Would you pay for a new AAA Amiga Title?

[amigapd]

I would be interested in the following questions being answered -

What price will be charged for the game?
What hardware will the game work on?
What will the price include (disk? box? manual? or digital copy only?)
How long before the game would be ready to buy?
How long before a video / screenshots would be available to see?

The first 3 would help with answering the original poll question.

[OlafSch]

Originally Posted by Marcuz

Agree to disagree? all right, no prob, but still I have not heard a reason behind your (and other people) position, that doesn't revolve around: since it's dead, it's free, and to ask for money is a rapine.

And sorry if I'm going OT, but I guess this was more or less OT from the start...
I do employ my time (also) on developing a game, with a coder, for contemporary platforms.
The coder works on the engine since a couple of years I guess and I since roughly a year.
I do design, story and actual graphic, so narrative, which happens to be also the content of my profession, but it could be not and it would not change anything with the game getting out, as still it, the game, would be valued, or not, and tied to whatever perceived pricetag, because of what it would be and not because of what I may do.

So I put tons of hours in this game and tons still are required, not because it's a cash cow, because it will be not, but because I really want to do the game, right. Does that mean that I should give my time for free? I don't see how, in whatever way my interest in the game or the platform for which the game is intended factor in the equation.

Ok, offer and demand balance: so if the demand is limited the work should be free? Demand don't even exist yet before the desire for a product is created!
On this very board there are news about products sold in 2013 for emulators only! And people evidently spend money on that!

Yeah I agree to disagree, all right...

+1

I support every effort to make new software for our platform and it is totally ok to expect money for years of hard work. I will support it. It would be nice if you could give more informations (screenshots, youtube-video, demo-level...). And of course test it on AROS 68k :-).

@all

People that want to revive the platform have to support the programmers that really do something. If people do not want to spend any money and reward people for their hard work will make the platform to pure retro where we can discuss about what Commodore did wrong and play some ports. If we want more than that (and users were partly responsible too by not buying software) then we have to support the developers.

[OlafSch]

Originally Posted by discomeats

Personally I don't see any problem with charging money for a game. There's quite the cottage industry for various systems.

Now I have seen some utterly optimistic things sold when better things are given away free, and also some fairly idiotic nonsense, but still; I can't imagine the sales for any old system are enough of an income to warrant going to AAA production values. You got more chance trying to score micropayments on iOS/android or whatever.

But who knows, maybe someone is working on an amazing title right now but keeping secret till it's done

uae4all2 works on Android...

[OlafSch]

Originally Posted by amigapd

Yes but what is the motivation for charging?? - although 42 people have said they would pay - this would probably drop to 20 at best when game is released - if sold at £15 would give you £300 total sales revenue.

This would be £60 per person for a team of 5 for a years work
Or £12.50 for each month for an individual taking 2 years to make a game

All the above figures exclude cost of making manuals / boxes and printing on physical 3.5 disks and postage costs -

If the game is available only a digital download then very unlikely to receive £15 for the game.

If there is a game in development it would make more sense to follow the old shareware model of releasing a playable level and then ask for payment for extra levels or the complete game. Even this model is probably not commercially viable otherwise there would still be lots of new shareware games being made for the amiga.

If the aim is to make money - then making games for phones is probably a better option.

If the aim is to make a great game for the amiga out of love of the system then making it free and changing the game based on feedback from the community would seem a more realistic option.

You talk of 42, that are those who found this thread and took part on the poll. If the games also run (emulated) on f.e. AmigaOS or MorphOS, on AROS 68k (that means on AROS Icaros Desktop) and so on you have much higher numbers. The market how is it now is certainly not as profitable as making a game on iPhone but at least there is some.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by OlafSch

The market how is it now is certainly not as profitable as making a game on iPhone but at least there is some.

There is a hobby market. Anybody who wants to make a living from it would certainly have to re-think his/her business plan... seriously.

[OlafSch]

Originally Posted by TCD

There is a hobby market. Anybody who wants to make a living from it would certainly have to re-think his/her business plan... seriously.

I never said "living" or being a realistic payment for invested hours, I said "some" and "some" is bigger than 42...

[TCD]

You say 'much higher numbers'. Care to elaborate on how much you think would pay for a game?

Edit: Maybe you should check http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=39996 and also have a look at 'Active Members: 1,596'

[spud]

I would happily pay money for an Amiga game of sufficient quality, but I think it unlikely any could really happen. Definition of triple AAA given earlier in thread of big box, manual, nice intro, good music, effects, gameplay, great graphics/presentation is surely too much to expect from someone doing it in their spare time. Family life, day jobs, other interests all get in the way. Seeing a projetc through to completion is very hard in these parameters.

However, I think there are games already released in the past couple of years for free of sufficient quality for at least a budget £10 or so price tag (maybe more?) - bean bag, sqrxz, for example. Stuff like Downfall is very good quality shareware, maybe even worth a budget 5 - 10 quid price range? Offer me a nice calendar cassette case with inlay, floppy disk with a nice label stuk on (if the game fits on a floppy that is haha) and I'd happily pay some money to get my hands on it. I have such hard copies of my own games I've developed for SAM and Amiga on my shelf, they could do with some company.

I'm rambling but AAA game isn't a realistic target in my opinion, but decent budget quality is. Do it for the love the platform, yes, but for the cost of a few pints why not take a punt? People have put their blood sweat and tears into it afterall. There seems to be a thriving (relatively) market on other platforms c64/speccy etc, so why not Amiga.

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by OlafSch

+1

I support every effort to make new software for our platform and it is totally ok to expect money for years of hard work. I will support it. It would be nice if you could give more informations (screenshots, youtube-video, demo-level...). And of course test it on AROS 68k :-).

Sorry, I typed "contemporary" where I should have typed "current"

My bad: I was defending the principle that, as you says in the paragraph after that, work, while may be offered for free, is not free per se, and therefore even if the talk is about developing a game for an old Amiga, it should not be "expected" for free, and I'm saying that as one who has helped with a few language translations of Amiga games here on this board and offered to do art for free for modding Amiga games I liked.

The very condivisible question you ask, though, is for mikrucio, not for me, because I don't have anything to do with the game he may do or has done and that is the object of this thread; my choice was to develop a game for a current platform, PC, even if our game has a retro style.

[dlfrsilver]

with a kickstarter campaign, let's face it, if the authors wanted to make an AAA turrican for 1200 with turbo board, there would be quite a lot of people meh thinks.

the main thing is the money, i'd say that i would love to see Amberworld made for A1200
for example..... i would pay a big buck for it

[Paul_s]

Originally Posted by gimbal

We'll just have to agree to disagree We'll have a group hug later.

I want one nowwwww!

[utri007]

It should offer something new, so no "puzzle games".

Nice car game for 040/060 or sport game? Strategy games are always nice.

[commodorejohn]

If it were a quality title and not a glorified Game Maker project, and it ran on a stock or slightly upgraded 500 or 1200, sure.

[roy bates]

i would pay for new games on real amiga hardware and it was 68k and not ppc.

its not like its impossible.besides it would depend on what sort of game it was.

[NovaCoder]

The C64 still has commercial releases so it must at least be possible.

[utri007]

Making a comercial game for 68k Amigas, it should be so system friendly that it would run with all possible platforms, including AOS4/MOS

Something like this

http://aminet.net/package/game/jump/boulderfull

[roy bates]

thanks.

[JonSick]

Developing on retro hardware in return for sales? Hmmm... interesting concept. I doubt it'd be a winner though!

The fact is, games that are available on Droid and iOS are barely that much better or more technically advanced than some Amiga titles. In some cases, far far less!

If you're after money, develop for iOS (everyone pirates on Droid!). It's hard to jump through Apple's insane hoops, but at least if your product sells, you see cash money for it Droid, although I prefer the OS on the whole, is a loser if you want sales. I only mention these as it's easier for a single person to develop for these platforms. Though there are a lot of low-budget PC titles around these days.

If I'm paying for a game, I want awesome graphics, enthralling gameplay and sounds which make my KRK Rokits sonic boom me! That's scarce on the PC these days, all we get is rubbish console ports. But when it does come along, I'm happy to pay for it! So, to me, the concept of paying anything more than a fiver for an Amiga game this day in age is a little out there...

[Amigajay]

I would pay for a decent AA title that would come in a oversized box and on disks, the price wouldn't be for the time the game took as that should be done for the love of programming and the Amiga, but to cover the production of the box, manual, disks etc and obviously a little for themselves, it's never gonna make anyone any money but surely no retro games do.....other platforms have them, it's strange with the amount of followers the Amiga isn't one of them.
How long since the last A500 boxed game? 1999, 2000? I'm not sure exactly but it's a long time.
I would pay for any new game that's decent enough, even unreleased games that have been given the go ahead to release and made box etc for.
Heck I'd pay for Putty Squad in a box and on disks to experience a new disk game for over a decade or more!

[sandruzzo]

I'll Love to program a New Amiga Game: I made this

http://www.steelsaviour.com/