Dreamcast Shareware via Dream On Magazine

[wraggster]

Metafox already posted this but i feel that it deserves a post here at DCEmu Uk too:

The Sandman demo disc will include a set of binary loaders that will allow for shareware to be sold via the internet, and unlocked on the disc, so that the customer will get a regular physical professionally pressed CD, rather than a digital download.

It's a set of loaders that are in place for a commercial purchasing system. The system displays a set of demos. If the proper code is inputted (which is given by purchasing the game via the dreamonmagazine.com website), the loader saves a file to the VMU, and the demo becomes the full game. The loader then can either start from The Sandman magazine disc normally, or start from the purchased game automatically like a regular commercial game. If the user purchases more than one software item, and chooses the option to start the game like a commercial game without showing the Dream On menu, a seperate game menu will be loaded, and the user will be able to choose which games he wishes to play from that list. The binary loaders can also show a seperate menu for a particular coder if that coder chooses to release a lot of shareware on Dream On, and wishes to have a compilation-style menu of their programs on the disc.

The magazine-disc style distribution will allow the games to be sold at a much lower price than the standard distribution prices. A cost of just a couple dollars for a game could be possible, as the percentage that a coder would have to pay Dream On for the services will be quite low as well.

The first issue of Dream On will include the loaders hidden within the Beneath a Steel Sky entry on The Sandman disc, so that a demo of the shareware binary loaders can be shown to any coder who is interested.

If anyone has any comments, questions, or suggestions about this - please feel free to leave them in this topic.

[Darksaviour69]

interesting idea, i knew meta wanted to do a shareware thing for the dc, and this is a very interest way to do it... i hope it works out well. only problem is that it a system that can easly be abuses... let hope these codes dont appear all over the net!

[ron]

Does this mean that if I want shareware and freeware do I have to pay for ?

Sorry by my unknown, but all releases I made and futher releases are OpenSource GPL/GNU with no cost, can someone explain a bit more this post ?, I'm not sure to reach the complete understanding of the note.

saludos

[Darksaviour69]

i think it means that you have to pay to unlock the shareware, but the freeware is free, on the disc. the disc comes with the mag.. which you have too pay for. This is legal with a GPL licence as long as the source is included or linked too ( not sure if the link too bit is 100% right)

so basicly once you get the disc the freeware is free, but you have to pay to get the codes that unlock the shareware.

thats my understanding