Armed Assault - Self Publish?

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

I don't see how not having a box in the shop is a bad idea if it is a good game.  Both online stores and full version downloads have been proven workable by other companies.

Anyway, I'm through arguing it.

People that fail to see that the internet was made for mass distribution of any kind of data really bug me.  The internet had the aim of a paperless society, yet we keep cutting down the trees.  We're such stupid monkeys.

I haven't had a printer on my computer for YEARS.  You would be surprised how little you need to use paper.

the great thing about printing, is, that you won't have to waste electricity, and therefor CO2 pullotion every time you read through your documents.

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

They're going to be online ANYWAY!

Plus, you won't be cutting down a tree that produces oxygen and you won't be creating the pollution to make the paper from the tree.

The Bible is about 6 Megs in text, if I remember correctly.  Should such a large document be downloaded in a matter or seconds via broadband or should we cut down a tree and make all of the paper and engage in all of the printing required to make a paper version?

I've been using http://www.blueletterbible.org/ since at least 1997 and it is a project that has brought together a LIBRARY of fat and heavy Bibles and tomes (about the Bible) all into one website.

You can't tell me that the network that serves out that information and the many visitors who would be online ANYWAY is less environment-friendly than cutting down entire forests so that every visitor of the site would be able to do the same thing with book versions.

Further, a person sitting at a computer for hours on end uses less oxygen, eats less food, and uses less gas and electricity than he would doing any number of other things. The business world calls it "telecommuting".

(FPS's and MMORPG's are actually a way to allow people to do online things that require much more energy and much less pollution were they to do them in real-life.  No one ever worries that depleted uranium rounds that had been fired in OFP might go on to be threatening to the eco-system.)

Normally, what gamers mind is the LACK of a manual, not the lack of a PAPER manual.  A manual in electronic format included with the game works just as well.

I've got a registered copy of FRAPS.  I can always log in at the website and download a new and updated copy.  There is no reason to require a copy on disc.

Darn, and I said I wasn't going to argue about it, anymore...

It's your world, kiddies.  We oldsters don't have so much time left in it.  You choose what kind of world you want to live in.

[Madus_Maximus 0]

Lil note... EA may not physically "MAKE" the game (as in an EA team making it then EA publishing it), but they DO influence what goes in it. Just beause they didn't make it doesn't mean they won't say "we want x in or we'll find someone else who will". It's happened many times, the number of developers who've fallen and had their freedom stripped from them because EA don't want something someone is putting in THEIR game! It's their game for god sake! Let them do that THEY want! All EA should do is advertise it and publish it, not dictate what will and will not be in it.

Good case in point. Westwood. Need I say more?

EDIT: "No one ever worries that depleted uranium rounds that had been fired in OFP might go on to be threatening to the eco-system"

Maybe because it's not real? People need to get out more as it is. Think of all the oil and coal and pollution being produced just so we can sit and do nothing strenuous short of pressing a few keys. And what about all the tree's you say? Well most paper companies actually put more tree's back than they cut down. Most places where they do mass deforestation are places without much of a service sector and more of an industry economy... plus most of that wood is used in construction, and most publishers will only use paper from trusted sources where they KNOW the enevironment is being protected.

P.S. Maybe we should all wear hemp clothing and eat dirt or things that only "died of natural causes" and walk everywhere. I think I'll walk to Prague for my holiday next month. I need the excersise. Maybe I'll read a book hand written on leaves held together with twings.

[marcusjm 0]

Anybody who wants EA should do some research and see what happened to ultimas after EA acquired origin.

What we would end up with would be a 2010 edition of call of duty or something similar.

Last but definetly not least EA is extremely hostile to user made mods.

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Ok so EA might not be the best but what about Microsoft? They have invested in serious simulations before. FS2004 is a good example that MS have long term investments.

I dont think they are doing anything but age of empires and FS series on PC nowadays.

What happened was that they released a buggy unfinished product called Ultima IX. For some reason Lord British has failed to create anything worthwhile for any publishers so just maybe they were to blame and not EA. Same goes for Westwood. Strange that EA gets blame for releasing buggy products but when they take action they get blamed for that too.

For some reason they have managed to work just fine with Maxis, DICE and other.

I still don't understand why publishers are blamed when developers fail to deliver on time and on budget. Publishers publish so they want value for their money.

I'm sure that BIS would manage to deliver quality products under the EA umbrella. Or Microsoft.

marcus

[EiZei 0]

Anybody who wants EA should do some research and see what happened to ultimas after EA acquired origin.

What we would end up with would be a 2010 edition of call of duty or something similar.

Last but definetly not least EA is extremely hostile to user made mods.

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Ok so EA might not be the best but what about Microsoft? They have invested in serious simulations before. FS2004 is a good example that MS have long term investments.

I dont think they are doing anything but age of empires and FS series on PC nowadays.

What happened was that they released a buggy unfinished product called Ultima IX. For some reason Lord British has failed to create anything worthwhile for any publishers so just maybe they were to blame and not EA. Same goes for Westwood.

Two words: Ultima VIII

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For some reason they have managed to work just fine with Maxis, DICE and other.

The difference is that games made by those companies are pretty dumbed down by default and sure moneymakers. BIS is the polar opposite of this.

[marcusjm 0]

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The difference is that games made by those companies are pretty dumbed down by default and sure moneymakers. BIS is the polar opposite of this.

Then all popular games fits into that category. Games like Checkers, Chess, Othello, Monopoly, Poker etc. Maybe they are "dumbed down" but that also gives them staying power .

Not all people are interested in hardcore sims, it's more like train sims, flight sims etc. It's more of a hobbyist thing rather than general gaming. Which btw would make Microsoft an ideal partner for BIS.

marcus

[DBR_ONIX 0]

One thing, going back to the paper-y argument..

The internet is huge. It's very very hard to get seen on it.. Where as, a Game shop is only a building. I didn't have a clue what "Operation Flashpoint" was, untill I saw OFP GOTY in GAME one day 2 years ago and decided to buy it..

As for printed manuals Vs electronic manuals.. I read paper manuals (When I get bored, sitting in car/bus on the way back from buying the game, or while it's installing, for example..), where as with electronic ones, I don't really bother, as, 1, it's hard to read, 2, by the time I can see it (unless I go out my way to find it on the CD), the game is installed, 3, you have to alt-tab to see it in game etc..

I think it's an extremely bad idea not to put ArmA in the shops.. Maybe a huge developer/publsiher could get away with it (Or a huge organisation), but not some tiny Checz developer realativly few people have heard about..

- ben

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

People need to get out more as it is. Think of all the oil and coal and pollution being produced just so we can sit and do nothing strenuous short of pressing a few keys. And what about all the tree's you say? Well most paper companies actually put more tree's back than they cut down. Most places where they do mass deforestation are places without much of a service sector and more of an industry economy... plus most of that wood is used in construction, and most publishers will only use paper from trusted sources where they KNOW the enevironment is being protected.

I don't know what country you live in, but it must not be the U.S.A.

If things were as rosy as you would have us believe, eco-activist films like "Go Further" would have no market.

And the energy consumption of a client and a server and the routers on the way there (especially when divided amongst all of their users) is nothing compared to a human being "getting out more", which usually involves some form of petroleum product consumption and gas emission, not to mention oil and rubber run-off on the roads. (Gas consumption is quickly become a big issue in the U.S.)

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

but not some tiny Checz developer realativly few people have heard about..

- ben

Well, that's about to change with OFP:E. Now lots of people will know and fear the awesome name of "Operation Flashpoint"! BWAHAHAHA!

[Commando84 0]

i would go with microsoft even though i think it was lame that the new age of empires 3 game REQUIRES windows xp.... i just hate xp somehow... it gives me bad vibes and stuff, and it kills slow computers when playing games and well i'll stop there with the ranting

But i believe microsoft could reach out to all corners of the globe though. Only concern i have is that if anyone remembers back a couple of years a game named Halo was being made for PC and it looked way cool and was sci-fi fps themed... then suddenly What tha??? Microsoft screwed every1 that had waited for the game and said that it was being pulled and being made for their new video game console XBOX and voila then i first knew that Microsoft stood for untrusty people... i feel a bit sorry for my mate who had to wait several years until he got a chance to play it on the xbox and then a 1-2 years after that he got to play it on the pc too.

[Daniel 0]

One thing, going back to the paper-y argument..

The internet is huge. It's very very hard to get seen on it.. Where as, a Game shop is only a building. I didn't have a clue what "Operation Flashpoint" was, untill I saw OFP GOTY in GAME one day  2 years ago and decided to buy it..

As for printed manuals Vs electronic manuals.. I read paper manuals (When I get bored, sitting in car/bus on the way back from buying the game, or while it's installing, for example..), where as with electronic ones, I don't really bother, as, 1, it's hard to read, 2, by the time I can see it (unless I go out my way to find it on the CD), the game is installed, 3, you have to alt-tab to see it in game etc..

I think it's an extremely bad idea not to put ArmA in the shops.. Maybe a huge developer/publsiher could get away with it (Or a huge organisation), but not some tiny Checz developer realativly few people have heard about..

- ben

Totally agree, hope BIS is listening. I wanna see big OFP banners in shops and stuff like you get for much crappier mainstream games. That way BIS can get much more money and spend more resources on OFP2.

[leec 0]

If EA gets involved you will lose a customer for sure. They still owe me 400 bucks from MCO the stinkin astards

[Dynamax 0]

has anyone considered maybe Steam/Valve as a publisher?

they have great support and a good anti-cheat program (VAC)

[AG. 0]

has anyone considered maybe Steam/Valve as a publisher?

they have great support and a good anti-cheat program (VAC)

Erm ... it would be interesting idea ... but is it worth it ... as far as i understand Steam (publisher) and Valve (maker) are very close related (the same company as i understand), moreover steam most likely wont fit the BIs ... i think becouse they are popular only on one genre ... and buyers will think that they are buing some sort of

next gen HL on huge island

[EiZei 0]

has anyone considered maybe Steam/Valve as a publisher?

they have great support and a good anti-cheat program (VAC)

Erm ... it would be interesting idea ... but is it worth it ... as far as i understand  Steam (publisher) and Valve (maker) are very close related (the same company as i understand), moreover steam most likely wont fit the BIs ... i think becouse they are popular only on one genre ... and buyers will think that they are buing some sort of

next gen HL on huge island

Does ragdoll kung fu fit your description of a next gen HL?

However using steam would probably require extensive modifications.

[S.O.S 0]

nonsense topic, steam is definitely no publisher LOL steam is a software platform created by valve to buy/update/check/install/manage accounts/etc of games made by valve such as hl2, cs/s etc etc

u cant compare vac to punkbuster, vac is for the newer valve games only as far as im confirmed...

microsoft is not a publisher of games which they didnt develop or bought.

ea...gay ass pirates.

[AG. 0]

Fellas could you tell me why everyone are pissed of about EA ... ? Did i missed something? I have played only one game published by EA and dont know alot about EA ... but reading your comments it seems that EA is some kind of terrorist organization, not a publisher ...

[EiZei 0]

Fellas could you tell me why everyone are pissed of about EA ... ?   Did i missed something? I have played only one game published by EA and dont know alot about EA ... but reading your comments it seems that EA is some kind of terrorist organization, not a publisher ...  

Let's just say they have a history of killing game franchises by forcing their makers to make them more appealing to mass market and their employee policies are among the worst in the industry. I recall (not sure since I am not into sports games) that EA sports games work online only until the next version comes out so the players who want to play online are forced to upgrade.

They also are quite hostile to modding communities.

(I have said all this previously in this thread though)

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nonsense topic, steam is definitely no publisher LOL steam is a software platform created by valve to buy/update/check/install/manage accounts/etc of games made by valve such as hl2, cs/s etc etc

From valve's site:

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STEAM - THE ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM

The era of electronic distribution has arrived. Steam provides the ability to distribute games and other content directly to customers. Steam opens up new channels of distribution and allows for non-traditional product offerings while increasing profit margins to content creators. Publishing your game on Steam gives you access to the largest community of online gamers anywhere with over 5 million registered users.

Steam also provides integrated tools for publishing content directly to customers, flexible billing, ensured-version control, anti-cheating, anti-piracy, game-server browser functionality, an in-game instant messaging platform, and more. Many third-parties are already taking advantage of the benefits Steam offers. Contact Valve to discuss opportunities.

So the bottom line is that Valve wants to get into the software publishing business using less conventional methods (which I kind of like, too bad steam still works like shit sometimes)

Or alternatively you know Valve's intentions better than Valve itself?

[S.O.S 0]

steam itself works quite good for me but the patches which valves creates suck pretty much sometimes.

[Goeth 0]

Well at this point i would say almost any publisher would do. It´s getting late if the game is supposed to come at q4 and there´s still no word about publisher.