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[Eclipse]

So, the Community Games service changed name to "Indie Games", that's old news.
The new thing is that Microsoft lowered the price points for the games.
Some of you, being mostly a gamer, could think "hurray!" but NO. The max price point usable on the service is now 400ms, that's like... $5.

Basically, even if you want to do a cool game, with a lot of levels, fancy graphics and so on, you'll need to sell it at a max price of 5$.
If you want to sell it also on PC you're kind of screwed up, because you can't sell something at 20$ on PC and at 5$ on Xbox, every pc gamer will spit you in the face for that.

I think that in a dumb move to follow the App Store model on a home console Microsoft destroyed ANY possibility to have better games on the service. Now they'll get only the finest crap, forever.

Who develop an interesting game for less than 400ms? I'd rather develop it for Iphone, or sell it on PC via a digital download service at this point.
Do not forget that MS takes a share of your earnings too, so you have to sell a *shitload* of copies to make some real bucks.

With the "indie games" name change and the users rating i was thinking they really want to give the service a new spin, trying to get rid of the crapware. Now they just did the worst move they could!

Also, last but not least, they announced that XBLA has now only ~35 slot for indie games A YEAR.

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

The XNA Community game section is already ruined. It's a real car-crash of an area. I am sorry to say, but I actively avoid the service so far.

[Eclipse]

The XNA Community game section is already ruined. It's a real car-crash of an area. I am sorry to say, but I actively avoid the service so far.

I know that, but there were developers actually striving to place good games, so it's a shame to see that Microsoft itself want to keep the crappiness of the service lowering the prices to 80 - 200 and 400 points... I mean, what the hell they expect to see at 80ms? Remote Massage 2.

Oh and don't forget that this area is now called Xbox indie games.

[Jolli]

uhm i see it as a good thing


whatever, people like to complain   

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

uhm i see it as a good thing


whatever, people like to complain   

How is it a good thing?
People who are working on high-budget XNA games like Owlboy have less options now.

[Jolli]

well, im not sure about everyone else but when i see a game on xbla for 400 ms points instead of 800/1200, i'll buy it without thinking(or.. less thinking)! ^.^
but whatever.

all i ever see on this forum is MICROSUCK THIS, MICROSUCK THAT

[Selben Coirlo]

Um yeah but there was nothing stopping people from charging that before, was there? Now they just CAN'T charge more.
It's fucking bullshit, no matter how you spin it.

[Jolli]

do you make xna games?
also max was 800 msp i think

and old games that were released for 800 (NOT THAT MANY) will stay 800

[Selben Coirlo]

No, I guess my opinion doesn't matter then. Enjoy your shovelware ghetto.

[Inanimate]

'Tis just not right. Sure, you would buy a game for 400 mspoints or whatever the heck they are called. You might also buy one for 800! Or maybe even, gasp, 1200! Or whatever you want to buy it for! Thing is, lowering the maximum amount to charge means those aren't possibilities, eva-jolli. This seems good for customers, sure. Everything is FORCED to be cheaper! Joy joy! Thing is, now anything anyone makes is going to be lower quality. They know, or perhaps think, that money will be far harder to get. They can't justify a large budget with a larger price anymore. Any game they make has to be worth 5$ or less. That means a lower quality game. Sure, you might buy it more impulsively. But it will still roughly be less, eva-jolli. Both the developers, wanting to actually get money, and the CUSTOMERS, wanting a good game, are let down.

Does that make sense?

[moi]

well, im not sure about everyone else but when i see a game on xbla for 400 ms points instead of 800/1200, i'll buy it without thinking(or.. less thinking)! ^.^
but whatever.

all i ever see on this forum is MICROSUCK THIS, MICROSUCK THAT

If $10 is too much for you then you shouldn't buy games at all.


To get back on topic: devellopers should stop making themselves slaves of hardware and portals, all I am seing nowadays is developers being fucked in the ass.
You think iPhone is different? just wait until they start doing shit moves like that (as if the whole "owning a macintosh to devellop" thing wasn't stupid enough)
Steam seems to be going this route too.
Just distribute your game on PC by internet, and try to live like that. Cliffski earned $150k in 2007 doing that (If I believe his stats). It's hard but it's the hard man's way

[AdamAtomic]

For an under-exposed, under-respected service, limiting the number of annual releases to roughly the number of daily iPhone releases, but still limiting the price to the socially acceptable iPhone maximum seems like a really crazy idea.  I still don't think this will affect anyone's perception of actual indie games, just seems like more bad ideas for business in general?

[Jolli]

k since everyone is so negative about the change, here's what i think could happen:

+the new 80 ms point price point (1$) would attract attention to the service from consumers (like, me. and anyone else who hates having left over ms points)

+more attention of the service could increase sales

+the rating system could help bring the good games up

or it could be a disaster but i'm not jumping to conclusions

If $10 is too much for you then you shouldn't buy games at all.

note that on xbox live, i have to use microsoft points. and getting these point cards isn't as convenient as handing 60$ for a retail game 

[Selben Coirlo]

You know, if all they did was introduce a new $1 price point I don't think anyone would be complaining. The more options for devs the better, IMO. The issue is the $5 cap, which is just shit.

[Kekskiller]

 

Gosh, Microsoft stinks more and more.