Comments on: MS goes after the amateur http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/ Raph Koster's personal website: MMOs, gaming, writing, art, music, books Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:02:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Morgan Ramsayhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13592 Morgan Ramsay Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:49:32 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13592 For more information: <a href="http://www.gamerscoreblog.com/" rel="nofollow">Gamerscore Blog</a> (from the Microsoft Games Global Marketing team) <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/" rel="nofollow">XNA Team Blog</a> <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/xna/" rel="nofollow">MSDN XNA Developer Center</a> For more information:

Gamerscore Blog (from the Microsoft Games Global Marketing team)

XNA Team Blog

MSDN XNA Developer Center

]]> By: IGDA Forums - WOOT! Xbox 360 devkit on the cheap!http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13586 IGDA Forums - WOOT! Xbox 360 devkit on the cheap! Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:33:41 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13586 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] By the way, there's a thread on this subject on Raph Koster's blog, here. [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%-->

[...] By the way, there’s a thread on this subject on Raph Koster’s blog, here. [...]

]]> By: Brianhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13514 Brian Thu, 17 Aug 2006 08:13:28 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13514 Tools are great, but yes, you really need a distribution story of some sort. Especially if the tools are locked-in to a specific platform. Sure some people are willing to take the leap and hope that they'll impress someone and *somehow* get their stuff shipped... but if I were building a game project for the PC, I have the possibility of online/shareware sales at least. Give me the ability to upload my game, choose a $5-20 price (msft would get some standard cut), and let people give it a spin. Maybe without any content verification it's only purchasable by 18+ players. It's a closed, secure platform (in theory at least!) -- Allow a buyer to "return" something that they don't like or is broken within a 15 or 30 minute window or whatnot. Have a process for reviewing games that are available for download such that the best of the best could be pushed into a more generally accessable area or a bizdev guy could get in touch with the indie developer if they think it's worth it. Everybody wins. Cheap devkits that *anyone* can buy is a great step forward, but the real thing that'll change the world will be distribution that's much more open. Brian Tools are great, but yes, you really need a distribution story of some sort. Especially if the tools are locked-in to a specific platform. Sure some people are willing to take the leap and hope that they’ll impress someone and *somehow* get their stuff shipped… but if I were building a game project for the PC, I have the possibility of online/shareware sales at least.

Give me the ability to upload my game, choose a $5-20 price (msft would get some standard cut), and let people give it a spin. Maybe without any content verification it’s only purchasable by 18+ players. It’s a closed, secure platform (in theory at least!) — Allow a buyer to “return” something that they don’t like or is broken within a 15 or 30 minute window or whatnot.

Have a process for reviewing games that are available for download such that the best of the best could be pushed into a more generally accessable area or a bizdev guy could get in touch with the indie developer if they think it’s worth it. Everybody wins.

Cheap devkits that *anyone* can buy is a great step forward, but the real thing that’ll change the world will be distribution that’s much more open.

Brian

]]> By: Rikhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13192 Rik Tue, 15 Aug 2006 06:32:47 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13192 This can only be a good thing. Maybe a small thing, but a good thing. This can only be a good thing. Maybe a small thing, but a good thing.

]]> By: Brewhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13124 Brew Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:25:44 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13124 This is all great for the amateur programmers out there, theoretically, but it's really a small niche. What i'd REALLY like to see is games with built in construction sets/level editorsm like NWN, Starcraft, and such, on consoles. With the 360's microtransaction model, Players could upload their level/map, and put it for sale. The add ons for oblivion are a good example of small addons, with small price tags ($2-3) If MS set the price range, on a game by game basis, with players earning a 10% cut, (player generated map costs 150 points, player earns 15 pts every purchase) It could be quite a booming business for MS. Keeping the pay to the creator virtual (microsoft marketplace points) would be a smart decision... I'd like to see market place points become more useful, with full game purchases, and live membership purchase as well, but doubt that it'd happen. One things for sure tho, the xbox360 20gb hard drive was shortsighted, and we're all gonna need more space soon! This is all great for the amateur programmers out there, theoretically, but it’s really a small niche.

What i’d REALLY like to see is games with built in construction sets/level editorsm like NWN, Starcraft, and such, on consoles. With the 360′s microtransaction model, Players could upload their level/map, and put it for sale.

The add ons for oblivion are a good example of small addons, with small price tags ($2-3)

If MS set the price range, on a game by game basis, with players earning a 10% cut, (player generated map costs 150 points, player earns 15 pts every purchase) It could be quite a booming business for MS. Keeping the pay to the creator virtual (microsoft marketplace points) would be a smart decision…

I’d like to see market place points become more useful, with full game purchases, and live membership purchase as well, but doubt that it’d happen.

One things for sure tho, the xbox360 20gb hard drive was shortsighted, and we’re all gonna need more space soon!

]]> By: Morgan Ramsayhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13120 Morgan Ramsay Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:04:00 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13120 Michael Russell posted his <a href="http://www.romsteady.net/blog/2006/08/gamedev-xna-framework.html" rel="nofollow">initial concerns</a> about XNA Game Studio Express. Michael Russell posted his initial concerns about XNA Game Studio Express.

]]> By: Tesshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13115 Tess Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:08:02 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13115 Anytime I hear someone say, "PC is Dead!" what I'm really hearing is "Screw the little guy!" because the barrier of entry for console development is way the hell too high. So, I'm a big proponent of legal hobbyist kits for consoles. As much as I'm a huge defender of the PC platform (I don't even have a TV in my apartment), I'm also a realist. There's a great value in students and hobbyists being able to work on console games, even if it's only in a limited capacity. Anytime I hear someone say, “PC is Dead!” what I’m really hearing is “Screw the little guy!” because the barrier of entry for console development is way the hell too high. So, I’m a big proponent of legal hobbyist kits for consoles. As much as I’m a huge defender of the PC platform (I don’t even have a TV in my apartment), I’m also a realist. There’s a great value in students and hobbyists being able to work on console games, even if it’s only in a limited capacity.

]]> By: Raphhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13096 Raph Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:58:36 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13096 According to Kim Pallister, you have to give out all your source code and assets to share your games, at least at first. Hopefully, this will develop in different ways over time; many will be reluctant to effectively put everything they do in the public domain. The Live Arcade process has become so exlcusive and slow that it is no longer an indie developers' paradise, but they won't want to be on this version either with those sorts of limitations. Granted that the emphasis is on hobbyists and students, it would nonetheless be a good idea for Ms to embrace the very thing that is making the PC game world so interesting these days, and that's the long tail of indie niche content that is developing fairly rapidly over the last few years. Not scaring away indie devs would be a good step. I've read something about a possible "pro" version of this plan, slated for 2008 perhaps? I'd love to hear more on that. According to Kim Pallister, you have to give out all your source code and assets to share your games, at least at first. Hopefully, this will develop in different ways over time; many will be reluctant to effectively put everything they do in the public domain. The Live Arcade process has become so exlcusive and slow that it is no longer an indie developers’ paradise, but they won’t want to be on this version either with those sorts of limitations.

Granted that the emphasis is on hobbyists and students, it would nonetheless be a good idea for Ms to embrace the very thing that is making the PC game world so interesting these days, and that’s the long tail of indie niche content that is developing fairly rapidly over the last few years. Not scaring away indie devs would be a good step. I’ve read something about a possible “pro” version of this plan, slated for 2008 perhaps? I’d love to hear more on that.

]]> By: Peterhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13086 Peter Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:09:23 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13086 The primary reason that the Net Yaroze project didn't go anywhere was that SCE didn't allow people to exchange games - except with other Net Yaroze users. Thus, they limited the audience to the 1000 units that they allowed in the US. However, SCEA knew of several people who got jobs as a result of the Net Yaroze work (among other things to be accurate), so in this regard, they were quite happy with the result of the program. After all, they did intend the program for budding game developers. -P The primary reason that the Net Yaroze project didn’t go anywhere was that SCE didn’t allow people to exchange games – except with other Net Yaroze users. Thus, they limited the audience to the 1000 units that they allowed in the US.

However, SCEA knew of several people who got jobs as a result of the Net Yaroze work (among other things to be accurate), so in this regard, they were quite happy with the result of the program. After all, they did intend the program for budding game developers.

-P

]]> By: GameDevMikehttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-13081 GameDevMike Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:12:50 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/08/14/ms-goes-after-the-amateur/#comment-13081 <strong>More Details on XNA Game Studio Express</strong>

More Details on XNA Game Studio Express

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