Has anyone ever paid for a commercial AGS game??

[MillsJROSS]

It was funny, too. Because Fatman probably would have been praised if it was free, but god forbid you attach money to it.

I intend to buy amatuer games when I have the money.

-MillsJROSS

[Mugs]

I just can't spend money on commercial AGS games, when I can have as much(or more) fun with free AGS games.  Plus, I don't have the money to buy this kind of stuff, it's just not worth it.


Sorry if I hurt the feelings of those that create commercial AGS games.

[DCillusion]

I'd love to spend money on an AGS game, but the quality of the free titles amost always outshine the commercial ones.  How can I buy Mystery Manor when I can get No Action Jackson for free?

[Squinky]

Fatman was a good quality game, you could just tell by looking at it, you would have a hard time finding a similar quality game for free, but there are some.

Now Mystery Manor or what not just bugs me, because it just felt like a pile of crap game with some decent 3d backgrounds....it even had the defauly gui, which the creator said was left because they preferred it, but I think it was lazy. No way should you pay for a game with the default Gui, there shouldn't be default anything....

[Ionias]

Appreciated, but . . . Merry Winter New Year! It was the community support I was going for and I've got the actual product (since acquired ISO) so everything's square.Ã,  I hope the experience didn't squish your adventure game making spirit, because I'd love to see another game or sequel.Ã, 

Cool.

As far as making another adventure game goes. I must admit the wind has been taken out of my sails. I've been limping along with my last idea for a fan game for a few years now. Heh, but someday, someday it will get finished.

It was funny, too. Because Fatman probably would have been praised if it was free, but god forbid you attach money to it.

Indeed. In hindsight I really really wish I had NEVER tried to sell the game. I got a lot of hate mail and forum bashing for trying to make a buck. The cash just isn't worth it. So if anyone wants my 2 cents, don't bother. Just do it for fun or don't do it.

[m0ds]

I respect you for trying, Ionias! I'd still love to sell a game commercial, made with AGS or not. AGS is pretty much the only engine I use so looks like if anything it would be with that!! The thrill of the business and knowing that people want a touch of quality - something thats been slaved over a little (or lot )... Which is why I think you did well, you did go through a lot of effort to make a nicely sized adventure game. You weren't asking the world for it either, and when it was practically hand-crafted from scratch there's not really place to complain. It'd be great to see a freeware Fatman sequel, tho

As to the main point, I haven't actually bought an amateur game myself yet, but there's still time... I would have been happy to have bought Fatman but was lucky enough to receive a free copy. I'd pay using PayPal, but I don't think I'd pay for just a download. If I'm getting something collectable out of it too, I'm far more satisfied

Mystery Man0rz to me suggests someone trying to make a quick buck! Along the lines of those eBay AGS compilations :p

[simulacra]

I certainly would pay for an AGS game, if it was something special and I thought it would promote future efforts. In particular, I pay for stuff that is targeted at a smaller market to support such productions. What matters is the result, not the engine used.

When making The Zone, I decided to ask people to pay for it. While my original intention was to give it away for free, there was no way I could justify working on it as much as I did. 

Now don't get me wrong. I don't have a regular job, I spend my time working on projects such as The Zone and other wierdness. Most projects are for free, but they end up limited in scope as I have to work with more profitable projects to finance the free ones. The Zone turned out to be a bit too time and resource consuming, so I decided to go commercial and do the full production scheme: a 70 minute soundtrack, several custom made costumes, video footage and so on.

I don't expect to earn any money from the project really, but I hope to cover some of the costs to be able to produce more stuff in the future. Another reason for goin commercial was to try the business model suggested in the Scratchware manifesto.

And Fatman looks great! 

[jetxl]

Intrigue At OakHaven Plantation is a scam. Be warned.

The Butler Did It! is a commercially AGS game like Clue. It was made and released beneath the AGS radar, so it's not very known.

[Ubel]

Intrigue At OakHaven Plantation is a scam. Be warned.

Jet, how can you ever know that? I don't believe you have played it. Since it's not even released.

Please explain your opinions...

[jetxl]

It's called common sense.

Q: How do you know those pill that make your penis longer don't work if you haven't tried them?
A: Common sense.

[Pet Terry]

Maybe it's just the reputation of the author.

[Snarky]

In my opinion that's not fair to Ghostlady. I don't think Hauntings was a scam, and so I don't think Intrigue is, either. I bought Hauntings and hated it, but its flaws seem much more like ones of inexperience (or perhaps limited talent, if we're being harsh) than of not caring. It's clear that a lot of effort was put into it. Besides, some people liked it.

I think charging for it, especially $15, was an error in judgment, though. If the game had been offered for free people would have said "good effort for a first game, these are the problems with it, looking forward to your next project!" But when it's being sold people expect more, and there are some negative feelings about it.

I think it's really sad that people like Ionias and Ghostlady are being vilified because they're trying to make money off their games. Criticize the games, by all means, and if you don't think they're worth the price, you don't have to buy them. But don't you think that if someone is successful at selling their home-made adventure games, it will encourage more people to try, and try harder? That would be a great consequence, to my mind.

[Squinky]

Heres the difference between Ghostlady and Ionias:

Ionias made free games for a while, and was pretty well known in this community. He spent a good long while on the game, and the ags community anticapated it. You can tell he knew he wouldn't try to sell it if it wasn't the best he could do. I really feel that he did his best, and it came off very presentable.

Ghostlady just popped up, grabbed another person to do 3d art for her (?) and started charging cash for her first game. From everyones opinions, I think most people felt gipped by it, and felt that it was a very amateur game. And now, after that first game that most everybody felt screwed by, she is announcing another commercial title. Sounds like she is just in it to milk a few bucks out of people.....

[Snarky]

That's not entirely accurate. Ghostlady may not be an oldtimer on the AGS Forums, but her website has been running for years and is reasonably well known. I think she's also a regular on some of the other adventure communities that are out there. And she clearly has a long association with the artist for the game, given that some of the backgrounds have been available on her website for years.

I really doubt that homemade adventure games are an effective way to "milk a few bucks out of people". Didn't she say that the reason she charged for the first game was that she'd paid for the music used in the game? I have no reason to doubt that that's true.

Now, I agree that charging people for Hauntings was a serious mistake, and I question the wisdom of making this new game commercial (if for no other reason than I doubt many people will buy it this time around). However, she does appear to have listened to some of the criticism of the first game, and from the screenshots this looks like a much more polished affair.

It seems unnecessary to accuse her of running a scam when all we really know is that we didn't like her first game and don't think it was worth the price she charged for it.

[scourge]

If everybody starts making their AGS games commercial the AGS community will collapse 

And anyway, I don't believe you can use a free program like AGS (generously made by CJ) and profit from it. I mean he practically programs eveybodies game here.

[Mordalles]

i aggree with buloght. this is such a cool community because people are here for the love of making adventure games, and not for the love of money. dont ruin that. im also one of those people who people who probably needs the money, since i dont have a job, but i refuse to make anything commercial unless im working for a games company and this was actually my job. (and im not good enough, hehe)

but i prefer to keep it a hobby.

theres a lot of free games that looks much better than the commercial ones. it also seems like every 2nd 3d game is commercial. why, i dont know? have u seen todays standards of commercial 3d games? we are past the time when any 3d game can be sold, look at stuff like final fantasy. 3d should be an art form. not just boxes with textures on.

[MillsJROSS]

I don't think you can really be angry with Ghostlady. Those who were willing to go first and buy the game for fifteen dollars, must have known that the game might have been a bomb. I'm not commenting on whether it was or not, as I didn't play it. But if they didn't like it, then they will be free to not buy her next game. I mean, before I spend my money I research a games reviews, and wait it out until I'm sure it's worth the money. You gusy who paid the money, happen to have done me a great service. So you should feel all warm and gooey for helping me out.

I think a commercial effort on an AGS game shouldn't be looked down upon. If a person, or a group of people, produce a game that is worth the money, I will buy it. If your just making a game as a hobby, you probably won't be making a professional game. But if you're serious and make the best game you possibly think you could have, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to sell it.

-MillsJROSS

[The Inquisitive Stranger]

There is nothing wrong with trying to make money off an amateur adventure game. Making a game takes time and effort, and it's reasonable to expect some sort of reward for your efforts.

The problem lies in the fact that many high-quality amateur adventures have been and are being released for free. Therefore, we have the mindset that for a game to be worth our money, it must rise above and beyond the best of the free games.

If everybody starts making their AGS games commercial the AGS community will collapse 

I don't quite agree with this sentiment. On the contrary, if everyone were to start making their AGS* games commercial (or at least scratchware), I have a feeling that AGS games will demonstrate an increase of quality as a whole. That might be a good thing in some respects.

* This statement applies to all other engines too.

[Andail]

AGS wouldn't have a shadow of the good atmosphere and spirit we have now if it was all based on money. I'm not saying that Ionas & company did wrong by charging for their games, but in my heart I believe that if everybody would charge for their games, the community would be a less friendly place to be. I'm just glad that this community is full of people who are willing to make great efforts to create something they expect no reward from, apart from the satisfaction of having created something they're proud of.

My personal favourite games would never recieve good reviews under professional circumstances. The average game-consumer would probably not consider them good purchases, and hence I would likely have avoided them.

[Mordalles]

i aggree 100% with what andail said.