I'm starting a new project, and I've been looking at going the C#/DirectX 9 route. Ok, stop laughing, I'm being serious.

The obvious problem with that is my download size goes from a couple meg to over 40. Not good.

So my question is whether or not it would be possible to build a marketing program around the fact that I have a big download. Accept it as a limitation, and try to minimize it as such. For instance:

- by making the program a separate installable unit for those people that already have .net and dx installed

- by having an easy tool that can be downloaded and run to tell the unknowledgable person whether they have the runtimes installed

- by banking on the fact that Microsoft rules the world, and everyone will eventually have the runtimes installed. If shareware games don't really kick in for a year or two, the runtimes will be more widely installed then.

I guess what I would really be doing is trading potential sales for tools, but if I know that going in, can I minimize it?

I should probably point out that the other option I've been considering is to just use the Torque engine. But it seems a little overkill for what I want to do.

I think it would largely depend on your target audience. If you're making a game that appeals to the hardcore, bleeding-edge-of-technology gamer, you can probably get away with a fat download. But if you're targeting the so-called "casual gamer", I don't think a 40 Mb download will fly even two years from now (unless broadband becomes cheaper and ubiquitous).

I don't think the download will become easier, but I think that two years from now, you probably won't need the download. MS is going to bundle the dotnet runtime with everything, so you're going to eventually get it, whether it's in the context of my game or not.
Same thing with DirectX, more or less. In two years, every retail game will be including it.

This doesn't address the casual gamers that don't buy retail and are still using Win97. That's the demographic that would need the fat download, because they don't upgrade often, and get the runtimes from other places. They probably don't have a 3D card either, which eliminates them completely as customers.

I guess what got me thinking along these lines is this: if shareware games have a longer shelf-life, and take a year or two to get rolling, why would you want to look at libraries and technologies that ares already several years out of date? They're going to be even more dated by the time your game hits it's peak. Why not simply plan on the fact that your target window is several years down the road, use the technology that is bleeding edge now, knowing that when your window gets here, what was bleeding edge then is now not even mainstream?

What was the first version of DX with decent 3D?

Well there is a train of thought in branding to attack the strengths of your competition.

Rolls Royce is not going to price compete with Ford. The reason is Rolls Royce exists pretty much because they are really expensive.

Same is true with Rolex and Timex. Does the Rolex really display the time in a better way? Probably not, and I'd bet that functionally the Timex kicks ass over the Rolex. ( not that I have one nor would I :) )

People that have the means to buy expensive stuff do so because they can and want the world to know they did.

Those companies survive off that niche market.

You might be able to use the same concept, if other downloads are small, maybe if you make a big hoopla about how big your download is and that is for broadband, uses only the latest OS stuff, etc, etc, then you might benefit from the niche.

However, the other train of thought is to cast your net wide by allowing access by as many players as you can. And even in 2 years, not every one will have .net even though resistance is futile. As long as you are comfortable with chopping out those people that don't have the minimum requirements or the urge to get them selves to that point, then you are okay.

You probabalby would make more money to make a smaller download with less requirements. But you never know.

You probabalby would make more money to make a smaller download with less requirements. But you never know.


No, I think you're right. I've been thinking about this for the last couple days, and if I'm really honest with myself, I would be spending a lot of extra development time ensuring myself of fewer downloads. That goes right along with the "buy high, sell low" school of marketing.

So Torque it is, I'll have the source so I can scale back the over-kill if need be.

DavidRM once wrote: Build or Buy is *never* the question for an indie. It's "Where do I buy?"

I think I understand that now.

Thanks for letting me ramble. :)

I dunno. Comparing high-end products with high-end prices to bloated downloads...just doesn't seem like a useful comparison.

I suppose you could try to market yourself as The Biggest Damn Game on the Net...No Really! You Won't Find a Longer Download! Fat is Us! Try it Today!

;)

-David

I had originally thought of something like this. However not because you HAD to download 40 megs. Well I was thinking along the lines of, broadband was getting better, so you could make shareware games like the old ones. 3 episodes 10 levels each, first episode is share ware, you have to register to get the other two, but the neat thing is that now you can have games 4 times as large. Think about the average demo what do you get? 1-3 demo levels (not even a full game), and yet they're anywhere from 50-100 megs. Why not get a full game for that kind of download, and then register to get the full 3 episodes, and distribute it on cd to them.

Siebharinn - If you're going to make a game that takes 40 megs, whereas if you do it another way (doing the same game) it would take quite a bit less, then you're wasting alot. Remember just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should. Why would I pay for your (quality) game, when I can get someone else's with the same quality with 3 times less space?

Originally posted by DavidRM
I suppose you could try to market yourself as The Biggest Damn Game on the Net...No Really! You Won't Find a Longer Download! Fat is Us! Try it Today!

;)

-David ROFLOL!

By jove, that just might work!