How would you feel about PC releases of Cave games?

[O. Van Bruce]

So here we are again, but with a Poll this time, since it seems that we need one for all of you lurkers who doesn't post anything on the thread

Just be nice and think about the options, specially the second one... it's not like we are asking everyone to think like us but solidarity is welcomed.

Use this thread also to explain any problem and/or ideas you may have about a Cave PC port please.

The PM I sent:

Code: Select all

As you might have noticed, there has been some talk recently about asking Valve to contact Cave in order to get a PC port of their shmups. While it's true that the problems that Valve and Cave may have with the issue are important in terms of profit and programming I strongly believe that they haven't considered overcoming those problems mainly because they haven't detected the fan base that Cave and shmups in general have in the west and the possibilities the genre has on steam being Cave more than a indie or doujin developer.

Valve has been interested in promoting doujin and alternative gaming since some years ago and along that line of business they have contacted Japanese doujin developers to distribute games that wouldn't be able to be sell commercially here in the west without Valve's approach. The genres released on steam are varied: shmups, platformers, RPG'S... and most of the products released have sold well and established a solid group of customers interested in Steam Indie releases. 

Now, we have Cave, best developer of shmups on the last decade, and with a proper marketing and mouth to mouth campaign, the games would sell quite well among anyone interested in Japanese games.

But that's not the important issue, we should leave all the development and marketing to then if Cave and Valve reach an agreement, BUT, that contact and agreement will never happen if us, future customers don't move and put the credit that may bring Cave and all their awesome games to a broader audience here in the west.

We are not asking from Cave to go Full Digital distribution nor to stop selling and developing their console ports, there are a lot of games released on Steam that also have physical copies on the market. I'm also an owner of and XBOX 360. But, as one of the employees of Cave mentioned (please excuse me for not remembering his name) “focusing on a sole platform has lost its meaning (...) we are going to focus where the customers are”.

I'm starting a new thread and poll to discuss new ideas so people can consider the  when e-mailing Valve and later, Cave. Go ahead and vote in it please.

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41182 

If you want to help us spread this message to every shmup board, forum, IRC you may know asking then to participate in this brainstorm. When you get all the info you need to know we may start sending the e-mails 

Thank you for your time.

[sven666]

unless cave start doing ports for the snes or neogeo i couldnt care less about ports and conversions. (im not interested in PC or current gens even the slightest)

honestly i feel if it is distracting resources within CAVE they should focus soley on arcade PCBs, CAVE are in deep financial trouble and afaik there is no evidence the extensive ports of late are the solution, in fact id say its rather the opposite.

[BPzeBanshee]

I thought their 360 ports were reeling in quite the good amount of cash. Look at Mushihimesama HD's Limited Edition. With the amount of enthusiasts buying that there's no way in hell they'll go bankrupt.

I like this idea a fair bit though the issues of PC are indeed considerable. If the iOS ports are going strong though I don't see why they can't expand. I voted for the first option.

[AntiFritz]

unless cave start doing ports for the snes or neogeo i couldnt care less about ports and conversions. (im not interested in PC or current gens even the slightest)

honestly i feel if it is distracting resources within CAVE they should focus soley on arcade PCBs, CAVE are in deep financial trouble and afaik there is no evidence the extensive ports of late are the solution, in fact id say its rather the opposite.

Arcade games arent a solution either, not when arcades are slowly dying out.

[cuttingagent]

With all the above considered, it seems like releasing on PC would lower their production costs considerably, as they wouldn't have to ship units (just sell a permanent license to download online) and they wouldn't have to go through Microsoft for anything. It would also broaden their audience overseas considerably, I'm not going to pay $70+ to import a game anytime soon.
Assuming CAVE's accountants felt it would be a good idea, why WOULD anyone be against this?

[sven666]

Arcade games arent a solution either, not when arcades are slowly dying out.

well its only speculation since we dont know any salesfigures but,
arcadegames:
moderat development cost
no licensing cost
extremely high revenue per item sold
low sales

xbox360/ports:
moderate-higher development costs (hd graphics etc)
high licensing costs
very low revenue per item sold
moderate sales

if you can boost CAVE sales to COD levels then no discussion it would be worthwhile but at the level i suspect it is now i dont think so.

it doesnt make a difference if you reach out to a few hundreds or thousands, the step in between has to be much higher.

[Age of Kings]

They wouldn't keep doing ports if it didn't make them money. They announce a new iOS port pretty often after all...

As I am primarily a PC gamer, I would probably sell my Xbox and games if CAVE did PC ports of their games.

[Drachenherz]

I'd definetely buy their games if they release them on the pc.

[PROMETHEUS]

What would hurt me is if they start doing PC ports but they still are inferior to MAME like console ports are because they are a little innacurate and LACK SAVE STATES !!!

I'm all for it though. PC is just the best platform, it's so easy to do whatever you want with it. You can output display to your TV if you want, you can play with whatever controller, it's easy to record anything, develop mods and levels, communicate, stream, etc.

[SuperPang]

Fuck off with the spam please.

[AntiFritz]

Most of cave ports would be lucky to sell 50 000 world wide (the region locked ones anyway). They would probably sell many times that if sold one steam, more so when you involve big steam sales etc (less money per unit however).

[Cagar]

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[Despatche]

you forgot "No, CAVE games should be released only on mobile devices" and "Who cares, CAVE should go bankrupt already"

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

I truthfully voted for "I wouldn't mind a PC port" because I only have an old PC and I probably wouldn't spend money on a PC port (I have all the stuff I need on the Xbox, which is connected to my cab), but yeah, the way things are looking I can imagine Cave could rake in good profits if their games were put on steam. Physical copies are on their way out, at least in the West for games that are considered "indie". If they don't ask for more than five to ten dorars I can see this working amazingly well.

[Aguraki]

not voting i dont like the spam.

[Udderdude]

You forgot "Stop spamming me plz".

[O. Van Bruce]

There are some people who don't come to shmups chat... I just felt that sending PM's was the better way to make people come and give their opinions, that's all.

PD: I just sended ONE PM... that's not spam...

[CptRansom]

Fuck off with the spam please.

[PROMETHEUS]

It's just a PM for making this initiative more public. If it works it's gonna be a huge change and you have to admit it's far from being a bad idea. You guys are way uptight. Can't you bear a little PM for a potential betterment of the shmups community ?

[THE]

Fuck off with the spam please.

[Mero]

Did you PM the entire board?

Anyway I voted

[AntiFritz]

Can't believe the amount that voted cave should make arcade games only... doubt cave would be making shmups at all if they didn't make 360/iphone ports.

[Cagar]

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[O. Van Bruce]

Did you PM the entire board?

Anyway I voted

I've sent a PM to everyone with more posts than myself, posted on an spanish forum and made a thread in /v/

It's got to be done massively if we want to have a serious response at least.

[CptRansom]

LOL, if he really sent ONE pm, that's in no way spamming.
Stop overreacting and vote for the PC-ports.

If one PM isn't spamming, then one post bitching about one PM isn't overreacting.

[Kollision]

No, but I wouldn't mind a PC port to exist.

[Lordstar]

With USB arcade sticks and the fact that i cant stand playing games for ipad or iphone. Followed by the fact that I am now working a lot away from home and I have a killer laptop it just makes sense to me that I would play Cave games if they where ported to PC.

I already play a lot of doji shooters (which I have paid for) on my PC.

there was a lot of big words in that PM took me like 45 mis just to get to the end of it. almost gave myself a fucking tumour trying to under stand the most part of it.

[Elixir]

Did you PM the entire board?

Anyway I voted

I've sent a PM to everyone with more posts than myself,

So you PM'd 443 people?

What the fuck is wrong with you? This isn't happening. Valve hates the shooting game genre and Japanese games in general. I know this for a fact.

[BIL]

I don't give a shit. LOL!

[Alec]

can somebody ban this guy? thanks!