iDevGames

Help build a new iDevGames

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From Mac Game Designer to iDevGames

This year iDevGames marks its fourth anniversary. Looking back to our early days as Mac Game Designer, we have certainly come a long way. I am very grateful (and proud) that some of Mac Game Designer’s early visitors and staff are still a part of this community. I must admit that in the first year I often questioned what I was doing. Indeed, my wife still questions what I am doing when I spend many weekends inside, or when the hosting bill arrives each month! Luckily for me, she is very supportive of my dream to build a great site for Macintosh game developers. (It must stem from her love of SNOOD and The Sims.) Building a community is what this endeavor has been all about. Each of us, readers and staff, share the common goal of improving gaming on the Macintosh and in many ways we are succeeding. Our file library of source code and game assets has been growing at a steady pace. The forum is very lively with discussions ranging from getting the most speed from Mac OS X to the latest hardware from Apple. uDevGames 2001 also garnered a great deal of industry press for iDevGames and will hopefully become a focal point of the Macintosh calendar as time goes by.

State of the site

Four years ago we were hosting on a virtual server which offered 100MB of storage space. Since then we have moved four times and the site is now hosted on a shared Sun server with 350MB of storage space. This is ample for an average site but we host a large number of game assets and source code that rapidly fill disk space—even when compressed. Four years ago I never imagined we would ever approach 350MB worth of content but the reality is we shall very soon reach this limit. The second problem that is rearing its ugly head is that of bandwidth. During uDevGames 2001 our server was unable to cope with download demands and we found ourselves scrambling to add mirror sites. The final issue that we now face is that of server control. As some of you know, virtual servers offer inexpensive hosting but place restrictions on what webmasters can do, restricting all but the most basic of admin functions. Behind the scenes, our famed webmaster Griggs has done a lot of work. With more freedom he could do so much more.

Where do we go from here?

Without a doubt, iDevGames and the Macintosh game developer community are growing. I expect to see even more new faces in 2002 thanks to Apple’s great hardware, Mac OS X and new tools such as dim3. So we are now faced with the dilemma of keeping things as they are or riding the wave towards creating a bigger and better site. One potential solution that presented itself in the past was to simply merge iDevGames with another established site. While working under the umbrella of a partner site, we would be afforded greater bandwidth and server space, but despite being easier on my wallet, I have tended to steer iDevGames away from this strategy due to my desire to keep iDevGames an independent enterprise—free to provide unbiased content. Some helpful visitors have also suggested storing our files on remote servers. Although this approach was fine during uDevGames 2001, it is not realistic in terms of staff management and maintenance.

In a perfect world, iDevGames would be served on Apple’s server hardware from our own Network Center. Since Steve Jobs and I are not on a first name basis (although we both have a fondness for black shirts) and this is reality, we have to explore other avenues. The answer appears to be: move to a dedicated server. A few years ago dedicated servers were the domain of large websites but that is now changing. I have spent the last few months exploring dedicated server options for iDevGames and I am happy to report that I have settled on a stable and cost-effective solution. This dedicated server would provide us with 40GB storage space for content as well as ample bandwidth to take the site to new levels in 2002 and beyond.

How you can help

Moving from a virtual server to a dedicated server is a decision that cannot be taken lightly. The costs involved would move the site from a hobby into a whole new category. Despite the great pleasure I derive from running iDevGames, conversing with all of you and helping our platform, the burden would be too great on my monthly budget. Therefore, I would like to ask for you to come together as a community and make a financial donation to iDevGames. Your contributions will be utilized to cover the monthly costs of the new dedicated server. If you believe in what we are doing and want to see us add even more code, game assets and other content, now is the time to show us you support the site. The initial monetary target would cover:

• $349 server setup fee
• $198 two months server fee
• $160 new forum software (vBulletin)

• $707 total

Our monthly goal will be $99 (USD). Based on our traffic, if half of iDevGames visitors donated even one dollar a month, we would have more than enough revenue to cover our costs. I have always had a very difficult time asking for money in my life so this request is rather difficult for me to make. I am optimistic that our visitors will prove that it was the right decision. The amount is entirely in your hands and donation is completely voluntary. Every penny counts and even small donations can go a long way. To make a donation, through PayPal, simply click this link.

A stronger iDevGames will not only benefit our visitors, but will also attract the attention of sponsors and advertisers. During the past year, we have been building great relationships with companies in our industry. I fully expect that they will show their support after the new iDevGames launches through advertisement purchases, prize donations and site sponsorship.

Final thoughts

We have been building great momentum since 1998. While some readers may think that game development is a niche on the Mac, it is a niche that must be addressed if the Mac is to survive and prosper in the consumer market. I look forward to iDevGames playing a larger role in evangelizing and supporting our platform. On behalf of the staff and myself, thank you for supporting iDevGames!

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