CD-ROM Demo Question

[Trizt]

On 01-Nov-97, Tripp Elliott (kmelliot@erols.com) wrote about [BIRTHRIGHT] -
CD-ROM Demo Question:

- ->So, I went to ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND and tried to download the demo of
- ->the rules CD thing. Well, after reading the text file associated with
- ->it, I concluded it'sa wast of my time. You see, I have a Mac, and your
- ->demo does not seem to have a Mac version. Incidentally, neither does
- ->the BR CDROM Game.

- ->Does TSR have any intention of supporting we Mac users with these
- ->excellent products, or are we out in the cold?

I can sortof give you an answer to this:

I was working on DM help program when the first rumors about this AD&D-CD came
and I contacted TSR toheare if they could help me with a quite alot of
information I needed and at the same time offered to make/convert the software
on that CD for the Amiga system. The answer I got than and which I think TSR
still thinks is: "The market for other platforms are to small and wouldn't
bring any profit".

So we will not see any Mac, Unix or Amiga versions of the TSR CD's, but games
like the "Gorgons Aliance" you have to push on the software house which has
done it.
My suggestions for TSR, that next time you do a CD-Rom, use java for then you
have a larger market as there are more computers which are able to run java
than IBM PC compatible code. And to do it easy you could include java for the
4 - 5 most populare platforms and that will not take more than 20MB of those
660MB you can have on a standard CD. And you ask people nicely I guess you
will find many who would help you for free to get it to work on as many
systems as possible.


//Trizt of Ward^RITE

-

[Jim Butler]

Tripp Elliott wrote:
>
> Ed,
>
> So, I went to ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND and tried to download the demo of
> the rules CD thing. Well, after reading the text file associated with
> it, I concluded it'sa wast of my time. You see, I have a Mac, and your
> demo does not seem to have a Mac version. Incidentally, neither does
> the BR CDROM Game.
>
> Does TSR have any intention of supporting we Mac users with these
> excellent products, or are we out in the cold?

Like you, I'm a Mac user. In my new job of "Electronic Games Coordinator" I've
been able to corner the game developers and ask them what the big problem is
in producing Mac games.

In a word: sales. Most of the developers I talked to said that they're lucky
to get orders for 3,000 units of a game. Numbers that low don't even make up
for the translation costs. Most of the mail-order houses only want to order in
a few copies at a time, and the Mac market in general purchases software
through the mail order channel.

Apple's recent decision to eliminate the clone makers has further hampered
efforts for game developers to produce games for the Mac platform. It's just a
sign of things to come, and few people see a rainbow in the distance for Apple.

Alas, I also have gone to the "dark side." Last week I traded my old PowerMac
6100 in for an IBM Aptiva.

I wish I had better news for you, but it doesn't look like there are going to
be many Mac games coming down the pike any time in the near future.

Good Gaming!

Jim Butler, Electronic Games Coordinator
Wizards of the Coast

TSR's Homepage: http://www.tsr.com
Wizards' Homepage: http://www.wizards.com
Live Chat - Message Boards - Roleplaying Community: At the TSR Homepage

[Jim Butler]

Trizt wrote:
>
> I was working on DM help program when the first rumors about this AD&D-CD came
> and I contacted TSR toheare if they could help me with a quite alot of
> information I needed and at the same time offered to make/convert the software
> on that CD for the Amiga system. The answer I got than and which I think TSR
> still thinks is: "The market for other platforms are to small and wouldn't
> bring any profit".
>
> So we will not see any Mac, Unix or Amiga versions of the TSR CD's, but games
> like the "Gorgons Aliance" you have to push on the software house which has
> done it.
> My suggestions for TSR, that next time you do a CD-Rom, use java for then you
> have a larger market as there are more computers which are able to run java
> than IBM PC compatible code. And to do it easy you could include java for the
> 4 - 5 most populare platforms and that will not take more than 20MB of those
> 660MB you can have on a standard CD. And you ask people nicely I guess you
> will find many who would help you for free to get it to work on as many
> systems as possible.

At the "old" TSR, I'm sure you probably didn't make much headway in porting
the CD-ROM over to the Amiga. If you're interested in porting the Core Rules
II program over to the Amiga, then you should get in contact with me with some
specifics. The same is true with ports to other platforms.

One thing to keep in mind is that TSR doesn't force any of its licensees to
program games in a specific language or for a specific platform. Development
houses normally are fairly specific in the languages they "standardize" in,
and requiring TSR licensees to develop games for a variety of different
platofrms would only eliminate many of the TSR games that are currently out
there. The software industry is incredibly competitive, and those games that
can't make money are axed for those with brighter futures.

Good Gaming!

Jim Butler, Electronic Games Coordinator
Wizards of the Coast

TSR's Homepage: http://www.tsr.com
Wizards' Homepage: http://www.wizards.com
Live Chat - Message Boards - Roleplaying Community: At the TSR Homepage

[David Sean Brown]

> I can tell you (as a BR playtester) that no Mac version of the computer game

On a completely unrelated topic, my group and I were wondering how we
could go about becomong playtesters for TSR (hopefully BR!!) products?
anyone have any info on this *nudge Ed*

Sean