Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

(Hi!, first time poster and all that...)

    I thought I'd chime in here as a software engineer with about 10 
years experience who has worked developing video games and been 
involved in numerous start-ups... 

    "a popular game software costs $1 million to produce and market"

    Actually the costs are much higher than that.  Just for 
development it can easily take a team of 20 people two years; with 
all the over head that can easily get into or over the $5 million 
range.  This is exclusive of packaging, advertising, any licensing, 
etc.

    "The projected number of sales is in the 500,000+ area..."

    500,000 sales would be a BIG hit.  If you are in the lucky top 
15% or so.  Most games are miserable sales failures, usually because 
they aren't very good, developing a "fun" game is very hard.  This is 
why you see so many copy-cat games.  It is very tough to break new 
ground and have it turn out to be "fun" and keep up with the 
technology curve (remember that technology is advancing AS you are 
building the game) and not completely blow over your budget or 
timeline, keep the team from killing each other due to overwork, hit 
the magic Christmas sales cycle, convince your stakeholders not to 
cancel the project, etc. etc. etc.

"...and the selling price is set at $50..."

    Yes, but remember that between retail and distributor mark up the 
production company would be lucky to see half of that.

    The numbers still work out that if you get lucky you can invest 
between $2-10 million or so and have a low percentage change of 
making a multiple of your money.  That said, the odds are you are 
going to lose it.  If you do make it, you turn around and try to 
churn out some "me too" games to squeeze every drop out of the brand 
you built with your big title while you try like heck to get lucky on 
your next big original.

    Most of the start-up softare business is some variation of that 
basic formula.

    You want to know who gets to drive the Ferrari's?  Two people:
        a)  The people who are key to making that tough shot actually 
happen get rewarded (usually as incentive to stick around and do it 
again).
        b)  The people who plopped down their $X million on a long 
shot.

     I've met lots of people who were real (or paper) millionaires 
who have won and lost in this game...there are many more losers.  
Frankly, if I ever build a small multimillion dollar nest egg there 
is NO WAY I'd take the chance these people do.

     There a lots of ways someone can attempt to justify piracy, but 
the argument of "$XXX is so over priced" doesn't hold water.  Any 
commercial software project is extremely expensive and for a lot of 
software products out there, there is some guy rolling the dice with 
his life savings.


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, distortion@r... wrote:
> 
> > I downloaded cubase and a few others from limewire, I wasn't 
about to
> > pay $499.00 for something I can get for free, besides, I spent 
all my
> > money on my kit,
> 
> Oh, boo hoo... So, did you steal your sticks and a amp too? I bet 
you 
> saved up for the kit too, long hours at work, working for the man.. 
I 
> bet your boss gets paid more than you.. how fair is that? I suppose 
when 
> (ha, ha.. if..) you ever get famous you will give away all the 
copies of 
> your CD too.. cuz I could get it for free anyways? Get real, F-ing 
bull!
> A recording set-up is WAY cheaper than it used to be. My first 4 
track 
> cassette recorder was more than $499, then I needed processing gear 
and 
> stuff... 
> Today, you can pay $19 for Anvil Studio, 8 track of audio plus DX 
> effects and MIDI sequencing...or how about $49 for Cakewalk Music 
> Creator. There are plenty of legal and fair ways to record your 
music, 
> it's just that you'd reather steal than buy.
> 
> > and for 499 bucks you would think the programmers
> > would throw in some bugs so you can't use it for free. 
> 
> HA HA HA!  Ok, so it's THIER fault.. ok... " Gee officer, if the 
woman 
> didn't WANT me to steal her purse, she should have left it at home!"
> 
> 
> > can't be used from a download, so I bought it. I figure if they 
bump
> > the price up for a product that can be cracked, then the 
programmers
> > made squat and once again the corperate man gets another ferrari, 
and
> > you know it.
> 
> 
> The price is high because the cost of development and support, plus 
the 
> low volume of sales.The price is required to recoup the costs. For 
> example, a popular game software costs $1 million to produce and 
market, 
> they recoup that from sales (obviously) The projected number of 
sales is 
> in the 500,000+ area, and the selling price is set at $50, the 
producer 
> is up at least $24 million dollars, not figuring in platform 
licencing 
> fee costs and bonus income from product tie ins and external 
licencing 
> income from the cartoon series, stickers, lunchboxes..etc... . The 
music 
> software industry enjoys no such luxury of profit or sales numbers, 
most 
> companies are just a release away from bankruptcy, but still have 
to pay 
> for coders, support staff, building leases and misc staff, but in 
your 
> world I'm sure they are free too.
> 
> Did you know that he programmers get paid when you PURCHASE a 
product, 
> and so does the boss with the Ferrari, and the guy at the store, 
and the 
> truckdiver that shipped it... so they should, that is the way our 
great 
> countires operate! If you don't like that, how 'bout you come work 
for 
> me.. I'll put you to task and rent you out for free.. since you 
believe 
> work isn't worth paying for.. or how 'bout I buy you a one way 
ticket to 
> some far east country to work in some Power Ranger doll factory 
where 
> they put chains on the doors so you can't escape (even in case of 
fire.. 
> true story)
> 
> Buddy, there are worse corporate crimes in the world than charging 
a 
> measly $499 for software we can use to make WAY more money than 
that 
> professionally.. and if you are not doing this professioanally, 
what 
> would you REALLY need CuBase SX for anyways?  So, go back to 
Newgrounds 
> or TOTSE where you belong, dude and leave us alone.
> 
> 'People' who TRY and justify piracy make me sick...
> 
> >