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Third Humble Bundle Arrives, 'Frozenbyte' Edition
supersloshy writes "The team behind last December's successful Humble Indie Bundle 2 (as well as the original Bundle of course) have launched yet another bundle, but this time it's comprised entirely of games by developer Frozenbyte, including Trine, Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, a pre-order of Splot, and the prototype Jack Claw (with source code). All games (except Jack Claw) are, as always, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux-based operating systems and are DRM-free."
I got trine some time after it came out and felt it was an excellent game. The puzzles were neat, the game play was smoother than most triple-A games I own and it was a damn site more fun. Also I loved the visual feel of Trine, it was pretty, whilst retaining it's own charm. I would recommend this as a reason alone to get the bundle. Also I can't wait for Trine2, I love those sorts of physics puzzle games.
I think it's great that people (and Linux users in particular) are informed of game bundles (while they're available) so they can support the game companies that support their platform. Linux users are willing to pay more money for games on their platform than those other two platforms.
...this is a ripoff. Who the hell would buy a game without DRM? I mean, that's the main selling point! Buy this game, and as a special bonus, get your computer infected with bullshit for ABSOLUTELY FREE!
I'm annoyed that I apparently missed the second bundle. I guess I'm not on Slashdot enough!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I don't have the time to play the bigs games I want to play right now (Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age 2) and I still haven't played most of the games from the first two bundles. But I'm still buying this just on principle.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
I really hope these come with steam codes, like the last bunch did. That was really nice for me to have them on my steam account instead of keeping the unique download codes for the bundle version.
I kid, I kid
Exactly. I have bought trine on the PSN, but I like the option on having it on my laptop as well. And we need to send a message that linux gaming can be lucrative. Also, the other two games don't look bad, so I gave them my 10 bucks. If I made as much as I wanted, I'd give about $30
Considering that you can choose not only how much to pay but also how it gets divided and how the transaction is processed, I wish that they'd provide a little more information so that we could maximize the proportion of our contribution that goes where we want. For example:
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I keep wondering about the slate of games offered as part of the Humble Bundles. Both of the previous bundles have included a really good "headline" game (World of Goo and Braid), and a bunch of games which to my eyes vary between clever but very light (Osmos), of limited appeal (Machinarium), just plain unimpressive (Gish, Lugaru), and simply unfinished (the still-incomplete Cortex Command, the beta Revenge of the Titans, and this "prototype" Jack Claw). Plus a few I'm simply uninterested in. I'm sure the other games have their fans, and I'm not saying they're bad -- just not especially high-caliber, and generally not something I'd pay more than a couple bucks even if they weren't part of the bundle. Can Wolfire not find more developers to take part, or is this the best available slate of indie-cross-platform games?
(I've bought both of the previous bundles and will buy the third. I'm just disappointed that a) I don't have much money to contribute and b) what's on offer isn't really worth much more to me).
Quite right. This is clearly an thinly veiled advertisement for a bundle of DRM free games of which one has the onus of setting one's own price down to the developer/distributor split as well as charitable contributions to organizations that bring joy to children or stand as champions of free speech online.
Hmm... put that way I think I could handle a few more "advertisements." Although, when I think about: successful social/business experiment, an embrace of DRM free media by the groups most likely to be harmed by piracy (indie devs), helping kids in a nerdy way, and crowd sourcing the legal protection of internet freedom - I think I'd call this "news" although possibly just of interest "for nerds," but definitely "stuff that matters" in my opinion.
Glad I heard the announcement.
I already own Trine and both Shadowgrounds games on Steam, so I'll just use this as a donation to EFF and Child's Play and so I can play Splot when it comes out. I always love the Humble Bundles whenever they come out.
It's one of very few games to be certified 3d-vision ready.
These bundles raise money for Child's Play, they challenge the conventional release model, and they're DRM-free Linux games.
If that isn't "News For Nerds", then I don't know what is.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Oh how I find this quite amusing. (Snapshot from when I was at the payment page)
They once again are going to witness that not only there are players running Linux exclusively but also that they are willing to pay more for their games.
No market eh? lol
Yeah because 18000 purchases is a single data point...
Back to Troll school with you.
This is why the iPhone app store is evil. Because there's no way to do this.
Also, the very same thing happened in the other two bundles (at least by the time I bought it)
You didn't read it every single day in your life?
I'm shocked, simply shocked by your behavior.
I'm curious if anything has really happened with community development of titles open sourced in the previous two bundles. I'd be interested in checking out community builds.
And while Jack Claw is Windows only in this release, I wonder how long it will take to get ported since the source is being released.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
For any company or even non-profit organization, unless they are already substantially developed, part of the goal is some level of growth. Break-even means there's not really a possibility for growth, and the organization will have a hard time getting better.
For the folks behind the HIB's, that might mean that with a bit more money, perhaps they can provide more technical support people (though they've done, from what I can tell, an awesome job with what they had, I also think they ended up all working 80+ hour weeks during the big events). It also might mean that, if they can make a bit of money, perhaps they can get developers of better titles to participate in the future, maybe a little more publicity to get even more people to hear about and particpate in the bundles, better servers, better website design, etc.
Now, there's a difference between a 'healthy' profit and a glutonous one, of course, but a little bit of profit really is necessary for any organization to thrive in the future, not just 'break-even'.
I would feel bad about only spending 90 cents on it, but they require paypal/paypalesque services which I REFUSE to put any more money into.
They get the leftovers in my account.
Being their 3rd bundle, it doesn't really count as news.
But it definitely matters.
Launching a 3rd bundle is definitely news. It indicates they've had enough success that this model is effective and not just a guess that a it is effective.
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They really should work on those promo videos. By the time the in-game content was shown I almost didn't give a fuck anymore because they had wasted so much time on fake snow.
The games don't seem bad, but if I want to pick up cars and slam them into some NPCs I just fire up Prototype and get something better looking.
I missed the first two bundles. I'm going to get this one though. It looks like many of the games from the first bundle were open sourced. Is the same going to happen for the games from the second bundle?
With the "conventional" release model and an influx of developers and publishers, and subsequently a flood of varying-quality games, people are sick of paying retail prices for questionable content.
I can't tell you how many games I've thought looked cool/neat/worth-a-try on the box, but ended up absolutely terrible when I played them. Dungeon Lords, anyone?
Now we've got several games which have proven their worth already, and can sell on their own, which are bundled together in an awesome pack. For avid gamers (especially those on a budget), this is a huge deal. For indie developers, this is another chance to show that the traditional retail system is not the only way to conduct business.
I, for one, welcome our new DRM-free overlords.
What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
According to the stats, Windows users tend to pay slightly less than Mac users, and half of what linux users pay.
I expected Mac users to pay a lot more than either, since they're used to paying far more for something than it's actually worth.
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
I find using the .deb (or .rpm) method for installing the software in Linux ideal. In fact, I've only used the games for which a .deb was provided. (World of Goo, Clash of the Titans, and Osmose)
I'm a little disappointed to find that there was no mention of how the games would be packaged before purchase, which would help me make a more informed purchase.
I don't know if these current downloads are now going to scatter files all over my HDD, never to be uninstalled, or if they are self contained executables.
Please consider telling your partners that I appreciate the packaging under Linux.
I missed the previous two bundles, but I would still like to buy them. Does anyone know if they are still available? I purchased this one, and hoped there will be a link to older ones, but no.
Isn't that what demos are for? I would have no problems paying for ANY game if they all just released demos. That way I could try the first level and see if it is worth it.
"-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
And that the Linux people try to convince themselves that they aren't cheapskates, because they paid more than the Windows people as though that "proves" something.
When you get down to it, they are all pathetic amounts of money. $12 means, ignoring CC costs and other overhead, that you pay only $4/game. That is an almost insultingly low amount for quality software.
I think part of the reason the Windows numbers are so low, is that the non-cheapskate people already bought this stuff. I will not be buying this bundle, because I already own the games form it that I care to. However I didn't pay $4 for them. Trine I paid $15 for on sale, and it was worth the money.
I say that not to brag, I didn't pay it to prove a point, I paid it because that was the price they were asking at the time and I decided it was a reasonable price.
If the Linux people want to impress, they should at the very least match the Steam price for this. Currently Steam sells the Frozenbyte pack (which Frozenbyte sets the price for) for $30 and it does not include a Splot preorder. Realistically if they are trying to show the platform's viability/willingness to pay it should be more as a demonstration, and also because a cut is going to charity.
All these bundles ever show to me is:
1) There are a lot of cheapskates out there and if you let them set their own price, it'll be very low.
2) People aren't as altruistic as they think, they just compare themselves to others and try to do better then pat themselves on the back (as explained here: http://fora.tv/2009/11/10/SuperFreakonomics_Challenging_the_Way_We_Think).
Now I should say I've no problem if you wish to buy a game pack cheaply. Nothing wrong with that. However don't go and sprain your arm reaching over and patting yourself on the back so hard because you didn't buy it quite as cheaply as someone else.
The simple fact of the matter is many Windows users (and probably Mac users too) paid much more for a single one of these games because they decided it was worth it. That is really supporting the devs, not a token "Well we paid more than the other cheapskates!" thing.
You can say the same for everything else as well... "MIT discovers cold fusion! - Bah! This is just a barely-hidden advertisement for MIT!"
This is blinging
I wonder how many games have stunning demo content with high polish with the rest of the game lacking.
Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
> And that the Linux people try to convince themselves
> that they aren't cheapskates, because they paid more
> than the Windows people as though that "proves" something.
For Bundle #1 & #3 I only paid the suggested amount.
Although even that was much higher than the averages for any platform.
For #2, I paid a much larger amount but I treated it as a veiled charitable contribution.
It's fascinating how some people just fixate on the games as if there were no other elements to this.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Somehow, the demo for Brutal Legend managed to entirely avoid mentioning that the game is actually a mediocre RTS. The demo was just a third-person action-combat segment.
... so this time I'll pass ;-)
As compared to the millions in sales of other games at 50 dollars or more that Windows users buy that you conveniently ignore? How does that figure into your "Linux people pay more" when I doubt nothing but a tiny minority even paid 50 dollars FOR THE WHOLE PACK.
Considering us linux folk are used to quality software for $0, please do tell us what we should be paying.
Paying more than the windows cheapskates is not altruism and I don't claim it is. It is just one more way I am better than windows users :)
Or maybe I'm a supercasual gamer who never really heard of these games before, I bought the bundle for just one game that I think looks good (Trine), and I don't give a crap about anything else in the bundle and the chances are slim to none that I'll download or play them.
I actually paid what Steam sells Trine for. But even that Steam price ($20) is kind of high for a game that's about 2 years old (and a couple of other games that are older). If CompUSA was still around, they'd all probably be in the $2.99 bargain software bin. Yes, you might've paid full retail for them a few years ago. I might've paid full retail for them a few years ago too had they been ported to Linux at that time, but I tend not to go too far out of my way to buy Windows games and try to play them under Linux.
Bottom line, a game either has to be really compelling to me (including on price point) or released for Linux for me to be at all interested in it. The latter is the case here, I think the charity angle is cool too, but I don't think anything approaching the release retail price is remotely reasonable for an older game, simply because it was just now ported to Linux. That doesn't make me a cheapskate, it makes me realistic. Make the Linux release contemporary to the other platform(s), it'll probably make headlines, I'll see it, and be willing to pay something approaching initial release retail for it.
The message I want to send to Frozenbyte and the Humble Bundle folks is that I'll pay money even for stale games that have been ported to Linux (better late than never), and that I'd like to encourage these bundle releases, because they catch my attention and sometimes add a little value.
Short points:
1. I love your assumption about causes of spending inequality. Or are they backed up by any data that are not one instance of anecdote? If so, care to share them?
2. I don't think the GP was pointing out how smug Linux users are. More like, that Linux users are actually paying (contrary to popular belief).
Longer points:
1. Cheapskate is such a strong word, now isn't it? I certainly am a cheapskate, because I didn't go to cinemas to see "Kings Speech", instead, I just sat home and polished Gnome 3 translations. If the price of a ticket was "pay what you want" and I would pay 1$, then I would go see it. I just don't value it enough.
2. This whole campaign is more like exchanging gifts. Since copying is really cheap, 4$ a game is really a lot, isn't it — the game is already made. Now, with gifts you usually exchange gifts with approximately same value. For you they may be worth 15$. For some other random person it might be more like 3$. For others it is as valuable as addware.
3. This is a bundle, therefore 4$ for a game is a bit misleading. In previous bundle I bought I played only 2 games. In this bundle one looks very interesting, and could be motivation for gift exchange, but for others I could not care less.
4. Economists (especially those, who want to sell books) just love to jump to conclusions and so do you. Just because you can observe behaviour doesn't say much about their causes. My guess is that people in every situation try to balance out their selfishness and altruism. The more you give room for one, the more other one will lose. Just my guess.
Wouldn't that perhaps make this classifiable as a Public Service Announcement?
Most men are not thought unwise until they speak.
Courtesy of @humble:
How to use Jack Claw without a 360 controller
Download this file (right-click and "Save as"), and put it in your Jack Claw\Config folder. It should overwrite the original file, that's ok.
After that, keyboard & mouse should be enabled - pressing the left mouse button (or ESC) will proceed to the game.
Controls:
WASD - Character movement
Mouse - Claw movement
Left Mouse Click - Press once to grab an object, press again to release
Right Mouse Click - When holding an object, throws the object
Note: You can quit only by opening the console with the F8 key and writing "quit" there. We'll try to fix this shortly.
"Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded." -Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Seems pretty logical to me - THIB is a special thing, not like a Steam sale or whatever.
Guns don't kill people, "with glowing hearts" kills people.
One of the games from the previous bundle (Cortex command) isn't even finished yet. Why are they including unfinished games again?
> It looks like many of the games from the first bundle were open sourced.
If I understood correctly, most (all?) of those games were partially open-sourced: the source code was released under open-source licenses, but the graphics and music weren't. My understanding is that the bigger obstacle to obtaining top-level totally open-source games is the artwork, rather than the programming (easiest) or music (harder, but less so than graphics). This may change when the first generation of professional digital artists gets closer to retirement age.
http://www.humblebundle.com/?key=mR8F7yMf6F bundles #1 & 2 ........please donate 2 - 3 times as much (though of course you dont have to) to bundle #3 (if you use this link)
www.RacquetUp.org - Helping Detroit Youth
They weren't "Partially" open sourced - You can get the full source code no questions asked.
They did however keep content licensed. So the games weren't freely given away, either. If you look at history, Id Software did the same thing with Quake and Doom engines.
systemd is not an init system. It's a GNU replacement.
I don't think he is ignoring them. The harsh reality is NOW Windows users pay less for these games. The fact that a small majority of users are prepared to pay a premium on newly released heavily marketed AAA titles heavily DRMed and platform Dependant. Thats the business model. Its profitable
IMHO, the best "demos" are actually a limited version of the full game. Not neutered, but limited perhaps by time (can only play a 30m session) or level-cap, etc. Then you can just purchase/activate the content you've already downloaded (provided it is a downloadable game), and continue on your merry way.
Torchlight was great for that. You could get through the first boss, try out all 3 heroes, and weren't really limited on anything that was accessible in the full version of the game, by that point in time. It sold very well, and even ported over to console just recently, where it is also doing well.
What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
The harsh reality is NOW Windows users pay less for these games.
Duh, because there is a glut of games for Windows. When there is a glut of supply people aren't willing to pay as much. This is the most logical explanation for why Linux and Mac people paid more because there is higher demand due to a lower supply of games.
The harsh reality is NOW Windows users pay less for these games.
Duh, because there is a glut of games for Windows. When there is a glut of supply people aren't willing to pay as much. This is the most logical explanation for why Linux and Mac people paid more because there is higher demand due to a lower supply of games.
Simple supply and demand arguments don't work in a "pay what you want" which kind of breaks the rules that and 2 out of the three games have always been available for linux. Though it does play a part. The fact that its indie/for charity/attractive selling modal play their part. The fact that its attractive for windows developers...indie developers even to port their software is just a bonus
They said they would "open source" the games if there were enough purchases. There were but only the source code was released, unlike the game media...
I wouldn't give a dime to these crooks.
Thanks for the smile, I always love to meet another as pedantic as I am.
Do you play a lot of games with no graphical or musical content? I don't (and even if I did, I wouldn't consider this mainstream). That's why I consider them an integral part of the game, and therefore "full source code but no content" is still only partial open-sourcing, to me.
Or, perhaps, your reaction is based on your assuming that open-sourcing is inherently limited to source code, only? That hasn't been true for ages, check out Creative Commons or the various FSF documentation licenses.
Did you ever consider that some people are purchasing the bundle are just supporting the distribution model? The last 2 bundles i purchased for about 15$ to start with(having already purchases the 2 games i wanted from the bundles), played a couple of the games and then donated more. You act as if that 12$ is a slap in the face but i bet they would rather a 5$ donation for their effort than nothing. If you liked their games so much why not throw them 5$-10$ more.
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not worth one cent for both combined. wish I hadn't paid for them, feeling ripped off