Andromeda Stardust Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 (edited) Boxed Princess Rescue sold 100 copies. If we sort by the popularity (numsold), then Princess Rescue (boxed preorder) is on the third page: http://atariage.com/store/index.php?pg=3&m=&c=24&l=product_list&sortby=num_sold:desc So everything from Swoops and up has sold more than 100 copies, and from test Cart down, less than 100. Useless trivia, but it's nice to know where stuff stands. Edited May 29, 2013 by stardust4ever 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Boxed Princess Rescue sold 100 copies. If we sort by the popularity (numsold), then Princess Rescue (boxed preorder) is on the third page: http://atariage.com/...y=num_sold:desc So everything from Swoops and up has sold more than 100 copies, and from test Cart down, less than 100. Useless trivia, but it's nice to know where stuff stands. Wow... there are some great games that haven't even sold 100 copies! I can't believe Qb is the lowest selling game. I play it all the time and its an awesome title. Stella's Stocking? 'Stay Frosty' is worth the price of admission alone, let alone all the other fun minigames. Warring Worms is another great title. Damn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Wow... there are some great games that haven't even sold 100 copies! I can't believe Qb is the lowest selling game. I play it all the time and its an awesome title. Stella's Stocking? 'Stay Frosty' is worth the price of admission alone, let alone all the other fun minigames. Warring Worms is another great title. Damn! It helps if the game is a port of a popular game from another console or computer (or from the arcade). It's the name you know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO1B5yaoJyU 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Wow... there are some great games that haven't even sold 100 copies! Squish 'Em is a great game that's on that list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Wow... there are some great games that haven't even sold 100 copies! I can't believe Qb is the lowest selling game. I play it all the time and its an awesome title. Stella's Stocking? 'Stay Frosty' is worth the price of admission alone, let alone all the other fun minigames. Warring Worms is another great title. Damn! Stella's Stocking is awesome btw. My favorite minigame was Grandma's revenge for some reason. Just fun to hit reindeer with cars I guess, and also a fun excuse to use that otherwise neglected driving controller in the player 2 port. Chunkout used to be on the bottom of the list, but some time after I picked up a copy, it moved up one unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Guru Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'd love to get some homebrews, but damn they are pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 (edited) Wow... there are some great games that haven't even sold 100 copies! ... Stella's Stocking? 'Stay Frosty' is worth the price of admission alone, let alone all the other fun minigames. Thanks, Nathan came up with a great game idea! I think that's because most copies of Stella's Stocking weren't sold, but were given away with minimum order amount. It might also be because those versions were originally named AtariAge Holiday Carts, and thus tracked under a different database entry. The holiday carts I have are listed after Princess Rescue, even though the numbers on my copies (except for Stella's Stocking) would put them before Princess Rescue: Edited May 29, 2013 by SpiceWare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'd love to get some homebrews, but damn they are pricey. They're not pricey at all for what's involved to create them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'd love to get some homebrews, but damn they are pricey. Pricey? I think they are a bargain! According to the inflation calculator, a $25 game would have cost just over $10 back in Atari's heyday of 1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 They're not pricey at all for what's involved to create them. Thank you. First, you can't look at the store to determine the best selling homebrew games, as this is not the original store software that AtariAge was running when some of the homebrews mentioned (in particular, Qb) first went on sale. Also, in the case of Qb, it was sold initially by another party, and Andrew also sold a run of copies himself (the ones that came in the wooden box). Sales numbers from the old store were not transfered to the current store. And I'll be moving to new software again soon, and I'm not sure at this time if those figures will translate over. Second, yes, producing homebrew games is a lot of time consuming work, nor is it cheap. I have to spend a lot of money up front for materials--cartridge shells, circuit boards, various electronic parts, die-cut label sheets, various types of high-quality paper, toner and ink, mailing labels, boxes, manuals, and more. I have large investments in expensive printers to run labels and manuals, and oftentimes I have large runs of manuals printed by outside print shops. And boxes are a huge expense, with no guarantee that I'll sell all the boxes I've printed. I still have boxes for games that were released years ago (Saboteur, Castle Crisis 5200, the UA games, and so forth). The actual act of building games takes considerable time. Removing labels from cartridge shells. Cleaning them. Programming electronic parts (EPROMs and PLDs), soldering boards. Assembling boards into shells. Testing the games. Labeling the carts. Printing, cutting, folding, stapling manuals. Assembling boxes, and then putting the cart, manual, box insert and box all together in one package (for those games that have boxes). Then there's the processing of orders, which is its own special little world that also requires me to stock various supplies (boxes in different sizes, several types of labels and even special printers just to print postage, packing peanuts, cartridge, box and manual bags, stickers to seal the cart/box/manual bags (I'm using resealable stickers instead of tape now), box tape, and so on. And some of these costs have gone up over the years, but the quality of the labels and manuals has also improved, and I've been able to produce boxes for more games (especially more recently). Hopefully that provides a little insight for those who think homebrew games are expensive.. ..Al 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapetino Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Thanks for sharing the process, Al. And I know he didn't say all of that to get pats on the back, but this man has done SO much for the hobby, in providing not only a forum for us to come and share the Atari love with each other, but also enabling and empowering great programmers and artists to share their talents in the form of great games for sale at very reasonable prices. IMO, Al doesn't get enough props for all this. Thanks again!! Thank you. First, you can't look at the store to determine the best selling homebrew games, as this is not the original store software that AtariAge was running when some of the homebrews mentioned (in particular, Qb) first went on sale. Also, in the case of Qb, it was sold initially by another party, and Andrew also sold a run of copies himself (the ones that came in the wooden box). Sales numbers from the old store were not transfered to the current store. And I'll be moving to new software again soon, and I'm not sure at this time if those figures will translate over. Second, yes, producing homebrew games is a lot of time consuming work, nor is it cheap. I have to spend a lot of money up front for materials--cartridge shells, circuit boards, various electronic parts, die-cut label sheets, various types of high-quality paper, toner and ink, mailing labels, boxes, manuals, and more. I have large investments in expensive printers to run labels and manuals, and oftentimes I have large runs of manuals printed by outside print shops. And boxes are a huge expense, with no guarantee that I'll sell all the boxes I've printed. I still have boxes for games that were released years ago (Saboteur, Castle Crisis 5200, the UA games, and so forth). The actual act of building games takes considerable time. Removing labels from cartridge shells. Cleaning them. Programming electronic parts (EPROMs and PLDs), soldering boards. Assembling boards into shells. Testing the games. Labeling the carts. Printing, cutting, folding, stapling manuals. Assembling boxes, and then putting the cart, manual, box insert and box all together in one package (for those games that have boxes). Then there's the processing of orders, which is its own special little world that also requires me to stock various supplies (boxes in different sizes, several types of labels and even special printers just to print postage, packing peanuts, cartridge, box and manual bags, stickers to seal the cart/box/manual bags (I'm using resealable stickers instead of tape now), box tape, and so on. And some of these costs have gone up over the years, but the quality of the labels and manuals has also improved, and I've been able to produce boxes for more games (especially more recently). Hopefully that provides a little insight for those who think homebrew games are expensive.. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 The actual act of building games takes considerable time. I first read that as, "The actual art of building games takes considerable time." Actually I think that's just as appropriate, if not moreso. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 IMO, Al doesn't get enough props for all this. Thanks again!! Becoming a subscriber is a great way for people to show their appreciation. Kind words are nice, but cash is nicer. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertJets Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I got my copy on Saturday and I am REALLY impressed with the entire product. The game itself is awesome -- looks great, plays great and dare I say sounds wonderful. And I have to give a lot of credit to Albert and AA. I was really impressed with the packaging -- proper boxes, plenty of packing peanuts are certainly expected -- but the mylar pouches with the Atari Age stickers sealing them was not expected. I appreciate the care that went into that. For 30 bucks for something cool is a paltry sum, and I think I'll pick up another homebrew in the next month or two because of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 The holiday carts I have are listed after Princess Rescue, even though the numbers on my copies (except for Stella's Stocking) would put them before Princess Rescue: The Holiday Carts climbed well into the top ten at the time they were released. Some of the Holiday Cart forum threads may have more info. I have Stella's Stocking #251, and Holiday Qb #169. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+craftsmanMIKE Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 So how am I sure I'll get mine, I ordered the boxed first then ordered the loose cart the next day. Now I see you sold out the boxer, did I make it in time? It took my paypal money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 So how am I sure I'll get mine, I ordered the boxed first then ordered the loose cart the next day. Now I see you sold out the boxer, did I make it in time? It took my paypal money. If you were able to place the order, you got it in time. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+craftsmanMIKE Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Sweet!!!! Also how would I have found out about this earlier, I'm a member subscriber and only just saw it/learned about it being for sale on the home page the night before I ordered. And I'm on here everyday. In no way complaining, just inquiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Sweet!!!! Also how would I have found out about this earlier, I'm a member subscriber and only just saw it/learned about it being for sale on the home page the night before I ordered. And I'm on here everyday. In no way complaining, just inquiring. I first posted about the game's availability in this thread, to give forum members first shot at purchasing the boxed version. A few days later I posted about it on the front page of the store, the front page of AtariAge, on Twitter and Facebook. Checking one or more of those things regularly is a good way to learn about new homebrew releases, as I'll usually announce new games through all of those avenues. I'll give subscribers advance notice of a future upcoming game. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Thanks, Nathan came up with a great game idea! I think that's because most copies of Stella's Stocking weren't sold, but were given away with minimum order amount. It might also be because those versions were originally named AtariAge Holiday Carts, and thus tracked under a different database entry. The holiday carts I have are listed after Princess Rescue, even though the numbers on my copies (except for Stella's Stocking) would put them before Princess Rescue: I just checked. My Stella's Stocking (purchased in May 2012) has no number on it. I don't think it matters though. I made a joke in another thread last year about whether Boulderdash carts would be numbered, and how I wanted the number "googolplex" on my Boulderdash cart... in longhand, without an exponent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 I just checked. My Stella's Stocking (purchased in May 2012) has no number on it. I don't think it matters though. The initial release of an AtariAge Holiday Cart (and there will be one this year, after an absence of several years!) is always numbered. The numbers are generally doled in sequence of orders placed. Once the Holiday Sale is over, I make the game available as a general release, with slight modifications to the label and manual ("2013 Holiday Greetings" is removed, the game's name is featured more prominently, and the box for the numbering is removed). ..Al 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 It helps if the game is a port of a popular game from another console or computer (or from the arcade). It's the name you know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO1B5yaoJyU Way to go RT...turning this into a political thread! In before the lock!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 (edited) Way to go RT...turning this into a political thread! In before the lock!!! Please don't start with the IBTL bullcrap. If you want to threadcrap, at least do it in off topic forums. The initial release of an AtariAge Holiday Cart (and there will be one this year, after an absence of several years!) is always numbered. The numbers are generally doled in sequence of orders placed. Once the Holiday Sale is over, I make the game available as a general release, with slight modifications to the label and manual ("2013 Holiday Greetings" is removed, the game's name is featured more prominently, and the box for the numbering is removed). ..Al I'm kinda glad that you rerelease this stuff eventually. I'll definitely be getting the 2013 "Byte Before Christmas" cart! Brian of RetroUSB made Xmas NES carts every year, but he always discontinued them immediately whenever January 1st rolled around. And they even had blinky LED lights too! The old ones typically resell for 100s of dollars, so I wish he'd do a compilation cart for those who missed out on earlier runs. He has ROM demos of past Xmas carts, but they're not the same. Edited May 30, 2013 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Please don't start with the IBTL bullcrap. If you want to threadcrap, at least do it in off topic forums. 1. learn how to take a joke. I come here to enjoy what little free time I have in my day....not to be berated by you for what was only a light-hearted joke based on someone else's joke. 3. you aren't a mod, so please stop pretending to be one PS: I intentionally skipped #2 because it was not suitable for this thread. If you really must know what it was, please feel free to send me a PM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video_Invader Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Hmm, a mario clone. Not bad graphics and sound for a 2600 game. Homebrews never really interested me though. Surprised Nintendo can't have a fit about this and sue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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