Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

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Sherab86
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by Sherab86 »

caledonianblues wrote:Because people would just download it without having to pay any membership fees, hack it to bits, and that would be the end of Expansive Worlds' revenue stream.
Well, people (theorethicaly) would have to buy the product in the first place, right? ;) So if it would cost enough, everyone could be happy. ;) Of course there is piracy. And I suppose that for such a small company as EW, piracy is a big threat indeed. But still, we have COTW on the market. And I think it differs much from Classic for a purpose, but to some point it can be considered as a standalone, off-line, newer version of theHunter. And world have not ended. ;)
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caledonianblues
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by caledonianblues »

Sherab86 wrote:Well, people (theorethicaly) would have to buy the product in the first place, right? ;) So if it would cost enough, everyone could be happy. ;) Of course there is piracy. And I suppose that for such a small company as EW, piracy is a big threat indeed. But still, we have COTW on the market. And I think it differs much from Classic for a purpose, but to some point it can be considered as a standalone, off-line, newer version of theHunter. And world have not ended. ;)
Yes, theoretically people would have to buy the product in the first place, but there are two issues with that. The first is that many players would probably argue that they already "own" the game, having bought lots of equipment and paid membership fees for so many years. So having to pay again might not go down so well. The second is piracy. Like you already stated, it would be a risk and it's something which has already happened with Call of the Wild. So no, it might not end the world, but it would certainly represent a significant financial risk for Expansive Worlds and I just can't imagine anyone in a position of authority signing off on such a project now, or at any time in the future. Call of the Wild is a totally different game to Classic, and was designed from the start as a standalone game with DLC updates. That model obviously works well for them, and if they had gone down this route in the beginning with Classic, it would probably have worked just fine. To change now however would be, as I said in my previous post, a huge undertaking that directly threatens the company's bottom line. Not gonna happen.
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by Sherab86 »

Yes, I haven't meant to completely dissagree with you with previous post. If it looked like that, than I'm sorry.

You are obviously right.

This is more like that, that I would preffer a game like COTW (in terms of off-line character, and payment system), but with more emphasis on realism. But I wouldn't sell it as off-line equiwalent to Classic, that's for sure. Rather as completely new production. I think that amount of money already invested by players into Classic would keep them playing the "old" game anyway. And for many, as I said, competitions, leaderboards and so on, are important part of the Classic. New game would rather fill a gap for players as me or Knut. ;)
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Knut
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by Knut »

caledonianblues wrote: Why on earth would they do that? .
Because the moment someone else does it, I am done spending a dime on this game?

Not sure the revenue I create personally is worth it, though. :D
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" ― Isaac Asimov
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caledonianblues
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by caledonianblues »

Knut wrote:Because the moment someone else does it, I am done spending a dime on this game?

Not sure the revenue I create personally is worth it, though. :D
Yeah, I guess that's a valid reason, but I have no faith in it ever happening. Call of the Wild is the best standalone hunting game out there at the moment, at least in my opinion. However, it doesn't come close to ticking enough boxes for me and it swings too far to the "fun" side of the spectrum, whereas I'm more interested in the "realism" side of things. I know, those are broad terms given that Classic is of course fun, and in many ways very unrealistic. But I prefer to use those terms rather than "arcade" and "simulator".

Anyway my point is, nothing else like Classic exists, and despite people pointing out all these years that Expansive Worlds would be in trouble if a competitor ever came along, it hasn't happened. Nobody would start today on old technology or an out-of-date engine, so for a studio to create a game as feature-rich and immersive as Classic, on new technology with fancy assets and effects, would cost a huge amount of money. I think the reason you're still here and not playing the standalone game you long for, is because the project is simply cost-prohibitive given the niche nature and limited target audience. To recover the costs you'd need to charge so much that nobody would pay.

I could be completely wrong but I've sat down a couple of times and attempted to calculate how much it would cost to build the game we all dream of, both in Sweden and in the States, and the numbers just don't make for a sensible business venture that I'd ever put my money into. I suspect that'd probably be a shared view if you asked other investors. I'm sure some studios have looked at Classic and thought they could do better, until they broke out the calculators and realised it might not actually be feasible.

I think Classic on a brand new engine would be fantastic, and a standalone version or one that syncs with the servers when it can, would be just dandy. I just can't imagine it happening.
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Re: Storage of hunting statistics on player's computer for server downtimes.

Post by Knut »

Well put, I fully agree with you. And I also know you're right. I just wish it wouldn't be the case :)
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" ― Isaac Asimov
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