zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) Hello everyone, I'm zxdplay. I once released an NES homebrew game called Star Keeper on Nintendo Age. Many years have passed since then, and I heard that NintendoAge has disappeared and been acquired by this website. I found this place by searching for Star Keeper on Google. What I want to tell you is that I'm preparing to continue developing Star Keeper-related games and intending to turn Star Keeper into a series. I believe Star Keeper has the potential to become a well-known series, and as a game developer, I have a responsibility to promote the development of this game project. For the former buyers of the game, I must take care of both parties. I have come up with a solution to authorize third-party developers to develop Star Keeper's branch version games through NFT, which benefits both parties. On the one hand, there are players who genuinely want to play this game but were unable to buy it. I feel sorry for them, but by authorizing third-party development, they may be able to play better versions than the original. On the other hand, there are players and collectors who have purchased the game at a high price. I will not release new NES copies because it would be unfair to them. However, the newly released branch game will increase Star Keeper's popularity, making their copies more valuable. Thank you again for your support of Star Keeper. Your support is my greatest source of motivation. Now that the NFT has been minted, I will put them on the chia NFT market when I choose the right time Now I'm looking for a place where I can publish licensed advertisements. I think it should be a game development forum. I don't know if posting on VGS is appropriate? Because this is a player community after all. I will publish detailed authorization instructions later, including authorized advertising and authorized NFT licenses. Please follow my Twitter account, as I will be posting the latest updates there.。 Official email and Twitter of 87Arts: cn_87arts@yahoo.com https://twitter.com/zxd8bit 2023/3/1 edited Thank you very much for your feedback. I believe that most people have misunderstood my concept of authorization, and I have to supplement the following explanation! Supplement to the explanation: 1 Firstly, it is necessary to explain in detail why the game copies are no longer being produced. 1.1 To produce them again, I need to do the following: # Review the code from 8 years ago, recompile and debug it, which is very time-consuming. I also need to re-clarify the logic of the code and the circuit logic of the C2 circuit board that I designed before. # Then, burn the program, manually solder some components, and send the PCB and SMT assembly to the factory for production. # Every cartridge needs to be tested on the machine, and each cartridge you have in hand has been tested for over an hour. # I need to reprint the manual because the inventory manual was not stored properly and the staples rusted. # Installing the cartridge and packaging is very troublesome, as players who have received game packages know. # Then, contact the previous logistics provider again, which may require re-registration. # Then, re-establish the sales channel. My health is not as good as before, and it's too tiring for me to do all these things alone. Many people suggest that I can send the game to a third-party manufacturer to help with production, but in reality, it is not feasible due to many technical issues. Since my English is not good, it is not easy to communicate. Most of the posts I make on the forum are translated by machine. The Star Keeper circuit is very special and cannot be burned in a traditional way. It requires technical communication between both parties. Besides, I am a Chinese national and not in the United States, so many things need me to be present to resolve them. Even if I have solved all the communication problems, it will still occupy all my time and energy, and I will not have the strength to contribute more works to the community. Therefore, I believe that the plan to outsource production is not feasible. 1.2 In recent years, I have received many emails from players asking if the game will be re-released. I always reply to them directly, "Unfortunately, for various reasons, the game will not be produced again." Many players have no choice but to buy the game from second-hand dealers at high prices. And I'm sure that many of these players are not just buying the game to play it, but also as collectors. If you say collectors can ignore, but how do I know whether he is a player or a collector. So, the question arises: if I re-release the game at a price of 60U, how unfair would it be for those who have already paid a high price for the game? I am a very persistent person and and my conscience is uneasy . The market for this game is already small, and I do not want to offend anyone. This is like houses, which can be used for both living and investment. Similar conflicts occurred in Hong Kong in the past. The chief executive of Hong Kong at the time, Dong Jianhua, promised to provide affordable housing for every Hong Kong citizen. He fulfilled this promise by building a large number of public housing units, which lowered housing prices. However, this led to 300,000 people protesting against the government's housing policy and ultimately caused housing prices to soar. Now, many poor people in Hong Kong can only live in small rooms of a few dozen square meters. I do not want to see similar consequences in the field of homemade games. 1.3 Assuming I went back on my word and made a copy of the game or handed it over to a third party for production, what would be the point? The sales volume would be limited, at most 300 copies, and the income from these 300 copies cannot support the grand goal of establishing the Star Keeper series. If a large number of copies appear in the market, the likelihood of piracy will increase, and the game's market will be limited to the few hundred people on the VGS forum. Moreover, when more people come to play the game, especially those who are used to high-quality console games, I cannot imagine what their reaction to Star Keeper would be. It certainly wouldn't be as objective as the comments from homemade game community players, and this would damage the game's reputation. 2 Why authorize games in the form of NFTs? 2.1 Because NFT authorization is simple and does not require complex written agreements or documents. Whoever purchases the NFT on the blockchain will obtain authorization, and the transaction can be completed with a simple on-chain transaction. 2.2 NFT authorization is decentralized and can distribute risk. If I authorize the development and sale of Star Keeper to a company or individual through traditional means, what if they do not perform well? What if they refuse to hand over the IP? This requires more authorization to reduce risk. If I use the traditional method, I need to sign a contract with each company, which will be very troublesome for me. I find that NFT authorization is the lowest-cost authorization solution because you don't need to worry about anything, and the two parties don't even need to speak. Both parties are very free, and the license through NFT can effectively bind both parties. NFT is stored on the blockchain and is immutable and permanently valid. I will release 10 NFTs, each with a number representing an authorization route. I believe that there will always be some routes that produce high-quality games, and as long as one route succeeds, the entire Star Keeper ecosystem will benefit. This will provide me with enough funds to contribute more works to the community. 2.3 NFTs will form a benign competitive environment because the size of the game market remains relatively stable for a certain period of time. For NFT game producers, the better the quality of the game, the bigger the piece of the cake they will get. There will also be cooperation during competition. Successful NFT numbers will drive up the value of other NFT numbers. As long as one route succeeds, other routes will also benefit. 2.4 NFT authorization will enable the entire game series to continue to develop and grow. Good vendors will retain NFT authorization, and poor routes can easily transfer NFTs to capable vendors or individuals to produce. Because NFT transactions are indeed too simple. This forms a virtuous cycle that allows the Star Keeper ecosystem to continue to grow. 2.5 NFT-supported branch games will not damage the lineage of the Star Keeper game because the copyright of the main version of Star Keeper, including Star Keeper2, Star Keeper (N), and numbered main versions, is retained, and NFT authorization is only for branch versions. Moreover, the branch version authorized through NFT cannot appear on the NES platform. 2.6 This NFT authorization can be said to have some risks. We can treat it as an experiment using Star Keeper. Once successful, it will be a revolutionary victory in the entire gaming industry. Everyone present is a witness to history. 2.7 Another important point is that the resources of the original game can be obtained through NFT authorization. For the acquisition of game development resources, please refer to the authorization license diagram. For more details about authorization, please refer to the Commercial license for Star Keeper's Branch Game https://arseed.web3infra.dev/eugT-abjP8eCvOBsKZ_InNv2rD_5H9g86SNXWkAQSVA 3 About Game IP and Reputation I saw some friends on the forum saying that it seems some people only buy NFTs because the game is a limited edition, but this is a misunderstanding of my original intention. NFTs are essentially tied to the reputation of the game, not just the IP. The value of game IP appreciates through the quality and reputation of the game. Game players care about the playability of the game, not just the game IP. The reputation of the game is an effective way to prove the quality of the game. Everyone on the VGS Homebrew forum knows about Star Keeper, which is a game I made. However, for many potential players outside of VGS, their understanding of Star Keeper may be completely different from that of VGS players. The first Star Keeper branch game they might come into contact with could be released on Xbox or PS4., and their exposure to the game may come from third-party producers who have been authorized to develop the game. These producers have enough marketing strategies to package the legendary story and reputation of Star Keeper as part of the promotional material, or by means beyond our imagination, attracting more players to buy it. The players outside may come into contact with next-generation game works with better graphics, higher playability, and richer content.It depends on the game producer's marketing ability and game production level. The Homebrew community is like a well, and we cannot be like frogs in the well, thinking that the world is only as big as the well. 4 About Star Keeper's Mainline Version I believe that Star Keeper's PC version will be released sooner or later, and it may be available on Steam someday, but not now. The top priority now is the authorization of Star Keeper's spin-off version. As long as the funds are sufficient, I will continuously develop the main version of Star Keeper and release it on the NES platform as much as possible, such as Star Keeper 2. 5 Summary The NFT version will not undermine the legitimacy of Star Keeper, but will only make its ecosystem more diverse and colorful. Third-party participation can greatly help with the promotion and establishment of the game series. As long as everything runs smoothly, all parties involved can benefit. Original version buyers' copies will appreciate in value, ordinary players will also be able to play the game including its sequels (even PC versions), game developers including myself and authorized parties will receive revenue, and the popularity of the game forum (VGS) will also increase. Welcome to put forward your advice 2023/3/2 license updated 2023/3/5 license updated Edited March 5, 2023 by zxdplay 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,927 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 Awesome, thanks for coming around. There has been a lot of speculation about this game in the past, good to have you here and hopefully you elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 4,898 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 IMHO, Star Keeper is one of the most legendary homebrews. I'd love to own a copy but, sadly, I could never afford it. I'm curious @zxdplay did you keep a copy or did you sell all of them? I'm not asking to acquire one from you, but I am curious. Some homebrewer/hobbyists do make stuff like this and sell 100% of their limited inventory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link | 2,709 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 24 minutes ago, zxdplay said: Now I'm looking for a place where I can publish licensed advertisements. I think it should be a game development forum. I don't know if posting on VGS is appropriate? Because this is a player community after all. It certainly is. You even picked the proper subforum. And you don't have to pay for "advertising" here. Just post / promote in the forum; it is content that people actively want to see. Welcome. I and surely many others look forward to seeing what you create next, as well as just generally talking if you are interested in that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 10 minutes ago, Link said: It certainly is. You even picked the proper subforum. And you don't have to pay for "advertising" here. Just post / promote in the forum; it is content that people actively want to see. Welcome. I and surely many others look forward to seeing what you create next, as well as just generally talking if you are interested in that. Thank you very much for your response. In that case, I will go ahead and post the authorized advertisement on VGS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,096 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 Came here for Star Keeper part 2 and got NFTs? So someone buys the NFT and has a license to create a rom hack of Star Keeper or they just bought an internet picture? I’m so confused. Either way it’s awesome to see the creator here and facilitating new life into the game while still preserving the legendaryness of the original. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) I sold them all. I originally kept one #87 for myself, but in the end, I sold it too. Edited February 28, 2023 by zxdplay 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 22 minutes ago, a3quit4s said: Came here for Star Keeper part 2 and got NFTs? So someone buys the NFT and has a license to create a rom hack of Star Keeper or they just bought an internet picture? I’m so confused. Either way it’s awesome to see the creator here and facilitating new life into the game while still preserving the legendaryness of the original. If you buy the NFT, you will get the following benefits #1: You will be granted development rights for the Star Keeper branch version (with subtitles such as "Star Keeper - Guardian of Heaven"), and be allowed to sell it globally. #2: .............. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 Please wait for my message, I need to sort out the information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,096 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) 6 minutes ago, zxdplay said: If you buy the NFT, you will get the following benefits #1: You will be granted development rights for the Star Keeper branch version (with subtitles such as "Star Keeper - Guardian of Heaven"), and be allowed to sell it globally. #2: .............. why not just sell the rights to the IP to the highest bidder and contract out that the original game is not part of the deal and anything created must be “substantially different” than the original? Don’t get me wrong I’m salivating at seeing a new game, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You also seem to be a gifted programmer, why not make a new 8 bit game. Shit I’ll back you myself to put out the physical game yourself at 50-100 copies. We just need to have a better relationship than Sly Dog and Jeff W ala Black Box Challenge haha Edited February 28, 2023 by a3quit4s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 8 minutes ago, a3quit4s said: why not just sell the rights to the IP to the highest bidder and contract out that the original game is not part of the deal and anything created must be “substantially different” than the original? Don’t get me wrong I’m salivating at seeing a new game, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. NFT Owners can design Branch Games arbitrarily, such as adding levels, expanding plots, and designing new characters and scenes, in compliance with this agreement. Games can be developed using any engine. Games can use 2D or 3D , the art style and game genre are not limited. Once you read the license agreement, you will understand that developers have a lot of freedom. Apart from using the name Star Keeper for the main storyline, they can modify anything, even the game genre can be designed freely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,771 Administrator · Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 44 minutes ago, zxdplay said: If you buy the NFT, you will get the following benefits #1: You will be granted development rights for the Star Keeper branch version (with subtitles such as "Star Keeper - Guardian of Heaven"), and be allowed to sell it globally. #2: .............. Does this mean that purchase of the NFT grants access to the original game's code, such that one could "hack" the ROM in whatever way they wish? Or is it merely access to the IP to make a wholly new game? If the former, near 100% chance that the original ROM gets released publicly. If the latter, I'm not sure that anyone really cares all that much about the IP so much as simply owning the original game itself, though I could be wrong about that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmyers | 97 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 I only know enough about NFTs to know I don't really care for them as a business model or a product. It sounds like you're just selling a license to make derivative works but in sort of a complicated and unintuitive way—and to multiple developers at once? I think you would be better off partnering with a particular developer to make new works and/or adapt or publish the original, if that's possible. I think most people really just want to play the original game, and as someone fortunate enough to own a copy, I really want more people to be able to play it too. It's great and it's a shame it's not more widely available. To be honest, I think you may be overestimating the value of an IP that is only meaningful to a small group of people in an already niche market. Why would people be interested in purchasing a new game loosely related to the original Star Keeper, a game they have never played, maybe never even heard of, when the original developer isn't even actively involved? And if there is some value there, making the IP available to multiple people who can potentially churn out Star Keeper clones will only serve to dilute an already small market. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 8 minutes ago, Gloves said: Does this mean that purchase of the NFT grants access to the original game's code, such that one could "hack" the ROM in whatever way they wish? Or is it merely access to the IP to make a wholly new game? If the former, near 100% chance that the original ROM gets released publicly. If the latter, I'm not sure that anyone really cares all that much about the IP so much as simply owning the original game itself, though I could be wrong about that. The source code will not be handed over. In fact, the advertisement is aimed at game developers or investors, not players. Players will not buy the intellectual property (IP). Players who own the original copy will care about the value of the copy they hold. Players without a copy will care about when a new game will be released. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 15 minutes ago, ecmyers said: I think most people really just want to play the original game, and as someone fortunate enough to own a copy, I really want more people to be able to play it too. It's great and it's a shame it's not more widely available. To be honest, I think you may be overestimating the value of an IP that is only meaningful to a small group of people in an already niche market. Why would people be interested in purchasing a new game loosely related to the original Star Keeper, a game they have never played, maybe never even heard of, when the original developer isn't even actively involved? And if there is some value there, making the IP available to multiple people who can potentially churn out Star Keeper clones will only serve to dilute an already small market. I understand what you mean, but I can't find a better way to satisfy both the players and the collectors at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,491 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 7 minutes ago, zxdplay said: Players without a copy will care about when a new game will be released. Well, yeah, but that's dependent on someone else being motivated enough to take up the mantle of Star Keeper and generate new games. I don't know if there's that much spark among current NES (or whatever platform) developers/homebrewers. I get that the original game spurred a lot of hype, any new and good NES game does, but this is pinning hopes on another developer that is 1) really attached to Star Keeper, and 2) doesn't want to come up with their own IP. I think that's a pretty small group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrobins | 1,725 Moderator · Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 Respectfully, I’m not sure this is something that would appeal to fans of Starkeeper. Many would love more copies of the game so they can play. Many would adore a sequel. But I’m not sure there’s demand to put money into a collapsing NFT market to be able to make their own knockoff that doesn’t have anything to do with you. If you would like to collaborate with publishers to make more copies of the original or to publish a new game, we would love to help you. Heck, we have a partnership with Mega Cat Studios to help publish games that we would love to include you in if you are interested. 1 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,491 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 3 minutes ago, zxdplay said: I understand what you mean, but I can't find a better way to satisfy both the players and the collectors at the same time. So, question for anyone already owning an original run Star Keeper. Would a second run, distinguishable from the first, bother you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,096 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, zxdplay said: I understand what you mean, but I can't find a better way to satisfy both the players and the collectors at the same time. As long as you don’t re-release the original in NES physical format that looks like the first release the collectors will be fine. Even if a rom of it was released I don’t think it would affect the physical value much. Look at the 8bit Xmas releases, the 2008/2009 are still dumb expensive and you can get roms. @Tulpa If it’s easy to distinguish the original release from a re-release by changing the title screen and packaging I wouldn't care. Other than that I agree with what most have said about NFT being an unwise decision. The choice is simple; you want to develop a new game on your own (and why wouldn’t you if you create the original lol) or sell the IP outright minus the original game to whatever buyer and be done. If you’re worried about it becoming something like Super Mario just build yourself a 1% of gross profits in perpetuity in the agreement. I wish you luck with your choice and thank you for stopping by and chatting with us either way! Edited February 28, 2023 by a3quit4s 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrobins | 1,725 Moderator · Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 The idea of a re-release with some differentiation in the label/box/title screen sounds very reasonable. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think the developer should give a damn about people who own a copy and care more about its rare value than as a game. People like that are why we have that guy on eBay selling games for ten times their value. Those greedy bastards don’t belong in the conversation. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,096 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Scrobins said: The idea of a re-release with some differentiation in the label/box/title screen sounds very reasonable. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think the developer should give a damn about people who own a copy and care more about its rare value than as a game. People like that are why we have that guy on eBay selling games for ten times their value. Those greedy bastards don’t belong in the conversation. A re-release would only drive up the original prices anyways. Jesus if LRG did this I could put mine on eBay for 5x what I paid for it, not that I would because it’s one of the jewels of my collection. F LRG though work with Mega Cat or 6502 Edited February 28, 2023 by a3quit4s 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 4,898 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 23 minutes ago, zxdplay said: I understand what you mean, but I can't find a better way to satisfy both the players and the collectors at the same time. 19 minutes ago, Tulpa said: So, question for anyone already owning an original run Star Keeper. Would a second run, distinguishable from the first, bother you? Taking your desires at face-value, if I were a holder of one of the original 100, I wouldn't mind a re-release that, as others have pointed out, is distinguishably different than the original. In fact, you can't say with 100% certainty, but a well placed Kickstarter campaign or other venture to re-release the game may actually make the original copies MORE valuable. This game is very limited but is also a homebrew that has to be enjoyed on the OG cartridge. It's solidified it's place as a highly collectible item within the homebrew community, but re-releasing this will only make more people aware of this. Most will want a new copy (because they can afford it) but this will also drive existing collectors with deep pockets to hunt the old copy and drive up it's price. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmyers | 97 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 22 minutes ago, Tulpa said: So, question for anyone already owning an original run Star Keeper. Would a second run, distinguishable from the first, bother you? I would love to see a second run and a ROM release — games should be played, particularly games of this high quality. The original run will retain what value the current market sees fit, by virtue of it being an extremely limited edition (many of them numbered on the title screen) and an artifact with historic significance in itself. I agree wholeheartedly that collectors should not be a major consideration in what to do with the original game. I don't think most of the people who purchased it back then had any expectation that it would never see a wider public release one day. A reissue of this game today would sell phenomenally well, partially because of its reputation, but especially because it's fantastic and worth playing. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroX85 | 64 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 @zxdplay Best wishes in your plans for an upcoming new Star Keeper releases. Star Keeper - "Guardian of Heaven" sounds so awesome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxdplay | 149 Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 It's too late, I'm going to bed now. I'll come tomorrow to provide a detailed explanation of my authorization concept to everyone. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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