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Post by slickdragon on Mar 13, 2016 13:59:07 GMT -5
Greetings,
My first and only app purchase years ago was StarTraders RPG. I've decided after trying out StarTraders 4x for free, that I'd like to buy it. I'd prefer though to be able to play it on both my new phone, and my new gaming laptop (via steam), but the idea of paying twice for the same game is very unappealing. I almost never buy games, but TreseBrothers have earned my respect, however not so much that paying twice is merited. Is there any way I can buy the game just once and have the full version on both my phone and steam? I don't mind that they won't be able to save to eachother (it's only 2016, that type of technology surely hasn't been around for over 30 years). Appreciate any help!
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Post by Cory Trese on Mar 13, 2016 14:35:31 GMT -5
No way to do that, no. I'm afraid that each of the games takes work -- supporting Android and Steam both cost money. If we gave the game away for free, updates would stop very quickly because, you know, we'd go out of business in a few weeks.
We're working on a cloud save solution that will let you seamlessly move games between mobile and PC -- a feature that is actually pretty rare on Steam/mobile games.
Thanks for the feedback -- sorry that you consider it unappealing. There is, however, nothing we can do about that.
Even if we could financially afford giving our games away under a single purchase, the Developer Agreements we've signed with Google, Amazon, Apple and Valve prohibit us from doing so.
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Post by slickdragon on Mar 13, 2016 14:47:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the response. Good to hear that a cloud save feature is being implemented. I won't argue the absurd point if buying the game and attempting to use it on a different platform constitutes it being "Free" there. I understand why you would want people to buy the same exact game twice though, I'm sure I would to. At the least there should be some type of discount for buying the game a 2nd time on the other platform, even if it's just half off. You'd likely get more double buyers that way (I'd imagine very few are willing to pay full price for the exact same game twice as it stands).
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Post by Cory Trese on Mar 13, 2016 14:51:55 GMT -5
You see, the thing is that the market owners (Google, Amazon, Apple, Steam) are all competing with each other.
For us to stay in business and keep making games, we need to make our game as widely available as possible.
The market owners (the ones with all the power) they are all running businesses with expensive infrastructure.
None of the market owners are at all interested in giving customers credit for purchases made with competitors.
Even if we could financially afford giving our games away under a single purchase, the Developer Agreements we've signed with Google, Amazon, Apple and Valve prohibit us from doing so.
If we violate those developer agreements, our games will be removed and we will go out of business.
If we disregard the existing markets and attempt to sell the game on our own then we go out of business.
A Steam Release of ST 4X takes about 10 hours. An Android Release for ST 4X takes another 10 hours.
If sell well them both for one price that only pays for 10 hours ... then we have lost 10 hours ... and we go out of business.
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Post by slickdragon on Mar 13, 2016 17:25:31 GMT -5
Sure whatever, I understand whats going on, even if I don't agree with the end result. In anycase I've done my part and fully bought Star Traders 4x Elite with all the expansions for Android. I assume if I were use an android emulator on my pc, using that copy I purchased on the emulator would be fine right.
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Post by Cory Trese on Mar 13, 2016 18:03:21 GMT -5
Absolutely, anywhere you can get the Android application to run, you've certainly paid for it. Happy to help and thanks for playing.
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Post by tenbsmith on Mar 13, 2016 19:30:56 GMT -5
Hey Cory, thanks for explaining all that. I find it really interesting reading about the stuff you guys are dealing with.
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Post by Brutus Aurelius on Mar 13, 2016 20:11:26 GMT -5
Hey Cory, thanks for explaining all that. I find it really interesting reading about the stuff you guys are dealing with. I agree. On top of your insane work hours that you, Andrew and Martin regularly clock, you guys deal with so much behind the scenes. It's always interesting to hear what the big markets pose in terms of obstacles, as it is often unexpected. Granted, one market not honoring the purchase from a conpetitor is not a stretch, but some of the other things are quite surprising. I suspect you already do, but I hope the three of you know that we here on the forum are behind you 100% |
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Post by Cory Trese on Mar 13, 2016 20:30:59 GMT -5
Hey Cory, thanks for explaining all that. I find it really interesting reading about the stuff you guys are dealing with. My pleasure. Full disclosure is my preferred path but it sometimes gets us into trouble. Google's terms are very specific: "Developers offering products within a game downloaded on Google Play or providing access to game content must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment." I've discussed this one at length on StackOverflow on Twitter -- mostly with developers who've been banned by Google and are trying to figure out a way to fix or reinstate with Google. The fact remains that none of the platforms support themselves. Android is a pile of work, Steam is a pile of work. If those platforms don't generate revenue (for whatever reason) we have to drop them. If enough of them don't generate revenue at one time, we go out of business. Eventually the market providers will all reach a state where promotional codes are possible between all markets. This MIGHT make it easier for KickStarters ... except most of the market owners ban exchanging currency for promotional codes on off market sites. At this point, they handle it on a case by case basis. Do I feel at all guilty about charging for the same game on different platforms? Not in the least because I know how much work is required to support a platform at this level. |
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Post by johndramey on Mar 13, 2016 23:22:02 GMT -5
Do I feel at all guilty about charging for the same game on different platforms? Not in the least because I know how much work is required to support a platform at this level. And you really shouldn't. Porting a game from one platform to another is never easy work. I don't think I've ever seen a developer who will freely give away wildly different versions of the same game. Sure, windows, linux, and mac can often be bundled together through Steam, but even that is mostly done by huge publishing houses with millions of dollars behind them. Android and OS hasn't really ever happened, I think. |
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acecow
Curator
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Posts: 65 
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Post by acecow on Mar 14, 2016 6:46:29 GMT -5
While I may bemoan the fact of more money leaving my pocket...in your case, I wouldn't mind it at all. Its like...if I even consider "buying a game twice" it's normally because the developer has "earned" my money. Being picky and choosey can help with things like this :3
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Post by fallen on Mar 14, 2016 10:42:18 GMT -5
acecow - thanks for the support, above and beyond buying the games!
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