There are some lets plays which show the gameplay in more detail, such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rKbHXUiC0A

you can't spam in the game, because there are supply limits for each unit with cooldown timers, so if you place down (for example) 4 heavy tanks, you then need to wait a while for more to become available, during which time you will end up placing a mix of other units.

In addition, if you play against adaptive AI, it will adjust to the choice of units you place down, so they only way to win is to play flexibly.

I'd be extremely happy with a million people buying the game for a dollar. The number of indie games that sell a million copies is infinitessimly small.

If you make a niche game, to a high standard, you need a higher price to make the break-even amount. It's just simple maths.

That is why there are still companies to this day selling hex based graphically poior turn based war games to grognards for $50. That is the only way a game in that niche can work, financially. You simply cannot compare the economcis of a niche game to something mainstream.

the amount of data that would need to be transferred would be trivial. laughably lower than just a few emails a day.

Yeah, but the particle effects suck

Verno wrote on Nov 23, 2010, 11:49:
They find people stupid enough to use public trackers.

I'm always amused by people who think that 'private' trackers and forums cant be monitore by copyright holders.
You think the admins of these sites frisk people when they sign up to check they don't work for the game publishers?
*chuckle*
Anyone who wants to can get access to any private site of any size, and harvest IP addresses from torrent peers. It's trivial.

Jerykk wrote on Nov 23, 2010, 03:24:

You do realize that food samples are regularly given out for free at supermarkets, right?

You mean like game demos?

Jerykk wrote on Nov 23, 2010, 03:24:
There's a pretty obvious difference between taking something and copying something... blah blah blah

wow I've never heard that argument before. And now I read it, I totally understand how piracy is just fine, and I can just pirate my food, rather than relying on people who enjoy my games buying them, and me spending the proceeds on the food.

The sense of entitlement of pro-piracy 'gamers' is sickening. No wonder farmville and evony is where all the money is now. Imagine what cool PC games we would have now if hardcore gamers were as ready to actually pay for games as casual gamers are...

Prez wrote on Nov 15, 2010, 17:23:
This situation makes me laugh every time I see it happen.

"Uh, sorry - Our random number generating-algorithm is out of commission 'til Monday. Please check back later for your personal randomly-generated number!"

This isn't how it works, so you can stop laughing.

nullability wrote on Nov 15, 2010, 15:45:
I don't think Steam ever generates keys unless they're Valve games. My understanding is that Steam is just given a list of keys by the publisher, and when they run out, they need to get more. The same thing happened with F.E.A.R. and Prey a while ago, too. Apparently they usually have enough that running out of "stock" isn't a big enough concern to add the necessary billing logic.

This is true. Twice I've had urgent emails from valve asking for another X thousand keys for Gratuitous Space Battles. It's very hard to predict demand, and you don't want an infinite number of keys in a performance-critical key-checking database.

pihx wrote on Nov 11, 2010, 11:17:
I only use Steam and i am proud of it.

what if steam don't stock a game? you just decide they have final say over what you are 'allowed' to buy?

Not all pc games are on steam. And if you want one group of people to decide what games are financially viable on the PC, then that's a pretty scary slippery slope.

when enemy plasma torpedoes head your way, you really need working space-loos.

OMFG. I havent even finished reading the title and I'm excited as hell. This COULD be awesome.
edit: F2P, causal browser micro-trans farmville clone. How tedious. Why can't they let indie devs like me do a gratuitous deep space nine game. I'd do the IP some justice, swarms of klingon battlecruisers ahoy...

This comment was edited on Sep 28, 2010, 10:21.

I dislike that man. Why cant he sod off and screw up the carpet industry, or the godl mining industry. keep him away from games, anyway.
I sometimes pine for the days before the games 'industry' made enough money to attract his kind.
I wish people running this industry were actually real gamers, not just bank managers.

There seems to be this impression that the game did not sell. the game sells very well. Its the best selling game I've ever made, and I live from the royalties.
I think its silly that people assume that if you ask 'why did the people who didn't buy GSB, not buy it?" people assume it did not sell.
It sold fine, but I'd like it to sell better, and I'd like it to be the best game it could be.

World of Warcraft sells well, but would blizzard benefit from knowing the reasoning behind those people who have not bought WoW? Of course they would.

I have never said the game didn't sell well, i am very pleased with it's sales. Some people never get past the headline and automatically go into 'bash-developer' mode, and accuse them of 'whining' just because they ask a question of gamers.

D_K_night wrote on Aug 19, 2010, 02:53:
Yeah I don't see myself buying any of his games. He's starting to become more known for making controversial remarks over making games that people actually want to play., over AAA titles. Personally I don't think this is the best way to go about being an indie.

About 30 indie develoeprs posted the same sentiment on the same day.
It wasn't even my idea to arrange this event.
So it's not like I'm trying to be controversial, just agreeing with what a huge bnunch of indie devs think. A huge bunch of triple A devs think it too, but PR departments prevent them from saying so.
It's also not my fault if the games press is keener to report controverisal comments than new game releases.

This depresses me. I went to check out an indie game on steam today and there was no demo. I am now expected to even buy indie games based on screenshots?

Why am I supposed to be PLEASED to get 'the chance' to geta demo?
Demos are free marketing. You should do EVERYTHING you can to get people to try your demo.
assuming....
that the game is good.

Meanwhile, in sanity land, people with confidence in their product continue to host free demos for anyone to download anytime. sigh....

StingingVelvet wrote on Aug 2, 2010, 14:46:
Yup. The PC will lead the rise of the indies and small studious because there are no license fees and it's easy to digitally distribute on an open platform. Arguing otherwise is borderline retarded.

The PC is open, steam is not. I know many, many indies that make a living from gaming who games are not on steam, because steam decide not to accept them. The list of games on steam is at the whim of valve, it is not an open service for everyone.

This is very true. Howvere, there jis one interesting development here. There is a big huge mega PC hit game, amd its not being sold through steam.
Steam must hate this. This is evidence that you can have a big hit without even being on steam. Its good news for their competitors, and means more competition for them.
I'm annoyed by this game for many reasons, but mainly because of the lack of demo. People tell me that people who buy the full game can gvie away keys to friends. Thats just dandy, but that is not a freely available, open 'our game rocks, take a look' demo, and I just don't buy games based on hype.

Bill Borre wrote on Jul 30, 2010, 12:01:
If you are not willing to pay people to create products you enjoy, then no one has any incentive to create things you enjoy and you do not effect the decisions on the types of things that are developed for the marketplace. Dollars are votes.

Best post of the month.
This is so true. It's not a matter of being 'in it for the money', game developers have bills like everyone else. If game X sells well and game Y does not, guess which game will get a sequel, or expansion packs?
Every time someone buys a game they are saying to the free market "we like this, make more stuff like this". This is why casual games had such a boom. People who liked them, tended to buy them, and a whole bunch of hardcore game devs started making match-3 puzzle games as a result.

Divebomb wrote on Jul 24, 2010, 10:33:
what kind of difference in percentage do you get from impulse/gamersgate vs your own site, cliffski?

I contractually cannot answer that, but it is significant. Plus its about losing or gaining a custoemr. Someone who buys direct is more likely to return and buy your next game direct etc...