Dreamcast Shareware via Dream On Magazine

[MetaFox]

The Sandman demo disc will include a set of binary loaders that will allow for shareware to be sold via the internet, and unlocked on the disc, so that the customer will get a regular physical professionally pressed CD, rather than a digital download.

It's a set of loaders that are in place for a commercial purchasing system. The system displays a set of demos. If the proper code is inputted (which is given by purchasing the game via the dreamonmagazine.com website), the loader saves a file to the VMU, and the demo becomes the full game. The loader then can either start from The Sandman magazine disc normally, or start from the purchased game automatically like a regular commercial game. If the user purchases more than one software item, and chooses the option to start the game like a commercial game without showing the Dream On menu, a seperate game menu will be loaded, and the user will be able to choose which games he wishes to play from that list. The binary loaders can also show a seperate menu for a particular coder if that coder chooses to release a lot of shareware on Dream On, and wishes to have a compilation-style menu of their programs on the disc.

The magazine-disc style distribution will allow the games to be sold at a much lower price than the standard distribution prices. A cost of just a couple dollars for a game could be possible, as the percentage that a coder would have to pay Dream On for the services will be quite low as well.

The first issue of Dream On will include the loaders hidden within the Beneath a Steel Sky entry on The Sandman disc, so that a demo of the shareware binary loaders can be shown to any coder who is interested.

If anyone has any comments, questions, or suggestions about this - please feel free to leave them in this topic.

[Sir Savant]

Ummm, here is a comment/suggestion. I presume the file is saved on the file, and I hope there is some type of encryption so it can't be downloaded the the computer and then uploaded to the vmu.

Also, I would hope that no one shares their vmu file with anyone else.

Question - Do we have to pay for anything extra to access any content on this first Sandman Release, or will the code be given with the cd and this is just a Proof-Of-Concept?

[MetaFox]

Ummm, here is a comment/suggestion. I presume the file is saved on the file, and I hope there is some type of encryption so it can't be downloaded the the computer and then uploaded to the vmu.

Also, I would hope that no one shares their vmu file with anyone else.

There's really not much that can be done about that. All of the actual releases have been warezed (FOF, Inhabitants, Maqiupai, Cool Herders, etc.). It's going to happen, so there's really not much sense in investing time in developing useless copyright protection - especially when the games are going to be sold at such a low price.

Question - Do we have to pay for anything extra to access any content on this first Sandman Release, or will the code be given with the cd and this is just a Proof-Of-Concept?

There's nothing for sale on the first release. The shareware menu will be hidden, and can only be accessed by a certain button combination. The special menu will have a demo of Beneath a Steel Sky that can be opened to the full version by entering a code. This is only to demonstrate the shareware system. When running the disc without the button combination, the full version of Beneath a Steel Sky will be accessable from the Sandman menu, and the demonstration of the shareware system will be inaccessable. This way the regular users aren't confused, and anyone who wants a demo of the shareware system will have that option if they insert the button combination and code (which I'll post here once the disc is pressed).

[c99koder]

You can tie the codes / VMU files to the Dreamcast's serial number, like PSO did. Display a code for the user to enter into your website based on the serial number, then return the unlock code based on what they enetered.

The downside is that the game could only be played on a specific dreamcast, you wouldn't be able to take it to a friends house or a second DC.

[Cid Highwind]

Who want to pirate it, will find a way, I prefer to have more freedom as a customer, so I would prefer Meta's way.

[SeGaFrEaK NL]

It's truly pathetic that people would want to pirate indie games. Those of you who do and are reading this, go kill yourself.

Seconded.

[MetaFox]

I like the idea MetaFox. It reminds me of what Nintendo is doing with the Virtual Console.

That's pretty much the idea, yeah. An Xbox live arcade, or Virtual Console type setup.

I'd love to get some outside parties beyond the regular Dreamcast community involved in this, but of course I can't make any promises on that.

[Imerion]

Sounds like an interesting idea. I and some friends have started working on a bigger DC-project, and we could probably spend more time on it, if we could get some money back after it is released, by releasing it as shareware. (Since I doubt it get its own release ). Anyway, nice idea.