feature over the other handhelds. DRM is a question every game maker has to deal with at some point. I am happy with the retrovirus RTS model, which is no DRM, but the game is personalised for the groovy ppl that bought it, and they get access to (admittedly basic) extras on the website.

The only thing better would be if the gp2x had a built in wifi connection, then games could down load extra content, share high scores, etc.

I agree the low sales thing is a problem, but for people wanting to get into their own game distribution it is a very good way of doing things.

I think it's possible a break-out hit on the gp2x would sell 100 copies - take from that what you will - but the majority of indie games would sell a lot, lot less (hint: retrovirus RTS is not a break-out hit).

 

[emphyrio]

Low sales may be alleviated by ensuring the game has multi-platform support.

 

[Kagey]

It's a no win situation IMHO.

Personally, I'd love to see the machine become popular and mainstream, whilst retaining its capabilities and indeed the very skilled people that currently seem attracted to the machine, it's ability for modification and this site.

By mainstreaming, end-users can be marketed the machine solely as a DS/PSP alternative (if there were commercial games) and those that want to understand more about the machine can. If the machine doesn't sell enough to make a profit, it disappears, as simple as that, no matter what our philosophy and opinions about open-software etc...

If the machine were to be mainstreamed, sites would exist that solve purely the problems of the typical end-user and sites like this would most likely not be too bothered by end-user monkeys that can't RTFM.

Ubuntu has, once again IMHO proven that an excellent desktop version of linux can co-exist without taking away hardcore users from debian etc... The GP2X would be an excellent games machine that could use a similar philosophy.

Just my £0.02, but in answer to your original question, commercial games in themselves aren't a problem, but it'll need to be good/replayable.

Good luck

 

[pocket]

The problem with the GP2X and the commercial games is the low sales, and the model of distribution.

Actually, I think the model of distribution is excellent - downloadable games of practically any size for your handheld is a great feature over the other handhelds. DRM is a question every game maker has to deal with at some point. I am happy with the retrovirus RTS model, which is no DRM, but the game is personalised for the groovy ppl that bought it, and they get access to (admittedly basic) extras on the website.

The only thing better would be if the gp2x had a built in wifi connection, then games could down load extra content, share high scores, etc.

I agree the low sales thing is a problem, but for people wanting to get into their own game distribution it is a very good way of doing things.

I think it's possible a break-out hit on the gp2x would sell 100 copies - take from that what you will - but the majority of indie games would sell a lot, lot less (hint: retrovirus RTS is not a break-out hit).

"A lot, lot less than 100" is a bit sad for the GP2X
Look, even the latest Lynx homebrew commercial releases sell a lot more (and they cost more)

 

[saehn]

"A lot at lot less than 100" is a bit sad for the GP2X Look, even the latest Lynx homebrew commercial releases sell a lot more (and they cost more)

Take that with a grain of salt. No offense to anyone making such comments, but there's been a lot of idle speculation going on in this thread. The only persons who really have a valid perspective are those who've actually sold commercial software on the GP2X.

Please remember that we're trying to drum up support for commercial development on the GP2X, not scare it off.

And no replies of: "let's be realistic". A realistic developer will approximate the potential number of installations and will then invest time & effort accordingly. Given the original poster's stated expectations and observations, I'd say he has a fairly good idea of how much he should invest in this project.

 

[centipede]

The prospect of selling less than 20 copies is obviously not awesomely encouraging. However this machine also represents something else: A strong, linux based game-platform from where a developer can reach other platforms in time.

I'm just a single person having to deal with graphics, code, sound etc. myself. Spending time learning SymbianOS, WindowsCE and what else while trying to make a barely decent game will be hard. With the GP2X I'm already on the way, since I belong to a generation that grew up with SDL and free tools.

The idea is still good.

 

[J201605]

Is "Edutainment and adventure games, often in historic settings." something like oregon trail

I'll get out the Apple 2 emulator.

They made it for apple 2?!?!?! i gotta go get that emulator.

 

[Auritribe]

A slightly off the mark perspective I'm just gonna throw out in the air. Some of you may like it, agree, or disagree, or want to light my genitals on fire for even considering it, but here goes.

I think many people here probably are proud of their GP2X, in a strange way. They're proud that they have something that not everyone has, a little obscurity. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that at least a few people here like to show off the capabilities of their obscure unit to their PSP loving friends.

However, a problem arises in this, a small obstacle that is caused by open source. Just about any 'killer app' produced open source on the GP2X can, and likely will in the case of it being completely awesome, be ported to the PSP homebrew scene sooner or later.

I believe that no real killer app can be made on the GP2X in open source because it will likely get ported over to the PSP, and then sadly the PSP will make it more famous and people will forget altogether that it was made for the gp2x.

Where is the point to this rant? Continue reading.

Due to obscurity, the chances of a commercial game on the GP2X appearing on a BitTorrent tracker with any substantial amount of seeds is slim. I just did a search for 'payback gp2x' on isohunt, this confirms it for me.

As well, I'm sure that any decently moderated GP2X specific tracker will probably have the ethics not to put up a commercial game as it would hurt the scene as a whole.

So, with all this, put together those two points.

1. Obscure devices make for a bigger e-penis.
2. GP2X trackers should respect commercial releases.
3. A GP2X exclusive would make for a massive e-penis.

That's three, but I dont care.

Release something that blows everyone away, make it an exclusive, and you will have the GP2X's killer app.

Develop a healthy library of completely awesome exclusive releases, and it may even make your consumer base bigger over time.

Doesn't happen overnight, neither does programming, but its a thought I wanted to put in the air.

By the way, I'd kill for a decent Touhou like game on the GP2X, but the beautiful graphical quality of the bullets would be a must.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nb5Ohbt1Sg...ted&search=

 

[nickspoon]

- When a *good* piece of software is released for free on the GP2X many of us will donate to the dev even though we don't have to. Many of us here DO realize the importance of supporting our devs.

Maybe so, but you must take into account the fact that nigh-on nobody donates to homebrew software. I think there have been only one or two that have had any donations, and these have been few and in small amounts (Tilematch is one of them, but that would easily sell because it's an excellent game). Emulators, on the other hand, seem to get lots of donations, probably because people like emulators. That's understandable, but not a great prospect for someone investing hundreds of hours and most of their sanity in a spectacular release, only to have it shoved away because you can play it better on the SNES.