Re: Non Master Server games...

From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral)

Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 00:00:00 +0000

>> Is it possible that such large companies will hit a roof in the next year
or so and then perhaps start to gradually shrink?<<

Well, Roy, people have been saying almost those exact words to us for... oooo
... about
six years now.  Play By Mail continues to grow quite steadily.  I know a number
of other firms who are also still growing like us.
I would argue that you simply don'tknow
our side ofthe market, which I wouldn't expect you so, since you aren't trading
in it.

I also don'tmind admittingly that we have made a healthy profit every year,
that we emply seven staff, four of whom earn their whole (and perfectly
respectable) living in PBM and that we service a very sizable chunk of players.
 But I don't think we're 'picking up the last few hopefuls'.

There are *fewer* successful PBM firms these days, but its a mistake to think
that its because its dying.  It isn't.  It's just that the competition is much
stiffer now, because there are some very good firms making some very very good
games with very high-end results and printouts in both mail and email.  Smaller
companies compete with very intimate customer service or startling innovations.

All in all, the current state of the hobby has never seemed more healthy to me.
 But then, I say this every year and nobody believes me.  And I don't care...
because the more people who think there's nothing to commercial PBM the less
competition I have!
<evil grin>

.>>The Steak joke was quite ironic agreed - think people as usual (Anj esp.)
are treating the Hobby far too seriously again.<<

Oh... we all bash against each other on the list, but its all fun really.

>>As a co-member of Wyvern with Anj I'd certainly think we'd be around for at
LEAST another 3 months - we've been going for ten years so three months
should be a piece of piss..<<

Well, while I'll admit I'd never really heard of you, that's probably a
reflection of what I said earlier... we're serving different people in
different areas... so I wouldn't necessarily have.  And I hope you do last many
many more years.  There can never be enough games... or gamers... ofall types
(to my mind anyway)

>>That said, we copped-out ages ago and decided we didn't want the cash but
didn't want to fold either - We're servicing a good amount of players but
will never turn any kind of profit even if we wanted to<<

Maybe you'll change your mind some time.
There's nothing wrong with earning a fair amount for good work.  There are a
lot of 'wannabee' game designers these days and *they* are the people who
should be making games for free (and do, quite often.)  They are amateurs (in
the nicest sense).  People who make games good enough to sell... quite often
sell them.  if you are one of that rare breed who makes cool games *and* do
them for free, then you are in the same league as the 'free steaks' and I
salute you!  Send me some info and I'll publish it in our House Magazine so
people can check you out.

>> - BUT, we have
improved since the days when people paid to play and will probably be
getting better still in the future<<

I wish you the best of luck then!

Meanwhile... you watch us... see what happens, and in a few years we'll talk
again.
By then we'll know if PBM was 'dying' or not, I guess.  (Although I bet I still
hear the doomsayers every year like clockwork.)

Oh... one last thing... I really dont agree that mult=-player PC games have
done *anything* to PBM.  At least not to commercial PBM.  The two genres are
nothing like each other.  The biggest pitfall we had was magic, if only because
everyone was spending too much money on it and not enough with us <grin>.
That's all dead now though and was only a *phase*.

Have fun!

Steve
-Madhouse UK

References

Re: Non Master Server games...
"Roy" <roy@the-isles.demon.co.uk>
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: Non Master Server games...
"Roy" <roy@the-isles.demon.co.uk>
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 00:00:00 +0000