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Limited Run Games - Putting digital games into your hands

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mankoto

Member
I'm thinking Oddworld... Even if we don't know the size yet, it's probably huge.

Don't know if this is real or not, but if so I wouldn't call it huge.

64562.jpg
 
I'm thinking Oddworld... Even if we don't know the size yet, it's probably huge.

Assuming it's NOT Oddworld, since Oddworld is announced, what else could it be?

The biggest NA games without physical copies tend to have physical copies elsewhere, like Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Soul Sacrifice Delta. They're also, of course, already signed to publishers.

There's Jet Set Radio HD. Stranger's Wrath HD. Those are both around 1.5 GB like Abe's Oddysey. Which, when your 64 GB card is bursting at the seams, counts as really big.

I can't really think of anything else though.
 

Shizuka

Member
Assuming it's NOT Oddworld, since Oddworld is announced, what else could it be?

The biggest NA games without physical copies tend to have physical copies elsewhere, like Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Soul Sacrifice Delta. They're also, of course, already signed to publishers.

There's Jet Set Radio HD. Stranger's Wrath HD. Those are both around 1.5 GB like Abe's Oddysey. Which, when your 64 GB card is bursting at the seams, counts as really big.

I can't really think of anything else though.

If Oddworld is successful, I guess we could get Stranger's Wrath and Munch's Oddysse.
 

Tapejara

Member
Hmmm... I just read an interview where you guys said you have a Vita game on deck with a really big file size that will be exciting for fans...!

How big are we talking, here? Give me a clue!!

I'm thinking Oddworld... Even if we don't know the size yet, it's probably huge.

What about Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours (well I'm assuming this one has a big file size) or Grim Fandango Remastered?
 
716 Mb.

Ciel Nosurge Offline? Total size is about 5 Gb.

That would require an official translation to be done, something that Tecmo Koei isn't about to touch as they've made clear as of about a month ago. No company is picking that thing up outside of a kickstarter, especially not after how Ar Nosurge performed.
 
Citizens of Earth is Atlus.. so good luck with that :)
also I doubt it has been requested much.

Grim Fandango seems to be a good guess. I can see Double Fine being totally on board with a project like this.

And while Ciel nosurge is pretty much my white whale, I doubt they were talking about insane projects like that when they mentioned localizations.
 
We'll be really lucky and LimitedRun will blow up if it's DoubleFine games. I'd love to see Grim Fandango, Broken Age and the upcoming Day of the Tentacle and they are pretty big. I think DoubleFine are down for this kinda stuff.

So is Oddworld obviously, and Stranger's Wrath + Munch's Oddysee would be excellent follow ups to New N Tasty's release. Yes please.

After going through my back ups and seeing what exceeds 1GB and does/doesn't seem possible, my bet's on Grim Fandango since it's the biggest I have @ 3147 MB.
 

Shizuka

Member
I would buy, but it's not on the top of my list. If I had to pick, Devolver comes ahead of any other indie publisher out there in terms of wanting physical copies for me.
 
716 Mb.

Ciel Nosurge Offline? Total size is about 5 Gb.

I'm guessing they wont do anything that would require this level of translation. I don't think you could sell ~1500-3000 copies of something like that and possibly have it be worth it. It'd probably be something where only menus needed to be TLed.
 

blacksark

Member

Ventara

Member
After some pestering, both Rain World and Heart Forth Alicia's devs have expressed interest in working with Limited Run Games.

Those are two of my biggest wants. I hope that pans out because I would FLIP.

Boom: https://twitter.com/hfagame/status/688805157010714625

https://twitter.com/rainworldgame/status/688795696720408576

I hope they follow through and make a deal with Josh and the group. Show some support on Twitter!

:D

Would definitely love to have these 2 in physical format.
 

Shizuka

Member
As much as I'm excited with upcoming releases, it's a point someone brought up when I mentioned that Slain would be a nice game for LRG - new releases are usually patched a few times to fix bugs and add a few things, which is why I probably wouldn't dig for new releases when there are past and done games that could take the opportunity right now.
 
As much as I'm excited with upcoming releases, it's a point someone brought up when I mentioned that Slain would be a nice game for LRG - new releases are usually patched a few times to fix bugs and add a few things, which is why I probably wouldn't dig for new releases when there are past and done games that could take the opportunity right now.

I, too, would prefer content complete and fully patched versions of games. I would sooner have a new release confirmed and not slated until it is "finished" than have a new release the coincides with the digital launch.

Knowing things are coming, or might come, is what's really important to me. I'm a Vita enthusiast, I am used to waiting. Just tell me a game is coming once it's fully patched and content complete and you already have my money.
 
As much as I'm excited with upcoming releases, it's a point someone brought up when I mentioned that Slain would be a nice game for LRG - new releases are usually patched a few times to fix bugs and add a few things, which is why I probably wouldn't dig for new releases when there are past and done games that could take the opportunity right now.

I, too, would prefer content complete and fully patched versions of games. I would sooner have a new release confirmed and not slated until it is "finished" than have a new release the coincides with the digital launch.

Knowing things are coming, or might come, is what's really important to me. I'm a Vita enthusiast, I am used to waiting. Just tell me a game is coming once it's fully patched and content complete and you already have my money.

Guys... I've been saying this forever xD. And I agree completely with the bolded, being a Vita enthusiast is the most niche you can get currently and being also an advocate of physical media in an age where digital is just too convenient makes us the niches of niche. LRG should focus or IMO make it a policy that their releases are full complete-DLC-included-patched games, we can wait in exchange for getting the ultimate edition of x game. Take Shovel Knight for example, they already released a physical edition yet they aren't even done with the game, yes the core experience is there but it just feels like an incomplete game, they could have just waited until they were satisfied with the content but nope. I think the best people that do complete editions is Bethesda, a business plan like theirs should be fine.

The best course of action in my opinion is:
Digital release>Community exposes bugs and gets patched>DLC>Community exposes additional bugs and gets patched>release physical version.

And stick to your guns and do not patch it any further, at this point the devs did everything in their power to make it as bug free as possible but software will always have bugs but they can be minor. Even our favorite retro games have bugs but aren't that big of a deal because its and will always be a complete package.

Oh and I haven't brought it up but I'm worried that Saturday Night RPG for Vita that is releasing so close in physical format to the digital version will have bugs since I presume making the Vita cartridges takes at least a couple of months and LRG already has some copies without the game even beaning in the hands of the community yet for bugs that slipped during testing to appear. Don't get me wrong, I will buy it in support of LRG and I know I must sound really nitpicking but I want you guys to succeed because I want physical media to still exist but this is where a draw the line.
 

c-murph

Member
I'm ok with either. Patches or not. As long as they have a steady stream of actual good and fun games to put out. Don't put crap on a cartridge. Just don't.
 
Wish they could go back and get all the Oddworld games on physical. Stranger's Wrath at 1.5GB is pretty big, and I believe Munch's Oddysee is in that region too.

I have a feeling he was talking about New 'n' Tasty in that article, though.
 

Shizuka

Member
Wish they could go back and get all the Oddworld games on physical. Stranger's Wrath at 1.5GB is pretty big, and I believe Munch's Oddysee is in that region too.

I have a feeling he was talking about New 'n' Tasty in that article, though.

They could put both SW and MO in a single cart, I wouldn't want them to sell them separately. I mean, both games were already available for 2~3 bucks and one has been PS+ in the past.
 
They could put both SW and MO in a single cart, I wouldn't want them to sell them separately. I mean, both games were already available for 2~3 bucks and one has been PS+ in the past.

Well, I'd be down for that, AND it'd fit the criteria of big file size (~ 3GB for both).
 

c-murph

Member
Oh, a collection would be nice!... Not sure if they would go this route though. But who knows! It's a bit of a collector's item, so, they could easily release them as singles and still get away with it. Might even look awesome having a copy of each game on my shelf.
 

SarusGray

Member
Hmmm... I just read an interview where you guys said you have a Vita game on deck with a really big file size that will be exciting for fans...!

How big are we talking, here? Give me a clue!!

am I the only one thinking Atelier Ayesha plus? Would look perfect with my Atelier Escha Logy collection ;-;. It's six gig if you add the BGM pack lol
 

Shizuka

Member
am I the only one thinking Atelier Ayesha plus? Would look perfect with my Atelier Escha Logy collection ;-;. It's six gig if you add the BGM pack lol

Yes, they're not working with mid-sized publishers yet, as they've mentioned time and time again, not to mention KT already has another company doing that for them, NISA.
 

SarusGray

Member
Yes, they're not working with mid-sized publishers yet, as they've mentioned time and time again, not to mention KT already has another company doing that for them, NISA.

I must have lost that source of information following this thread KT BRING IT OVER
 
They could put both SW and MO in a single cart, I wouldn't want them to sell them separately. I mean, both games were already available for 2~3 bucks and one has been PS+ in the past.

The problem with compilations is that the developers would have to put way more work into the releases than most want. To do a compilation they have to create a launcher, which is a technical feat that will take time and effort from engineers (the highest paid people on most dev teams). If they have to spend a month creating a launcher and dedicate a staff member to that - that becomes a huge hurdle that could ultimately cause them to back away from doing a physical release.

That said, I'm not ruling out compilations - there will be devs who are enthusiastic enough to put the work and effort into that. I just want to set everyone's expectations correctly. There's already a lot of devs who see a single release as being too much work (and it's literally only a day or two worth of effort for the dev) - if we pressured for compilations, there'd be a lot more devs who would walk. We'll suggest compilations to them, but we're never going to say no to a good potential physical release. Obviously in many cases a compilation release is the best possible outcome, but in the end - individual releases are better than no releases.
 
That said, I'm not ruling out compilations - there will be devs who are enthusiastic enough to put the work and effort into that. I just want to set everyone's expectations correctly. There's already a lot of devs who see a single release as being too much work (and it's literally only a day or two worth of effort for the dev) - if we pressured for compilations, there'd be a lot more devs who would walk. We'll suggest compilations to them, but we're never going to say no to a good potential physical release. Obviously in many cases a compilation release is the best possible outcome, but in the end - individual releases are better than no releases.

So the large file size game isn't Oddworld compilation.

The plot thickens!

(Also, I notice Dennaton/Devolver didn't do a compilation for the Japanese physical release of Hotline Miami by Spike Chunsoft, presumably due to needing a launcher, so what you're saying does make perfect sense).
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
The launcher thing is odd because I remember plenty of bootleg PSX games that were "compilations" of games. Seems straightforward enough.

Many years ago in Costa Rica I had bought a Crash Bandicoot trilogy disc that had the first three games on it. It just booted to a splash screen with an option to choose whichever game. It had background art and music I believe.
That's exactly how the official Rayman combo pack from Europe does it as well.

I wonder if I still have it.
 
The problem with compilations is that the developers would have to put way more work into the releases than most want. To do a compilation they have to create a launcher, which is a technical feat that will take time and effort from engineers (the highest paid people on most dev teams). If they have to spend a month creating a launcher and dedicate a staff member to that - that becomes a huge hurdle that could ultimately cause them to back away from doing a physical release.

That said, I'm not ruling out compilations - there will be devs who are enthusiastic enough to put the work and effort into that. I just want to set everyone's expectations correctly. There's already a lot of devs who see a single release as being too much work (and it's literally only a day or two worth of effort for the dev) - if we pressured for compilations, there'd be a lot more devs who would walk. We'll suggest compilations to them, but we're never going to say no to a good potential physical release. Obviously in many cases a compilation release is the best possible outcome, but in the end - individual releases are better than no releases.

Well, I hope we didn't scare off Futurlab by asking for a duo cart of Velocity Ultra and 2x. Same for Stealth Inc 1/2, OlliOlli 1/2 pubs.

It's too bad Ultra never got a PS4 release after 2x came out, because it'd better justify their effort to make a duo launcher to sell on PSN as a single package. It's probably not all that hard, but any sound of complication or time/work probably does scare off some devs who may already be hesitant to do anything with Vita or physical media in the first place.
 
Have CS students as interns to do launchers assignments? Nothing fancy needed. A very basic launcher/selector would work.

Most devs won't trust us with their source code, let alone interns or students. :p

There's an issue inherent with needing to be compliant with Sony's certification requirements. Bootleggers don't have to adhere to those requirements and can jerryrig whatever launchers they want together. A Vita game must be a single PKG file to be put on a cartridge so the launcher has to wrap all the individual games into a single PKG. I don't think it is possible to have a PKG that contains other PKG files - so the solution to this is not easy. I certainly don't know how to approach it. The long and the short is that it's not an easy thing to do and I don't expect many developers to attempt it when some are already concerned with the super minimal effort required for an individual release.

There's also an issue with Vita carts only being able to store a max of 4GB (Sony does not manufacture bigger carts).

In any case, I'm not speaking for all our current and future developers here. Some will probably be willing to put the work into creating a compilation. It just comes down to how much time they're willing to invest in building a release for us.
 

oggob

Member
The long and the short is that it's not an easy thing to do and I don't expect many developers to attempt it when some are already concerned with the super minimal effort required for an individual release.

There's also an issue with Vita carts only being able to store a max of 4GB (Sony does not manufacture bigger carts).

In any case, I'm not speaking for all our current and future developers here. Some will probably be willing to put the work into creating a compilation. It just comes down to how much time they're willing to invest in building a release for us.

I understand that it is time / effort / opportunity cost and all that, so feasibly complilations of Game X & Y @ 2000 copies = $Z

From your standpoint, releasing Game X & Y separately @ 2000 SKUs each, does it simply literally double your costs? General sense, not looking at breaking out the balance sheets, etc...

In that situation, would it be something to consider with the developer you want wanted to create a run of 3000 units for a compilation, they don't want to put the effort into making the launcher, so the other option is to launch standalone, but produce 1500 of each? I'm going to assume that 90-95% of the costs are the same, but there would be some misc differences making this option slightly more expensive.

Compilations are nice and all, but if it were "less hassle / red tape" for a developer or yourselves to have separate SKUs, then there is a part of me that would love that also. One of the sad things with compilations is that each game has to share everything, so you are left with boxarts that are generally less interesting, I nice to see games have their own identities.
 
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