From: jb3207 AT eclipse DOT co DOT uk (Jason Barstow) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,rec.games.programmer,alt.comp.shareware.for-kids Subject: Re: Publishing a game Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 15:05:46 GMT Organization: Jabber Interactive Lines: 66 Message-ID: <5btd7f$gl4@news.cableinet.net> References: <5bqo19$58 AT news DOT cableinet DOT net> <32E1F436 DOT 453A AT netcomuk DOT co DOT uk> Reply-To: jb3207 AT eclipse DOT co DOT uk NNTP-Posting-Host: 195.188.32.73 To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Oliver Stiller wrote: Thanks for the reply Oliver, >DOS could be a minus when talking to publishers :-( We had to compromise. Because this was our first product we didn't want to be too ambitious. We couldn't really afford the investment (time) in developing a Windows(95) product. However, we realised it was important that the game ran seamlessly under Windows. To this end we chose to go with DJGPP. My personal opinion is that a DOS DPMI + VESA + Soundblaster product is likely to deliver a more stable product to a wider audience. I accept that in a years time this may be very different. (Or if you want to use accelerated graphic functions, or special input devices, or head-head internet play etc etc...) If we get the chance to do a second product we will develop for DOS *and* Windows95. >Deals are very different depending on the amount of advance, >the product quality etc. Expect anything between 5% and 20% >of the retail price. The last figure is realistic for registered >shareware copies only but not for CDs sold via stores. Why only 20% registered shareware? Does this take into account overheads such as duplication, support etc? It still seems very low. We were considering direct shareware @£15, with say profit £10. Is this unrealistic in practice? >> Can we expect an advance? >Yes, in form of financial support to finish the product but only >if the product is very good. If this is your first product and >it's a educational game and it's of "average" quality you should >not expect anything in the range of an appealing hourly rate for >the support. The product is a game first and educational second. We wanted to create an educational game that was more than just a "talking book". Something that would appeal to children and adults (parents). The "average" rating was for reference only. I personally think the game is good (or could be when finished)! >Unfortunately "average" products don't sell average but bad. >It's hard to put that into sales figures. Is it for the UK >market only ? For Europe ? US ? Naturally, we want to get as big an audience as possible. We would prefer a publisher that could target all (major) markets. >If it's an educational product expect less sales than for an >entertainment game. Educational CDs sell rarely more than >10.000 copies in Germany and I don't know much about the UK >market. What experience do you or others have of direct shareware publishing. What sort of sales can be achieved this way? Anyone had experience of Axxis Corporation's Altus Software Marketing Service or similar setups. Do these work well?