Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!icus!eric From: eric@icus.islp.ny.us (Eric L. Hyman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies) Message-ID: <555@icus.islp.ny.us> Date: 6 Dec 88 04:02:12 GMT Reply-To: eric@icus.UUCP () Organization: ICUS Software Systems, Islip, New York Lines: 150 Hmmm This Bit about FTL and copywritten Save files and peoeples replies to it have made me decide to write A note. My name is Eric Hyman, And I like you am A dedicated Amigophile. By trade I am A Programmer, and I am currently trying to MAKE A LIVING (Underline that) by doing software for our favorite machine, I currently have 3 products complete, All are translations of Older 8 Bit Titles done for SSI (Kampfgruppe, Gettysburg and the just released Rebel Charge). I like you Have wished people would put more "oomph" into their amiga translations and as a result have complely re-written the programs I have worked on so that they take advantage of the Amiga. This means I Rewrote the whole thing in C with some Assembly (The origial code was compiled basic ), I redid all The graphics in tha game to make it pleasant to the eye and take advantage of the amiga (Lores 320*160*4 Screen for map 640*40 for text). In addition I added a full blown mouse interface to an originally Keyboard only game, and then threw in some digitized sounds. Copy protection? SSI as a company wants it, me as an author Didn't. Compromise: Manual based protection on Game load, using statistics on the units in the game that are contained on a ready refrence card.(It will be handy when you are playing), In addition, with an assignment or two, the Game will happily reside on a Hardrive, and will run on Any( Cross my Fingers 8) ) Amiga configuration. Now to my points. How many people reading this article can HONESTLY say they have NEVER Copied A disk of Commercial software. Im willing to bet few people will raise their hands and those of you who can honestly do so are to be commended (If your interested, Send me your address and I'll send you one of my games FREE!) How many of you on the other hand have come up with a Rationaliztion for their copying. for example: 1. "I only Pirate copywritten software" 2. "I Don't have enough money to buy all the progrms available, By copying Them I can find the ones I truly like/Use and THEN I go out and buy them" 3. "Software authors/companies make tons of money allready and their stuff is too high priced, I'll copy it till they bring down the price" 4. "With All the bugs in xxx Software, I'll copy and use it untill Im satisfied its done, then Maybe I'll buy it" 5. or perhaps " Well its a straight port, they didn't amigatize it so I won't buy it" (But you'll sure copy it right!) Now granted if your a type 2 or 4, and you Adhere to your reasoning, then Admitedlly this ins't as bad as the other types (Especially those who copy and distibute for the mere fun of it) Now that I've said all that heres some facts: Each one of The projects I have done has taken me AT least 6 Months of Nonstop work putting in 5-16 Hours a day working on it, In my opinion The products I have done, Have been good translations in that They take advantage of the machine, and Others must Agree as they have been reviwed favorably (Sept 88 Computer gaming world), and have placed well in "Best Of" LIsts, which is A compliment to any Wargamme (28th in Amiga worlds poll) And now for All the people who envision me writting this on MY Souped up to the Gils Amiga 2000 with Full slots. Which sits in the corner of my Lavish house on the bay, (Note that was all sarcastic) here are earnings on one of my products: Gettysburg Amiga: (Rated #1 2 years in a row as An 8 Bit title ) Release January '88 (Fumbles for latest ledger sheet ) $2935.45 All of which was paid on A % of sales that is about average for the industry, My first product Kampfgruppe has netted me about double that, over two years and hopfuly Rebel charge will get me Signifigantly more. But Who knows. Currently I am doing nothing but writting for the AMiga, And Things are very tight for me fincancially And I don't know why I'm still doing it cause Im certainly not makeing enough Money! Why Am I not making money? Becase for Every Unit that SSI sells At least 4 Are copied! And From my experience at least 1/2 of those are copied by people who use it, but won't buy it for one reason or another. Well now that I've babbled on for A while,heres the bottome line. Most people program for 2 reasons. 1) Cause the Love to and 2) To make money. And If they aren't going to make a decent amount of money they aren't going to do it for very long. So instead of whining and complaing about how this company won't write for the machine, or that company won't, or another won't do A better job. BUY SOME SOFTWARE and give them incentive. its A rule in this industry, Whichever market genrates strongs sales is gonna be where the Development dollars go, and if there aren't enough sales, there isn't going to be a push in that market. Any way you cut it, using an Boot leg copy of a program is wrong. And as long as you try to exaplin it your going to hurt the people who write it, and Some what less directly yourself. And one last though. I've Done everything I though I had to for A Succesfull amiga product. And so far have been very disappointed by the results. So either I'm doint something wrong r a lot of people are talking out of two corners of their mouths when Stating their excuses for pirating. And quite Frankly If I didn't like this silly machine So damn much I doubt I'd still be working on it! (My pocket book would much rather sell over 100000 versions of a messy dos program!)(Comments?) Now beofre you Flame me and we start anohter Holy war, Let me Just ask that you read this again and think about the points have made, and then if you still disagre respond. Also My apologies if this a bit Disjointed, But the Last FTL bashing letter got Under My skin and I wanted to get this written and off before I lost the urge to write it. Eric Hyman (Currently Un-employed while doing doing Amiga Wargames ) Eric Hyman | ...att \ | boulder \ eric @ icus | talcott !icus!eric | pacbell / | sbcs / -- Eric Hyman | ...att \ | boulder \ eric @ icus | talcott !icus!eric | pacbell / | sbcs /