PlaneShift

Gameplay => General Discussion => Topic started by: steuben on August 15, 2014, 10:21:56 pm

Title: disk in the mail
Post by: steuben on August 15, 2014, 10:21:56 pm
I've floated this idea before. Anybody think there is enough demand for hard copies of the game? I found a couple of print-on-demand services.

A new version would have to be created for each release. But that wouldn't be much trouble.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Caraick on August 15, 2014, 10:27:45 pm
From a practicality standpoint? I think this would be a great idea.  And a great way to help get Planeshift's name around a bit more.

From a demand standpoint? There's not enough players or interest to support this.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Eonwind on August 16, 2014, 09:30:18 am
I would be very cool to have some PS hardcopies :) albeit Caraick is right. How much would it cost?
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Rigwyn on August 16, 2014, 10:46:36 am
I'm having AOL CDROM flashbacks... o.O
For the love of god, no!
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Caraick on August 16, 2014, 12:13:44 pm
Just put it on a floppy disk, and call it a day.   :sorcerer:
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: steuben on August 16, 2014, 02:02:49 pm
if done with one of the print on demand houses about 3-4$ plus mark-up
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: bilbous on August 16, 2014, 02:55:39 pm
You might be better off using usb sticks, you could probably fit all the various clients and a complete development environment so people could compile their own.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Zalya on August 16, 2014, 08:59:54 pm
Just put it on a floppy disk, and call it a day.   :sorcerer:

Don't Copy That Floppy! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up863eQKGUI)

But honestly, on topic, I don't see there being any demand at all for a hard copy of PS.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: tman on August 17, 2014, 12:58:27 am
Any computer modern enough to run PS is going to have enough disk space and internet bandwidth to download it.  It may take a day, but waiting for a hard copy would take even longer.

Hard copies make sense for operating systems and offline tools, but I don't see any reason to pay for a CD when any computer that can play the game can download it for free.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Eonwind on August 17, 2014, 01:20:48 am
what you all say is mostly true, however I miss the times when you could get a boxed hard copy of a video games with pictures and a nice user manual.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Bonifarzia on August 17, 2014, 03:13:17 pm
I wonder about printed magazines for indie games or open source projects. A few years ago I heard some regional game magazine was shipped with an install DVD for one of my favorite open source games. I don't know where and when that was, though, but the licensing of said game does not have any non-commercial use clauses.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: steuben on August 22, 2014, 08:24:30 pm
Having just crunch the numbers for all 5 versions. It yeilds approximately 4.8 GB. So maybe USB is the easy to go instead.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Cairn on August 25, 2014, 11:12:17 pm
USB copies of PS in the mail. That'd be a fun novelty!
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: bilbous on August 26, 2014, 12:32:47 am
4.8 would leave some space. the smallest thumb drive to fit it would be 8 gigs, no? how much space would the source code take?
Still that would cost a few bucks. Can you save any space to fit it onto a dvd by compressing the files? I am guessing the binary installers are already compressed. I suppose a double sided dvd would work or blue ray.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: steuben on August 26, 2014, 12:54:15 am
years ago i brought forward the concept of an "artless"/"common art" installer. but, even back of the envelope sketches put it in the headache to maintain category.

i think a full sourcecode kit, about 1.5 gig, of that 2/3 is the cs lib files.

compressing the installer didn't yeild much savings.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: tman on August 26, 2014, 09:17:06 am
How about an installer that installs all the different binaries along with a single copy of the art in one installation directory?  I remember Cube 2 (an open source FPS) did exactly this.  The user can always go back and delete the binaries they don't need, but it was never a problem for me because the size of the binaries is so small compared to the art.
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: Cairn on August 26, 2014, 05:17:51 pm
....it's my disk in the mail!

my disk in the mail, babaaaay

it's my disk in the mail!!
Title: Re: disk in the mail
Post by: steuben on August 26, 2014, 09:50:57 pm
I had that idea several years ago when i first chucked tthe idea on the table. The "common art installer".

The answer came back as a "no, but"

The problem with it is:
- raw maintance. It would mean maintaining up to 10 different installers. The five as we know it, and the five common art installers.  Which boils down to man power.
- distribution. It would mean yet another file to have to haul around.  With extra data that wouldn't be needed for a given user. At the time data ppipe weren't as big as they are now.


The other side of the question:
-simplicity. It would mean the only on file would haveto be hauled around.
 
I don't think at the time there a tool that could automagically build that set of installers.

The cousin concept is an "artless" installer. Basically and installer with enough art to run the updater. Well see above.