Classic Arcade Graphics Price Drop THREAD IS NOW: GROUP PURCHASE N0:2

[RandyT]

Anyone who makes an archive that big would need his head examined.  I'm talking about compressing the individual files.  There would be no benefit to handling something that large in a single lump.

Distribution in a single lump is much easier than in hundreds of individual ones.

I would agree if the lump wasn't this large.  Mountains are moved a dump truck load at a time.  In any event, it looks like there are those interested in doling them out on an as-needed basis, so much of the discussion may be moot.  Or not, depending on your personal desires

RandyT

[ChadTower]

Agreed.  I don't see the full set ever hitting BitTorrent or anything else like that.

[Fozzy The Bear]

Agreed.  I don't see the full set ever hitting BitTorrent or anything else like that.

Damn Damn Damn.... I'm just about to agree with Chad!!!!  There must be something wrong with me today if I'm agreeing with Chad. 

It'd make no sense to even try bit torrenting something this large. Right now the ONLY realistic way to distribute the entire archive is on portable Hard Drive.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[mahuti]

Hah. I can't believe I missed this. Oh well. If you need help or consultation JoyMonkey... let me know. If you're interested, I can give you the entire AAL collection too.

[Kremmit]

Agreed.  I don't see the full set ever hitting BitTorrent or anything else like that.

20 years ago, I had a 20 MEGAbyte harddrive, and all the guys with 5.5 floppies were jealous.  20 years from now, we'll all be laughing about how worried we were about a little tiny 400 gig file collection.  You'll be able to access it wirelessly, in realtime, via your wristwatch.  While you ride your hoverboard to the spaceport.

[ChadTower]

Damn Damn Damn.... I'm just about to agree with Chad!!!!  There must be something wrong with me today if I'm agreeing with Chad. 

 

[Fozzy The Bear]

Damn Damn Damn.... I'm just about to agree with Chad!!!!  There must be something wrong with me today if I'm agreeing with Chad. 

 

ROFLMAO   

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[SirPeale]

You could still do a torrent.  Good torrent programs have the ability to pick and choose which files you want to download from the torrent.

[leapinlew]

You could still do a torrent.  Good torrent programs have the ability to pick and choose which files you want to download from the torrent.

This is true! Azureus does this. Also, I have more than enough bandwidth to distribute out these files - I offered hosting capabilities in the original thread.

[Kremmit]

But who's gonna start seeding this torrent?  And, who's gonna still be seeding it next year?  That's a lot of data for somebody to keep online all the time.

[Teebor]

Not an issue for me to still be seeding it at this time next year.  I've been seeding romsets for god knows how long and its all that machine does 24-7

Am just about to order myself a couple of 500GB HDD's today as well

[ChadTower]

You could still do a torrent.  Good torrent programs have the ability to pick and choose which files you want to download from the torrent.

That only works if you have people seeding the entire 400gb.

Who is going to keep around 400gb on an active drive just to seed?

[patrickl]

I think 2 people just said that they would

[horseboy]

You could still do a torrent.  Good torrent programs have the ability to pick and choose which files you want to download from the torrent.

That only works if you have people seeding the entire 400gb.

Who is going to keep around 400gb on an active drive just to seed?

Teebor

[Crax]

That only works if you have people seeding the entire 400gb.

Who is going to keep around 400gb on an active drive just to seed?

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but I don't see any reason why their can't be something like 8 50GB torrents as there are probably multiple people here who could seed a 50gb torrent and teebor who could do all 8.

[CheffoJeffo]

Isn't this discussion somewhat academic at this point, given that folks don't want to give away the whole library away for free right now anyway ?

Cheers

[Teebor]

Isn't this discussion somewhat academic at this point, given that folks don't want to give away the whole library away for free right now anyway ?

Cheers

seconded,  and I can understand why they would not want to.  if it were my money (and tbh I am soo tempted to invest right now) I wouldn't want to give it all away immediately.

[CheffoJeffo]

For me, it isn't about my money nearly so much as it is about respecting Mike at CAG who is still selling the library and Scott at MAMEMarquees who bought the library to make the artwork available.

Cheers

[patrickl]

Isn't this discussion somewhat academic at this point, given that folks don't want to give away the whole library away for free right now anyway ?

It is just academic. If you read at what they were discussing it's just *if* it is at all possible or not.

[patrickl]

Hah. I can't believe I missed this. Oh well. If you need help or consultation JoyMonkey... let me know. If you're interested, I can give you the entire AAL collection too.

I was wondering if the CAG collection contains much from the AAL already. I saw some files in the list, but I remember a lively discussion about the Galaxian sideart that tbombacci drew and then it appeared on CAG with the exact same thumbnail as on AAL. Yet he denied het got the artwork itself from AAL. I guess now we can really see if he did scan it and took days to fix it up or not.

[edge]

For me, it isn't about my money nearly so much as it is about respecting Mike at CAG who is still selling the library and Scott at MAMEMarquees who bought the library to make the artwork available.

Cheers

[CheffoJeffo]

Isn't this discussion somewhat academic at this point, given that folks don't want to give away the whole library away for free right now anyway ?

It is just academic. If you read at what they were discussing it's just *if* it is at all possible or not.

I *did* read and it was sounding less and less academic with each post.

This is my interpretation, true, but I know that it matches what others have thought since people have been asking me about it.

Cheers

[jtfields]

Man if I spent $7,000 for that package and then found out shortly thereafter it dropped to $999 I'd be kicking myself.  

Who says there can't be a second group buy?  I'd be in for $25 or whatever the amount was determined to be.  Someone has already volunteered to handle copying it to hard drives and mailing them back (see Korendog's quote below.)  Or since Fozzy seems very passionate about it maybe he could handle money collection and purchase and then coordinate with Korendog to work out hard drive collection and distribution.

I just happen to have a couple of 500GB SATA hard drives lying around with nothing on them so I'm ready!  

Oh, and hi.  I'm new to the group (but not to emulation.)  Just got Project Arcade in the mail from Amazon yesterday and am eager to start planning my first cabinet.  I've been doing research for awhile and and probably will be researching it for a couple of more months or so before I dive in.  I'm sure I'll be posting many questions along the way.

Fozzy let's do this! I'm in for $25.  All we need is 40 more peeps.  I'll even organize it and copy the collection to hard drives.  I work for the post office and it wouldn't be that much to ship a hard drive around the US or even abroad.  I think starting a torrent with it is not a bad idea either.  Whatever works.  What I see is a bunch of peeps on here that say it can't be done.....I say it can!  Let's stop worrying about a few little issues and make it happen for pete's sake!
If you are in post here and when we get 40 takers we'll do it up.

[CheffoJeffo]

Who says there can't be a second group buy? 

1 - Welcome.

2 - What is it with the top-quoting ? Got a tooo-mohr ? (translation may require a special hat, so don't take offense!)

3 - Good luck with that 2nd group buy. I don't think Mike will want to sell to folks who seem to want to openly distribute the very product that he is trying to sell.

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.



Cheers.

EDIT: for sucky typing

[RandyT]

Who says there can't be a second group buy? 

3 - Good luck with that 2nd group buy. I don't think Mike will want to sell to folks who seem to want to openly distribute the very product that he is trying to sell.

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.

Sorry, but I can absolutely see a rationale for a second group buy.  Everyone who took part in the first group buy now has unfettered access to the collection.  Not everyone knew that the first buy was underway.  Interested parties have expressed in this thread that they too would have liked to have been part of the aforementioned group, and would have contributed to receive the same "privileges."  One can say "too bad, read the other boards", but that's not really the point.

Now, should it be openly distributed?  Probably not, but having it distributed amongst the second "buy-in" group does not seem out of line to me.  Somehow, I don't think Mike will reject another $1000 in his pocket, regardless of the outcome, considering the limited market this collection has in the first place.  Also, most sign shop guys don't know what a torrent is anyway.

In any event, I'm in on a second buy if someone wants to do one.  I would have been in on the first had I known about it.

RandyT

[patrickl]

I would have been in on the first had I known about it.

Yeah me too. Still can't figure how this didn't go into the artwork board.

I won't be buying in now anymore though. I'd maybe like to get in on only a few pieces anyway. I'll just wait what the two groups that did buy it will start to give out. I guess I could either buy a selection from mamemarquees or maybe still join in on the BYOAC group buy if they start allowing more people in later.

[horseboy]

Who says there can't be a second group buy? 

3 - Good luck with that 2nd group buy. I don't think Mike will want to sell to folks who seem to want to openly distribute the very product that he is trying to sell.

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.

Sorry, but I can absolutely see a rationale for a second group buy.  Everyone who took part in the first group buy now has unfettered access to the collection.  Not everyone knew that the first buy was underway.  Interested parties have expressed in this thread that they too would have liked to have been part of the aforementioned group, and would have contributed to receive the same "privileges."  One can say "too bad, read the other boards", but that's not really the point.

Now, should it be openly distributed?  Probably not, but having it distributed amongst the second "buy-in" group does not seem out of line to me.  Somehow, I don't think Mike will reject another $1000 in his pocket, regardless of the outcome, considering the limited market this collection has in the first place.  Also, most sign shop guys don't know what a torrent is anyway.

In any event, I'm in on a second buy if someone wants to do one.  I would have been in on the first had I known about it.

RandyT

I agree 100%.

[Teebor]

so we just get everyone who wants to buy in to agree to not openly distribute the whole file (or part thereof?) and then we have the potential for a purchase?

I can happily live with that and am willing to chuck in $25

But I would suggest that depending on the number of people buying in that we do a first person who gets the HDD copies to two or three other people than those people are responsible for doing the same again to the next people in the list.  That way the burden of duplicating is decreased and copies might be spread between those that purchase a little quicker?

[CheffoJeffo]

Now, should it be openly distributed?  Probably not, but having it distributed amongst the second "buy-in" group does not seem out of line to me.  Somehow, I don't think Mike will reject another $1000 in his pocket, regardless of the outcome, considering the limited market this collection has in the first place.  Also, most sign shop guys don't know what a torrent is anyway.

Sorry, Randy ... I should have been clearer.

I have no objection to another buy (although, as JM says, I would expect that most of this stuff will make its way towards availability ... check his site), but I have a large objection to what I had perceived to be a buy-with-intent to-release-to-the-public. That is the direction I thought that discussion was taking.

I didn't pitch in just to have a drive full of artwork ... I want to it to be available (and already have a list of requests from people), just in a manner that doesn't damage folks who have more invested than I do.

Cheers

[jtfields]

1 - Welcome.

2 - What is it with the top-quoting ? Got a tooo-mohr ? (translation may require a special hat, so don't take offense!)

3 - Good luck with that 2nd group buy. I don't think Mike will want to sell to folks who seem to want to openly distribute the very product that he is trying to sell.

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.

1) Thanks.

2) No offense taken and I'm sure there's an inside joke or Schwarzenegger reference in there that I'm unaware of.  I usually top quote when I'm directly responding to a post.  But if I'm just referencing to something then I just put it wherever I feel it should go.  Hope I didn't confuse you too much.  

3)  I was only referring to distributing it to the people in the buy.  I'm assuming that these would all be people that aren't going to plunk down $1,000 for a copy so it would be a $1,000 sale he otherwise wouldn't make.  If I were to chose between a $1,000 or $0 I'd take the $1,000.  Again, I'm only assuming and you know what they say about that...

4)  It sounds like each person in the other buy is going to get a copy so I don't see how we'd be somehow undermining their efforts.  Doing a second group buy should actually benefit Mike more than what the first group is doing which is putting up a website so people can download the stuff for free.  Mike gets nothing out of that.  And the website idea, while not a bad one for limited sharing, is not ideal if someone wants the entire collection and is willing to pay a little money to get it.  I hadn't seen the "peep's" request that no other group buys be made.  If it was okay for them to put together a group buy then I don't really understand why they have a problem with others doing it.  But if that is true and somehow doing another group buy is going to disrespect the "peeps" or in someway hurt respectable vendors then, no, I wouldn't do it.  Otherwise, I don't see the harm.

The one thing we don't want is someone who is in the graphics business and wants to sell the art they'd be getting trhough the group buy.  Anyone in that category should definitely suck it up and pay the $1,000.  Otherwise, its just a bunch of people pooling their money that wouldn't be able to afford a copy any other way.

[CheffoJeffo]

4)  It sounds like each person in the other buy is going to get a copy so I don't see how we'd be somehow undermining their efforts.  Doing a second group buy should actually benefit Mike more than what the first group is doing which is putting up a website so people can download the stuff for free.  Mike gets nothing out of that.  And the website idea, while not a bad one for limited sharing, is not ideal if someone wants the entire collection and is willing to pay a little money to get it.  I hadn't seen the "peep's" request that no other group buys be made.  If it was okay for them to put together a group buy then I don't really understand why they have a problem with others doing it.  But if that is true and somehow doing another group buy is going to disrespect the "peeps" or in someway hurt respectable vendors then, no, I wouldn't do it.  Otherwise, I don't see the harm.

The one thing we don't want is someone who is in the graphics business and wants to sell the art they'd be getting trhough the group buy.  Anyone in that category should definitely suck it up and pay the $1,000.  Otherwise, its just a bunch of people pooling their money that wouldn't be able to afford a copy any other way.

Sounds like I misinterpreted your intent ... I assumed that this was buy-and-release. If not, I have no objection (not that my objection means anything anyway!).

FWIW, only "members" can download the true images from the website.

Cheers

[CheffoJeffo]

2) No offense taken and I'm sure there's an inside joke or Schwarzenegger reference in there that I'm unaware of.

Exactly ... some little guy in a helmet has been doing that lately ... 

Cheers

[HoopstarsGarage]

It'd be nice to be able to "buy" required artwork from the "group"... maybe at $5 or $10 per piece..


Hoops

[johnm160]

Well I missed the first group buy 

But I would certianly be willing to contribute to a second. If anyone is organizing this please let me know.

[ChadTower]

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.

Every individual who was part of that group buy has the right to make their own decision in this regard.  There was no formal agreement on this and no requirement beforehand.  Would it make some of the other parties unhappy?  Probably.  Would it be violating some agreement or statement made on behalf of the group?  Not at all.

[CheffoJeffo]

4 - Why jump in after the fact and fool with something that others have already put their money and efforts into ? The 'peeps'  are saying that it SHOULDN'T be done and we should respect the vendors.

Every individual who was part of that group buy has the right to make their own decision in this regard.  There was no formal agreement on this and no requirement beforehand.  Would it make some of the other parties unhappy?  Probably.  Would it be violating some agreement or statement made on behalf of the group?  Not at all.

Agreed ... my objection above was based on an apparently incorrect assumption and does appear to try to speak for the group, when it is not intended to.

cheers

[JoyMonkey]

I'm not opposed to a second group buy (that would take pressure off me and show CAG a little more respect from the community to boot) or sharing the files with people outside the first group buy either. Right now I'm trying to concentrate on getting the files to the people in the original group and uploading the files to the gallery; both of these tasks is taking me longer than I originally expected.

Obviously, anyone in the first group that has a copy of the drive already is welcome to do whatever they please with the files; I'm not trying to bully people into not sharing or anything of the sort. Personally, I don't have the time or resources to share the files with anyone outside the first group right now and I've been bombarded with emails from people asking for a copy of the drive or access to the full resolution gallery files; so if I don't reply to your emails or PMs please don't take any offense.

[JoyMonkey]

Doing a second group buy should actually benefit Mike more than what the first group is doing which is putting up a website so people can download the stuff for free.  Mike gets nothing out of that.

If you took the time to actually look at the website, you'd see that we're not giving the artwork to anyone for free; only registered members of the site have access to the full resolution files and visitors get to see low-resolution watermarked versions.
And again, if you want to organize a second group buy then be my guest - nobody has any objections.

[ChadTower]

And it should be noted that the registered members are almost exclusively people who were in on the group buy.

[JoyMonkey]

And it should be noted that the registered members are almost exclusively people who were in on the group buy.

All but one actually, and I only gave him access because he's part of the MAME Artwork team.