I'm not really one to complain much. So forgive me if I sound like I am moaning here...
However I just went to create a *new* hub entry for a different program and it told me I had to pay $25.
I understand that some hub features are locked from non-members because it takes up server space, like screenshots. Fair enough I guess (though BYOND could allow hotlinks maybe?). It's a little frustrating but I get it, though it would be nice to still have the manage screenshots option (as I cannot delete existing screenshots).
But I find this a little strange that you need to be a member to even put games on the hub now? If you're making non-profit stuff then it kinda stings. I realize $25 is not much in the grand scheme of things, and that its good to support BYOND (I want to). But I invest a lot of my time, and my stuff is non-profit. At one point (before BYOND ostracized anything anime based - I have to say, that hurt my feelings :'( the wound was deep) my game was near the top of the BYOND games page often. I saw this as a benefit to BYOND in a way, because if a game is popular (for any reason) then its attracting people to the site right? I know for a fact many of my players bought memberships too. So does making content not off-set costs to BYOND anyway? Since that content pulls in new players etc?
Perhaps BYOND could lock down features only to games that are monetized?
There are costs elsewhere involved for games even if they are free (forum hosting for example). It can be rather disheartening to have to pay out of pocket as well as your time, and the costs can easily pile up.
ID:1258280
 May 6 2013, 10:45 am
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May 6 2013, 10:48 am
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Lugia319
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This update was put in like a year ago, but I recall there being discussion on allowing non-members to make hub entries at the very least.
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Well I took a break from BYOND about a year ago lol. I just started getting back into it (and resuming proper game updates).
What you said sound like a wise idea btw. Would also be nice if BYOND treated Anime games a little kinder again ._. | |
That will be going away when the beta goes public. Basically, the only things Membership will be used for in the future are:
1) Ad-free pager and site 2) Avatar 3) File space 4) Some in-game perks The paging system itself is also (tentatively) free in the new stuff (in fact non-members can page from the beta right now if they want). Mass pages shouldn't be as big of an issue in the new system due to the way it is laid out, the presence of a convenient "send a message to all followers" system, and some better spam controls. We're also essentially doing away with hub-review, which means probably more rip visibility, but we have a better filtering system in place so the better stuff gets promoted and you can still find everything else if you want. In this system, in theory the best Anime games will themselves be promoted better. Of course they are always going to be susceptible to the C&Ds which we have to respect. So if you wait just a bit-- not more than a week or two-- this will be in place, or you can become a Member now and get these new features with the new pager. | |
BYOND has nothing against anime games, they're listed as "fangames" now (but you need to search to find them). A few license holders pulled a C&D on their product (DBZ, Square Enix).
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Oh right :) well that's great news Tom. Sounds like a great set of changes/updates there.
That's a fair point about the C&Ds. I know I was victim of that in the past. I'd presume it gets a bit murky when they do not realize that BYOND and the Games are not made by the same people. So the Membership might look money making from the games. When its not actually linked. Thanks for the response :) and Lugia I did not realize there were issues with DBZ and Square too :S meh these companies go after the wrong people. Probably best to keep them out of 'direct spotlight' then, its just that it can feel a bit sucky of course. <edited out the ramble> | |
Bought membership to make a hub, after hub making becomes free again, I will be spamming the Feature Requests for BYOND java. Believe it.
New pager in two weeks!, Im more excited about the compiling in separate threads though :) | |
Thanks for the support!
You can use the new pager right now; the link is in the Beta Testers forum. | |
Hey, Tom. Do you think you could put back up banners for featured and promoted games where the ad spot is for members? Most of us have already turned ads off, so there's just a big blank space at the top there. I know this was done on the old site, but idk why you guys removed it when you updated :(
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Just Installed the latest byond pager version, and I must say im Impressed. Out of interest is there any way for us for us to get our feed through an rss aggregator?
Edit: I found out how. For anyone else wondering http://www.byond.com/members/[yourusername]/rss | |
I can't say I'm excited about competing against games that just follow an already successful guideline.
I can say that I will submit, personally, any game that is illegally ripping from trademarked work in order to help make that competition much easier. I think putting the community on "watch" will help calm down the Draggin' of the Ballz | |
The way I look at it is that people should worry about their own games, making them the best they can and promoting them off-site as well as they can. We have a new metric that tries to help games out by giving them more exposure, but, honestly, promotion on BYOND is pretty limited at the moment since our audience isn't that big. Ultimately, trying to suppress the "competition" is a fruitless endeavor because it doesn't bring more players to your game and people will find a way to play what they want.
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Tom wrote:
The way I look at it is that people should worry about their own games, making them the best they can and promoting them off-site as well as they can. We have a new metric that tries to help games out by giving them more exposure, but, honestly, promotion on BYOND is pretty limited at the moment since our audience isn't that big. Ultimately, trying to suppress the "competition" is a fruitless endeavor because it doesn't bring more players to your game and people will find a way to play what they want. Good point, maybe the rips will just bring in more people who get tired of the terrible quality of the rips who will stick around to find better quality games. | |
I think rips are a problem in principle, but trying to monitor them is a burden and a waste of time (since, honestly, most rips have some changes and then it becomes a judgement call by the mod to decide what is "original" and what is "stolen"). My feeling is that if people want to make these things, let them, but hopefully we can automate the indexing so that they aren't so promoted. Since most rips don't have very many fans, using that in our metric, as well as some heuristics to look at game tags, seems to work OK.
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I think removing them or hiding is a good idea another is opening up the stats of the game ie players server list so they can put it on their own website easier at the moment it's not difficult if you know what you are doing, the majority of the time if you use a rip you have limited to no knowledge... Someone can easily set up a top 100 site listings these games if they had easier tools.
Leave it to the people when it comes a D&C.. | |
I thought rips make up the majority of the player base that byond has?
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Rips also are a gateway to making people want to learn to code/program, ofcourse some of them don't but it has worked for me an many others.
Btw some rippers have permission from the owner and at the end they totally revamp the game and it looks nothing alike its all what you do. ripping and anime game really isnnt ripping at all maybe an original game then yes it is a big deal and should be dealt with but anime games are the same thing different code. (ofcourse it a pain in the ass to get your code ripped but its funny that ripping only really happens to the anime community. so many people want to make them but dont want to start from ground up so they do what they do to get where they want to do. Life goes on) | |
I'm all for modding. I started getting interested in making games by pulling the games I had apart.
However I think ripping without permission is wrong and it happens a lot here. I also think that taking someone's game, adding a couple of things and then calling 'your game' is wrong and that happens a lot here. What bugs me about rippers isn't that they use other people's source. That's totally cool. What bugs me is the culture in and around ripping. The best way to describe it is like twelve year olds on multiplayer games. It's like, okay they're there and it's not their playing that bothers me, it's the attitude and everything else that comes with them. Same with rippers. Modders are another story. | |
I understand what you mean a lot of rippers don't have any type of design philosophy or skills and usually just add shitty content. but at the same time some really want to do a lot but don't have the skills and are young so learning a whole skill to them especially coding which to me when i was 13 looked like retarded indented gibberish XD.BYOND hasn't always been the best at accepting rippers as soon as a kid rips a game he is shunned or thrown the " Just read the Dm Guide you noob"
instead of nurturing them. All about Morals,Respect and Appreciation which BYOND doesn't have a lot of in my experiences. | |
LoL is a Dota rip essentially, but look how big they became. In my opinion there are two types of rip qames.
Type1: uses the engine as a backbone Type2: straight up duplicate with no intentions to do something different minus modifying the admin list. I am more accepting to the type1's, since they actually do try to "fork" the game into something Different. Type2 are the scum of the earth, who should be banned IMHO. I have wanted to open source my project for a while now, primarily to attract type 1's, but the sheer number of type2's is disturbing. If only there was a system for this. I remember back in the day there was talk of rips all being under the original games hub as "deviants" or something like that. | |