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Would you PAY for new games for your MAME cabinet?
CheffoJeffo:
I answered up to $20, which comes with the obvious "depends on the game" caveat. Jazz JackRabbit, Monster Bash and the original Duke Nukems are all played (and properly licensed) on my 3-sided cocktail.
For those who say they would pay $100 for a full set of ROMs supported by MAME -- so would I (or any of us), but that isn't coming close to what the license holders want for legal licenses.
As much as folks may not like David R. Foley (obligatory reference for Googling ... maybe he will chime in -- his input would be valuable here), he did something that nobody else has and is, IMPO, the leader in getting games licensed for use in emulators (I may not like him, but I have to respect what he has done). Have a quick look at what the game packs for Ultracade, etc cost and you will get a handle on what it would cost for actual licenses. I really would have liked for his iROMs initiative to succeed.
I haven't even mentioned StarROMs. Other than saint and a few of the other old folks, did anybody buy licenses from them ?
In a day and age where people, including a particular MAMEDev, are all-too-happy to copy and distribute ROMs for new releases (cou*D2K*gh), I can't see any reason that a developer would want to put out a game in this niche.
If RayB does develop something, I will buy it, but his time is likely better spent getting that cocktail ready for sale ...
:-\
Paul Olson:
The ultracade roms were licensed for commercial use, and to generate a profit to ultracade. We are not asking for that; we just want to play them at home. I would expect the licenses to be much cheaper. I can buy a non-working board on ebay dirt cheap, which would give me commercial rights. Personal use would have to be cheap. It is a kinda weird discussion; we are trying to figure out ways to pay for something we all already have.
I would suggest writing games for the broader PC and console market, and make them cab friendly. Phone friendly would be great as well. Playing ms pacman on my tilt is a pain. If you can get a version of your game to run on most types of hardware, you might be able to make money on the effort. If not, the experience gained would be worth the effort, I think.
CheffoJeffo:
--- Quote from: pcolson on December 13, 2008, 07:22:39 pm ---The ultracade roms were licensed for commercial use, and to generate a profit to ultracade. We are not asking for that; we just want to play them at home. I would expect the licenses to be much cheaper. I can buy a non-working board on ebay dirt cheap, which would give me commercial rights. Personal use would have to be cheap. It is a kinda weird discussion; we are trying to figure out ways to pay for something we all already have.
--- End quote ---
No argument with any of that ... but Ultracade also had licenses for home use only, so perhaps I should have said "Arcade Legends".
;)
CheffoJeffo:
--- Quote from: pcolson on December 13, 2008, 07:22:39 pm ---I would suggest writing games for the broader PC and console market, and make them cab friendly. Phone friendly would be great as well. Playing ms pacman on my tilt is a pain. If you can get a version of your game to run on most types of hardware, you might be able to make money on the effort. If not, the experience gained would be worth the effort, I think.
--- End quote ---
Interesting thought and perhaps I am more jaded than most.
Singapura:
I have one of those xxxx-in-1 boards which I think is brilliant. I'd love to have a legal rom set and a proper emulator with all menus in real English though. An iTunes-like setup would create a whole new industry where gamers can download additional cab friendly games. The market is probably too small though.