hhwolfman Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I think I am on the waiting list after the waiting list. I have time though. Ed has been very nice and Replied Fast to every question I had. I was even offering upwards to $100 shipped for a yellow one, but I just can't Pay $200 to $300 for something that is only a couple months old. I was just one of those guys that saw and said, I would get it later. Oh well. Looks like a great Cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 One eBay Pac-Man Collection sold for $260.55 on 5.25.09... I saw that. I have 3 names in my black list already. I suppose there were other copies in past weeks, I don't know. I find it particularly sad that scalpers got that many copies of PMC. Luc and I worked so hard so many years, spent so much money to make this game as good as possible, just to have scalpers making quick buck on our work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) One eBay Pac-Man Collection sold for $260.55 on 5.25.09... I saw that. I have 3 names in my black list already. I suppose there were other copies in past weeks, I don't know. I find it particularly sad that scalpers got that many copies of PMC. Luc and I worked so hard so many years, spent so much money to make this game as good as possible, just to have scalpers making quick buck on our work. As a collector and never a seller, I understand your frustration, but really, what's the difference? Once you sell something, it becomes that person's property and they can do what they wish with it. That's the nature of a free market society. If you wanted to make more money, you could always sell the first three numbered copies on eBay yourself. Otherwise, frankly, the only other option is never to make anything for sale again, which would of course be an overreaction. Something somewhat similar happened to me with my book, "Vintage Games". My co-author and I gave out personalized copies with signed bookmarks to over a dozen industry pros (some legends, some upcoming) as thank you for being interviewees for a feature film documentary we worked on. What happened? Well, one of those copies complete with bookmark showed up on eBay less than a week later from a book reseller for only a little above list price. It certainly felt like a slap in the face, but frankly, what can we do about it, you know? We gave that to whoever did it, and who's to say that some of the other ones didn't either give it away, toss it or sell it themselves. Who knows? It's best not to make yourself crazy with that kind of stuff. Edited May 27, 2009 by Bill_Loguidice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledown Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I understand both sides of the argument. Creators/Collectors are upset to see items purchased just for a quick sale, when the creators themselves could just as easily sell them on ebay only to the highest bidders and/or the collectors actually want the item to keep. On the other hand people purchasing items just to re-sell them for profit are no different than investors. They take a risk purchasing an item with the hopes that its value will increase to be able to generate a profit. Like I said in my previous post, the sale of mine was due to necessity, not greed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 There are several people who have a history of doing this. I wish homebrewers would stop selling these limited edition carts to these people. Why? There isn't anything illegal about it. I wouldn't do it, but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Maybe homebrew manufacturers should reserve a few copies and slip one out to eBay now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 If I had to I would, but with so much other crap that I don't want, that I need to find the time to sell... my OpCode games and doubledown PMC Theme Coleco are perhaps the last things I would ever let go of. Let's put it this way... If the Sealed Tank Command gets listed I'm in trouble, if the NTSC Red BMX gets listed, someone is holding a family member ransom, if the OpCode Stuff and Coleco go up, I'd be one step from deaths door and in need of the money to buy a major organ. I agree that OpCode and anyone making homebrews should always reserve one or two for auction. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph74 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 There are several people who have a history of doing this. I wish homebrewers would stop selling these limited edition carts to these people. Why? There isn't anything illegal about it. I wouldn't do it, but still... Nothing illegal about suicide either, but that doesn't make it right or defendable-- nor would I recommend it. Not to beat a dead horse here, but everyone's situation is different. I still liken the PMC situation to kids at the babysitter-- they're being entrusted to someone else to care for them, not to put them to work to make money or profiteer. Or if that doesn't work for you, how about the family member who gives or leaves something to someone that they care about hoping to make them happy, only to find out they pawned it almost immediately and it meant nothing to the receiver? Doubledown seems to have an interesting story. He's in a pinch financially, and has to do what he has to do. Doesn't mean it's an agreeable action for me, but it is what it is. He, himself, has contributed to the community's well being with various mods and upgrades and even the special edition PMC controllers. While not what I believe to be 'at-cost' or 'labor of love' pricing, people are still apparently willing to pay his asking price, and I think he makes a reasonable profit for his efforts, time, and knowledge (only doubledown would know that for sure, and it's really none of my business). That's free market, that's capitalism, that's life. And of course, there still has to be love for the community or system involved to do anything at this level, I don't discount that. My opinion of OpCode, on the other hand, agrees with Eduardo that it IS a labor of love (being defined as 'at near cost') there. I can't fathom where the amount he is charging per cartridge would end up being worth more than pocket change per hour after expenses when you break down the amount of man-hours involved in making the game-- from programming, to assembling, to delivery and everything in between. If this were TRULY a business that they were making a living from, then I'd be less inclined to frown on the re-selling of the OpCode efforts. But it seems to me that by reselling the efforts of someone who does something as a labor of love at a 400% markup can only be classified as taking advantage of the situation and people involved, and I believe taking advantage of people and their efforts to be wrong both morally and ethically. But not illegal. Luc made every reasonable effort to minimize the resale of these games. I believe it was by design, both implied and stated, that only one copy would be available to each person as a means to stop (or at least slow) hoarding or profiting off the project by third parties. While I think it's disappointing that about 5% of the PMC carts have made it to Ebay already, it's far from a shocking revelation. Of course, OpCode is doing what they can to deliver the 2nd edition of the cart ASAP, and that availability will likely slow the resale value of the 1st edition, as right now the only way to play PMC on Colecovision is to have a yellow cart, no matter the source. That said, I'm a proponent of releasing the ROM file, too, as a means to broaden distribution and slow opportunity for resellers to turn a quick profit, even if said ROM has a disclaimer or instructions on the title screen to encourage and show the player how to BUY the physical cartridge (similar to shareware). Wow-- once again, I've written a book. Sorry, got carried away with my thoughts! No disrespect is intended to anyone specifically or directly, this is just me sharing my perspective-- wrong as it may or may not be. Murph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
128Kgames Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Just in case you are wondering what I was doing, I am a big Star Trek fan (and I mean THE Star Trek, you know, that series from the 60s), so I was completely immersed in the new movie (which by the way is pretty good, I highly recommend it for fans and non-fans alike). Eduardo Have to agree with you there Eduardo; I sat down opening night with my wife and found myself saying "let's see how bad they screwed this up" right as the lights dimmed, only to find it a thoroughly enjoyable Sci Fi Action flick. Very well done (just like PMC!) and I'm sure we can look forward to a sequel or two. Once they though the whole "alternate r******" thing out there I was like "OK, so you're not messing with MY 'Trek really, just creating a new one, much like the whole "Mirror, Mirror" episode and how it was carried over to the Next Generation and DS9 shows. Sorry, off topic, I know, but hey, PMC is great too, by the way. Like I stated in a previous post, great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 I believe Murph's post says it all. As for freely distributing the ROM, that could be an option. The problem is that I am not sure if there is a CV emulator supporting MegaCarts right now. I need to check if the BlueMSX team has included MegaCart support in their latest official release. The other problem is that Luc invested several thousand dollars upfront to produce PMC, and I am sure he wants to recoup that money. So it's an issue I need to discuss with him. Again, I would like to make it clear that I am not against people selling their games. Once you have paid, it is yours to do what you want with it. The problem is that in this particular case I believe some people are taking advantage of the circumstances, which is kind of sad considering we are such a small group. On the other hand perhaps that is my entire fault, considering I am the one responsible for producing the cartridges, and I am not doing that in an adequate pace. In order to minimize the problem I just sent Luc a box full of package kits for all our games, and the 2nd batch of PMC cartridges are going tomorrow. He should receive everything next week and have the games available shortly after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 ... The problem is that I am not sure if there is a CV emulator supporting MegaCarts right now. I need to check if the BlueMSX team has included MegaCart support in their latest official release. It's now supported, and it's very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Wow - these are sprouting up everywhere! : ] http://cgi.ebay.com/Pac-Man-Collection-for...0#ht_6365wt_908 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) Have to agree with you there Eduardo; I sat down opening night with my wife and found myself saying "let's see how bad they screwed this up" right as the lights dimmed, only to find it a thoroughly enjoyable Sci Fi Action flick. Very well done (just like PMC!) and I'm sure we can look forward to a sequel or two. Once they though the whole "alternate r******" thing out there I was like "OK, so you're not messing with MY 'Trek really, just creating a new one, much like the whole "Mirror, Mirror" episode and how it was carried over to the Next Generation and DS9 shows. Sorry, off topic, I know, but hey, PMC is great too, by the way. Like I stated in a previous post, great job. Hello, fellow trekker... I have seen the movie 4 times already, 3 on IMAX with me wife. Yes, the multiverse thing was pretty clever. In fact there is a nice wikipedia article about "multiverse", including time-travel here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation Now I cannot wait for summer 2011. Star Trek 2 and TRON 2 are coming. I saw TRON at age of 12 or something in Brazil, before I had ever played a video game or touched a home computer (remember, I was in Brazil, down there video games didn't appear until 83). I believe that TRON is the reason I am here in this forum today. That movie had such a huge impact on me, I was completely amazed by the whole computer and video game thing. After the movie I knew that I had to play video games and become a computer programmer. Flynn was a major inspiration back then... BTW, I heard that TRON2 budget is around $300M, so the movie better be good... I know that it will be 3D... Oh, and have you seen the TRON-like demo I created for the CV years ago? Actually it has nothing to do with the movie, though I am sure you will notice the inspiration. I am posting the ROM here, in case you want to check. Some parts of the demo don’t look good on an emulator because of all the flickering. But they look ok on a real CV. Oh, and back then I had this kind of relationship with Digital Press, so that is why you will see all the DP references. The demo starts with a Space Invaders Collection, then changes to reveal some "secret" projects. If you have the patience, watch the demo 3 times to see all 3 "secret" games (actually just screens)... Hope you enjoy... EDIT: Almost forgot, you can use BlueMSX to run the ROM. demo.zip Edited May 27, 2009 by opcode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 ... The problem is that I am not sure if there is a CV emulator supporting MegaCarts right now. I need to check if the BlueMSX team has included MegaCart support in their latest official release. It's now supported, and it's very nice! Excellent, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph74 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 EDIT: Almost forgot, you can use BlueMSX to run the ROM. Very cool demo! Didn't work in Meka or AdamEm, but just fine in BlueMSX! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Wow! ... a RPG!!! from what it looks, it's very close to Earthbound! Earthbound for Colecovision? ... ??? Please, please please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Wow! ... a RPG!!! from what it looks, it's very close to Earthbound! Earthbound for Colecovision? ... ??? Please, please please! Personally, I'd prefer a western-style RPG a la Lord of the Dungeon, but any style of RPG would be a tremendous change-of-pace from the usual action or puzzle homebrews! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthkur Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 In order to minimize the problem I just sent Luc a box full of package kits for all our games, and the 2nd batch of PMC cartridges are going tomorrow. He should receive everything next week and have the games available shortly after that. By "all games" do you mean everything you've made up to this point including Space Invaders Collection, Magical Tree, etc? As for the new Star Trek I loved it as well. Seen it 3 times and counting. I'd love to see it in an Imax theater but there's none of those very close to here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 By "all games" do you mean everything you've made up to this point including Space Invaders Collection, Magical Tree, etc? Judging by what Pixelboy has said in the past, I'm guessing he means all games that still have package kits left. That would exclude Space Invaders Collection, for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) By "all games" do you mean everything you've made up to this point including Space Invaders Collection, Magical Tree, etc? Judging by what Pixelboy has said in the past, I'm guessing he means all games that still have package kits left. That would exclude Space Invaders Collection, for one. That's correct, Space Invaders Collection is out of the picture for good. The package kits I'll be getting are for Sky Jaguar, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Magical Tree and Road Fighter, and most of those are already tied to pre-orders, just like PMC. I would like to point out that Eduardo will be sending me unglued boxes, and gluing them together will take a significant amount of time. So even if I get Eduardo's stuff next week as planned, it's going to take a while before I start contacting people who placed a reservation. Edited May 27, 2009 by Pixelboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthkur Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 By "all games" do you mean everything you've made up to this point including Space Invaders Collection, Magical Tree, etc? Judging by what Pixelboy has said in the past, I'm guessing he means all games that still have package kits left. That would exclude Space Invaders Collection, for one. That's correct, Space Invaders Collection is out of the picture for good. The package kits I'll be getting are for Sky Jaguar, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Magical Tree and Road Fighter, and most of those are already tied to pre-orders, just like PMC. I would like to point out that Eduardo will be sending me unglued boxes, and gluing them together will take a significant amount of time. So even if I get Eduardo's stuff next week as planned, it's going to take a while before I start contacting people who placed a reservation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 As one of the first people to sell a copy of PacMan Collection I believe my auction listing explained it pretty well. The money is in an education find for my now 2 month old son. Did I scalp the game? No.. although many would say that is what I did. I didn't only sell this one game but in fact all my Colecovision games (except a couple that didn't sell). I am selling my Colecovision system and remaining games in the near future as well (when I have some time to do so... having a 2 month old keeps a person busy!). I'm getting out of the retro gaming scene in terms of 'collecting'. I'll enjoy the current-gen systems I have and I am starting to shrink my gaming library for those as well... keeping only the games I am playing and selling off the ones I don't want/play. I've been doing this for decades... even when I had my 2600 I bought and sold games all the time... sometimes that's the only way to get to play some games. I don't mind be black-listed if that's what Eduardo wants to do as I won't be buying future games from Opcode as I won't have a Colecovision to play them on anyway. I am sure that my copy of PacMan Collection went to a good home and that the buyer is happy with what they received. My son's future education is worth millions more than a 'collectable' cartridge. I know there are sellers out there looking to make a living selling these items and that's their choice. I made a choice to sell for the future benefit of my son and I make no apologies for that. Just wanted to drop my 2 cents in this discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 (edited) That is ok, I probably overreacted... The best I can do now is to put distribution back on track... Edited May 28, 2009 by opcode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opcode Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 Wow! ... a RPG!!! from what it looks, it's very close to Earthbound! Earthbound for Colecovision? ... ??? Please, please please! Actually it's a completely original game. Very long term project, we don't plan to start it anytime soon (or perhaps ever). Luc and I have another project that we would like to work on first, which should keep us busy for a good while. It isn't exactly an original title, though it isn't a port either. But again, too many games in the pipeline already to start discussing any new project... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Wow-- once again, I've written a book. Sorry, got carried away with my thoughts! No disrespect is intended to anyone specifically or directly, this is just me sharing my perspective-- wrong as it may or may not be. Murph I see what you mean. I guess it would be different if someone bought the game, played it for a few weeks or months and then sold it? That's what a lot of people do with current gen systems. I guess it all comes down to intent...does the original buyer intend to buy the game to play it, or simply to scalp it. I'm not disagreeing that its a pretty disgusting practice to scalp the games. Sadly its doubtful that it will ever stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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