Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you guys know of any software promoters, or people who can advertise a software product, other than AmbrosiaSW. I love Ambrosia and all, but seeing as how they have treated all the developers who have worked for them, I'd really rather not go that route. Anyone have any ideas? :confused:

Try Freeverse Software and Plaid Software. (Do a search in Google)
Good luck.

You can also try Spiderweb Software
http://www.spidweb.com/misc/services.html

I meant to say PlaidWorld Software. (Sorry Chris!)

>seeing as how they have treated all the developers who have worked for them...

Whacha mean?

What I mean is, anyhting that is put out under Ambrosia's name, Ambrosia takes full credit, even if they don't lay a finger on it... And I personally want my team to be given full credit for having designed the game that we are trying to create. I understand that some credit will be taken, whomever I choose... however, some are less arrogant about that sort of thing. Anyway, that is what I meant

Thought I'd mention Ground Zero Software as well.

-Jon

So it seems there are several routes. We need somneone to creata an article on all these publishers and interview the CEOs, then make a grid of what they do and what they don't do. Along with difference in what they offer in terms of $$$ for the lone-wolf.

Anyone?

Quote:Originally posted by Camacho
Along with difference in what they offer in terms of $$$ for the lone-wolf.

If you can get hard numbers out of anyone I'd be amazed. What would be better is just a list of contacts. That way developers can "shop around" and see which publisher would best fit their project.

Perhaps the type of game you are making would have some influence on the publisher you go with. Ambrosia has a solid reputation with arcade style games. Spiderweb has a solid reputation in roleplaying games. Freeverse has a reputation with arcade/strategy games. No matter how Cythera sold, I don't doubt that it would have done even better had Spiderweb's name been attached to it instead of Ambrosia. On the flipside, I will usually download any fast action game from Ambrosia without thinking twice.

But nevertheless, if I was worried about a publisher yoinking the credit for my game, I could always make sure people knew who was behind it. Like naming it "The Ice Cream Joe Adventure, starring Ice Cream Joe" which utilizes the revolutionary Ice Cream Joe 3D engine, and in the beginning of the game I could have a little scene that rolls credits as follows:

Director... Ice Cream Joe
Lead Programmer... Ice Cream Joe
Junior Programmer... Ice Cream Joe
Junior Programmer... Ice Cream Joe
Junior Programmer... Ice Cream Joe
Graphic Artist ... Ice Cream Joe
Sound and Music ... Ice Cream Joe
(and so on and so on)
Level Designer... Ice Cream Joe
Publisher ... Ambrosia Software

That ought to clear up any doubt in the minds of the players

ICJ

Will the real Ice Cream Joe please stand up?

You need an Avatar... great handle.

Woo hoo! 6 down, 42 to go

Seriously though, it's like a half-tribute-half-shoutout to the baddest ice cream man out there. Just picture an ice cream truck, parked in some random dude's yard, covered in wood from the fence that it just drove through, and picture three middle school kids and a lanky ice cream man in his 20's all standing on top of it, finally able to reach the top of the raspberry bush "where the biggest raspberries were."

Sliding back into topic though... just how much credit DOES Ambrosia take for a game, anyway? I know on some of their old games they still mention the name of whoever developed the game (Ben Spees for Harry, David Adelaide for Swoop, etc.) When you say full credit, can the REAL developer still, say, use the game in a portfolio when he/she applies for a job at a game company? Maybe intellectual property rights could be another column in the publisher table

ICJ

None of this is fact, just 2nd-hand (or worse) information related to a recent release:

1. The Developer got top billing in the credits
2. The Developer still retains all IP rights related to the game and original code in it
3. Ambroia Software™ licensed the (exclusive?) distribution rights for the game from The Developer. In return The Developer got assistance in development (music, sound, networking code, etc), and a portion of the distribution procedes.

Take all the above information with a grain of salt, as I made half of it up off the top of my head. The best way to get a real answer is to email Ambrosia Software™ and ask for yourself.

>>
Take all the above information with a grain of salt, as I made half of it up off the top of my head. The best way to get a real answer is to email Ambrosia SoftwareÅ and ask for yourself.
<<

I spoke with someone who was exploring distributing a game with Ambrosia. He chose not to. He said he was shocked at how small his royalty would be. However I think Ambrosia/Freeverse/Spiderweb do bring quite a bit to the table that you cant dismiss out of hand. 99% of shareware is crap - but when you see a new game from Ambrosia/Freeverse/Spiderweb you always d/l it because they have a history of quality work. They will make sure that the artwork/music/sound/user-interface is polished. They will handle the biz side - are you really ready for emails about lost registration codes, credit card chargebacks, support questions, etc?

If you really think you are not just writing one game - but are going to make many, top quality games - then invest in your own company, so your hard work doesnt go to further the reputation of someone else's company.

I dont think the person I spoke with ever finished his game (even though the beta was quite playable and fun). Which goes to show that it can be difficult to finish a programming project without someone else handling the artwork/sounds/ui and having set deadlines and milestones etc...

cheers,
Codemattic

Sounds like good advice, Codemattic.

Quote:Originally posted by ichiboo
Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you guys know of any software promoters, or people who can advertise a software product, other than AmbrosiaSW. I love Ambrosia and all, but seeing as how they have treated all the developers who have worked for them, I'd really rather not go that route. Anyone have any ideas? :confused:

Seeing how we have treated whom, exactly? All of the developers who continue working with us on a regular basis? Do you have any facts you'd like to substaniate, or are you just slinging mud?