Some sites could find themselves in a catch-22. Banner ads don't pay the bills and can't generate enough funds to pay employees (if any), provide hosting and bandwidth, etc. Visitation is high because the site is free, yet to recoup costs (even to break even) might require small fees. This causes a revolt among the user base (I read several angry messages on ZDNet's new board about Yahoo charging for auctions now).
This is just the way it is. If a site can charge - must charge - to remain open, then it has every right to do so. We charge for Lunatix Online, which is a web-based game. If we didn't, we couldn't continue to run the game (banner ads are a scam unless you're Yahoo or some huge site).
What I'm anxious to see is what happens when sites begin to realize they have no alternative -- either devise some membership/fee scheme, or go out of business. What will be a tremendous slap to reality for the "free the web" moochers of the world will be when they wake up and realize that all the GOOD content is gone, and they're left with nothing more than hobbiest, amateur sites because those are the only ones that can continue to operate with no income. :::: Mike Snyder
There is simply no valid point that can be made which asserts that it's OK to steal. While it's good for you if web services continue to be free (case in point, the recent action by Yahoo to begin charging tiny fees on posting auctions), these companies can't continue to exist if there isn't a profit. What does this mean for you? You have to pay for what you want when you're used to getting it for free. So stop freeloading off these web sites, and mooch a little more money from your parents. These sites can't stay in business if there isn't enough money to pay the bills. Do it for love? Fine. Think how the quality of content and services will go drastically down. Corporate America is evil and greedy? Fine. Hundreds of thousands of people can simply go on unemployment because you're arrogant enough to think if enough "angry voices" pipe up, these places will see the light and keep their content/services free.
The sad point is, you've either never been out in the "real" world, or you don't value your own job enough to realize why things cost money -- intellectual property or otherwise. :::: Mike Snyder
First, a plug for my own graphic/text adventure, written about a year ago. It's called "Lunatix: The Insanity Circle" and can be downloaded here (the ZIP file is here). Several screen shots are shown here. It can also be downloaded from www.download.com with info and download here. It's freeware, and I get constant feedback (still) about it (kudos, questions, hint/walkthrough requests, etc).
There is an active usenet community for Interactive Fiction at rec.games.int-fiction, and a HUGE (and very complete) archive of games at the ftp.gmd.de archive. These kinds of games are alive and well! :::: Mike Snyder
If a "test drive" doesn't convince you to buy, then simply don't buy. Sure, you could steal a car from your local dealership, then drive it around for a few days before you decide to pay for the thing. But who's to say you will?
That's *THE* biggest problem. You "warez" people can spit forth dozens of reasons for doing what you're doing, but I'm confused. How is that *not* stealing? :::: Mike Snyder
Did you even bother to think this through? :::: Mike Snyder
Re:"If it wasn't free I wouldn't have gotten it"
on
Warez and Abandonware
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· Score: 1
Exactly. Perhaps the vocal few who insist "I use warez simply to evaluate before I buy" are half-serious. The silent majority could care less about that -- the point is that they don't have to pay. I'm not sure how anybody else was raised, but it seems that I remember something about "stealing" being "wrong." I could be confused. :::: Mike Snyder
Re:"If it wasn't free I wouldn't have gotten it"
on
Warez and Abandonware
·
· Score: 1
*COUGH COUGH* and you think there's no cost involved in developing software? :::: Mike Snyder
This is simply absurd. While any author/company who wants to release source code is just fine, insisting that it's the right thing in all (or even most) instances is just crazy. Good will for the company? Baaah. :::: Mike Snyder
This is their call, though, not yours. If a company sells an obscure game you've never heard of, you *don't* have the right to play it by means of stealing it, even if your intentions are to evaluate it before purchase (although this isn't usually the case -- most people just want something for free). If this results in $0 sales (for the game), then so be it -- that's how it should be. No matter how you slice it, there is no justification for theft. :::: Mike Snyder
:::: Inherently flawed? I guess that depends on your perspective. As a web-game developer myself (been doing it for 3 years -- I use Perl), I've found no real problems. The biggest concern I have with my latest project ( StarLock ) is that my company will have to purchase our own server and T1 (which I'm not looking forward to, at $1k per month).
:::: I think the biggest concern (and probably cause for the biggest misconceptions) is that most web games aren't very good, either because the authors aimed too small, weren't very skilled, host on slow (typically "free") servers, or give their game an unprofessional/haphazard look. This leads to the idea that web games are "inherently" flawed or simply not worth a look.
:::: Another problem is the ease with which people can create fake accounts (ruining the "fairness" of a game). Cookies and IP logging cut down on this tremendously. Yet another problem is that most web games are written "for fun" and are put online for free. Being free isn't necessarily the problem -- free is good -- but free games tend to be splatter with annoying banner ads (talk about cheating your sponsors -- who clicks on those things except to get extra turns), they're usually on free web hosts which are often lagged down with too many other sites, and they're overrun by cheaters since the admin has no real incentive (it's a "free" game after all) to do anything about it.
:::: In short, everything has its place. Web games are great for people on the move (at work, school, home, Aunt Bertha's house) who want to play their game without installing a special client program at every stop. They're also good for busy people if they're designed with the BBS philosophy in mind (time is limited, so each day starts a new round of turns).
Telnet isn't the answer. Web games can be fast enough. In fact, web games played over most of today's high-speed connections go much faster than BBS games did at 14.4k when they were popular. I have the somewhat unique perspective of coming from the BBS door-game programming days (I wrote Lunatix, which is listed as one of the all-time classics, plus a VGA terminal/script language called RageTerm which is pretty obscure since it was released late in the days of BBS popularity) -- AND I've been developing web games for the past three years. One thing I'm sure of is that web-based wins out over telnet. Easily.
:::: Mike Snyder
:::: Be sure you contact GamePort, who now owns L.O.R.D., before doing any kind of port like you're describing. Since they own the game and might have plans (who knows) like that, you could potentially dilute its value and run into legal problems. How about a game of your own? Try a LORD-like game with a different setting.
:::: I stay in contact with Seth Robinson, and while I'm sure he's happy that people still remember (and even play) this old classic, in previous discussions about another unauthorized web "LORD," I get the impression that he (like anybody) doesn't want his work stolen. It's in GamePort's ballpark now though -- better check with them before you proceed.
:::: The first-ever "LORD-clone" (more accurately, a "LORD-parody"), Lunatix, was released way back in March 1995. Two years ago, we rewrote it for the web and it's still going strong at www.lunatix-online.com. This is one of the few "web ports" of a classic BBS game that has actually been developed by the people who wrote and own the original (maybe even the only). :::: Some other BBS-style games are linked at our games portal page here. We're also knee-deep in development on a new one, StarLock, which was going to be a BBS game before the whole market dried up.
:::: Mike Snyder :::: Prowler Productions ::::www.prowler-pro.com :::: Mike Snyder
Slashdot Mirror
Some sites could find themselves in a catch-22. Banner ads don't pay the bills and can't generate enough funds to pay employees (if any), provide hosting and bandwidth, etc. Visitation is high because the site is free, yet to recoup costs (even to break even) might require small fees. This causes a revolt among the user base (I read several angry messages on ZDNet's new board about Yahoo charging for auctions now). This is just the way it is. If a site can charge - must charge - to remain open, then it has every right to do so. We charge for Lunatix Online, which is a web-based game. If we didn't, we couldn't continue to run the game (banner ads are a scam unless you're Yahoo or some huge site). What I'm anxious to see is what happens when sites begin to realize they have no alternative -- either devise some membership/fee scheme, or go out of business. What will be a tremendous slap to reality for the "free the web" moochers of the world will be when they wake up and realize that all the GOOD content is gone, and they're left with nothing more than hobbiest, amateur sites because those are the only ones that can continue to operate with no income.
:::: Mike Snyder
There is simply no valid point that can be made which asserts that it's OK to steal. While it's good for you if web services continue to be free (case in point, the recent action by Yahoo to begin charging tiny fees on posting auctions), these companies can't continue to exist if there isn't a profit. What does this mean for you? You have to pay for what you want when you're used to getting it for free. So stop freeloading off these web sites, and mooch a little more money from your parents. These sites can't stay in business if there isn't enough money to pay the bills. Do it for love? Fine. Think how the quality of content and services will go drastically down. Corporate America is evil and greedy? Fine. Hundreds of thousands of people can simply go on unemployment because you're arrogant enough to think if enough "angry voices" pipe up, these places will see the light and keep their content/services free. The sad point is, you've either never been out in the "real" world, or you don't value your own job enough to realize why things cost money -- intellectual property or otherwise.
:::: Mike Snyder
First, a plug for my own graphic/text adventure, written about a year ago. It's called "Lunatix: The Insanity Circle" and can be downloaded here (the ZIP file is here). Several screen shots are shown here. It can also be downloaded from www.download.com with info and download here. It's freeware, and I get constant feedback (still) about it (kudos, questions, hint/walkthrough requests, etc).
:::: Mike Snyder
There is an active usenet community for Interactive Fiction at rec.games.int-fiction, and a HUGE (and very complete) archive of games at the ftp.gmd.de archive. These kinds of games are alive and well!
If a "test drive" doesn't convince you to buy, then simply don't buy. Sure, you could steal a car from your local dealership, then drive it around for a few days before you decide to pay for the thing. But who's to say you will? That's *THE* biggest problem. You "warez" people can spit forth dozens of reasons for doing what you're doing, but I'm confused. How is that *not* stealing?
:::: Mike Snyder
Did you even bother to think this through?
:::: Mike Snyder
Exactly. Perhaps the vocal few who insist "I use warez simply to evaluate before I buy" are half-serious. The silent majority could care less about that -- the point is that they don't have to pay. I'm not sure how anybody else was raised, but it seems that I remember something about "stealing" being "wrong." I could be confused.
:::: Mike Snyder
*COUGH COUGH* and you think there's no cost involved in developing software?
:::: Mike Snyder
This is simply absurd. While any author/company who wants to release source code is just fine, insisting that it's the right thing in all (or even most) instances is just crazy. Good will for the company? Baaah.
:::: Mike Snyder
This is their call, though, not yours. If a company sells an obscure game you've never heard of, you *don't* have the right to play it by means of stealing it, even if your intentions are to evaluate it before purchase (although this isn't usually the case -- most people just want something for free). If this results in $0 sales (for the game), then so be it -- that's how it should be. No matter how you slice it, there is no justification for theft.
:::: Mike Snyder
Pretty close. My company hosts Blue Dragon's World at War browser-based web game at the Prowler Portal.
:::: Mike Snyder
Telnet isn't the answer. Web games can be fast enough. In fact, web games played over most of today's high-speed connections go much faster than BBS games did at 14.4k when they were popular. I have the somewhat unique perspective of coming from the BBS door-game programming days (I wrote Lunatix, which is listed as one of the all-time classics, plus a VGA terminal/script language called RageTerm which is pretty obscure since it was released late in the days of BBS popularity) -- AND I've been developing web games for the past three years. One thing I'm sure of is that web-based wins out over telnet. Easily.
:::: Mike Snyder
Make sure you contact GamePort, the owners of LORD, before you start on this.
:::: Mike Snyder