Do you buy Homebrew games?

[zapiy]

Simple question, do you buy Homebrew games?

Why?

&

Why not?

[AtariCrypt]

I use to back in the 90s for my Atari ST. Bought quite a lot actually but that was usually after reading about it in a magazine or later on via NeST / etc... In fact, I came upon one that I think is lost now (Crime Wave for the STE). I posted it recently but this site is definitely the better place to post - I hope one day the author reads this! ;-)

I written a letter but as yet have had no reply... sigh
https://ataricrypt.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/crime-wave-mia.html

One of the best homebrew titles I ever bought must be Utopos. Wow this still blows my (tiny) mind. Amazing game. Homebrew authors are some of the most creative and aren't held back by rules or other reasons. Then there is also Laserball, which was recently released as a boxed game, bought that too lol

Homebrew rules, especially the beer.

[AmigaJay]

I used to buy PD games on the Amiga so yeah a long time ago! I don't now because I don't own the hardware for a lot of home few games I want, there is a few cd32 home brew releases upcoming this and next year so I will support them.

[Shadowrunner]

I buy some but with so many constantly being released I have to pick and choose. I think it's very cool getting new games for old systems and the quality is usually great.

[zapiy]

The coder for Laserball is a good friend of this place mate @simoncam

I purchased it as well but I am not prolific as some of the members here.

How awesome it would be to find that game, have you search the guys name?

[tomwaits]

I usually buy most of the homebrews for my favorite consoles. But, for me, the decision to purchase a homebrew is greatly affected by the developer. Since most homebrew developers participate on the related retro gaming forums, it's pretty easy to see who are positive members of a community and who are not. I'm happy to support Jaguar developers like Matthias and Orion, but there are others who I'd never give a penny... even if they released the greatest Jaguar game ever.

[simoncam]

Hi! Intersting question.
Let me add my thoughts from the other end - creation of Laserball and ANARCHO Ride.

I personaly dicided to publish Laserball and ANARCHO Ride als a free download. I simply assumed that nobody would pay for a game-download for these old computers. However I made the boxed version of Laserball and it found roughly 40 fans that actualy purchased a copy! I was very happy. I did not expect that much. And it covered my cost of producing the boxes... nothing more.

Making ANARCHO Ride into a boxed version is simply impractical... it would need 3 DD Floppys per Box... hard to get these days.

I still think giving Laserball/ANARCHO Ride for free to the communety, was a good decission. It now has some several hundred downloads and I got some nice feedback. If fans would have to pay for a download I assume it would be considarably less downloads... even if I would ask for â,¬5 (what I would consider a fair price for a game like that) and 100 Fans would pay and download it would only make a total of â,¬500 - that simply would not make sense...
I prefered to go for the fun and not for the money. Stil happy with my decission.

Side info: On the ANARCHO Ride Expansion Pack download page I ask for the old "PD-Logic": get something extra, send some money . I got beathtaking â,¬5 from an ARATI FAN!!! That is the total!

[TrekMD]

I do, as you know.  I'm like Tom, I buy for my favorite systems.  The cool thing is that many homebrew developers bring games that were not released for the system back in the day (like what @PacManPlus Plus does for the 7800) or even bring new original games for these older systems. 

[JoeMusashi]

I'm not sure where I stand on homebrew stuff really. A lot of it is very good technically, pushing the old tech to the limit.
I guess for me there is no nostalgia connected to it though. Thats a big part of the retro scene in my eyes!

Completing unreleased games is cool however.

[Saturn]

I buy most everything available for the Atari Jaguar. To support the devs and system but also to play. While I buy extra copies when possible, it's not as an investment or for a return but to help preserve it in some way. To date, I've never sold anything for the Jag and don't intend to.

Although interested in homebrew for other systems, like Shadowrunner said, there's so much that it can be overwhelming. Plus, when you pre-order, you can run into problems like waiting forever for the actual item to be finished. I don't like dates being pushed back endlessly as with a recent Dreamcast purchase so it varies by system/dev/finances/tolerance.

[tomwaits]

Plus, when you pre-order, you can run into problems like waiting forever for the actual item to be finished. I don't like dates being pushed back endlessly as with a recent Dreamcast purchase so it varies by system/dev/finances/tolerance.

I've been waiting longer than that for my Vectrex Warrior cart to arrive... I think it's been over 5 years since my pre-order. 

[Saturn]

Five years is atrocious. Any amount of time beyond a couple of weeks is bad business.
I hope you get that puppy one day soon.

[TrekMD]

The last copies are being shipped already for Warrior, so you should have it soon tom. 

[tomwaits]

The latest update on Furyunlimited.com is that the remaining copies of Warrior are shipping in July/August... but he's posted false hope many times before. Didn't you order one too? Did yours arrive yet?

[TrekMD]

Yes, I did receive mine already.  So, it is not false hope this time.  Many people have reported getting it and some have even been sold in EBay already!