Comments - QuixoticRocket

Looking very good ^_^
Can't wait to try it out.

Happy new year, Happy new alpha ^_^

Cross platform promotion is a good thing to have, but unfortunately not every indie does it. I guess as long as things are clearly labeled then the quality will rise to the surface and we'll be able to pick the best bundles that meet our specific needs.

I loved the old shareware days where the games had 3 episodes and the first episode was free to distribute, had 1/2 the weapons and only started the story. It can be a difficult balancing act between giving away too much and giving away just enough to get a feel for the game but still want more (and buy the rest), but if done right I think it works well.

I think shareware, demos and student discounts all help reduce piracy.
Shareware / demos: the whole "try before you buy" aspect.
Student discounts: because there are a large number of uni students who would buy the games if they could afford to but would rather buy a meal for tonight than get a game they can pirate easily.

The one thing that digital distribution is getting right is making it easy to actually get the game. I know a guy who pirated things because it was easier than driving to the mall to go to the game shops and hoping they have stock of something he wanted.

So... straight line then?

What is "Anti Spiral"?

Reminds me of the zombie infection simulator:
Kevan.org

which, in turn, reminds me of Atom Zombie Smasher:
Indiedb.com

All of which are good things ^_^

Dungeons of Dredmor Desura key now available too ^_^ Good suff.

Invisible Horse!

Awesome ^_^
+1 to the thanks

Did they mention what license the source code is under?

It's an interesting conundrum. Which would be better: more indie bundles or restricting the bundles to indie devs who have multi-platform games?
There should at least be some support for cross platform in every bundle IMO (although I'm a windows gamer so I haven't been affected by the lack of support).
Maybe some of the devs will do some ports if there's enough demand?

Thought you'd find this article interesting: Twotribes.com
Basically it reports back on a sale that Rush had last year over christmas and how the price cuts change sales figures.
I've read similar things elsewhere before. When an indie game gets some advertising and has a big price-cut sale they sell like hotcakes and the developers actually get a fair amount of money compared to what they would normally get.
It does rely on effective advertising and making lots of sales, but I'd say that the Humble Bundles and Indie Royale seem to be spreading the word enough to make a difference.
Of course it all comes down to the cut and at the end of the day everyone needs to get paid. If everyone is getting an equal cut then I don't see much of an issue.

I think a lot of the issues are caused by the publishers wanting to get a quick return as you say. You can tell the difference between a rushed game and one that has been polished within the first 10 minutes of playing, I don't know how they think people will roll over and accept it... except people DO seem to just take it. Many of these AAA, buggy games sell millions and people just put up with the bugs until they're eventually patched.

I'm really looking forward to Torchlight II (the first one was great) and I'm glad they're on a "when it's ready" release timeframe. As gamers we need to not be spoilt children. We should learn to wait for quality and not demand the latest game, right now! I'd rather wait a few more months for a perfect experience than have something now that is flawed.

It's not like there aren't enough games to keep us amused in the meantime.

Desura seems more indie oriented than Steam. Don't get me wrong, I like Steam keys but I find it odd that Desura seems to be overlooked in this case =/

Interesting analysis, but I think you're missing one aspect here:
How much money goes to the developers and how much goes to charity.
The HVD may have made lots of money (although not as much as prec bundles) but if it's all to charity then the developers are not making anything (other than free advertising ofc).

Of course I doubt this is a major issue for them (otherwise they'd limit or remove the charity portion) but it'd be nice to get a breakdown of what the organisers thought of the process and what their goals were.

Wasn't trying to be contrary or anything. I didn't notice the $1 min increase (mostly because I'm paying £s) but I still think it's a really good deal.
Last I read about the timing they said "after thanksgiving" which could mean Friday or next week. Although tbh I haven't been following that closely.
Hopefully this bundle will have some good games. I've thrown my hat in the ring already, but waiting to see what the deal will be makes perfect sense too.
I agree that there are some teething problems going on but hopefully they'll take everyone's feedback (positive and negative) and it'll make the whole process stronger :)
As you say: it's an interesting process nonetheless.

I very much doubt there's a sinister agenda behind things at all. Last time the web servers were bouncing around like hyperactive jellies. This is all to try smooth out the first few hours of craziness (IMO). I'd guess they're only moving things by a maximum of 24 hours just to keep people from bombarding the servers all at once.

As for "if you already have the games": if you already own them then gift them to someone for christmas. It's not like $4 is going to break the bank (and if it is then maybe you shouldn't be wasting your money on video games).
If it's a major concern then just wait until the games have been announced before buying. You risk ending up with a higher price, but if you're lucky then some kind souls will have driven the price down and you'll get the best of both worlds. There's no real change to the purchasing other than some people will have pre-ordered and you're not 100% sure of when the bundle will be made available. They said they'll still be sending out a warning email so you won't be caught completely by surprise.

Personally I just pre-ordered. I'll probably enjoy whatever has been put out there and I got some astounding games last 2 times around. I have faith they'll continue to impress me.

EDIT: this is a reply to ZPavelZ's comment that starts with "Might I also notice the timing does not exactly help? ..."
Somehow *reply to* is not replying to :(

EDIT: how did this not end up as a reply?

There's not much of a change to the pricing. The only difference is that pre-orders are $1 higher than the starting price.
This is most likely to prevent people complaining that the people who pre-ordered got it at the minimum price while the people going through the conventional method couldn't get in fast enough to get the minum price.
Most people who pre-order are going to be the sort of people who pay a little extra to support indie dev. They're already buying the games "blind" as it were. And perhaps the preorders will feed into the usual pricing, driving it down for much of the start? The only way we'll know is by seeing the results in the next sale.
I'd say give them the benefit of the doubt and see how things pan out.

Sounds interesting ^_^ looking forward to future builds

These bundles have been great. I've discovered some really awesome games. Thanks ^_^