Commercial game- PM for password?

[Evan Finkel]

I am really confused with commercial game buying way.

So I just made this:

Hope you understand what I decided. People send me $2 via paypal and I will send them password to the game.

But there's any other way?

 

[Solo]

That could get really hairy if a lot of people buy your game.

 

[tearsofthenight]

I was thinking you need a special code from a email after purchasing the game.

 

[Solo]

Also, you'd need a different password to be generated for each player. I don't know that this is feasible, unless you're using a special script for it or something.

 

[ElementalLight]

id think you'd need a script to connect to a database with cached codes and when one is used it will remove it from the cache . if i am wrong someone can correct me 

 

[Evan Finkel]

@Solo:  I am not using any script for it, I doing this with events.

@tearsofthenight: Any idea how can I done it?

@blademan729: Thanks for the feedback, anyway.

 

[tearsofthenight]

@Solo:  I am not using any script for it, I doing this with events.

@tearsofthenight: Any idea how can I done it?

@blademan729: Thanks for the feedback, anyway.

Im no web desighner, but i will see what i can do.

 

[Andar]

There is a tutorial in the official blog on how to make a passwort by using the input name command for an unused actor, but this would mean that every player will use the same password. And as soon as someone puts that passwort on the internet anywhere, there will be a lot of players unlocking the demo without buying.


If you want to make your buyers different passworts, that's not easy and will need several scripts to enable HTTP-Access and you'll need a server and a program for it (both not part of RM either)

 

[Kes]

I think you need to think of the whole process.  At the moment what you seem to be saying is that the player has to go to the website.  From there they have to pm you.  Can they do that if they are not Members?  They then have to wait until you see your pm and you then send them the password - presumably by email.  They wait until they see their email.  Then they can continue playing.  That is a cumbersome process for a $2 game, and I can see a number of potential buyers simply not bothering.

 

[Evan Finkel]

@Andar & ksjp17: My idea is quite silly, I don't know much about programming because I am young for it. But where I can simply sell my game without these password process?

 

[Solo]

But where I can simply sell my game without these password process?

You're not obligated to use any kind of passwords or DRM if you don't want to (or if it isn't feasible for you).


I really recommend that you read "How To Sell Your Game - Boot Camp" by Amanda Fitch on this forum. It got me started. It details order processors and more. Give it a look!

 

[Shaz]

Inbuilt passwords and PMing for access is very unprofessional. A commercial game needs DRM if you are serious about people paying money in order to use it. I'm not sure it's worth it for a $2 game though - maybe you should rethink the quality and size of the game and reconsider the price. Also make sure you are ALLOWED to use EVERY resource that you've put in your game for commercial purposes. If you have ANY resources where the creator has said you can't use them in commercial games, you have to replace them before you can sell it for ANY price or via ANY method.


If you put a password as an unlock code within the game itself, it just takes one person, as Andar said, to publish the password, and everyone else has it. Also, games are easily decrypted, so people can get your password then share it with others even if you (or someone else) hasn't given it to them.


In addition, I personally don't like you using this forum as your means of contact with customers. It puts us in the middle, and if you end up taking off, they will hold us accountable. Not on.


You need to figure out whether you're serious or not, and if you are, take a professional approach rather than a half-hearted, dodgy one. Read the pinned threads for starters.

 

[Evan Finkel]

Inbuilt passwords and PMing for access is very unprofessional. A commercial game needs DRM if you are serious about people paying money in order to use it. I'm not sure it's worth it for a $2 game though - maybe you should rethink the quality and size of the game and reconsider the price.

$2 is just an example I give, I am still thinking for it.

If you have ANY resources where the creator has said you can't use them in commercial games, you have to replace them before you can sell it for ANY price or via ANY method.

All art included in my game is created by me. But I use Ace generator for sprites as well.

In addition, I personally don't like you using this forum as your means of contact with customers. It puts us in the middle, and if you end up taking off, they will hold us accountable. Not on.
You need to figure out whether you're serious or not, and if you are, take a professional approach rather than a half-hearted, dodgy one. Read the pinned threads for starters. 

I am serious with it of course!

 

[Andar]

I am serious with it of course!

The a few additional points you should consider:
1) you'll better use your own website to advertise and provide downloads for your game.


If you're uploading it to some general service provider, those can block access to the download (and get you into a lot of trouble with your customers). That happened to several people on this site in the last few months who had used a free image hoster for tutorial pictures, or for script hosting - and because too many people downloaded them, they exceeded the free bandwidth and got their files blocked.


Your own website would also solve your problems on how to contact customers


2) Most professional people that provide demos today make the demo different from the main program


Yes, that will require your customers to redownload after purchasing, but if the later part of the game isn't in the demo, then it can't be cracked from there.


You might even think of making the dome something else than the beginning of your game - a demo is to provide a good view of the best game aspects, and very often the beginning doesn't give the player full access to all game features as he needs to learn them one after another.


It's more work for you to make a demo with a side story than using the main story, but usually that is better than risking your main game to be cracked.


3) Bughunting and Playtesting are extremely important for first commercial games


If you're new with publishing a game, then you need to make sure that there are no bugs inside and the game is playable.


Because if your first game is bugged, you'll never be able to sell later games due to having scared away all customers with your first release.


And that means you have to get at least half a dozen different players to play it half a dozen times each, just to check that there are no obvious bugs in it - consider several months a minimum for bughunting and balancing, before publishing it.

 

[Shaz]

Ace generator sprites are fine for a commercial game.


I'm with Andar though - a custom site would be better than using the forum for them to contact you. If you want to sell your game via this site (which is basically what you're doing if you're asking them to contact you here), then it would have to go through the forum store, and I don't think they'd do that for a $2 game. Setting up your own site - even a facebook page - would be much better for you AND your potential customers.


If you do that, you CAN create a thread in the Commercial Game Releases with a link to your site/facebook page, as well as put a link in your signature so it will show on any post you make here. You just can't use the forum as your method of communication with customers.

 

[Evan Finkel]

@Andar:



1) you'll better use your own website to advertise and provide downloads for your game.

2) Most professional people that provide demos today make the demo different from the main program

Yes, that will require your customers to redownload after purchasing, but if the later part of the game isn't in the demo, then it can't be cracked from there.
You might even think of making the dome something else than the beginning of your game - a demo is to provide a good view of the best game aspects, and very often the beginning doesn't give the player full access to all game features as he needs to learn them one after another.

I think I have to go with your opinion.

3) Bughunting and Playtesting are extremely important for first commercial games

If you're new with publishing a game, then you need to make sure that there are no bugs inside and the game is playable.
Because if your first game is bugged, you'll never be able to sell later games due to having scared away all customers with your first release.
And that means you have to get at least half a dozen different players to play it half a dozen times each, just to check that there are no obvious bugs in it - consider several months a minimum for bughunting and balancing, before publishing it. 

This would be my first commercial game and I am very new to these things, I am very carefully doing with this game so I don't thought there would be any bugs.

@Shaz: I really want to sell my game here on forums if possible. My game is not for $2, it would be $8.99 thought because it has lot of skills and other features.

 

[Archeia]

Get a publisher

 

[Shaz]

Because this is your first commercial game and you are very new to things, I'll just lol at that comment on bugs. You absolutely WILL have bugs - and many of them. When you've hit your 4th or 5th game, you won't make that assumption anymore


The last Aveyond game we did (and we had 6 RPG Maker games and several other games under our belts at the time, so definitely NOT the first), we logged around 1000 bugs AFTER we'd gone through Alpha testing and thought we got them all.


Also, please don't quote everything the previous person has said. And definitely don't put it in bold. Makes it very hard to read.

 

[Evan Finkel]

SO I think I need a tester? But since the game is commercial, the tester have to buy or download it for FREE?

@Archeia: From where and how?
 

 

[Andar]

This would be my first commercial game and I am very new to these things, I am very carefully doing with this game so I don't thought there would be any bugs.

If you had any experience, you would know that there is no such thing as a bug-free game.
The problem arises that many bugs are coused by players doing things differently than what you intended them to do, especially doing it out of sequence. That is why OTHERs need to do the playtesting, you can't find those bugs yourself because you already know the correct way of playing.

@Shaz: I really want to sell my game here on forums if possible. My game is not for $2, it would be $8.99 thought because it has lot of skills and other features.

If anyone wants to sell through Degica, they will have to support the game, including putting their name behind it.
This means that


1) they need to make sure of a minimum quality for the game to prevent damaging their own name.


2) they get a share of the profits


Look top right under downloads, there are several free game bundles to download.


If you think you can compare to a game of that quality, then please approach Degica AFTER you have finished it and are in the bughunting phase. You can get help and tips here even before that here in the forum, but if you approach Degica with a business proposition you have to be able to show something - they won't be able to process any request if you can't even say "my game is finished".