Another Battlesphere Post

[+davidcalgary29]

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of both BSG and the ScatBox from Scatologic's final production run of Jaguar items. I can truly say that I've played BSG a total of two times and haven't used the ScatBox at all since I've bought it, for fear that I'll damage either the box, manuals, or carts. I'm glad to see -- after reading all of the other posts here -- that I wasn't the only one to do this.

[justclaws]

Hey,

 

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of both BSG and the ScatBox from Scatologic's final production run of Jaguar items.

I never bothered with the Scatbox, it didn't add anything to my Jaguar

setup that I didn't already have, except collection value. A nice design.

 

I can truly say that I've played BSG a total of two times and haven't used the ScatBox at all since I've bought it, for fear that I'll damage either the box, manuals, or carts. I'm glad to see -- after reading all of the other posts here -- that I wasn't the only one to do this.  

On this basis, X could release a tiny 2 screen game, with very little

gameplay, but make sure it's nicely boxed and expensive at release,

and if nobody dared much to open it, or play, nobody would know if

it was any good. Of course what there was would have to be so hard

to play, nobody would realise the game only had 2 screens. Bizarre!

 

BattleSphere and BSG are both great, and as I never intend to sell

either (nor would I sell any other Jag game) I don't care about the

"fear factor". The people I know are impressed only by gameplay

and not by resale value, or a pristine row of shrink-wrapped boxes.

 

However, I've never managed to get non-Jag loving friends to play

BS networked, because they play the single-player, find it doesn't

grab them there and then (because you have to play for longer to

get "into it") and decline the option. 2-player Worms - no problem!

 

Actually, if you've read the book "Lucky Wander Boy", "rarity hype"

is kind of mirrored in some respects. The 3rd level is almost a myth,

and oh hell... it's a bizarre read, but rather entertaining in any case.

 

Cheers,

JustClaws.

[justclaws]

Hello,

 

I never bothered with the Scatbox, it didn't add anything to my Jaguar setup that I didn't already have, except collection value. A nice design.

I should qualify that. It doesn't sound quite as I meant it though. I did

not add anything to my setup that I didn't already have, (but I would

have liked to buy one anyway, for "novelty" and "coolness" reasons)

but the price at the time was too high. $99 was too high impulse buy.

Ironically with the $/Euro so low today, I'd snap one up quite probably.

 

For video/AV, in Europe we have SCART with composite video or RGB

(and RGB on a high-res 26" TV/monitor makes for great gaming) and

for networking BS/BSG or Aircars, I've got Jaglinks and the Jaglink-II.

 

I suppose one of these days I might get lucky and find a Catbox and

a Scatbox, but I'll never buy something just because it exists, because

to earn it's place in my home, it's got to add to gaming, not stay boxed.

 

Cheers,

JustClaws.

[racerx]

Yes, but why have Scatalogic/4Play never done another reisssue? The parts and the demand seem to be there.

 

[justclaws]

Hello,

 

Yes, but why have Scatalogic/4Play never done another reisssue?  The parts and the demand seem to be there.

They withdrew from selling Jaguar products to various sad factors.

I paraphrase, search the site, and you'll find some related threads.

 

The last order page is still on the WayBackMachine.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040209134028/http://www.scatologic.com/order.html

 

Gone but not forgotten.

Cheers,

JustClaws.

[Fredifredo]

BattleSphere is a free game for Virtual Jaguar ?

[+Saturn]

I'm just happy we have places like Songbird and Sinister that put out games at REASONABLE prices.  $160 for a new, current game...that's rediculous and rude... I don't care how long it took or how much trouble they had to go thru or if a charity is involved (tho that, at least, is a good thing)... it's still rediculous and rude.

 

Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this, and this looked like as good a place as any to ask...

 

Why has Scatalogic never done another run of these? It's obvious there's still a market for another production run. Is it lack of carts? B&C and Songbird manage to still produce runs of cartridges so I can't for the life of me figure out why no one sees an opportunity here.

 

I was on the waiting list for the original but never got one, then shelved the Jag and forgot about it during the BSG reissue. I've resigned myself to paying through the nose but it's now rare to even see one pop up in eBay.

 

Anyone know what the deal is?

Hi!

Without trying to speak for anyone from Scatologic, I believe part of the reason for the low production run was the value factor. I've seen games released in low numbers to retain a higher value than those released in abundance, but again, this is just an assumption of my own that I've concluded over the years.

If nothing else, you can always sign up @ JS-II, get in 10 posts real quick to open up the rest of the board and ask the programmers of BattleSphere themselves.

[Fredifredo]

oh I can see low cost eproms to produce news copies of the most expensive Jaguar game...

 

http://www.arrow.com/aws/pg_webc/0,4513,,0...e=click_through

 

 

http://www.4starelectronics.com/part_searc...rchResults.aspx

[Mendon]

I'm just happy we have places like Songbird and Sinister that put out games at REASONABLE prices. $160 for a new, current game...that's rediculous and rude... I don't care how long it took or how much trouble they had to go thru or if a charity is involved (tho that, at least, is a good thing)... it's still rediculous and rude.  

(editorial mode disengaged)

 

Just putting a $160 price tag on a game, I agree with ya 100%, Smeg. But I'm not positive that the original price of Battlesphere was that excessive or that out of line. I'm sure the parts for the carts are/were expensive. Printing the boxes & instruction manuals in low numbers I'm sure is a VERY expensive project. Plus the costs of the add-ins (CD's,etc) had to figure in final costs. And everyone that worked on the game should be compensated (even if they donate it to charity) for their time, work, and effort. It all adds to the final cost of the game. $160 is a high price for a game like Battlesphere but I'm not sure it is that excessive a cost when you consider the game as a "homebrew" (for lack of a better term) project rather than one released by a corporation.

 

Without trying to speak for anyone from Scatologic, I believe part of the reason for the low production run was the value factor. I've seen games released in low numbers to retain a higher value than those released in abundance, but again, this is just an assumption of my own that I've concluded over the years.

 

I hope your assumption is wrong, Saturn, because I don't agree at all with the tendency of some to artificially inflate the value of a product by only producing a limited amount. Other than being on some sort of ego trip, what would be the purpose of artificially inflating the value of a product? Makes no sense to me why the author of a particular work would say "I'm going to only release 500 copies of my work so that those that buy it can make a fortune selling it in the future". Anyone care to explain it?

 

I would love to see someone like Songbird, AtariAge, or B&C obtain the rights to re-release Battlesphere and do so at a reasonable price. That way, those that missed the opportunity of owning the game upon its initial release and future owners of a Jag system can enjoy AND afford an incredible game.

 

Mendon

[+Saturn]

I hope your assumption is wrong, Saturn,

 

It very well could be.

 

because I don't agree at all with the tendency of some to artificially inflate the value of a product by only producing a limited amount.

 

I don't either, but it happens and since there's noone here to ask if that was Scatologics tendency, I guess some will have to assume it was and others will have to assume otherwise.

 

Other than being on some sort of ego trip, what would be the purpose of artificially inflating the value of a product?

 

Well, I based my assumption on a few examples one being right here at AA. I've checked the Forum Index for the forum that was dedicated to a person creating a game (and had been locked for some time) and in the end he only produced like ten copies, I believe. Now, I didn't spend a lot of time in that forum but that was the end result from what I can remember. I didn't feel that that person was on any ego trip at all. He was just doing what he wanted for reasons of his own. I didn't get one of the copies and I survived. No biggie.

But, if there's some criminal activity happening because he did make a small number because of an ego, I suggest we track him down and force him to produce more carts so I can quit whining. Hell, I didn't even know that was an option. And to think, I was having to do without all this time!

 

 

Makes no sense to me why the author of a particular work would say "I'm going to only release 500 copies of my work so that those that buy it can make a fortune selling it in the future". Anyone care to explain it?

 

Who actually said the words from that direct quote?

 

I would love to see someone like Songbird, AtariAge, or B&C obtain the rights to re-release Battlesphere and do so at a reasonable price. That way, those that missed the opportunity of owning the game upon its initial release and future owners of a Jag system can enjoy AND afford an incredible game.

 

Mendon

I and many others have afforded them since day one.

A very reasonable price in my opinion for BS:G. My only concern was that I spent $400 on two copies of Classic BS a month before BS:G hit the market.

[Mendon]

Makes no sense to me why the author of a particular work would say "I'm going to only release 500 copies of my work so that those that buy it can make a fortune selling it in the future". Anyone care to explain it?

 

Who actually said the words from that direct quote?

 

It wasn't a direct quote or even an indirect quote from anyone and if I gave that impression then I apologize for not being clear.

 

I was simply wondering why, if Scatologic doesn't want to produce any further copies of Battlesphere, won't they allow someone else to publish it? And speculating that perhaps they won't allow it to be re-released by anyone in order to protect the value of their work to those that bought original copies of BS & BSG isn't out of the realm of possibility. Based on past posts I've read on differing forums, some of the creators of BS appear to take pride in the fact that the game is in high demand and fetch's high prices on eBay. Nothing wrong with that at all (and they should take pride in their work.. they deserve it) but it does lend credence to the "keep the high price" theory I put forth as one possibility.

 

A theory, a speculation, an assumption ( ).... that's all I was doing.

 

Mendon

[Lost Monkey]

Nothing wrong with that at all (and they should take pride in their work.. they deserve it) but it does lend credence to the "keep the high price" theory I put forth as one possibility.  

 

A theory, a speculation, an assumption ( ).... that's all I was doing.

 

Mendon

 

I think it has/had more to do with keeping the demand high and keeping people talking about it.

 

I don't think they are "happy" about the high prices BS fetches in the aftermarket, because at one point, TBird would list a copy on eBay with a low BIN whenever a BS auction started to get high bids...

[Creekree]

[...] because at one point, TBird would list a copy on eBay with a low BIN whenever a BS auction started to get high bids...

 

really? cool! ....i want one too, please..... :wink:

[Fredifredo]

Numbers of posts were locked just because there were 2 words on BattleSphere and Thunderbird...

[tillenterprises]

I really hate to admit this, but the idea did cross my mind to just grab the cart out of the Jag I was playing it on and take off out the door........ I never in a million years would have actually done it, but being totally honest, the thought had occured. Maybe at the next Expo, they can put them in Jag kiosks to take the temptation away from me, and more importantly, from those who really would take the game.

 

LOL! That's how I kind of felt at Jagfest a few years ago when somebody actually had the Jaguar virtual reality helmet running Missile Command 3D for people to try out! It's fun to think like a crook once in awhile, even though I would never steal anything. Still, I would gladly give up my copy of Battlesphere Gold and then some for that VR helmet !

[+Saturn]

Still, I would gladly give up my copy of Battlesphere Gold and then some for that VR helmet !

You and me both.

[+Saturn]

I hope your assumption is wrong, Saturn, because I don't agree at all with the tendency of some to artificially inflate the value of a product by only producing a limited amount. Other than being on some sort of ego trip, what would be the purpose of artificially inflating the value of a product? Makes no sense to me why the author of a particular work would say "I'm going to only release 500 copies of my work so that those that buy it can make a fortune selling it in the future". Anyone care to explain it?

Seems this person thinks selling for a fortune was a pretty good idea.

Too bad he didn't see this thread. Maybe he would have agreed with your philosophy and had a BIN "at a reasonable price."

[jaysmith2000]

I hope your assumption is wrong, Saturn, because I don't agree at all with the tendency of some to artificially inflate the value of a product by only producing a limited amount. Other than being on some sort of ego trip, what would be the purpose of artificially inflating the value of a product? Makes no sense to me why the author of a particular work would say "I'm going to only release 500 copies of my work so that those that buy it can make a fortune selling it in the future". Anyone care to explain it?

Seems this person thinks selling for a fortune was a pretty good idea.

Too bad he didn't see this thread. Maybe he would have agreed with your philosophy and had a BIN "at a reasonable price."

 

 

Damn, isn't there a BIG contradiction in this thread? $400 Mendon, wassup with that???? If you're going to talk the talk, you better be willing to walk to walk!

[Mendon]

Seems this person thinks selling for a fortune was a pretty good idea.  

Too bad he didn't see this thread. Maybe he would have agreed with your philosophy and had a BIN "at a reasonable price."

 

Damn, isn't there a BIG contradiction in this thread? $400 Mendon, wassup with that???? If you're going to talk the talk, you better be willing to walk to walk!

 

Don't know what you two are writing about.

 

I went back and read my posts in this thread and did not see anyplace where I wrote that high prices on eBay were wrong or that people shouldn't accept high prices for selling the game. If you can show me a post where I said this, I will stand corrected and apologize.

 

My posts only questioned and asked others to speculate on why the the owners of Battlesphere might not wish to make the rights to produce more copies of Battlesphere available to people/organizations who might wish to produce more copies of the game. I went on to speculate that maybe one reason could be that by keeping the production run low it might feed ego's by seeing the game in constantly high demand and fetching high prices. I also stated that if the further copies of the game were produced and made available that more people would be able to enjoy AND afford the game. None of these ideas has anything to do with whether its right or wrong to sell the game for a high price on eBay.

 

If people are willing to pay high dollar for Battlesphere because of its low production run, then I think I would be pretty stupid to put a low (or REASONABLE, as Saturn suggests) BIN on the game and let the resellers jump on it and make big bucks off it the next week. My putting a "reasonable" BIN on my auction does nothing to solve the availability of the game, which is what keeps the price high.

 

I don't believe my auction contradicts anything I posted here nor do I understand why you two are trying to twist my posts to make something out of it.

 

Mendon

[racerx]

I just wish I'd coughed up the four hundo instead of bidding.

[+Saturn]

Seems this person thinks selling for a fortune was a pretty good idea.  

Too bad he didn't see this thread. Maybe he would have agreed with your philosophy and had a BIN "at a reasonable price."

 

Damn, isn't there a BIG contradiction in this thread? $400 Mendon, wassup with that???? If you're going to talk the talk, you better be willing to walk to walk!

 

Don't know what you two are writing about.

 

I went back and read my posts in this thread and did not see anyplace where I wrote that high prices on eBay were wrong or that people shouldn't accept high prices for selling the game. If you can show me a post where I said this, I will stand corrected and apologize.

 

My posts only questioned and asked others to speculate on why the the owners of Battlesphere might not wish to make the rights to produce more copies of Battlesphere available to people/organizations who might wish to produce more copies of the game. I went on to speculate that maybe one reason could be that by keeping the production run low it might feed ego's by seeing the game in constantly high demand and fetching high prices. I also stated that if the further copies of the game were produced and made available that more people would be able to enjoy AND afford the game. None of these ideas has anything to do with whether its right or wrong to sell the game for a high price on eBay.

 

If people are willing to pay high dollar for Battlesphere because of its low production run, then I think I would be pretty stupid to put a low (or REASONABLE, as Saturn suggests) BIN on the game and let the resellers jump on it and make big bucks off it the next week. My putting a "reasonable" BIN on my auction does nothing to solve the availability of the game, which is what keeps the price high.

 

I don't believe my auction contradicts anything I posted here nor do I understand why you two are trying to twist my posts to make something out of it.

 

Mendon

Heh, your auction contradicts everything you believe and have posted. It's not even worth going back and picking it apart and correcting you on each comment where you made yourself look like a hypocrite. Anyone who reads this thread can derive the facts.

 

But, we're having a field day with this over at JS-II so pop in and have a peek. Plus, you can ask Thunderbird himself about why BS:G was produced the way it was and get a straight answer without fear of being banned.

[Atari Smeghead]

Heh' date=' your auction contradicts everything you believe... [/quote']

 

How dare you say that! You have no idea what this man believes. None of us here do.

 

It's not even worth going back and picking it apart and correcting you on each comment where you made yourself look like a hypocrite.

 

How convenient for you. This way' date=' you won't be bothered by, oh I dunno... the truth.

 

Anyone who reads this thread can derive the facts.

 

I went back and re-read this thread. Mendon's recent post clearly reiterates what he said earlier. There's a big difference between wondering why a price is high and whether or not it's okay to profit on it.

 

Look, as I said earlier, I still feel it's rediculous and rude to charge $160, $200, $350 or $400 for a smeg'n video game. I've always respected Songbird and B & C for selling games at prices that make sense. If they can produce a quality game for $70-80, there's no reason Scatologic couldn't have done so themselves. At least, not in the last couple of runs. Okay, maybe the parts and all that were masively expensive, but again, how can Songbird do it for half the price?

 

No, I think that, once the precedent was set, there was no reason to lower the cost. If people will line up "around the block" to buy every copy of the game, no matter what is charged, he would be a total nutter not to take advantage.

 

I can look at this from both sides. Right now, I have no copies of BS and I miss playing it. I'm not going to pay the massive prices of eBay to get another copy. But yes, I sold my copy last year for $350... not an auction, but a straight sale to another member of this forum. I agree 100% with Mendon... it'd be stupid not to get top dollar if the pricing structure is out there. But I doubt anyone could convince me that $160 was justified. But, unlike some people, I would actually listen to the debate and change my mind if the evidence demanded it. That's the excellent thing about having a brain.

 

...and many others have afforded them since day one.

A very reasonable price in my opinion for BS:G. My only concern was that I spent $400 on two copies of Classic BS a month before BS:G hit the market...

 

I was gonna let this comment go, but I gotta know here... you're saying that you think $160-$400 is "very reasonable" ... is that what I am reading? Then, you have the gall to rip on Mendon for his BIN price of $400?

 

You're causing trouble where none need be. What do you have against Mendon? He seems like a decent chap and went to the trouble to start some conversation here. I don't even know the guy personally, but I think you're out of line here and I felt the need to say so.

 

Smeg

[Atari Smeghead]

... and if you're using this comment as the whole reason for the rudeness...

 

... because I don't agree at all with the tendency of some to artificially inflate the value of a product by only producing a limited amount.

 

... Mendon certainly isn't the one who "artifically inflated" the cost of BS. That was done, originally, by the manufacturer, and has grown due to eBay. Not Mendon. He was only capitalizing on what's already established. To that, I say GOOD GOING!

 

Smeg

[TheGrandPubaa]

Ooh, isn't this getting interesting...

[racerx]

I bid on Mendon's game, and came very close to using the BIN.

 

Is 400 bucks too much? Of course. But I want it, and those that have it can determine what they go for. It could be the greatest game of all time, but if the production run was bigger, it wouldn't cost any more than any other game. And this is why I'm confused. The code is there, the hardware is there, the demand is there, and there aren't any new runs forthcoming...despite the fact that B&C and Songbird have demonstrated it can be done.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with Mendon and certainly can't fault him for getting what he could for his copy. Hell, as quickly as it sold, he obviously could have gotten even more. That doesn't make him a hypocrite.

 

I think property values in my area are too high, too. That doesn't mean I'm going to give my house away when it's time to sell.