--- snip ---

> 109DM for Amiga game is tooo much ...  people will copy this
> Better try 50DM and sell 3 times more

This is VERY bad if people think like that...

Please be invited to post that message on your site. Note that it is no
statement by Hyperion Software (i am not working for them), but a private
statement of myselves due to my knowledge of the market (i am a computer
scientist).

Now i do not know what EXACTLY the license costed, but licenses for such games
are usually in the range of around DM 100000.
Let's do a short calculation:

>109 DM => 30-40 DM for the actual developers for the game AFAIK.

Let's assume 8000 sold copies (which would be pretty high for an Amiga game
!!!)

8000*40 = 320000

Now we take away the 100000, and we are at 220000 win only, after around 4
months (i estimate) work.

a) The guy investing money might get a higher part of the profit, because of
   the risk he took (that is common business praxis). Still i am quite sure
   each coder will get around 3-5 marks per sold copy. This would then
   be around 6000-10000 a month.
b) We have to see clearly that 8000 copies on a Amiga Game are in most cases
   pretty unrealistic. More likely are 3000-4000. Then we would have the
   salary of the programmers at something between 2000 and 4000 marks a month.
c) If the price would be reduced that would even be a smaller profit. Hold
   against this that people of the qualification of the Frieden-brothers or
   Peter Annuss get a monthly salary between 8000 and 10000 marks on the
   PC and Mac Market easily.

I don't say "All is money", but you surely don't do everything for free. Money
has to be a PART of the thing. 50 DM a copy for a licensed NEW game is
absolutely unrealistic. The only option to this would be not starting the
porting business at the beginning (and maybe do games for PC/Mac instead where
people pay this money).

Hyperion is i think giving the Amiga Games market it's last real chance.
People should not waste it. If these games are not really bought, this screws
up all future chances for Ports of new PC Games.

It has also be considered that not the PRICE restrains Hyperion's market, but
the hardware (which is rather high in the minimum)
... the market is pretty small. So i think 109 marks is a reasonably price
tag. Added to this Sony Playstation games have often the same initial price
tag, and there are a lot more Playstations than PPC Boards.

Also consider that Heretic II and Shogo are not the usual "Lowend Amiga Game
which has to be sold cheaper", they are ports of (nearly) up to date PC games
!!!

And especially you should NEVER compare the current price for the PC version
of Heretic II to the price of the Amiga Version. On the PC the game is already
some months old. Initially it also was in a similar price region.

I also mention that Preorders for Hyperion's games are cheaper: Only 89 marks.

I also want to mention that the License which Hyperion required - as they
announced when they first announced this - with Monolith not only covers the
game Shogo, but ALL FUTURE GAMES running on the LithTech engine can be
licensed on the same conditions. Examples of such games are Blood 2 and
Sanity, and there are other games (RPGs, Strategy Games, 3D Shooters,...). Of
course that these games WOULD be ported requires the current titles from
Hyperion to sell good.

And to people who always compare Heretic II/Shogo to Quake: Quake was

a) for 68k
b) without 3D Support

Not comparable.

I don't think it was ever an option for Hyperion/Titan to make these games
cheaper. The option would have been not making them at all. Licensing games is
EXPANSIVE.

In a recent discussion someone threw in "Why don't they license cheaper
games". As to my knowledge $50000 is quite on the low end. Of course you might
get VERY OLD GAMES cheaper. But these also will sell much less, and will most
likely contain PC ASM, which might make them virtually unportable. Selling
highend PC-ports at a DECENT price is really the only option for making such
games for the Amiga. And well, we are all HAPPY that Hyperion makes, these
games, right ? So we will pay them what they are worth. I for myselves will do.
This - and Wipeout of Digital Images - is THE chance to finally GET PowerPC
games. And other companies are watching. People, don't waste it for some
bucks...

Steffen Haeuser