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Submitted by Marco on Sun, 11/01/2009 - 11:46
Well, the past month or so I had been trying to work out an agreement with a potential business partner to hopefully take things to the next level, whatever level that is :)
Unfortunately it didn't work out: he requested access to the source code upfront and I got paranoid about it. There are no hard feelings between us, but basically what it comes down to is that I'm again on my lonesome without a business partner. That's okay.
I am still keen on the idea of building an educational spinoff, and with the help of a certain teacher I am in contact with, we may achieve that, plus a good amount of educational materials (manuals, tutorials, just -maybe- a video, etc).
Then, I'm partnering with a long time friend of mine (my best and only, if I want to get philosophical about it) to create a kickass game. He's Hector, he drew the art for The Unnaturals comic, and we have a lot of other cool projects going on together.
So in summary: once we have said kickass game, once we have said educational spinoff, and once we have said training materials, I think we'll be in a position to do a re-launch and maybe send an email to all members, etc.
Lets see what happens!
Happy Halloween!
Marco
8 comments
You should consider legally
You should consider legally protecting the source code, then you'll be able to flaunt it around as much as you like.
Also, sorry to hear the deal didn't go trough, better luck next time.
And if you need a hand with any other projects you have going on, just give me a shout.
Thanks Einhim!
I hear you regarding legally protecting the source code, but I've been ripped off too many times in the past man, contracts are not worth the paper they're printed on unless you're willing to enforce them through the courts, and I really don't feel like doing a second round of that. Going to court, to me, feels like I already lost.
No worries about that partnership though, I'm sure he'll find other programmers willing to give up the souce code upfront, and I'll maybe find other business managers willing to work without the source code. I'm in no rush.
Thanks for letting me count on you for these projects man, I really appreciate it, and absolutely, I will definitely go to you once things get rolling, if they ever do :)
I plan to live forever. So far, so good!
The courts and laws aren't
The courts and laws aren't designed with the little people in mind, Legitamate claims nearly always end up costing people more in time and money then they ever stand to gain back, even if they win. I could go on for hours, but I wont. I think it suffices to say that I'm sorry you've been to court over such issues before.
But you know what they say about most entrepreneurs having to try at least 3 times before they strike gold, so I guess you should just keep trying.
You've said it
If this was my only means to make a living it would be worth going to court for it, but its just one project, one of many, that I work on my free time just to make life livable outside my day job, and to keep the muse somewhat sated and not tearing my head off.
I'm glad you understand man, if one good thing has come out of this and the New Eden thing already, is the fact that I met you, and maybe some day we'll do something cool :)
Keep on keeping on Einhim :)
I plan to live forever. So far, so good!
It's too bad...
It's too bad you're so tight-fisted with your code and other resources. It's that attitude that keeps me from actually working with engine.
I don't really feel like investing time to make a game for a site that isn't actually committed to the ideals it superficially supports.
Lets clarify
Well, here's what I "superficially" support:
* People will be able to use the engine for free to make their own games if they want to, and the games will be playable for free to everybody who wants to play them.
* If people have suggestions (like I don't know, different font colors, mouse pointers and sounds for different types of games) I might consider implementing them (maybe within 48 hours, who knows!)
And that's it. That's your entire your bill of rights here; I want us to be clear about that. If there's anything else promised or implied anywhere in the website, for example, if it says anywhere that I will give away the source code so that someone else can start their own engine and make money out of my hard work without me, for the third time in my life at that, then please let me know so I can remove that bit. It must have slipped.
If the fact that I didn't give away the engine source code (no idea what you mean by "other resources", surely not the ones I posted in the Assets page complete with yes, source code) constitutes for you a "tight-fisted" attitude that keeps you from making games, then I'm simply sorry.
I plan to live forever. So far, so good!
And that's the problem...
Sure, I completely understand that you don't want other people to get rich off of your hard work...
You just want to get rich off of other people's hard work.
You want other people to come and make games "for free" so that you can turn around and monetize the traffic they generate. There isn't any compensation for anybody who creates a particularly successful game, and no recourse for them other than taking it down. At that point all their work and success is meaningless because the engine is proprietary and they have the choice or your site or nowhere at all.
My original impression was that you wanted to make a community that would further the art and craft of making games by making it easy for amateurs to make them for free. The more you talk, though, the more clear it is that your primary motivation is money at the expense of naive users.
Either way, just thought you might like to know about my experience with your site. Good businesses care a great deal about why their customers are leaving.
Just wow
Jesus Christ.
No, I don't want to get rich off other people's work. You have no idea how angry I got reading that sentence; I had not felt this burn in a long time, its weird. But I don't want to post about my anger, and I'll try for it not to show.
Instead I'll just post short english sentences; feel free to save them / screencap them and hold them against me in the future if you care to. Here I go:
I will not "monetize the traffic" to this site. The idea was considered and rejected.
I will not pay people to make games. Youtube doesn't pay you to make videos.
If an advertiser ever wants to pay money in order to show ads in a game, I'll do exactly what Revver does and split that money with the game author. So does Youtube.
All other income will come from me selling the games I myself make, (mostly with Hector's help, and he'll receive half) or from licensing the engine to some corporation via b2b. (Example: I already sold usage rights it to one cereal maker so they can make "gamedvertising", no, you will not see that in this site, ever).
My primary motivation to make this site is to let people express themselves via games. I don't give a fuck whether you believe that.
I don't need the money; I make enough in my day job. This is a hobby project, and I seriously doubt it will ever make any more money on top of what the cereal maker paid, let alone "make me rich".
God. Making money of other people's work. Jesus H. Christ. I deleted and re-typed sentences three times after this. I guess its better if it goes unsaid.
Goodbye.
I plan to live forever. So far, so good!
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