Prince has more creativity in his pinky than most people will ever have. I wouldn't question his credibility, as he has sold dozens of millions of records, many top 10 hits, and generally has more creative output than almost any other artist. Do you realize he has released over two dozen albums, yet has well over 500 sougs just sitting around waiting release?
OK - you go create something that takes years of your life, and several hundred thousand dollars. Then give it away. You wouldn't do it - why should artists?
Releasing the source would be nice, but I would wager that the source code is long gone... if a high-profile, somewhat more recent title like Ultima 7's code has been lost, code that is twice as old has disappeared long ago in most cases
Are voxels somehow superior to polygons? It seems like we'll soo have these graphics processors which can render an incredible number of textured/shaded/AA'ed polygons without breaking a sweat. I'm not sure I see what the advantage of voxels are...
Yep - they certainly do exist (who do you think released Homeworld/Half-Life?) Even if Sierra didn't exist, retailers would still have their games for sale... I recently purchased the King's Quest collection (1-7) for $15 at Chips & Bits
Were they selling it for a profit? I have seen C64 game compillations sold, but only for the cost of the media plus shipping. Not that big of a deal, IMO. What chaps my hide is people on ebay who auction off these collections on ebay, and ebay does nothing about it!
Another thing to consider, is that most emulator authors explicitly state that their emulators are *not* to be bundled with rom/disk/tape images
Yeah, it is just you. Because the cybersquatters have not created anything, therefore they deserve no consideration and have no rights to a particular domain name. Software developers, on the other hand, DO have the rights to whatever they have created, regardless of how old it is.
True - I see Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, Ultima series, King's Quest series, etc. on abandonware sites, despite the fact that these games are still available. I try to purchase as many of these as I can, if I enjoy the game. Like you said, you can get these for dirt cheap
Actually, I make it a point to see if a program is still available before I post it. In the Infocom example, I never posted their games, because I knew they were still for sale. There was one game that I missed, however (an obscure game that didn't do very well, but was in their "Masterpieces of Infocom" collection. I have a couple of contacts at Activision, and they let me know of the oversight. So I removed it.
Just because something *can* be done, doesn't mean it's right. Attitudes like this are going to severely hamper the abandonware scene. It'll just encourage companies to crack down on even the semi-legit sites like The Underdogs (which makes every effort to point users to purchase legal copies if they are available)
I've run a Commodore 64 website for five years with a large collection of C64 software available. It has been my experience that most authors are pleased that their work has been preserved for posterity... I've even had a couple of original authors contact me and ask if there's anything they can do to help crack their old code to work on emulators. For this I am grateful. But, there are the occasional emails from authors/publishers that want me to remove a game or two, because they are still commercially available (Infocom adventures come to mind). I have no problem with this - they are still legally the owners of the work, and as I have no rights to their software (other than the license I purchased when buying the actual software), I respect their right to administer the copyright as they see fit. Personally, I think that's the way abandonware should be handled.
The early 80s console/computer analogy is a bit off... the Atari 2600/Intellivision/Colecovision weren't popular at the same time as the Commodore 64/Atari 1200XL/Apple IIe. When the videogame market crashed in 84, *that's* when the personal computers started making inroads. The best Colecovision game paled in comparison to average C64 games. And when the Amiga and Atari ST lines were introduced around 86 - no competition whatsoever! They made anything else look like a toy. It wasn't until the NES was introduced in 88 that the console/computer debate really started.
Look, the Linux market just isn't that big. If every single person who uses Linux for a workstation bought the Linux version, it *still* would have been a miniscule fraction of the Windows sales.
Also, I was under the impression that everyone here was pretty much dyed-in-the-wool Windows haters. Obviously games come before principles, 'cause a lot of people here bought the Windows version rather than wating a couple of weeks for the Linux version.
Yeah, all id has done is essentially invent the FPS, make LAN multiplaying popular, make internet multiplayer possible, make the first killer app for 3d accelerators, make the first true 3D gaming engine, and bring OpenGL to the Windows market. Nothing innovative there.
Name me a single N64 game that requires a rumble pack or the memory expansion.
The only modern example I can think of is Ape Escape for the PSX - it needs the Dual Shock controller (which has been bundled with all PSXs for well over a year now)
Slashdot Mirror
My name is Prince, and I am funky
My name is Prince, the one and only
And it was actually Prince - off his O(+> album (1991)
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Although, I did have to smack the bagger at the grocery who said all 2d games sucked
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Another thing to consider, is that most emulator authors explicitly state that their emulators are *not* to be bundled with rom/disk/tape images
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Actually, Cosmi is doing remakes of both Super Huey and Forbidden Forest this fall - should be cool! :)
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Also, I was under the impression that everyone here was pretty much dyed-in-the-wool Windows haters. Obviously games come before principles, 'cause a lot of people here bought the Windows version rather than wating a couple of weeks for the Linux version.
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