4 replies to this topic

[Svlad]

Do the people behind this site have any interest in the small, unusual games that aren't free, but aren't receiving much mainstream attention, have no advertising budget, and generally have prices under, say, $25?  I'm not sure how to come up with a term to describe them.  "Shareware" seems outmoded now that many big-budget games release free demos, and they're a different category to my mind than the cheesy little puzzle games available for purchase both online and in bargain bins.

Regardless, the set would include, say, Uplink, WildTangent's FATE, Mount & Blade, Crimsonland, and a fair number of others (Dominions 2?  That's not as cheap, but it has a lot in common in terms of community and mindset with the others.. hmm).  

If there's a site or sites devoted to these games, I've yet to run across them, and so I've had to hope that sheer chance would run me across them.. as, obviously, it has in a couple cases.  

On the other hand, I don't know where to draw the lines between "cheesy little puzzle game", this category, and "big-budget commercial game".  *I* think it's a matter of common sense, but I can't point to quantifiable evidence stating that Crimsonland is more than just a cheesy little puzzle game or that Dominions 2, since I'm fairly sure its purchase price was more than $25.  They just are.  And it's somewhat off the main topic of this site..

But at least one of the staff here has been sighted on the community site of such a game (Mordor very definitely is in this set), so I'm hoping that you'll agree that the freeware and .. this set.. communities coincide enough that there's some interest.

If there is some interest, I can throw reviews of a couple of the above games in, since, yanno, I own them.   Just to tempt you a bit.

[Tom Henrik]

I think we will have to discuss that, but what I can tell you is that this site (and our sister site) is about free software. This is the main focus of Abandonia, to offer games that are free for the public to download.

But as we also listen to our community and do what the majority wants us to do, I can't say for sure that we won't make a note of games like that.

But... it will not be on this site. This site will stick to freeware only. If we start focusing on small retail games that are hard to come by, it will be on a third site.

It all boils down to what the community wants us to do.

[A. J. Raffles]

I don't think it would make sense to add such games to AR, because we're a freeware site, and those budget games aren't free, really. Adding them would be misleading. If I go to a freeware site, I expect to get just that: freeware, not great-value-but-not-quite-freeware. It would be like having playable demos on AB: It's nice, but it's not the real thing, whichever way you look at it.

[DeathDude]

I agree actually since AR is a freeware site and well that would contradict what we're saying about the sorts of games we have here. Definitely agree with ya AJ nice but not the real thing.

[DakaSha]

im completly against putting any software on the site that costs a penny... but a third site that "offers" shareware and cheap games would be cool