Interest Check: SHMUP 'Zine?

[sven666]

im aware its not going to compete with retrogamer, I dont think anyone is expecting that, just thought it would give some perspective on the pricing issue.

id happily pay atleast equal to shop-standard for something as exclusive as what youre trying to do

[Pyongyang]

im aware its not going to compete with retrogamer, I dont think anyone is expecting that, just thought it would give some perspective on the pricing issue.

id happily pay atleast equal to shop-standard for something as exclusive as what youre trying to do

Ah I know that, just wanted to make sure folk new to the thread or skipping through got the message. It's one thing laying out what you are going to do and promising something great, but if the end-users expectations are nowhere near the same level then it's not only a huge let down for them but that's when the claws come out and I just want to make sure that that is avoided entirely by keeping my word and delivering what I promised.

[Alfred]

If someone made a Shooting Gameside full colour magazine in English, 50-100 pages and released one every 3 or 6 months i would pay alot money £10-20 per issue. Max 4 issues a year. It would have to come in a case with a backboard like a comic book.

[photons_au]

Not interested. I like shmups, but now... it's about justice.

^ I lolled at this, shikigami spinglish ftw!

Also put me down for two copies of the limited edition version of this zine please, one to read, and one to hoard in a box in its original factory seal.

No but seriously id like one also please, i hope you get your beer or two for your efforts!

Would love to see something like this bi-monthly or quarterly.

[MommysBestGames]

Fair warning, Pyongyang: if you end up making this and it's as good as it sounds, I'll probably post a pic, holding it in a cheesy-but-satisfying pose.
Such as this for the Sega Arcade Classics Vol 1, I got for Christmas (book is great by the way) http://www.twitpic.com/bpxsir

[DQuick]

I'd definitely be interested in a copy.

[Pyongyang]

Thanks again everyone for the kind comments. Mr Fouts, you especially as you were very kind and gave up your time for a chat posted on my blog already good sir.

<brokenrecord>I know I keep saying it, but I will keep saying it anyway so people know that they will be receiving an A5, 25 page full colour fanzine, not a fully fledged professional-looking magazine. Just don't want to be sending these out to folk and they are expecting some 100 page professional bonanza production! </brokenrecord>

Now, more news:


So, with the festive season drawing to a close and the new year celebrations finished I'm back at work on the Zine in the evenings.

Just to keep you guys updated, I'm still pushing for an end of January launch. I'm almost at the finish line, I've got a couple of articles to tie up loose ends on, then it's a case of tweaking the layout and converting everything to CMYK and adjusting the colours to match, or near-match RGB levels. As pre-order time draws closer I will announce more details about what's inside this little Zine and where exactly you can put in your order.

I hope folk enjoy the project. Happy new year.

[Raytrace]

this is gonnan be ace - cant wait

[MintyTheCat]

I am supporting you fully on this and we English speaking Shmuppers need our own Voice

Looking forward to it.

[Casey120]

Even if it turns out totally Cat malogen just come here Sham and tell me this n tell me no more.
And although you're about as usefull as a kerry man with a hurley I want that mag no matter what, so thats the craic she said with one leg up'n the dash and nothing on but the radio !

But it better not be banjaxed , Gowl .

[MintyTheCat]

Even if it turns out totally Cat malogen just come here Sham and tell me this n tell me no more.
And although you're about as usefull as a kerry man with a hurley I want that mag no matter what, so thats the craic she said with one leg up'n the dash and nothing on but the radio !

But it better not be banjaxed , Gowl .

...some of that legendary 'Air' you find in Amsterdam there?

[Raytrace]

Even if it turns out totally Cat malogen just come here Sham and tell me this n tell me no more.
And although you're about as usefull as a kerry man with a hurley I want that mag no matter what, so thats the craic she said with one leg up'n the dash and nothing on but the radio !

But it better not be banjaxed , Gowl .

haha the only person I ever knew to say the word 'gowl' was from Athlone, isn't it of the same meaning as 'gee' ? o_O

[Pyongyang]

This:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

That is all.

[MintyTheCat]

This:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

That is all.

What a fucking Tit!

[spadgy]

I'm a little late to respond here, but you've got my support, and I'd take a copy.

I'm also a full time editor of a print video games magazine, and have be a video games journalist full time for seven odd years, so can offer advice on here or over the phone if you want.

Also, I see the argument that print is dying, but highly specialised, limited run and 'zine print press is doing really well right now. In fact, pick up the latest print UK edition of Computer Arts magazine, and there's a great feature on the return of print, packed with advice for those thinking of setting up their own mag.

And I don;t want to muscle in, but if I can help Pyongyang, just ask.

[casualcoder]

I personally only read digital publications since I got the iPad. I know there are still some who like physical issues for collecting or whatever but I wouldn't buy anything physical. I would buy digital however. And as always the only way to make it, especially with a small market, is with repeat buyers so it's important to cover a lot of info for a wide range of titles and topics.

One thing I would like to see most is interviews with top players, programmers, artists, etc because that info is quite hard to find.

[Pyongyang]

Thanks spadgemeister and casualcoder for the useful input and kind comments. Spadge, I may well call upon thee for some advice good knave!

So, a small update really. I recently was tying up some loose strands with the second exclusive feature. Hopefully that will come through to me soon. The first exclusive feature is almost finished now. I'm putting together the smaller articles now too and doing some more research. Hopefully you will all find this worth the wait!

The last two nights I spent recreating the entire 'zine from scratch in Adobe InDesign. Scribus was almost perfect but let me down with some page setup issues and also I was working in GIMP which, amazingly, has no CMYK mode so I had to install Photoshop and convert all my images to CMYK and adjust the colours!

These versions of InDesign and Photoshop are trials. Which is a good thing as it means I have 30 days to finish this project!

Overall things are starting to take much better shape now and switching to InDesign has made workflow infinitely smoother and more productive. The fact I recreated the whole Zine, from scratch, in two evenings is testament to the software I think!

Next up, more writing. Once I have everything tied together I can then go forward with the layout and page designs before a final proof read and then it's off to the printer (hopefully!).

[Softdrink 117]

Actually, there is a plugin for GIMP which enables importing/exporting files in CMYK mode. However, there isn't any support for active editing in CMYK. This is frankly my only complaint about GIMP other than the sometimes confusing method of accessing some functions (the method to create shapes, for example, is quite well hidden).

Glad to hear you figured it out though. Once orders open I'll be sure to pick up a copy.

[Pyongyang]

Just another update on this. It's getting close to the finish line now. I'm waiting on some more samples to be sent from the printers so I can make a decision on what paper types are to be used. I'm still waiting on some other bits to arrive too, but once I have those confirmed, received and processed in to the layout I'll then go ahead and open up the pre-orders.

The delays (outside my control) have pushed my target of end of January for publishing out of reach. I'm instead looking toward a start to mid-February delivery. Pre-order should open by end of next week for this to happen.

As an extra bit of promo, I'm putting together a little PV which should launch when pre-ordering opens next week.

Thanks everyone for your interest in the project, hopefully it will soon be a reality. Stay tuned!

[Wonderbanana]

Provided its a sensible price and physical not digital I'd take 2.

And for future reference, I'd pay good money for an English language book on shmups if anyone ever did one.

[sombetzki]

Same as wonderbanana, depending on price I'd love to get one!

[mice]

Yay! Great to see this happening.

[Pyongyang]

Thanks a lot.

It's getting there, it's just the wait now on some pieces (as mentioned in my previous post). I'm also waiting on the printer quote and some samples. I'm hoping to get the whole thing printed, bound and shipped out for around €6 (that's including cost of international postage, mailing bags etc) per copy.

Hopefully folks won't find that price a turn off. It all depends on the pre-orders though, if that doesn't happen then the printed copy won't materialise...

[sombetzki]

€ 6,-? That's a really nice price! How much pages can we expect?

EDIT: Just read in the above posts that it'll be a 25 page A5 magazine. Still think €6,- shipped is a good price!

[Pyongyang]

€ 6,-? That's a really nice price! How much pages can we expect?

EDIT: Just read in the above posts that it'll be a 25 page A5 magazine. Still think €6,- shipped is a good price!

Thanks! Don't take that as gospel though, I still have to get the final, final quote from the printers. But it will be a full colour, 25 page 'zine. The final price will be for the zine, the printing, the mailing bag and international postage. I'll do my best to keep it at €6 or as close as I possibly can.

[trap15]

6 EUR is a great price for such a nice labor of love. Great work Pyongyang, can't wait to see the final result!

[Pyongyang]

6 EUR is a great price for such a nice labor of love. Great work Pyongyang, can't wait to see the final result!

Thanks! Hopefully I can keep it at that price. Even better I hope you all find it worth the price and the wait!

SMALL UPDATE: If the stuff I'm waiting on arrives this week like I've been told, then I should be able to launch pre order by this weekend along with a small PV to go with it.

[psoslayer]

What's a PV? Hope it's a preview.

[Pyongyang]

Yep, a promotional video, just a little teaser disclosing some of the contents. I can't really post it until the second item is wrapped up though.

In other news, the samples from the printer arrived...

[Nekotaku]

I've been lurking here for some time but never posted. Mostly because, while I love shmups, I'm as mediocre a player as they come.
But I wanted to state that this zine sounds like a fantastic idea and you can count me in for ordering a copy. Heck, even if it wasn't about shmups, I'd be inclined to buy it purely for this post. That whole idea, just wanting to have something to show for your life, something concrete that you can hold and be able to say, "this is something I created"... I understand how important that is. Looking forward to it!