Hi Ian, Yep, I'd seen the first link, but Bryan's response was new to me so thanks for that. I figured it was worth asking here because the outcry wasn't overwhelming yet, but having just read that no further comments will be forthcoming I guess I won't be getting a response direct from the horses mouth. NO matter really, it's clear at this point that however politely written they might be (and to be fair, most of them weren't), individual protestations aren't going to change anything.
For what it's worth, I already own Q9. Have done since release day or pretty close to it. I've got massive respect for Philip's development chops and his taste in SFX. It's a big shame that the community wasn't large enough to provide enough of an income to make it worth him retaining the rights to his creation. I've had to pass along rights to music I've sweated over before to make ends meet, and can sympathise that it's not always an easy decision. However, my disappointment stems from the business model of where the rights now reside. Philip would've been aware of said model, and from a couple of brief conversations over the years I had him pegged up as a pretty forward thinking chap, hence his decision of who to sell to surprised me. That's why I attempted to open a dialogue somewhere a little less fraught. In my mind, for a community as small as this one, games being tied to specific screen readers is a terrible idea, which makes games being tied to a paid product which is in turn tied to a paid screen reader a *truly* terrible idea! Tbh, I'd question who Leasy's users even are, given that funding for JAWS licenses isn't dished out willy-nilly anymore. I mean, do you know many people with enough spare change to invest in a JAWS license which costs more than an entry level computer, then splash a bit more cash to change the user interface of that expensive product they've just bought? I don't! Perhaps Bryan is shooting for exclusive content such as Q9 making his platform more appealing, but I would've thought it would've been clear from a bit of research that a large - if not majority - portion of the younger generation in this community (his potential long-term customers) are going to turn their nose up at anyone who's willingly hopped into bed with Freedom Scientific. Of course, this is all just one chap's opinion. The decision was Philip's to make, and he made it. I guess at this point I'm mostly sounding off because if Leasy have any sort of buying power, this might not be the only game to be acquired rather than developed specifically for a platform which frankly, I would hope is short lived. That's a strong statement, but it carries no animosity on a personal level to anyone involved. I'm saying that it's the business model that sucks for end users, not necessarily the people behind it. Lastly, for anyone who made it this far and has me pegged as another holier than thou armchair critic, I should probably point out that I've been instrumental in finding funding for a couple of accessibility products, so I feel pretty confident in stating that Leasy's model isn't the only way. Funding is still out there for good ideas. That funding can greatly reduce the cost for end users, and if Leasy were screen reader agnostic, it could've been a product that attracted more young, hungry gamers. But nope. Anyway, just a splurge of my initial thoughts on the subject. Maybe they'll reach a future developer who gets approached and give him or her something to chew on... Scott On 7/27/15, Ian Reed <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Scott, > > In post 48 Philip said: > The transfer of rights is already concluded, so at this point anyone who > wants to obtain Q9 will have to contact the folks behind Leasey. > *snip* > > To me this says that Philip can not continue to sell the game through > Blast Bay. > > Someone also posted a link to Bryan Hartgen's response regarding Q9: > http://www.hartgen.org/q9 > > In which he says: > Just to summarise, if anyone purchased a license for the game in the > past, of course that is still going to function. However, no further > standalone licenses will be issued. > *snip* > > While I do understand people being frustrated that Q9 now requires Jaws > and Leasy to play, the people who already purchased the standalone > version can continue to play it as they have in the past. > The game was available for 6 years, to me this says that anyone who was > serious about purchasing it has already had ample opportunity to do so. > > Despite people's frustration, I would urge people to remember that > Philip released several free games as well as the Blast Bay Game Studio. > He contributed a lot of time and energy to this community and deserves > our respect. > > Cheers, > Ian Reed > Try my free games at http://BlindAudioGames.com > > > On 7/27/2015 1:30 PM, Scott Chesworth wrote: >> Chaps, we should probably keep this discussion specific to Q9 rather >> than turning it into a FS bashfest, however tempting that might be. >> I'm not a mod, just felt the need to try and steer things back on >> course seeing as my post seems to have sparked off this little slew of >> messages. >> >> Scott >> >> On 7/27/15, Darren Harris <[email protected]> wrote: >>> I refuse to use jaws based on the business moddle freedom scientific >>> operates. I bought window eyes in 2007 and I only had to renew my SMA's >>> last >>> year. Fs will drain you of money and for what? >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Gamers [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Josh K >>> Sent: 27 July 2015 19:35 >>> To: Gamers Discussion list; [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: [Audyssey] Q9 Has a New Home >>> >>> I have not used jaws in over 5 years and don't plan on going back to it. >>> i use NVDA and window eyes. >>> >>> follow me on twitter @joshknnd1982 >>> >>> On 7/27/2015 2:31 PM, Scott Chesworth wrote: >>>> Hi Philip, >>>> >>>> I've read the AudioGames topic you linked to, and whilst I totally >>>> understand your decision to transfer ownership as a means of being >>>> paid for the time you've put into developing Q9, I can't help echoing >>>> the thoughts of many in that discussion that JAWS being a requirement >>>> for Q9 is a shame. A decade ago when JAWS was the biggest fish in the >>>> pond, this would've made more sense, but nowadays...? >>>> >>>> Is there no scope to offer an alternative sales channel through >>>> Blastbay for people who don't use JAWS? >>>> >>>> Scott >>>> >>>> On 7/24/15, Philip Bennefall <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> Hi again, >>>>> >>>>> Just wanted to follow up briefly and point those who have questions as >>>>> to why I transferred the rights of Q9, to the audiogames.net topic >>>>> under >>>>> general game discussion. Hopefully I have managed to answer all the >>>>> questions there. >>>>> >>>>> http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=225202#p225202 >>>>> >>>>> Kind regards, >>>>> >>>>> Philip Bennefall >>>>> On 7/23/2015 4:17 PM, Philip Bennefall wrote: >>>>>> Hi all, >>>>>> >>>>>> I just wanted to post a quick announcement to let you all know that >>>>>> Q9 >>>>>> is moving. From today, the Q9 action game will no longer be sold from >>>>>> Blastbay Studios but will instead be available as part of the Leasey >>>>>> package (www.leaseycentral.com). Of course, all existing users can >>>>>> continue to play the game normally; all issued keys remain valid and >>>>>> can be reused if you format your PC or buy a new one. >>>>>> >>>>>> Kind regards, >>>>>> >>>>>> Philip Bennefall >>>>>> >>>>>> --- >>>>>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>>>>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>>>>> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>>>>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>>>>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>>>>> list, >>>>>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>>>>> . >>>>>> >>>>> --- >>>>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>>>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>>>> [email protected]. >>>>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>>>> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>>>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>>>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>>>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>>>> >>>> --- >>>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>> [email protected]. >>>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>>> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>> >>> --- >>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>> [email protected]. >>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>> >>> >>> --- >>> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>> [email protected]. >>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>> please send E-mail to [email protected]. >>> >> --- >> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> [email protected]. >> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. >> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >> list, >> please send E-mail to [email protected]. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. 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