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Double Fine Adventure Will Be Available DRM Free For IOS, Android
New submitter Garth Smith writes "Tim Schafer has a video update for his crowdsourced project, Double Fine Adventure. Because of the nearly $2 million in funding, the budget is now large enough for language translations, voice acting, music, and more platforms. The XBox and PS3 are absent. I wonder what would the chances of a DRM-free release have been if funding had come from a traditional publisher?"
Mac, Linux, and PC. With both Steam and DRM-free versions to be available for all-purpose platforms.
I'm guessing it was going to say the Java platform, but they encountered a NullPointerException
In spite of this being a joke, Java is not allowed on IOS, so no.
The last word was "Linux". Tim Schafer had already let it be known that OSX and the PC (obviously) would be supported.
If you want to support DRM-free Linux development, please consider financially supporting the project!
I would believe that this project would not be able to come from a traditional publisher on the basis that a "traditional publisher" nowadays feels that a game is not able to survive without DRM. Behold the brave new world of independant publishing ( am i showing my optimism there?)
Stay tuned for new sig...
For those wondering why this question was even being asked, the last work was cut off for whatever reason. timothy cleaned it up within a couple of minutes of the story posting. =)
Excellent, one customer ready to buy.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
DRM free versions will be available for Mac, PC and Linux. The game will also be made available through Steam, and the IOS App Store, etc.... which definitely have DRM. Title here (and other places) make it sound like it will be DRM free only.
i'm the jedidiahmarkfoster your parents warned you about
IOS, Android and what?
And nothing.
I've noticed that American headlines often use "X, Y" instead of "X and Y" when there are two items.
I assume it's to save space but, like you apparently, I still find it rather jarring (of course, it could be just a typo). Please let's not argue over which is better.
If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
iOS and PC. :)
Julie Moult is an idiot.
Actually, URL says "double-fine-adventure-will-be-available-drm-free-for-ios-android-and-more" and I'm guessing the GP was wondering what the "more" is.
Hey, they'll lay off the shitty commentary if you'll lay of the shitty comments.
Julie Moult is an idiot.
We'll start with yours. Editorializing about editorials are the worst.
Somewhere between zero and the temperature (in Kelvin) at which Hell freezes over.
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
If it's on Android, don't you think there's already a Java port in the works? :)
Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
I stand corrected, thank-you.
That'll teach me to assume a subtle linguistic misunderstooding exists when it's actually just sloppy headline-writing or lackadaisical editing.
If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
I find your sig + your statement + the context an amusing combination.
I wonder what would the chances of a DRM-free release have been if funding had come from a traditional publisher?
The same chance you have getting laid by something other than your left hand. Can we leave out the shitty editorials.
You must be new here...
Welcome to the internet!
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
I wrote that editorial. Parent's comment was good for a laugh. =)
Did you know that adventure games are more popular with girls than Call of Duty or Madden ever was? I know quite a few females, that aren't my left hand (correction: my RIGHT hand), that are excited about this game.
"For IOS, Android"
What happened to /.?
Isn't everything on an iPhone under DRM? I mean you can't transfer ownership or anything.
The word "investor" is not used anywhere. They ask for backers or "donations" though most people who backed the project are thinking of it as a pre-order.
Will I be fined twice for playing it? Versus just once for other big-name game producers, that is.
At the scale of game we're talking about, these wouldn't be pressed discs, they'd be XBLA/PSN titles.
Benford's Corollary to Clarke's Law: "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."
"And for all our lovely friends overseas, we'll be localizing the text in French, Italian, German, and Spanish."
Spanish makes sense, but not the others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers
I have a hard time believing that, for instance, Italy has a larger market for games than Brazil, Russia, India, or China.
I would imagine that, much like some of Double Fine's previous titles (Stacking, for one), it would be available as a downloadable title. No disks needed.
If you bothered to check out the Kickstarter page, the "returns" start at getting a copy of the game. They even had a level of $10,000 donation which would get you lunch with Tim Schaffer. If you went to Double Fine's site, they had even higher levels than that. $15,000 would get you dinner with the dev team and Tim Schaffer. $20,000 would get you dinner and bowling.
As it stands the game is effectively pre-funded. Every sale Double Fine makes on top of the Kickstarter campaign is going to be pure profit so long as they don't go over budget, which greatly changes the market dynamics. DRM is first and foremost about being able to recover your investment, after which there's not nearly as great a need to stop freeloaders. So I don't think anyone should be surprised that their game will be DRM free; it's a nice gesture for sure, but it's not as if Double Fine is in a position where they need to use it.*
* Even more so since Notch is effectively writing them a blank check for their next game, Psychonauts 2
I look at the web page and I see talk about funding, platforms and DRM.
But I haven't a clue about the game itself other than that it appears to patterned on the old-school low-res Lucas Arts graphic adventures.
What I need to know as an investor is whether you have a story, characters, setting and design as original and compelling as Grim Fandango. What I want in a developer is someone who can say no to the crowd and it make it stick.
Duke Nukem Forever is the perfect example of the game as fan service.
Not sure about PSN, but I know we recently had a discussion about the cost of Xbox patches.
This makes me wonder how much it costs to get a game onto XBLA. Does anyone know?
How so? Are you claiming Double Fine is a bully in the video game industry? I could presume you meant Steam, but since the whole point of this article is that DRM-free options will exist, I am back to being confused again.
Apple does not allow that. Or are they selling it only on the Cydia store and skipping the apple store? That would be interesting if they only sold to jailbroken Apple owners.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I could see this working awesomely on the Wii. I didn't mention the Wii because I don't have one and haven't used one for quite some time. I have heard people asking for a Wii version of the game so who knows? I have a feeling the main reason the consoles are being passed up is because of how much money it costs to get a game approved by Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo.
There is also a game news report talking about Double Fine:
Game report (Double Fine part is at 0'45")
It is russian spoken but I don't know why I didn't found it difficult to understand the whole report.
What about downloadable through Xbox Live and PSN?
Does anyone know much does it cost to get a game on Xbox Live and PSN? $2 million is quite a small budget for a game and I imagine cost is the sole reason of not releasing the game to more platforms.
No, since you can't do Java on iOS, it is easier to do a cross-platform app in C with SDL for the graphics and audio stuff. There are some other options: C# via monotouch/monoforandroid, Javascript via phonegap or titanium.
Broken sword on the wii worked surprisingly well, i was quite impressed. Wiimote for point and click is perfectly fine in my opinion, whereas the controllers, and realistically, even the kinect aren't all that brilliant on xbox and ps3.
...they are already going to have to include over 4,000 people in the game's credits. Anyone who donates $100 or more gets "special thanks in the game's credits".
(Yes, my name will be one of those.)
They said XBLA won't happen because they only work with licensed publishers. 360 won't happen because patches cost $40k each.
People who donate $15 or more will get a copy of the finished game. For all purposes it is a pre-order with the option of paying more if you want. He is perfectly open about his motives and his goals for the project. In fact, with the documentary being made about the development of the game, as it's being developed, you could say this is one of the most transparent development processes ever. Scam? Opposite! If you don't like the terms don't pay the $15+. No reason to start name calling.
Downloadable games are any size now. I've got a few that go past the 1GB size.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
the relevant context is that 2 of the 5 platforms are apple products. That's all.
If you can do it in c#, you can do it in Java with IKVM.
Exactly! That's how the Slashdot guys were able to get all those private jets and mansions and stuff.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Unfortunately, backers who run Linux won't be part of the closed beta.
Dear EA...
Please follow this example and do a refresh, please no remakes or re-imaginings, of the Wing Commander series.
I, and a few friends I know, would be more than willing to drop 50 - 100+ dollars into a Kickstarter project that would portray the original Wing Commander stories with modern updated graphics, sound, all new voice overs with the established series voice actors, and full HOTAS support.
I'll even drop an extra 50 bucks if you provide a Steam-Play version so I can play it natively on my Mac.
Thanks,
A Wing Commander Fan who want to give you money...
PS: Lets do this for System Shock and System Shock 2 as well okay?
But what if you're not the two biggest names in adventure gaming? How is some unknown supposed to get funding for a really good game? Double Fine didn't give any information about what the game will be -- they didn't have to, because they're who they are. But an unknown backroom programming squad is going to have to give more info than that... then watch as some big budget software house dedicates umpteen corporate programmers to producing something to his spec and making a fortune....
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
I'll buy both the Mac and Linux version to support this way of working and to support Linux gaming.
First, it's just humorous, not an actual contradiction of the GGGP's principles. Second, yes deploying to a platform does, in fact, increase the effective value of that platform, thus indirectly giving earnings to Apple. It's not a serious issue, and I hope this isn't a debate.
Generally you'll find it a lot rarer for people to say "i won't buy unless you remove platform X" than "i won't buy unless you add platform X"
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
Ahhh, the art of subtle sarcasm has drowned in a sea of surly moderators.
As much as I hate to spell it out, please read the above with a sense of humour.