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The Return Of Shareware Games
An anonymous reader writes "CNN has a new column up looking at the re-emerging trend of shareware as a means to distribute games. With development prices soaring and space on retail shelves getting scarce, smaller companies like PopCap Games and GarageGames are returning to gaming's roots - and making money in the process."
I am just fine with the games that come with KDE. Not only can they entertain you, they may also build some intelligence.
With the emergence of games shipping unfinished, with so many bugs and really pathetic gameplay, is it any wonder shareware is coming back. Its the simple phrase - "Try before you buy".
Most development houses are pushed these days by publishers to get games out in peak selling periods, and often these games are lacking in more than a few departments. Thats why shareware could work once more, especially with ease of purchase over the internet and bandwidth these days.
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
Most games released today generally have a demo, usually available before the official release of the game. It either lets you know whether you want the game, or gets you hopelessly addicted...
Just like Doom....
A lot of times, it wasn't just the demo but the full first episode of the game. That way, you got more than enough experience playing the actual game in order to decide whether you like it or not. This is a far cry from the "one level, two guns" approach that most games take nowadays, where you barely even get to see what the game is about befor you're presented with a screen telling you to buy the full version.
;]
Then again, back in those days the gaming industry was a lot smaller and a lot less driven by hype machines. Could you imagine a game like Daikatana selling in the glory days of shareware, when sales were driven by word of mouth and 'gaming personalities' such as John Romero, Kilcreek, and Cliffy B were non-existent? Back then, they relied on a good shareware first episode to hook the player, not slick magazine ads or fancy movie tie-ins (*coughenterthematrixcough*).
But then again, maybe I'm just looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses here...
The registration fee was fairly nominal, I'd written the game for my own use and it was only the fact that it could be neatly divided into game and editor that prompted me to try a shareware release. A few people even sent more than I asked for on the basis that it had given them as much playing time as any commercial game.
Mind you, all this was in the days when recieving a registration meant sending out a floppy containing the new content. Being able to do everything on-line makes the whole business a lot easier, but it has also killed off the concept of public domain libraries, which were the primary way of getting the unregistered version out there in the first place.
Since they are DEAD SET against the entire concept of shareware, to the point of being absurdly rude about it.
:(
But here, even in the free software haven, shareware is considered viable and very much alive.
I am a shareware developer and had looked to license qt for a small run, low cost piece of software and they told me to go get stuffed. Full, insanely high priced, commercial license or GPL or go to hell is their motto.
Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
These type of games seem to have dissapeared in recent years, and is it because the big download pages (download.com, fileplanet.com) are consumed with a flood of commercial demos from the big name game developers and these small games are nearly invisible because of the vast amount? Or have people stopped making these types of games, unable to compete with the desire for top graphics and gameplay.
I was on a Mac from about 1995-1999 and the quality of the shareware on the Mac platforms seemed to be far better than Windows shareware. The games were more fun, rarely crashed or didn't work. Anyone else seen this? Anyone have any reasons for this? Anyone care?;~)
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It's good to know PopCap Games is making money through their shareware model, but it's not going to get me to buy any games I can find at AddictingGames.com. I can hardly bring myself to fork over cash for games like UT 2003, and I've been playing the demo of that for quite a while now.
Twelve fingers or one, its how you play. ~Gattaca (Vincent)
Good thing about shareware include:
In many games, it should be hard to make a shareware copy. Just clip the game after X levels/scenes/items etc, and you've got a nice demo. Shareware could also be nice for hardware reviews, I seem to remember various hardware being tested on shareware versions of doom, etc - which provided a nicer "reality" benchmark than today's crackable Futuremark, etc
I downloaded a "shareware" version of "Crimsonland" http://crimsonland.reflexive.com/crimsonland/
Got hooked, finished what I could and proceeded to whip out the CC to finish buying it..
Bastard addictive game it is too.. highly recommended for those that want a deceptivly simple challenge...
"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
The first time I ran against an International Banking system, I actually started sweating as I watched the traceback get closer (so quickly) to my home system............ this will appeal to your inner hacker, perhaps as a guilty pleasure.
Most engrossing game experience since Half-Life. And at least six other games floating around the mac shareware sites of equal quality. Blows the hell out of anything commericial AND the noble offerings of Linux developers.
---------
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
"I don't think you are going to learn a whole ton from Unreal 2K (I could be wrong)."
:) ).
Yeah...to 'try-before-you-buy' warez games before spending your hard earned cash on them.
I mean, I tried it for part of one level, and just deleted it from my HD; same-ol', same-ol' fps shit. GTA3:VC I played for ten minutes and then ran out to buy it (well, actually after 5 minutes of playing I knew I would buy it, so I played on for the rest of teh night and bought it the next day, but you get the picture
Then a week later I installed Alpha Centauri again (from my original cd) and have been playing that and Vice City in turns, between work, beach and going out.
-- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?
It appears Garage Games is licensing their Torque Game Engine to anyone for $100.
Check out shops like Large Animal Games - these places have amazing ideas, there is basically no channel for them to sell their wares.
This is where Sony can make inroads against Nintendo with their upcoming handheld. Include a 32MB+ CF card (or built in memory) that can transfer games you download online, via USB cable to the handheld. All of the big name games will be in the stores, but you will have tons of independent games to make the system more attractive.
Hell, I already get all of my GBA games that way
Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way...
The problem with this article is that 90% of the "shareware" I download isn't shareware at all, it's a demo.
The way I (and most people I know) define these terms:
Shareware: Software distributed in a fully functioning, non-limited version. A request is distributed along with the software that asks the user to send some money to the author(s). whether or not you send the money, the software will have all features and not disable itself at any time. The software may have a "nag" screen that asks for you to send the fee.
Demo: Software that is disabled or restricted in some way from it's full version. To use the software's full feature set, or to use it for an ulimited amount of time requires you to pay a fee. Not paying the fee will cause the software to disable itself, or to continue to operate in a lesser manner than the full version.
Freeware: Shareware that has no request for money. the software is free.
Free Software: Similar to freeware, but the source code is usually available and usable by end users.
There is a VERY large push today (apparently backed by sites like Versiontracker) to use "shareware" and "demo" interchangeably. Sorry, but I just don't but it. I pay shareware fees when I use truely shareware software. I've decided to boycott any software that claims to be shareware but is in fact a demo.
Some software (such as BBEdit on the Mac) sort of blur the line a little. BBEdit Light is freeware, you may use all the program's features for as long as you like. But Light is also a demo for the full BBEdit which is commercial software that has more features than Light. There is also a true demo version of BBEdit that is lauch limited, then refuses to operate.
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