@ErnisDy ah.. I haven't reached lvl 30 yet... should play some more then

@C-Olimar Yeah, and of course all wiiU players would have the same disadvantages so the playing field is leveled. I just don’t think that I would personally enjoy it as much as the PC version.

As for the PC version; it’s awesome. Best thing about it that the matchmaking only fixes you up with players of around your skill level. This means that all the games are pretty fair, and you never end up against people that just simply emptied their parents bank account for a super-high leveled character that you can’t beat.

@C-Olimar I don’t think it will work well because it’s a really tactical team based game. Communication and good controls are key to winning a match. For communication you really need a headphone + microphone; because you need to actively talk with your team members to make sure snipers are giving backup on the right spot,etc (most modes are about capturing/defending spots on the map).

Also some classes have the ability to become invisible and they might just stab you in the back, so headphone is almost required to hear them coming.

Because this is a free2play game there are a lot of in depth options that can be upgraded. I play mainly as a sniper class being able to quickly and steady aim is crucial. Obviously this sounds normal for a sniper, but there are many ways to increase your steadiness (there’s a hit/damage percentage meter that will increase depending on how steady your aim is).

I just don’t see this working without a mouse.

Also there are a lot of extra hotkeys that you want to quickly access without letting go of your movement keys/mouse (switching weapon, throwing grenades, use your special abilities).

They can put those keys on the gamepad screen, but then you need to let your hand go from one of the sticks, which will be annoying.

This is one of the best games from recent times. Actually, it's the only triple A type of game that I played more than 40 hours in the last few years!

And it's completetly free!

Not sure if this will work on the WiiU though...

@DefHalan It’s not illegal to do so at all. If tomorrow something happens to Coca Cola, CNN or any other news station is more than free to discuss Coca Cola in their program. They don’t need a license or anything else from Coca Cola for that.

Same goes for game magazines, websites, etc they are all totally free to report and write about Nintendo. Without a license or consent from Nintendo.

The example you use is off. Disney isn’t trying to be newsworthy or informative. It is also not adding anything to Bowser to claim that it is derivative work.

@DefHalan Screenshots from a movie made into a comic aren’t really the same, since (except for when used as fan fiction) they don’t really add anything.

I own NSMB2 for the 3DS. I played through a specific level. I know how it looks and plays. Yet I still search for LP for that specific level because I cannot find a star-coin, need better strategy or want to know secrets.

So I’m not searching for random gameplay footage. I’m searching for a specific player with a specific skill level. In that case, the gameplay adds something to the footage.

Much like how I would read a walkthrough or FAQ in the 90s. It’s just easier to show the platform/spot instead of describing it.

In fact, since I already know how the game looks/plays, the actual footage is less important to me than the gameplay added by the creator of the movie!

@Midnight3DS that's incorrect as far as I know (but please, I'm not a lawyer). Nintendo even lost cases of derivative work;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Galoob_Toys,_Inc._v._Nintendo_of_America,_Inc.

although that case was based on completely other things than LP and review are.

@LzQuaker Nintendo doesn’t have to agree to anything in order for NintendoLife or any other medium to write about them. That’s just freedom of speech and such.

Probably that’s why people are upset. In this discussion we talk about mainly LP, but this also counts for reviews and previews (basically anything that features content from Nintendo for a ‘length’ of time).

If journalist and other professionals cannot do their job (because they cannot earn anything) that seriously hurts the freedom of speech.

@Pixelroy Just because Youtube can legally put something like this in their policy doesn’t automatically make them right (nobody is debuting the fact that Nintendo/Youtube has the right to do this, but rather if it’s a appropriate move on their part to do so).

Also it would be interesting to see how far copyright goes according to derivative work (you could state that the actual gameplay from a LP adds to the experience as well as a voice over and video-editing graphics).

@LzQuacker LPers are not entitled to any money.. but websites are ? why ?
Also there's a thing called 'derivative work'. I think (especially for the players that earn money with this) we state that their actual gameplay adds something to the expierence (I'm watching their video because they are good, and they enable me to learn how to play the game better).

In fact it would be really interesting to see any claims of copyright vs derivative work on this subject. Since most videos add gameplay, banners/graphics, and voice over. I wonder if you could successfully claim a LP is derivative work rather than copyright infringement.

@theblackdragon it's not just playthroughs but also preview and reviews! Basically everything on youtube that has Nintendo content is subject to this (according to the Nintendo statement at least).

@LzQuacker I don't really get the 'Besides, they are providing a service for Nintendo directly rather than for their own benefit' part.

@DefHalan they might not remove the videos, but they will disappear. Since the creator is not able to earn anything, he might stop making videos.

I don’t see the problem with people making money with services they provide.

Should Nintendo control and own all money that Nintendolife.com makes off their ads ? Since the website is full with Nintendo IP/content ? I don’t see why we would have a different standard for websites then for web shows that feature Nintendo content.

@brandonbwii that went totally wrong and I left the project in the beginning.

see the forum for solutions on world 5!

For all the people that wanted me to make 'game x' or 'game y'.. in 'Publisher Dream' you get to boss me around I believe

@Windy Thanks! always nice to see people enjoy the games I make

@rayword45 Pretty much the same. The length or visual style where never there because of hardware limitations. I really dig pixel art, although I have some plans for a cool 3D game.

Content wise it’s all up to the market. I would love to make bigger games, but those costs more to develop. I can only make them if enough people are buying games

The puzzle game will have ‘more’ content than usual but that’s mostly because it’s easy to create new puzzles versus a complete new level theme and set of enemies that is normally required for an extra world.

@Luigi_is_better Thanks!

@divinealpha Hopefully soon I can official announce it with some cool art and stuff

woah! thanks for the 8 guys! And the review is maybe the most positive one I have ever received

@Bulby: on the 9th of may Color Commando will enter the European DSiWare shop!

@divinealpha: haha yes, I wasn’t quite ready yet to announce that game.. but the Circle people are quick! It’s a ‘real’ (i.e. no platforming) puzzle game and..... drums ....... it will be my first Nintendo 3DS project!

@goldbricks23 Sure, Color Commando will hit the European store on 9th May!

Hey guys, it's me.. just wanted to say that Color Commando is indeed only 200 points! that's a fact! so.. anybody who has a few points left on their account; go and buy it! thanks!

@brandonbwii gameplay-wise it's like Flipper 1, but totally 3D.

But it will probably be a while before I will show anything off, I'm not even sure it will be completed... I have some other prototypes running also.

@liavcol it is only 2$ ... maybe you can by it twice

@rayword45 3DS is extremely difficult. Because all the new features are ones that have a big impact on coding.

When you went from Game Boy Advance to Nintendo DS, all graphics programming (for 2D games) was the same as on GBA expect you needed to set everything up twice (for each screen).

Stylus input took 4 lines of code to added in.

And that where the biggest two things for the Nintendo DS.

For the 3DS, you have to use the 3D video card.. even if you want to make a 2D game with some pop-ups. And that is quite hard. If you do anything even just a little bit different you will see major frame drops.

Other new things are street-pass and better multiplayer. Both of them are
really hard to do right (as in, make something that will pass LOT-check).

@Strongo9 That's the biggest insult to my games ever! My games might not be polished, long, or maybe you even downright dislike them... but they are not mediocre!

Also, a lot of problems could be solved with more money.. unfortunately the market is really bad my games are made on a avarage budget of 3000 bucks (of which I have to pay for myself, art and sound).

@MeWario You should see Flipper on 3DS

@Pikminsi nope... but I do love Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!

I actually know a few people who worked there... and yes, they did know all games by hearth.
Sure they have some maps and papers (didn’t we all have those?). But you could call them and ask them anything about Zelda and they know by listing to you (which items you had,etc) exactly which thing you missed or still had to do… and that’s not in the binder…

this looks SO GOOD.

I totally agree.. bundles are awesome! mostly they are on one card which I think is more convenient (not having to carry so many cards or swap them constantly).

The GBA had awesome bundles.. wish it would happen more on the DS!

@Windy

Sega killed the Dreamcast. They messed up so badly with the Saturn that no toystore put Dreamcast on the shelve. You could only but it in specific gamestores which really limited the sale potential.

@LZBirdboi

I think you misunderstand me. I do not condone piracy in anyway. I honestly believe that piracy is theft.

That said; I don’t believe piracy is costing the industry as much as Jools or the articles are proclaiming. I also don’t believe piracy is the problem, but rather the effect or symptom of the real problem.

If tomorrow all games would costs 400 dollars (which is the equivalent of the price in poor European countries) how many can be expect to sell? If piracy would completely disappear tomorrow, how much more do you expect to sell at those prices?

And yes, it’s a luxury product. You do not need to game, but you obviously love to game. So would you be tempted to get games through different channels (piracy) or would you completely quit your hobby?

Most people (although again, I do not condone) would be tempted to pirate!

@theblackdragon that’s my point. My argument of prices was merely to show that it’s unlikely that every download equals a lost sale.

@RenegadeJools
The problem with the Nintendo statement is that they aren't actually supporting that with figures. A lot of those big publishers are screaming that 90% of their games are pirated,etc very few actually have the numbers to back this up.
In fact the link to the article you posted shows how Nintendo measured this, which I think is very crippled:

“In June 2009, Nintendo monitored 10 websites based overseas that allowed people to illicitly download game software, and found that software had been pirated a total 238 million times.

Multiplied by the average unit price for software, the figure translates into 1 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) in lost sales.”
So basically they assumed that if piracy wouldn’t exist they made 238 extra sales. This is just a fundamentally wrong way of doing things.
You (and the article) mainly talk about Europe. But nobody seems to care to figure out how many sales have actually been lost due to pricing instead of piracy.

@Windy how do you know this ? and how does Jools know this ?

there hasn't been a system that did not have pirates, so we really cannot compare sales figures and stuff like that.

Your points and arguments have as much ground as if I would claim that 100% of the pirates would have never bought the game in the first place.

In many European countries buying games isn't an option!

we just don't know, and thus there is no way of telling if piracy really does have a effect.

I went shopping in Budapest today… I didn’t expect to find anything cheap. But the games are actually more expensive than in the Netherlands while the average salary here is 4 times lower than the average Dutch salary.

New Super Mario Bros U and Blackops U are around 86 dollars!
DS games like Mario Kart or Nintendogs are still around 50 euro!

Now imagine you only earn around 300 dollars a month!!!

@Windy it's not even about being poor or rich. for example, I see you live in the United States. The federal minimum wage is about 7,25 dollar, so for a 40 hour work week that's 1160 dollar a month, right ?

if you convert that to euro's that's around 865 euro, well below the minimum wage of the Netherlands at 1200 euro.

Yet this doesn't matter because prices of other things scale also, a new game costs 26 euro in the United States, yet it costs 50 euro in the Netherlands.

But for some reason when you go to other European countries this scaling doesn't happen... somebody keeps the price high even though it's unreasonable.

@Windy piracy doesn't really costs us that much. The problem with the 'research' link you posted is that it's not really based on the 'complete' truth.
what they did was look at how many units where downloaded times the retail price.

which would only be correct if each person would also actually have bought the game if piracy wasn't an option. And we know for a fact most pirates would not.

If you take a look at that list, you see countries like Hungary and Greece. Where the mimimum salary is around 300 euro and a new game is priced at 50 euro.

Do you honestly believe that if piracy wasn't an option a family would spend 20% of their income on a single videogame ?

@Windy that’s not really factual. In this case it would also costs us money for every ’good’ person that decide not to pirate but also decide not to buy the game. I don’t have the illusion that if tomorrow piracy would completely dissapear my sales will go up ten folt.

Games aren’t food, you don’t die if you don’t play. You don’t have to play. And people will decide that it’s just not worth 40/50 euro to them and not buy the game.

You can see this also with free-to-play games. The precentage of people that decides not to pay for anything is the same as the percentage of piracy on normal platforms.

@TheDreamingHawk piracy has been there ever since computer software was invented. It’s not going to stop, ever. It’s like trying to stay dry in a swimming pool. You can try and fight it, but you will get wet eventually. I rather focus my energy and resources on customers. I try to provide them with the best service and answer all their questions personally.

I hope this will make them care about me and my products and because of that, hopefully they are willing to invest rather than to pirate.

@Mk_II I don't know where you are from; but over here (the Netherlands) the DS shelf space is still the biggest in the store. But again, it mainly has games on it like bejewelled, Caesars palace, treasures of the ... you get the idea.

Partly this is due to the fact that economics are bad and those bejewelled clones are easy to predict (how many units will sell) while a fresh IP or unknown game are a big gamble.

So I don’t think less games appear on the shelves due to piracy.

@Slapshot you have to look at the bigger picture. Yes there are many hardcore titles you can list here, but if you look at it from a percentage point of view it really is a small number compared to the casual games.

a quick search on http://mobygames.com will reveal that around 70% of the games listed there are either puzzle, mystery/detective or education titles. Some of them are really good games, but they aren’t hardcore.

@Waann
That those titles sold well has more to do that they came from Nintendo and had a big marketing budget + fan following than the control scheme. I know a lot of people that weren’t so much in First Person Shooters, but bought Metroid anyway because it’s Metroid.

Not saying that the control scheme was bad in anyway, just that you cannot judge a control scheme by how many units a popular well marked game sold.

thirdplace is still an awesome place! thanks everybody for sending in your votes! I'm really happy to close the year like this!

@Fudge Yes I do. Almost all developers do, especially things like emulators (to quickly test if the enemies are placed correctly for example). I also use a lot of homebrew texture converting tools and I wrote a lot of my own tools (level editors, convertors, compression tools).

I’m a hacker too… in fact, it wasn’t until the last two months of Flipper development I actually got cleared by Nintendo and got a real devkit. Now I think of it, the first time I showed Nintendo a build of Flipper was on my little sisters pink DS with some custom made hardware

When I look at the DS game market, I don’t really believe it was hackers that killed it, rather just a lot of bad games. The fact that Dementium II wasn’t selling well might also have something to do with the fact it wasn’t as widely available.

By the time that game came out the Nintendo DS was already marked a ‘casual gamer device’ meaning most stores where more happy to put puzzle games on their shelves.

I still see this, next February another bejeweled type of game I created will be released as a retail title for Nintendo DS.. while I still struggle to find somebody interested in publishing my original games.

I think we should stop putting our head into the sand by simply saying ‘it was piracy, nothing I can do about it!’ and instead take a good hard look at our industry, our games and how we market them (this includes pricing).
It’s time we face the real threats and deal with them in a professional way.

@zipmon thanks! I really appreciate winning this, and the support of all you guys!

woohooh! Ace Mathician is game of the year for DSiWare ... extremely awesome!

whoa!? Ace Mathcian has a change to become GOTY? cool!

@HawkeyeWii: hitting with melee is very tedious, but that makes the game great!
You can take out one zombie, but if they are with a group (3 or more) you not going to win it!

If you like RE you must know the feeling of '3 bullets in my handgun left, 5 zombies to shoot'. The tedious melee attack creates the same feeling!

the price seems odd... Best Buy in Canada is selling a normal wii + Super Mario Bros for $149!! so you get a Wii + online + eshop + mario!

especially weird if you consider that Mario is still at 59$! so if you buy a Wii mini + Mario your total price will be 158! that's almost 10 bucks more than the old set!

am I the only one who sees this as negative ? the 3DS is clearly struggling!

It's like comparing a new triple A title that only sold 200.000 copies to a best seller NES game and conclude 'see.. we are a hit too.. we sold just as much!'.

Times have changed, markets have grown. If your numbers are on par with previous systems over almost a decade ago... you clearly did something wrong!

I like Mad Dog

well.. it looks good..but does it work ? I want a youtube link to this guy jumping off a building, before I wire over my money

@Boo_Buster did you read the article ? because even in the header it says 'founder'. It's very unlikely Collin is going to fire himself.

I think his opinion is correct and I think it's really great for Nintendo. I mean, the big reason the Wii did so well is because of all the casual gamers going for Wii Sport.

We just have to realize that the casual group is much larger than the hardcore group.

And what is the problem with that ? It puts Nintendo in a great position where they can work on their own games without any pressure. I mean, as long as we can enjoy great Mario,Metroid,Pikmin,Pokemon and Zelda titles on WiiU I will be a happy hardcore gamer!