Poll: More Intelllivision games more quickly?

[mr_me]

I hope its okay that I created this poll/topic. I want the Missile Domination topic < http://atariage.com/forums/topic/241902-introducing-missile-domination-for-the-mattel-intellivision/> to just be about the game.

 

 

[+intellivotion]

I hope its okay that I created this poll/topic. I want the Missile Domination topic < http://atariage.com/forums/topic/241902-introducing-missile-domination-for-the-mattel-intellivision/> to just be about the game.

 

 

Thanks, mr_you

[+save2600]

*as an addendum to releasing games "as quickly as possible", that's assuming they have been thoroughly tested. No need to rush games for the sake of rushing, but game makers shouldn't have to worry about purposely pacing the process either. Just release games when they're truly finished and ready. If that's "inconvenient" for some or coincides with other releases, tough titty said the kitty!

[+save2600]

What's this all about anyway? People whining that they can't keep up with trying to collect_them_all?

Funny scenario here... can you imagine some of the home-brew developers trying to coordinate their releases?

"Hey Rev, just wondering if you planned on releasing any games soon. Oh, you are? Well, guess I'll just hold off on mine then. You think it would be okay with the community if I release mine a month before yours? Oh yeah, forgot about him. I'll see if he's got anything planned around that time. Don't want to upset any apple carts here"!

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

I like new games to be released at a slower pace. I love to see a lot of new games. But I prefer quality over quanity.

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

Open ended releases, bring em on.. i'll get to them whenever, they'll be there.

 

Limited runs, slow those down so people (including myself) have a chance to grab one.

 

Right now I'm tapped out, perhaps next month I might buy a new game but not right now.

[fdr4prez]

I don't mind how quickly they come out. I truly understand that the homebrew scene is done as a hobby, as a passion for the game, etc.

 

My only wish is that there is more qty (bigger batches) released so that if I can't buy in the initial rush then I am not forced to buy a few months later at a higher price off of eBay.

 

But, again, I know this is done as a hobby, out of house, and the producers don't want to be sitting on stock for extended periods of time.

 

so I will buy the CIB releases that appeal to me, but (hopefully) buy the ROMs for the others.

[+SoulBuster]

producers don't want to be sitting on stock for extended periods of time.

 

This can be true especially when the money for the sale of one title will be paying for the expenses of the next.

[Eric7100]

An honest question: Was this poll created to "rub in my face" just how many people disagree with me? Obviously, the first poll option is going to win. Probably by a landslide.

[m-crew]

I like new games to be released at a slower pace. I love to see a lot of new games. But I prefer quality over quanity.

Quality is the word here for me...

[BBWW]

If we did what we did when we were younger, bring on the games! No one EVER bought 3 copies of Astrosmash so they could have extras!!!

 

If you are buying 2 or 3 or 4 of each to speculate on the value going up then yes it looks really expensive. But 8 or 10 games a year is not that bad if you are buying 1 copy. If you are buying 3 of them then yes it gets real expensive but that is called gambling investing.

 

Eight Games a year cost us an average of $560 with 3 copies of each it would be $1680.

 

A $30 game in 1980 adjusted for inflation today would be $91.40. $7.11 was the average wage in the U.S. back then so a brand new game would have cost your father or mother 10% of their weekly GROSS income.

 

You don't have to buy 2 of everything...

 

 

[BBWW]

Now I'll send Rev money for 2 each of His early 2016 games. :-)

[Eric7100]

You don't have to buy 2 of everything...

 

Of course, we don't HAVE to. But that doesn't change the fact that, once upon a time, we COULD. That business model did not have to change.

[BBWW]

Our next release will be the same idea. One per person, baggie release. Yes I could have sold maybe 3 times as many Piggy Banks but no more of them would be being played. I expect when we do our first CIB release, you can buy 6 copies if you want....and I'll even make sure I ship them to you when you pay us. :-)

 

 

Of course, we don't HAVE to. But that doesn't change the fact that, once upon a time, we COULD. That business model did not have to change.

[Eric7100]

I'll even make sure I ship them to you when you pay us. :-)

 

[+intvsteve]

To be fair, in the heyday very, very few people (at least that I knew) got every game as it came out - even for Intellivision. To say that there was an unlimited supply of everything even back then wasn't always true. I grew up in a rural area, and there were plenty of times games just didn't make it into our neck of the woods.

 

I think the option: Release games at the pace "when the game is ready," whatever that is, would be a good one to have for the poll. But I guess that doesn't really define a pace at all, as it can vary wildly if you have multiple games in the pipeline.

 

I think our community's penchant for demanding CIB releases actually acts to dampen the pace of releases. Getting artwork prepared for boxes, making overlays, printing manuals -- those all take time and require substantial investment. This topic really ties back to the 'collect or play' question. Once it becomes easier to play ROM-only games, it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

 

EDIT: rearranged for clarity

Edited December 23, 2015 by intvsteve

[ianoid]

Hey Intellivision publishers,

 

If you just want to appeal to the diehards and blowhards, tighten your release schedule and see how long it takes to sell out. Perhaps those folks are all you need for your production runs.

 

But I'm hoping that there will be some consideration of those of us who are trying to keep up with the releases from multiple systems and can't or don't wish to buy 8 homebrews a month.

 

The collector mentality is often that of getting everything. When releases become overly frequent and impossible to keep up with, a good number of collectors and retrogamers will stop trying to keep up. Once that happens, they will either buy fewer homebrews or stop buying homebrews.

 

For example, Vectrex homebrew releases are often so limited in distribution, and the marketing is usually so poor, AND the secondary market is so insane, that I don't even bother trying to keep up with those. And Colecovision releases are so numerous (sometimes 16 or more a year!) and derivative (MSX ports), I'm beginning to want to stop buying them all. Intellivision releases are among the best, but if you get up to 20 a year (amount different for everyone) between all of the different publishers, you may end up cannibalizing your own market. And once collectors give up, the secondary market on eBay is generally so overpriced, it's easy to accept homebrew defeat and stop buying them. For example, I don't buy many NES or 2600 homebrews, unless they specifically interest me. There are just too many to bother trying to collect them all.

 

I say temper your releases to a schedule feasible for more collectors. I think 12 a year between all the publishers will result in more people buying every release.

[+save2600]

Release as many as you want. Rare is the game I actually want to purchase and play (and I'm up to 13 home-brews and LOVE them all!). Feel the need to collect them all and can't afford it? You've got bigger problems than you realize. Way bigger problems.

[BBWW]

As I collect for only one system I don't have any issues with covering multiple platforms. I concentrated on Intellivision and enjoy the platform. At this point I only need to be a completist on the Intellivision.

[wolfy62]

If we did what we did when we were younger, bring on the games! No one EVER bought 3 copies of Astrosmash so they could have extras!!!

 

If you are buying 2 or 3 or 4 of each to speculate on the value going up then yes it looks really expensive. But 8 or 10 games a year is not that bad if you are buying 1 copy. If you are buying 3 of them then yes it gets real expensive but that is called gambling investing.

 

Eight Games a year cost us an average of $560 with 3 copies of each it would be $1680.

 

A $30 game in 1980 adjusted for inflation today would be $91.40. $7.11 was the average wage in the U.S. back then so a brand new game would have cost your father or mother 10% of their weekly GROSS income.

 

You don't have to buy 2 of everything...

 

 

Back in 1989 when the Sega Genesis was released, I was paying $65. dollars for a new release. Even when in 1981 I was paying $40. for a new Intellivision release.

 

So now, what we pay for a game factoring in inflation, a CIB game today is a bargain!

[wolfy62]

Oh yes, and I only buy 1 of everything now carrying no extras for baggage! Wolfy

[+thegoldenband]

One point that someone made elsewhere is that when we run out of unreleased classic-era games, the volume of new homebrews will certainly drop. I don't think there are too many left that haven't gotten the CIB treatment, are there? Air Strike, the Party Line games (Blow Out/Hard Hat/Space Cadet), a couple others like Grid Shock and Hypnotic Lights...I don't know of much else that we have ROMs for, and the first two are really the biggest ones left that haven't been announced.

 

OTOH I would love to see some more of the planned-but-unreleased games get done up as homebrews based on known screenshots. Looping and Wing War come to mind.

 

Anyway, as others have said, the main thing is quality over quantity. There's no rush to put out games, after all, and we've been lucky enough to have an Intellivision homebrew scene that's almost all of high quality. Heck, even the console's classic-era library is mostly good, with no truly trash games. How many other consoles can say that?

 

If we can maintain that high standard, and be sure that no game is put out until it's been as polished as possible -- with strong graphics, music, and gameplay, and no major bugs or missing features (e.g. pause) -- then we'll be golden. There have been occasional minor slips in that department, but so far they haven't been major.

[Eric7100]

Hey Intellivision publishers,

 

If you just want to appeal to the diehards and blowhards, tighten your release schedule and see how long it takes to sell out. Perhaps those folks are all you need for your production runs.

 

But I'm hoping that there will be some consideration of those of us who are trying to keep up with the releases from multiple systems and can't or don't wish to buy 8 homebrews a month.

 

The collector mentality is often that of getting everything. When releases become overly frequent and impossible to keep up with, a good number of collectors and retrogamers will stop trying to keep up. Once that happens, they will either buy fewer homebrews or stop buying homebrews.

 

For example, Vectrex homebrew releases are often so limited in distribution, and the marketing is usually so poor, AND the secondary market is so insane, that I don't even bother trying to keep up with those. And Colecovision releases are so numerous (sometimes 16 or more a year!) and derivative (MSX ports), I'm beginning to want to stop buying them all. Intellivision releases are among the best, but if you get up to 20 a year (amount different for everyone) between all of the different publishers, you may end up cannibalizing your own market. And once collectors give up, the secondary market on eBay is generally so overpriced, it's easy to accept homebrew defeat and stop buying them. For example, I don't buy many NES or 2600 homebrews, unless they specifically interest me. There are just too many to bother trying to collect them all.

 

I say temper your releases to a schedule feasible for more collectors. I think 12 a year between all the publishers will result in more people buying every release.

 

Very well said.

[+save2600]

[+save2600]