Disc version/Future Retail plans

[Alec]

Yeah, I think it would do well. It might be that our contact at Valve is no longer there or something. I'm not really sure how to find out what happened.

[Tolkienfanatic]

Persistence is key!

Buying a couple Companion Cube plushies probably wouldn't hurt either :p

[Plaid Phantom]

Yeah, I think it would do well. It might be that our contact at Valve is no longer there or something. I'm not really sure how to find out what happened.

They may have lost interest after they missed out on the initial release.

[Tolkienfanatic]

Plenty of games are put on Steam long after they are released... I don't think that would be an issue.

[Glamador]

Well I think you should redouble your efforts to release on Steam, demo included, because I know I personally wouldn't know about quite a few games if they hadn't been released on Steam.  I try to avoid actually purchasing through Steam if I can help it but it's great to get the word out.  And getting the word out is the biggest problem sometimes.

[Triquick]

Yeah, I think it would do well. It might be that our contact at Valve is no longer there or something. I'm not really sure how to find out what happened.

Maybe because Valve is  moving to having developers release everything themselves with SteamWorks your contacts position is no longer there.

http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=1423&cc=US


Steamworks, the same suite of tools used in best-selling PC titles Half-Life 2 and The Orange Box, is available for all PC games distributed via retail and leading online platforms such as Steam. The services included in Steamworks may be used a la carte or in any combination.

Specifically, Steamworks offers:

• Real-time stats on sales, gameplay, and product activation: Know exactly how well your title is selling before the charts are released. Find out how much of your game is being played. Login into your Steamworks account pages and view up to the hour information regarding worldwide product activations and player data.
• State of the art encryption system: Stop paying to have your game pirated before it’s released. Steamworks takes anti-piracy to a new level with strong encryption that keeps your game locked until the moment it is released.
• Territory/version control: The key-based authentication provided in Steamworks also provides territory/version controls to help curb gray market importing and deliver territory-specific content to any given country or region.
• Auto updating: Ensures all customers are playing the latest and greatest version of your games.
• Voice chat: Available for use both in and out of game.
• Multiplayer matchmaking: Steamworks offers you all the multiplayer backend and matchmaking services that have been created to support Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2, the most played action games in the world.
• Social networking services: With support for achievements, leaderboards, and avatars, Steamworks allows you to give your gamers as many rewards as you would like, plus support for tracking the world’s best professional and amateur players of your game.
• Development tools: Steamworks allows you to administer private betas which can be updated multiple times each day. Also includes data collection tools for QA, play testing, and usability studies.

[Mush Man]

Shit post. Please ignore.

Edited: 22 March 2011

[Alec]

Hmm I don't think SteamWorks lets you publish on Steam, isn't it a just a bunch of tools you can use if you're on steam or some other online distribution service?

[Alec]

I stand by my connents that the chance of me buying it is greater if there is some kind of hard copy, but however, the chances (slim as they were) of me buying it when it was released dropped from before it was released. I can't explain why though. The strange thing was that I was hyping the game. Maybe Valve feels the same as I do...?

No, Valve has published lots of indie stuff on steam, so there's no reason why they wouldn't be interested. I think its more like our contact doesn't work there any more or something.

[Gnerma]

The Steamworks announcement is basically Valve declaring war on Microsoft's Games For Windows Live initiative. Although initiative isn't quite how I'd describe it. Apathetic, underfunded, half featured vapor is more accurate. I really wish MS was more serious about GFWL, but what they've done so far is half ass at best. Valve have stepped up and want to make Steam  THE Xbox Live style of unified service in the PC space. They're doing it right so far. Of course if Microsoft really wanted to, they could throw 100 million dollars at the situation and bring it to a decisive close.

There isn't much of interest in Steamworks for a game like Aquaria (non multiplayer). The detailed sales tracking would be nice for you guys to have but I would consider that a given for any sort of digital distribution. Steam achievements could be added which would please the Steam hardcores and you'd be the first non Valve game to have them. Also, assuming this would not be too hard to program, the gameplay stats and analaysis could help tip you off to where people stop playing the game, where they get stuck, if people are dying too much in some places and such. Almost like post release play testing. Nifty but pointless unless you're planning on going through the game and tweaking such things if they seem to be a problem. I probably wouldn't want to do that at this point.

I'd like to add my voice to those encouraging you guys to push the Steam issue. I've really gotten behind it in recent years and think Valve are doing some great things for PC gaming. I'm sure they'd be honored to have Aquaria on the service.

[Alec]

I know some indies who have got onto Steam, so I'm going to ask them for contacts when I get a chance. (maybe at GDC or something)

[flibertygibbit]

First time poster,

I despise buying anything online, but for you guys I am seriously considering it, but more to the point, this thread caught my eye and I figured I might as well throw my two cents into it.

Since you guys lack the production capabilities (i.e. $) to make limited edition cases as of now, why not supply all the digital materials to construct them ourselves?

Basically, Redstar's case multiplied by a few orders of magnitude. You could supply:

- A PDF manual (formatted for printing and binding)
- Cover art (something akin to what Redstar did)
- CD art (for those of use with burners that can do that kind of thing)
- Soundtrack files (If we can't burn our own audio CDs from MP3 we're hopeless)
- PDF liner notes
- Sewing pattern for that stuffed Nautilus Prime

From other posts and things you've told us that you basically have a version of the manual, the cover art, and the soundtrack. It wouldn't be hard to crop a piece of artwork to fit on the CD (CDs if you're making the soundtrack separately), and write up some quick liner notes. Hell, it wouldn't be too hard to outsource the plushie directions either.

Someone took the time to make a Knitted Companion Cube, a Nautilus Prime shouldn't be much harder than the average throw pillow.
http://knittedcompanioncube.blogspot.com/2007/12/knitted-companion-cube-assembly.html

Furthermore, I'm not so sure an included worldmap is such a hot idea, and I don't know of printers outside Kinkos that can do posters.

And that is my $0.02 on the situation.
Don't produce a LE case
Let us.

[inkblob]

great first post flibberty, I'd be into this and sounds realistic at the current size of the tumbling snowball.  when and if a retail disc comes out, I've been asking myself would I actually buy it?  if I would, it would be out of pure support for bitblot to make more games, but it dosn't make a lot of sense if I already have the game, just to get packaging. I would have however paid more than the $30 to dl a bigger package of files like you've outlined below.  I'm sure I could convince my gf to make a crochet pattern of Noddy ( yes I named my pets, don't judge me ), if there was a callout there would probably be a few volunteers to make some goodies 

[Stalfos]

Since I've been waiting for some developpement after that topic was... lost in the depths of the forum... I decided to bump it... I don't like resurecting the dead, but since I do have a few questions...

As most may have noticed, there is an option, when buying the game, to recieve a CD Version of it (for +15$). I wondered WHAT was contained in that version, if any had pictures of the jewel case, etc...

I would also appreciate to know what are the status for the Steam version of Aquaria... it's been 10 months since a responce on THIS topic (maybe I missed a topic that got a fresh answer, if so, sorry).
Any "LE case" in developpment? Or is the idea as far then was that topic?

[Chibi]

I remember Alec saying that it's an extremely bare-bones jewel case (nothing special, just security against losing the digital copy).