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| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 13:23 #42670 | |
UKTrainMan
1803 posts |
" said:" said:Crowd funding may not be the right terminology to have used, but the basic jist of the idea is that all interested parties in a simulation would pay an equal sum towards the costs involved in developing it, and in return receive a copy of the simulation - with no actual financial return received (nor to be expected). Once the development costs (incl. research trips, etc.) are covered (i.e.: when the 'goal' is reached, sort of thing), the simulation is released. It is then either offered for free, or for a small fee (and ideally equal or near-enough to what others have already paid) - which could then itself be taken by the developer as a sort of 'tip' (effectively profit).One would wonder how well the idea of crowd funding amongst users for the development costs involved in simulations would be received by users, and more importantly developers?I have some experience in "Crowdfunding" as an investor various operators e.g. The House Crowd and Ratesetter and so on and I'm not sure exactly how you envisage that working here. These schemes work on the basis that people lend money in the hope of a return better than they can get through a bank (note that these are riskier than bank deposits (unless you live in Cyprus)). So to get it to work the Sims would still need to be charged for so that the investors (you) could get your money back plus interest. So, basically, ideally, the cost to users is reduced, and the developer involved doesn't actually end up out of pocket by developing the simulation(s) involved. Any views and / or opinions expressed by myself are from me personally and do not represent those of any company I either work for or am a consultant for. Last edited: 25/03/2013 at 13:25 by UKTrainMan Log in to reply |
| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 14:13 #42672 | |
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Richard42
45 posts |
Am I alone in finding much of this thread slightly depressing? If I buy a DVD, say, I expect to enjoy it once or twice. 3-4 hours entertainment? If I buy the Cowlairs sim (I did) I can expect it to give me the equivalent of many *days* entertainment over time (it already has done). For the same price (or less)! Which is the better value for money? Bugs in 'pay-for' software? Then issue periodic patches (Peter already has done). I'm involved in developing open source software, patching is what everyone does. No-one's first release is ever perfect. "Let's hear it for the developers" is what I say, whether the end result is free or moderately priced. And if it is free, then I hope those of us who are lucky enough to be able to do so will (continue to) donate so that further sim work can be supported. This community is fortunate indeed to have SimSig; if the price of it going forward is moderate software charges then that seems to me entirely reasonable. (Sorry about the pun.) Log in to reply The following users said thank you: postal, Steamer, TimTamToe, John, mfcooper, Gwasanaethau, guidomcc, alvinhochun |
| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 14:16 #42673 | |
jc92
3690 posts |
" said:Am I alone in finding much of this thread slightly depressing?The depressing thing is that post 2: " said: The pricing structure has no end date and I have no plans to change that.pretty much answered the question and there isnt really room for debate in the matter, apart from opening up an old can of worms for redisccussion (of which i appreciate i was involved). [ModEdit - username change] "We don't stop camborne wednesdays" Last edited: 25/03/2013 at 14:51 by mfcooper Log in to reply |
| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 16:46 #42685 | |
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Wells
82 posts |
im sorry if i have upset anyone for what i said i appolagise to everyone involved i love to play all the sims i have downloaded and are very well made i will try and get some money together so i can buy these sims for the price they cost thankyou to everyone for all your hard work and bringing these sims so we can all enjoy them paul Paul Log in to reply |
| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 16:49 #42687 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
" said:But what are my development costs? To a large extent, this is my hobby, so I don't look at "out of pocket" expenses - to date, your donations are a welcome contribution towards my costs of attending meets, but I'd attend even without them. But if you want a sim from me (or a core code feature) faster, then I need *time*. Yes, you could hire me from my employer, but I suspect you couldn't afford me! You could hire my wife a gardener or decorator to give me more free time. But I don't see this as a workable business model for me. Other developers may have a different view. I've already said that the next refreshes of my existing sims will remain free (but donations welcome), as will the sim I'm currently working on (chorus: "it'll be ready ..."). I have no plans to renege on either of those statements. I make no promises beyond that. I don't consider my views to be binding on any other developer. Log in to reply |
| simsig Scotland 25/03/2013 at 18:13 #42695 | |
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TomOF
452 posts |
And if I paid commercial rates for all the help I got with Carlisle I'd be bankrupt many times over. I've held off from commenting here so far but suffice to say I'm with Peter. I certainly wouldn't say that a sim should be made free just because there are a few bugs. I'm sure Peter will improve on what bugs do get reported in good time. Log in to reply |