[edited by - DavidRM on August 7, 2002 4:50:59 PM]

[edited by - DavidRM on August 7, 2002 4:50:46 PM]

Very good post, David. Most especially #6, be patient. Never giving up is the key to success. Everyone who has succeeded hasn''t given up, while no one who gives up succeeds.

As for the lifespan of a shareware game, no one knows yet, it hasn''t been long enough. It will probably depend on the lifespan of the platform. A lot of shareware DOS games lasted as long as DOS lasted. Most current successful shareware Windows games will last as long as Windows lasts.

Thomas Warfield
http://www.goodsol.com

Just had to put my $.02 in on this one.

When it comes to matters like this I like to use my brother as a reference... He makes web apps and little tools. Mostly in Perl and java-script. He sells them online, and a few of his items have done very well for him. For the sake of privacy, I won''t disclose how much he has made, but to give you an idea, the idea of quiting his full time job and doing this full time has passed his mind. Don''t get me wrong, This is not normally what can be expected! However, it shows what can be done. He releases things a little different than has been suggested. Again, I don''t necessarily suggest copying this method, but it has worked for him. He releases the item and let''s you download it to use. He relys on the downloader to pay if they continue to use it. The large majority don''t actually pay for it, but with the massive amounts of downloads the percent that do add up. He believes in "Try before you buy." Now this may not work well for games, or even all apps, but it''s another idea to consider. Here are a few links to his sites for you to take a look at...
http://www.mattkruse.com/
http://www.calendarscript.com/

Always remember, you''''re unique. Just like everyone else.

DavidRM - this was an excellent article and has got me thinking about how to market my eventual product. I am currently working on something, but didn''t know whether to make the first release freeware, shareware, or even retail. You''ve given me alot to think about. You should write a full blown article on the subject of sharewaring/marketing... Seriously.
Thanks again
BC

- Free Your Mind -

How ironic. A practically-anonymous poster (the ELLE account was created only one hour before posting here) resurects this thread from the 10-month old ashes, presumably to spew a bunch of crap about it, and everyone responds about how helpful it is. Maybe we could just let ELLE dig through the archives and pull the rest of the good threads back up to the top every once in a while.

Ron Frazier
Kronos Software
www.kronos-software.com
Miko & Molly - Taking Puzzle Games to A Whole New Dimension

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

10-month ashes? Look again, LordKronos...nearly 2 years have passed since this thread was active.

I posted this originally in October, 2000. I had clean forgotten about it. Though I did use parts of it in a presentation I made in early 2001 (to the computer club at the college where I graduated).

For those who are curious, ELLE''s...contributions?...were simply a copy-and-paste of a get-rich-quick email involving a chain-letter scam.

DavidRM
Samu Games

quote: Original post by DavidRM
10-month ashes? Look again, LordKronos...nearly 2 years have passed since this thread was active.

Hmmmm. Guess I better figure out which year I''m in...before its completely over

That''s funny though, because it seems like I''ve read it more recently than that. I guess I must have just been digging through the archives at some point.

Ron Frazier
Kronos Software
www.kronos-software.com
Miko & Molly - Taking Puzzle Games to A Whole New Dimension

DavidRM - I hadn''t realized the original date of the post and considering it WAS almost 2 years since the original post I have a couple questions for you:

1)Is everything in your orignal post still valid with the current economy?

2)just curious, How are your software sales doing? (journal, artifact, etc)

Thanks
BC

- Free Your Mind -

brewknowc:

When the post re-surfaced like it did, I re-read it with the same questions in mind. Overall, I think it''s as valid now as it was then. If a bit general.

So, to answer your questions:

1) Sure. If you want to sell copies, you have to provide a compelling reason to buy them, and you have to make them easy to buy. That''s not going to change, regardless of the economic climate.

2) Sales of The Journal have never stopped growing, though we''re not talking meteoric growth or anything like that. Just each year continues to be stronger than the previous year. And it''s not like the product is standing still. I continue to make new releases, and made a major one last year.

Artifact sales stalled in 2001. We actually had "negative growth" in 2001. I''d blame the terrorist in September, but the damage actually began in the summer... In short, 2001 *sucked*. 2002 has been much more positive and things are looking much brighter.


My biggest shortcoming has always been in following the advice in #7: "Don''t try to get rich off of just one product." I''ve always found it easier to continue working on an existing project than starting a new one.


DavidRM
Samu Games