New Dreamcast releases - How to make more professional?

Hilltopper · Post by **Hilltopper** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:52 pm

wow...and I thought that my posts were long.

I don't think anyoen was really disrespecting the GOAT stores name. Just the logo, which is a photo of a goat. I think what some of the previous posters were suggesting was a different goat logo, somehting similar to clonecd/dvd's sheep except with horns or something.

gnomes · Post by **gnomes** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:21 pm

Well that is just my opinion.

GOAT store is fine for a webstore name and that (even though I think the logo is a bad choice), but if I looked at a game with the GOAT Store on it with it's goat in it's current form, I'd think it isn't very professional sounding or looking at all, and that is what this topic is about.

mankrip · Post by **mankrip** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:10 pm

DaMadFiddler wrote:I still like the idea of GOAT store's publishing arm being "Tin Can Productions"

...and when the games get internet play they could call it Tin Can Productions / Internet Play. (j/k

)

Now seriously, something I would like VERY much is if the GOAT Store had videos of their games available for download. Videos are the perfect advertising: you can see exactly how the game is, but to play it you still need to buy it. IMO, screenshots and a written description aren't enough.

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:23 pm

And they should try to get the releases off the internet (download sites). I've already run into a few (very few, maybe 3) that had the games, and I asked politely for them to take them off. Granted, I had more power there, but its very annoying to see a game I still haven't bought (or played) go online like that.

Perhaps the games could be printed on a diff. color cd? Unless its at a cd presser, but it would be nice to have black cds to go with my black dc. Or something to make them stand out.

What you guys lack is promotion. If you could get those PTC sites to link to you (its not that expensive), then you will get more promotion as those who use PTC sites are usually gamers and the like. In fact, if you have no objections, I will do it for you.

goatdan · Post by **goatdan** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:53 pm

Hey All,

Just dropping by to let you all know that I've been reading everything, and Gary and I talked over breakfast about some of the ideas that people had on here...

First off, we do feel like we have a template already that we'll be sticking with. The Orange / Black of the cases is enough like the black US releases and standard Japanese releases that it is similar, yet not so similar as for people to confuse the two. If it gets to that point (where consumers couldn't tell which was which), we could potentially be sued.

Secondly, just as Sweater Fish said, we really wanted the games to be perceived as their own, non-territorial things. You can get them and play them in any Dreamcast, so the packaging shouldn't match the others. And if we have our way, you'll eventually have 10-15 of these to put on your shelf, making their own little section.

The GOAT as the goat that it is won't be going anywhere. For those of you that know his background, he has actually been in at least one full released game and is the friend of one of the most talented programmers of all time, Jeff Minter. The GOAT Store logo is really Copper, who did voice work for Tempest 3000, which is of course the only reason to own a NUON DVD player. Jeff Minter was the real reason Gary and I got into all of this (thanks to the wonder that is Tempest 2000 for the Jaguar, which is perhaps the best game ever made) and having him contact us to give us that picture without us solicting him was just awesome.

On top of that, when the GOAT Store Publishing logo appears and the bahhhing noise is hear, that is Copper. That is all the same goat.

So anyway, he's a personal connection to the gaming world, and we like him, and we've invested FAR too much money into various things with his face on it to change now.

We do know about diversifying the line-up, and we hope that in the next four or five months, we'll have done just that. There is a lot of stuff up our sleeves that I think you'll all be surprised about when the official announcements are made. Lets just put it this way -- the reason why I'm asking about improvements that could be made is that "you ain't seen nothing yet!" The next batch of homebrews that are in the pipes are some of the most interesting developments, and should get people very interested.

The Web site we're tossing around ideas for now. Rest assured Inhabitants will get a site in the near future, and Maqiupai's video will be up semi-soon. The problem we are having is trying to figure out exactly how far the seperation of the sites should go, and how to link to it from our pages.

A few things about game features to mention -- we intend to start using the high score features that were built into Maqiupai a lot more in the future, but that is probably about as far as it would go. We had a serious discussion about including Internet gaming options, but between the costs to set it up, the likelyhood that two people would find eachother to play, and the logistical nightmare of trying to test it, it simply isn't something that we want to touch. Doing so would probably delay all of our projects by quite a long period more.

There is a specific boot 'logo' that the GOAT Store releases use. It is simple and only words, but according to those fun lawyer-ish people, it is what we really need in there.

By the way, all of the games that we produce are in fact professionally pressed. That means that they are sent out to a factory that stamps them onto the CDs and sends them back to us. They are also professionally silk screened with four colors. I really don't think there is anything we could upgrade there.

As for the DVD cases, I like the idea (hate to admit it, but I've been playing my Cube more than my Cast lately

) but the problem is that from a collection standpoint, all Dreamcast games for all regions came in CD-sized cases, even though the European versions were a bit more... special. If any region had used DVD cases, we probably would've gone that route, but since none of them did we started with CD cases, and I think we'll stick with them just for that reason.

About more information online and more promotion -- it is on my never-ending "to do" list to get more people to sign up for our Affiliate Program, so if anyone on here wants to do so, by all means please do.

Secondly, I am going to try to get some more places to carry the software. Just recently, a European distributor called InsertGame has ordered a few copies to see how they go. I am going to make a run at getting as many of these places as possible to start carrying the games.

How you can help here -- if you have a favorite distributor you like to buy from that does not currently carry the games -- NCSX, PlayAsia, etc -- email them and ask them to carry the games. If you do this though, PLEASE only do it for the places you would actually purchase the games from. Don't do it for ten different places, because it would look bad... but pick one and email them.

Along the same lines, if you live in Europe and haven't bought the games yet but want to, head on over to http://www.insertgame.co.uk and email them to ask if they are getting the games in stock soon.

Another thing -- I know a ton of people on here run Web sites of their own -- I will make myself available for interviews if you would like at just about any time. I try to do this especially for sites affiliated with us, and I try to always reveal something else that is interesting in each conversation. I had reports from one site that an in-depth interview I did with them got them quite a lot of traffic, so it could benefit you just as much as us and the games

I think that's about it. Thanks for all of the ideas and keep them coming! We really do take everything to heart!

Post by **Quzar** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:12 am

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. COPPER SWAPPER. now i get it. i was so confused about that =P.

carry on.

Sweater Fish · Post by **Sweater Fish** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:43 am

As for the DVD cases, I like the idea (hate to admit it, but I've been playing my Cube more than my Cast lately Sad ) but the problem is that from a collection standpoint, all Dreamcast games for all regions came in CD-sized cases, even though the European versions were a bit more... special. If any region had used DVD cases, we probably would've gone that route, but since none of them did we started with CD cases, and I think we'll stick with them just for that reason.

Well, there's Cosmic Smash and the pirate game DreamParaPara and also Segagaga and maybe one or two others that all came in DVD cases, but that's nitpicking.

Personally I'm *VERY* glad you don't use DVD cases for your games. I don't have a PS2 or any of those new fancy systems all you young kids are using these days, so I don't have many games in DVD cases (just Cosmic Smash and DreamParaPara and a Time Traveler DVD game) and I don't want any more, it's too much of a pain trying to figure out what to do with the stupid few that I have as it is.

...word is bondage...

DaMadFiddler · Post by **DaMadFiddler** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 5:08 am

I just like DVD cases because they're not as brittle. Cosmic Smash is awesome, though; rather like Virtua Tennis meets Arkanoid

BlackAura · Post by **BlackAura** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:35 am

DaMadFiddler wrote:I just like DVD cases because they're not as brittle.

Have you seen the cases the PAL DC games came in? They were insanely brittle. At least two of them we managed to break just by opening them for the first time. The little tabs that hold the front cover of the case on just snap right off, no matter how careful you are with them. They're just too fragile. Compared to that, standard CD cases are indestructible.

DCDayDreamer · Post by **DCDayDreamer** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:12 am

BlackAura wrote:
DaMadFiddler wrote:I just like DVD cases because they're not as brittle.
Have you seen the cases the PAL DC games came in? They were insanely brittle. At least two of them we managed to break just by opening them for the first time. The little tabs that hold the front cover of the case on just snap right off, no matter how careful you are with them. They're just too fragile. Compared to that, standard CD cases are indestructible.

Seeing as 90% of my collection is housed in those unique but insanely fragile hinged cases, I'll second that remark, I've bought cheap duplicates of games purely to get hold of a case that wasn't broken.
I think it's a good idea to stick with standard jewel cases and not venture into the DVD cased 'modern console' packaging market, one thing that might make the game stand out on a shelf is a 'CD-quad' like jewel case, using the extra space for a nice thick booklet, novelty picture cards (game/playing card tie-in anyone?), even a bonus CD of freeware music or something (maybe the game OST).

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:32 pm

Yes a soundtrack! Perfect!

So are they printed on GD's or CD's

DaMadFiddler · Post by **DaMadFiddler** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:56 pm

BlackAura wrote:
DaMadFiddler wrote:I just like DVD cases because they're not as brittle.
Have you seen the cases the PAL DC games came in? They were insanely brittle. At least two of them we managed to break just by opening them for the first time. The little tabs that hold the front cover of the case on just snap right off, no matter how careful you are with them. They're just too fragile. Compared to that, standard CD cases are indestructible.

[nods] I have both Headhunter and Rez. Those cases are nuts, and I still don't understand why they're all double-cases even for games that only have one disc.