i translated it i know crappy english in some places because i had no motivation to reread it and find bugs but better then nothing:
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first how the idea was created
in my high school time i drank much of alcohol. "hahaha"
* In the times of
and now for real, there was such a little game in my high school times Liero
does anyone know it?
-- yeah
* Liero
it was like that: two players were sitting in front of a pc and playing as small, oh there is
the master of liero, hi mistchef ot liero.
And you were playing like that and i was motivated to play it again and again.
We were playing the game the whole high school time.
I also had such a hobby back then to programm and create games. And i though why dont you
create such a game why do you limit yourself to two players why dont you make a game so that
the whole class can play or the whole world coult play.
And this idea became the core of soldat.
And soldat was the game i created in my free time in my sleeping room means my early office.
The game is about small people running on different terrains and fight each other. There is
much aktion and there are explosions there is a lot of fun. This was released in 2002. In the
beginning there was only a small amount of players no marketing. Later it grew up a lot.
* Released in 2002 50 000 players per year
-- Which way was it released?
Simply Through the Internet.
-- Meaning for free?
"hahaha"
Yes. I simply released it on a site somewhere on a forum somewhere. And suddenly there
downloads counter started growing fast.
* 2008 ~0.5 Million players
and this year there where half million players.
* Players from 150 countries from the world
My dream has become true the whole world is playing the game (around 150 countries).
* Printed in the most game related press, portals and cd covers in europe and USA
It has been announced in different magazines in europe and usa on portals and on cd covers
on tv in great britten in poland.
One thing i wasnt expecting was the Community
* Community
And these are people who are not only playing the game but also create stuff for the game they
create addons, create modifications, create programms to generate statistices of kills.
"hahaha"
And they create programms for map modification and they also create stuff for fun like such
comix.
People organize championchips and lan parties. They meet and play.
* Lan Parties & Championchips
I have a few pictures. There is a girl who plays my game.
"ehehehe"*clapping*
-- Are these the half million people who downloaded the game?
"hahaha"
At least Documentated
Two years earlier we met with fans in poland to get to know each other and We played soldat and
we talked.
Where they all 18 years old?
You can add the years up.
Also that woman.
"ohhh.
Also one of my fans.
* Business
I had the honor to get in touch with Business
You will definitally ask yourself if there is money out of this. My game if for free. Nobody
needs to pay for this game but this way i live from the game.
Soldat earned since its beginning 92 000$
* Soldat earned 92 000$
Thats not bad concusion when you think about the costs.
The there were no real costs.
In the beginning i made the game on my own. Only cost was the power, computer and coding.
In this time i didnt spend no real money. These are no real costs
-- but in this time you didnt earned money you werent working, right?
will tell you shortly
In compresisson with other game like Tribal Trouble which isn't free. You have to pay for it.
* Tribal Trouble earned 60 000$
Or same for Gish.
* Gish earned 121 000$
They had bigger productioncosts
* Cliffski earned 150 000$
Cliffski earned 150 000$ with 3 games
* Casual games 2 500 000 sold copies
Casual game this are millions copies thats a bigger market
* Browser games 200 000$ per month
There are browser games there is even bigger money
* Future of the Industry
Future of the maked and if i want to engage myself with the marked or if its worth to do so.
Its surely nice that... oh too big font
* Selling games in the times of regression
Selling games in the times of regression.
The question for me why you can make money with games in these times of regression. I think
thats because people need some sort of distraction after they lost money on the stock market.
* Octobre 2008 +18% sold games
Statistics prove that. you dont see the statistis here.
So there have been 18% more game sold.
There are bigger expansion packs for WOW.
* 13 November 2008 record in selling games in the first day.
This was the record in selling a game in only one day. Unbelievable.
* My plans
I started soldat on my own. But there came a few people together who not only wanted to play
but had the talent and the abinsions to work wotk with me. They talked with me and we created a
group. The name of the group is Transhuman design.
* transhuman design
And this is a group of visionaris who want dominate the game market
" hahaha *clapping*
To show that its not a real firm we have use an analogy of a maetal group.
Metal gourp is a group of 5 people who met and during a year they create an album after that
they go on tour and play thats how it works. And we do the same just for games.
* Transhumen design
* Sigvar gfx design
* MM engine design
* Synsynth sound musik
* FliesLikeABrick administrator
* Pepito selling marketing
The interesting about these people is that i didnt met anyone of them in reallive except one
person.
E.g. Eric is from australia. Ryan administratior ist form chicago. Ruben is form great brittan.
Ruban is for the money stuff.
There are also other people who arent in the team.
Bastian fights with hackers. There is also a girl.
-- the one with the hat.
* Gheft tools
* EnEsCe programming soldat
* Sable Anti-hacker system
* Elephant Hunter Web designer
* Anna tools
Yes the gril with the hat creates tools for the maps which you saw earlier.
* Players /Fans
Most important are the players. Im living from them.
* players ...
Our philosophy is that we release our games for free. So we want to have as many people as
possible.
* Play for free
They play for free and do the marketing. Because the tell their friends that there is such a
nice game and they should play.
* roal fans pay
We make money on roal fans who want to pay for the game.
* Professional version
So we are selling the professional version of the game additions for the game
* the proffessional version
* own profiles
* access to ranks/statistics
* minimap/mp3player
* higher re
* color changing/ skinning
e.g soldat if oyu pay 14$ you get the ranking options You get a minimap higher resolution.
Which was a request people wanted that feature so i gave it to them and they pay me for that.
-- so that was changing of the config or what?
no just display changes.
" hahaha"
I the future i want to add more of them.
* Gadgets
Same like band we want to sell gadgets. Im currently selling t-shirts but i want to sell most
stuff.
* gadgets
* t-shirts
* CD
* graphic album
* design documents
A cd in a package when someone really likes it or wants to make a present for someone. like a
cd version for christmas in a package.
we want to sell graphic albums with the whole design.
* Ads
I have the possibility do place adds in my game. This is a screen from the list of servers
where people spent much time and have the possibility to view a ad of some drink.
* what further
there is also the possiblility to add them on the website in the forum etc.
* Link dead
We are creating 3 new games
Link dead which is a realistic simulation of of a war
Berserker which is a realisic biatykoy
And hunter kill which is a relistic cool project. This information is the first public
released.
* Community Portal
-- so you will create games for kids?
Well they shouldnt play but its good if they play.
This is the community portal where we gathering all people together to one place where they can
organise tournaments view rankings and stats.
* Problems
I have been asked what my problems during the creation of the game were. There are only
problems.
* There are only problems
I would have too much to talk.
So i will tell you what i learned.
* What did i learn
Im actually makeing this game for 5 years now.
And out of all of that i learned to create the game alone at frist and build the whole team.
* What did i learn
* Create the team through the internet
* Communication with 1000's of people
* overcome evil powers
* selling and marketing
* trusting my instincts
I learned to create a community how to organise people and their ideas. I learned how to handle
bad people like hackers who can destroy the game.
the selling and marketing. I had to learn how to take money for people.
And especially i learned how to trust my own istincts. I havend really learned stuff from books
i dont even know where i should search for books where to learn the stuff. I had to rely on me
insticts thats why i think everyone of us i able to create such a thing. All you need it to
trust yourself.
So, so do you want to create games?
* Do you want to create computergames?
Maybe you dont want to create games. maybe only for yourself or whatever. Something own like i
started.
* What do you need
* Demetinartion
* Improvisation
* Continiuous learning
* Dedication/ Love
While makeing this project there are only problems when you really want to create something
that is worth something in your live you have to overwhelm the problems.
To win against them you need to use all your energy and brainpower and do it out of you whole
heart.
And i think its really hard to do that when you only think about money because thats not the
right motivation in my eyes. there are ways to make money but then you want fulfill your dream
you need to do something you really like and you need to have a huge goal.
* Huge Goal
You need to like what you do you need to love it
Not only what is up there your goal you also need to like what you do everyday. Nothing you do
a minute.
So when you want to create a game you need to like programming you need to like creating stuff
and why do i make games?
-- because you like it?
Sometimes yes.
No sometimes i really like to create games and i want to create the best game in the world and
my philosophy is that when you when million people are playing my game there are 10 smileys 10
millions smiling people and that energy comes back to me and that makes stronger.
Thats everything
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Have fun