I doubt it would influence others that much (with the small size of the community) but I feel the same about the hobby vs job thing. And that's what I probably did not say clear enough above. I would love to see someone try to fund a full (small) game as their full-time job! I would not be interested in funding someone's just-a-hobby, especially if I am used to getting it for free.

Someone suggested adding flattr or a similar micro-donation thing to Quaddicted, I once thought about Bitcoin (dunnnn). It did not seem worth the hassle and I think the small amount of money you would have to expect might actually be discouraging. Maybe Dogecoin (honestly, I find those fun)? :) 

I would not be interested in funding someone's just-a-hobby, especially if I am used to getting it for free.

I think that sums up the response to this idea, based on what I have heard so far. The Quake community is about free stuff and that is a good valid point. Not much more to be said, thread closed. 

But hey, if you feel the need to capitalize on your hobby, and you can find a bunch of brownnose fuckers to jerk you off in the process, go ahead, no skin of my phallus.

Otherwise it's not your hobby any more, it's your job.

.

. 

I should have rea the last post in the thread before I got my flamethrower out :) 

Paypal 'Donate' button on all of your pages. That would get volountary contributions from those above who like the idea :) 

1. i'd pay
2. why not just make something new from scratch dedicated to stygian theme on something like unity? i'd donate for sure ;) 

would join to help 

ITS standalone, ITS standalone, ITS standalone! Honestly, I love its (heh) concept and gameplay and think it might be a success. Maybe even as a free/floss game at a certain amount of money. Would be hard to make the monsters, but you have such a fucking talent and eye for style/atmosphere that I would have no doubt. Cloning and copying a game's style is legal and fine, so no possible ramifications(?) there.

On the other hand there is the now free and standalone The Dark Mod but I think it is quite different. ITS is more fast and reaction based. 

 

 

 

Speaking for myself at least, is that it's impossible to justify spending so much time on something that will never give a return.

It'd be great to be paid to make more Quake, it'd mean more and better content, with it being more high profile as a result.

This community is small, but the gaming community is massive and their reaction to things like ITS and Trenchbroom makes me think that it would be possible for mappers to produce and earn from it.

On the other hand, a Unity project from scratch for the indie market or a mobile app (too complex to be easily stolen yet still accessible) are other possibilities.

Final thought - many people map for Quake coming from a hobby background, while Sock comes from a professional one.

As elitist as it might sound, that's an important distinction. 

Speaking for myself at least, is that it's impossible to justify spending so much time on something that will never give a return.

I can only do it, in the case of TB, because I have a day job that pays decent, and a very understanding girlfriend. 

If you can get people to pony up the cash, then great ... do that. There's nothing stopping that from happening even if I don't like what that implies for the future.

I just think it sets a bad precedent where anyone with skill won't produce things for free anymore.

Why would they if they can get paid instead?

Well, because it's a fun hobby.

And we're back to square one and the snake eats itself. :) 

 

Speaking for myself at least, is that it's impossible to justify spending so much time on something that will never give a return.

No financial return, but it does give an individual/social one: the feeling of accomplishment, having crafted something, proven or improved a skill set, created unconditional product for people to enjoy and discuss. If that's not enough to justify the effort, well... 

"Speaking for myself at least, is that it's impossible to justify spending so much time on something that will never give a return."

I guess the counter question to that is, why are you expecting a hobby/fun thing you do on the side to generate a return? Isn't the return the act itself?

Maybe I'm thinking about this whole hobbyist thing wrong, I dunno. :) 

The distinction between hobby and work is $$$ so maybe it is unfair to try and make one the other.

If love to be able to carry on working in Quake, it's a comfortable place and everything is secure - I know how to do good work in it.

Unfortunately I don't earn enough in my day job to pay for everything I want to do, so have to use the skills - many of which I learned and refined from this awesome hobby - to make something which is financially viable. 

If authors got a bit of cash for all the hundreds of hours they spent perfecting something?

Maybe a donation format would be the better way to go, as someone suggested above. 

The thing is that you would never get a "fair" amount of money for the numbers of hours invested. So if you are not motivated without the money, I doubt the small amount you might with donations could help. Daz probably made a whopping 5� with youtube ads so far.

Community driven donations with a solid "hard" purpose and fixed outside target are much easier, see Quaddicted hosting or Daz' new gfx card. Here the money serves as means to infrastructure, not the motivator (although to me it feels so fantastic and I am sure Daz is glowing with community spirit as well). 

I really don't see the problem with wanting to make a living from doing something you enjoy, isn't it what everyone should be aiming for?

It's not easy though, that's for sure (and unfortunately for sock I doubt it's viable in such a small community), but saying that suddenly throwing money into the mix will degrade some holy hobbyist activity is a load of crap. 

I think we're conflating motivation and opportunity cost here. 

Bal - It's a bad precedent. So then say someone else well loved wants to make a map ... they think, "Well, sock got $500 for his last level - fuck this, I won't even get started for less than $350". Eventually, maps are commissioned rather than done for the pure joy of mappping.

Oh, and this WILL inevitably lead to people feeling that since they kicked in $50, you have to let them beta test the map AND implement their suggestions. They're paying you, after all.

See? It's a mess. 

And I know the predictable func response to that would be, "Tell the cunts to sod off" or whatever it is that you people say, but ... then they stop funding maps. And now where are we? :) 

Could be a happy compromise. I mean if they are totally blown away by the level, then they may well have a 'moment', and donate!

What would be really cool (sort of) would be if you incorporated a donate button into the game. I would be impressed by that (I still probably wouldn't donate though, I just don't have a huge amount of money).

Or you could make the player wait for 10 minutes before they could progress OR donate and access level 2 now....

Like Candy Crush Saga!