Turbo Sliders 1.00 information

[Ande]

As you probably have already noticed, Turbo Sliders will soon end its long beta phase and reach version 1.00. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post a message here.

For the veteran players, here is a longer list of the most relevant new features compared to the old version 0.86b:

• * Better graphics
  * Lots of new tracks
  * New car, Spinner
  * Jumps and bridges
  * Music
  * Car downloading
  * Localization support
  * Pro mode to fight against wrong-way-driving
  * Easier remote admin possibility for automatic servers
  * Possible to change macros.ini and tracks on-the-fly
  * Better track editor
  * Server list ordered by ping
  * Random fixed car mode (the same random car for all)
  * Possible to put IP in the server info if behind a firewall that hides IP
  * Easier server restart and reconnect
  * Better line editing and key repeating
  * If safe, tracks are downloaded to the root of "tracks/download"
  * Car and colors shown in race and cup stats
  * More automation in prediction changes
  * Possibility to read command line parameters from a file
  * Alpha blending made optional (may help slow machines)
  * Menu effects
  * Better date and car information in log.txt
  * Option for permanent logs
  * Track name visible in race stats
  * Track preview shown before car selection, too
  * Better car selection screen
  * Ghost race sounds fixed
  * Optional predictive camera

[xzeal]

The price is much steeper then i expected it to be :/.

Well here is one quick question : if we agree to pay for the game will you start making updates to the game more often from now on?

[Ande]

Well here is one quick question : if we agree to pay for the game will you start making updates to the game more often from now on?

Yes indeed. If the number of players gets adequate, it enables us to continue developing the game at a much faster rate than previously. There are endless possibilities how to make the game even better .

[Mike Nike]

Yes indeed. If the number of players gets adequate, it enables us to continue developing the game at a much faster rate than previously. There are endless possibilities how to make the game even better .

That's true, of course.
I am not sure, which deal you finally made with JollyGoodGames...
but i hope the price of the new version won't let old players quit playing Turbo Sliders.

I think, either a player has the new version or not:
in the first months there will exists more players playing on 0.86 servers, than on 1.00 servers.

So, it will be easy in the first months to see, which persons have maybe a black version of Turbo Sliders 1.00.

And lately, if many old players will never buy TS, other old players, like me, with the new version would play still enough of 0.86 - i hope.
Otherwise these old players will quit playing TS perhaps, if the newer players would play 1.00 only...
Finally the 1.00 version creates a new Community and i hope this community won't destroy the old one.

It's nice, that "veterans"/supporters get the new version by free, but it would be very sad for example, if a player like xzeal, would have to pay for the new version so much (as i know from ukkonen in TS Chat, in Estonia 13 Euros are like 40 Euros in Germany and that's too high for Estonians). It's also high for me in Germany to decide to pay for a game 13 or 20 euros.

But: now i want to make (again) the suggestion of creating a free 1.00 version (maybe 0.88) (without some special features). This version would let players give the possibility to decide, if they would like to support the game in buying the version 1.00 (with more features), or not.

That is very important, actually, to let the old players play the new version 1.00 or at least 0.88, because playing 0.86 is actually not enough to be able to decide to buy the new version 1.00 (to support the development).

I actually hoped, you would publish 2 versions at the same moment (version 1.00 shareware and 1.00 freeware with less features).

Btw, i can remember, you talked about 20 Euros some day, but i thought this would have been a price of "own production". In a store like JollyGoodGames, it should cost 10 or 5 euros in my opinion...
But maybe JollyGoodGames have also not the full possibility of making the price lower with a good "production-system"...


Edit:

Our 100% money back guarantee: if you are not totally satisfied with your purchase, just notify us at any time and we will refund your money right away.

Hmm...this means, you can buy the game and in special circumstances you can get your money back?
So, if you buy the version, you actually just buy the lincense to download a file of the packed game, like TurboSliders.zip.
So, there is no box or something, which JollyGoodGames has to send.

If this is true, i wonder really, why this price is so high.
But if i am wrong and the game will be sended in a box, how the money can get back? By sending this box back? This would mean, the game was sended 2 times over the same distance with negative profite...
I hope this is not the case.
And if there is a boxversion, but i don't think so now, then the box should first be sended, after the testtime (maybe 1 month). And if the puchase is aborted after the payment, there is no need to send the box then with the normal version.
The testversion would be a 30 days version then...
But in this case, i hope, there won't exist hackers, which can hack the 30days limit...

[Flexman]

As you probably have already noticed, Turbo Sliders will soon end its long beta phase and reach version 1.00. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post a message here.

* New car, Spinner

I hope this car makes the game going back to it's roots instead of having all the Antislider-Noobs on the road.

Sounds fine, but some things you didn't mention that would be great forme:

- Multiplayer: Some better mode when 2 or more players are playing on one computer. If playing only a local game it would also help if one has the possibility to autoselect only tracks that do not have a very big resolution.

- Players are not losing points when diconnectin from a cup and connecting few races later.

- Better statistics during the cup

- The possiblity to enter a team seperately from the name.

I hope the new version will sell!

Regards

[Guest]

Oh and by the way:

Are you also planning realeasing a Linux Verion?

Or at least a dedicated Linux-Server?

[Ande]

in Estonia 13 Euros are like 40 Euros in Germany and that's too high for Estonians). It's also high for me in Germany to decide to pay for a game 13 or 20 euros.

Actually, the introductory price is only 10 euro, not 13. But yes, it is true that that money is more in people from some countries. Unfortunately, it is quite impossible to sell the game with different prices in different countries.

It is a pity if 10 euro is too much for people who like the game and would like get the full version, but there will be a free demo mode of the game, too. It will most probably be otherwise fully playable both locally and in network games, but there are only three tracks that can be driven.

[Ande]

As you probably have already noticed, Turbo Sliders will soon end its long beta phase and reach version 1.00. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post a message here.

* New car, Spinner

I hope this car makes the game going back to it's roots instead of having all the Antislider-Noobs on the road.

It is a sliding car whose purpose was to be able to challenge AntiSlider in curvy tracks. In addition to this, there will be a new game mode, "Fixed Random Car", which makes every player get the same car for each track. If this game mode gets popular, car selection does not affect as much as overall player skill.

Those new features you mentioned will not be included as such in the new version, there are some things that help, though. But they are definitely in the "to do" list for the future versions.

[Ande]

Oh and by the way:
Are you also planning realeasing a Linux Verion?
Or at least a dedicated Linux-Server?

Linux version will probably not be released as early as the Windows version but Linux-version, at least for a dedicated server, is probably to be released later.

[Creator]

Yes indeed. If the number of players gets adequate, it enables us to continue developing the game at a much faster rate than previously. There are endless possibilities how to make the game even better .

That's true, of course.
I am not sure, which deal you finally made with JollyGoodGames...
but i hope the price of the new version won't let old players quit playing Turbo Sliders.

Well, honestly 10 euros shouldn't be too much for a game. Most shareware games sell for 15-20 euros. Think of it as 2-3 pints of beer on a Friday night...

It's nice, that "veterans"/supporters get the new version by free, but it would be very sad for example, if a player like xzeal, would have to pay for the new version so much (as i know from ukkonen in TS Chat, in Estonia 13 Euros are like 40 Euros in Germany and that's too high for Estonians). It's also high for me in Germany to decide to pay for a game 13 or 20 euros.

It would be nice to be able to sell the game for Estonians for one euro or something, but wouldn't just everyone then want to get the game for that price? This wouldn't even cover the cost of selling it, not to mention the time spent developing it. Nobody's getting "paid" for their time on this project anyway but if the developers can get a little bit of money for all the fun times they've provided to people...

I actually hoped, you would publish 2 versions at the same moment (version 1.00 shareware and 1.00 freeware with less features).

Yes, there is going to be a free demo of the game that everyone can play free of charge... with some significant limitations.

Btw, i can remember, you talked about 20 Euros some day, but i thought this would have been a price of "own production". In a store like JollyGoodGames, it should cost 10 or 5 euros in my opinion...
But maybe JollyGoodGames have also not the full possibility of making the price lower with a good "production-system"...

The introductory price is actually 10 euros...

Our 100% money back guarantee: if you are not totally satisfied with your purchase, just notify us at any time and we will refund your money right away.

Hmm...this means, you can buy the game and in special circumstances you can get your money back?

No, it means if you are not happy you will get your money back just for asking it. No special circumstances, it's all based on honesty. If you want to get the game for free you can buy it and ask for your money back. Of course, if everyone does that we'll be out of business very soon, but we trust that we provide quite a bit of entertainment for a good price. So far that's been the case.

So, if you buy the version, you actually just buy the lincense to download a file of the packed game, like TurboSliders.zip.
So, there is no box or something, which JollyGoodGames has to send.

With small sales numbers of games like this, sending a CD over would add at least $5 to the price. With constant updates, the CD version would get old soon so we couldn't even save by producing big quantities in anticipation of the sales over the next six months or so...

If this is true, i wonder really, why this price is so high.

Again, how is 10 euros much? What other games can you buy for less than that? What else can you buy that gives you entertained for hours and hours...?

[Flexman]

Again, how is 10 euros much? What other games can you buy for less than that? What else can you buy that gives you entertained for hours and hours...?

I don't think it is much but it could prevent people from buying the game and becoming addicted.

3 tracks are not much so I think there won't be that many people who will start to use that game regularly. And as the game fun raises and falls with the amount of players in the server I'm a little bit concerned.

Although Antti deservers to make money with the best game ever, of course!

[Creator]

Again, how is 10 euros much? What other games can you buy for less than that? What else can you buy that gives you entertained for hours and hours...?

I don't think it is much but it could prevent people from buying the game and becoming addicted.

3 tracks are not much so I think there won't be that many people who will start to use that game regularly. And as the game fun raises and falls with the amount of players in the server I'm a little bit concerned.

Although Antti deservers to make money with the best game ever, of course!

That's a valid concern, of course, but keep in mind that Jollygood Games is actually going to promote the game and find ways to increase the number of people playing, not the other way around. We are going to listen to feedback regarding the pricing and the demo version features and such, and things like the 10 euros introductory price are in place to help the current players easily get on board with the new version. This message board is going to be an important forum for us when we develop the game going forward so please keep on posting your concerns.

[ShraKK]

Hi
First i'd like to say that 10€ are cheap.
Imo cheap for a game that brings so much of fun.
The screenies of 1.0 looking great and some of the new features sounds nice.
Maybe the only or best way for Ande and or the TS Community is the deal with jollygoodgames.
Cross the fingers that the new "TS is not freeware" deter not new keyboard- and fingerartists.
And i'll hope i have some much more time again to build some tracks for 1.0

[Z]

I think 10 euros is a fair amount of money for all the fun we're had and will have from the game.

However, I'm sure that some great old drivers will quit playing, but hopefully the lower introductory price will help here. All I can say is that I'll definately buy it myself and I'm sure that after having a proper distribution and promotion efforts, Turbo Sliders will get huge amounts of new players, which again means many new skillful and competitive players to the servers. It's interesting to see how those things will develope. I hope the TS community will continue through this new stage of the game.

I'd just have one question: Will registered users receive further updates (>1.00) for free? I think that would be a normal way to go..

--
Z

[Guest]

It is a pity if 10 euro is too much for people who like the game and would like get the full version, but there will be a free demo mode of the game, too. It will most probably be otherwise fully playable both locally and in network games, but there are only three tracks that can be driven.

That sounds very good
A demo version with fully playability. locally and in network games with 3 new driveable tracks is that what i wished for.
3 tracks sounds for some people may be not much, but if you imagine, there are circa 40 cars, you can drive on it to test the new jump- and bridgefeeling and get records on the track like the people with the new version...then, in my opinion, this is exactly enough to decide to buy the game later...
Or at least there can exist dedcated "Demo" servers with these 3 tracks and maybe 10, 15 or 20 laps (endurance race). This will be a platform for a 2nd' meeting point of players with the new version and players with the demo of 1.00

10 euro, instead of 13 (or 12,95$)?
This would sound good. And yes, for Turbo Sliders it's for me actually not that much money , but i am comparing often to lower and higher games, where higher games costs also only 10 or 20 euro and lower freeware games in gamecollections only a part of 1 euro.
But TS is actually with its relativ huge amount of code and its playability (and fun ..) of course much higher then a usual freeware game, in my opinion.

If 10 euro will let people, which loves the game or at least, want to get the new version...still think about not buying it and maybe quitting TS (and please don't quit TS ), then there is maybe a possibility for a sum of old players, which can have a kind of percentages...

This means...if 100 of old players would like to buy the game, but want maybe only pay 8 euro or something, don't know...then they play together 100 licenses for 800 euro (200 euro less than normal then).
So, i would add to my page (mikenike.csas.info) a list of (old) players, which would like to buy the game and what price they would like to pay, would that be a deal?
Well, it would mean some work to collect all people, but it's a question of beeing in TS Chat during 2 weeks or something every late evening...
And for example, i won't ask any of the newer brasilian player, or should i^^?

[Flexman]

That's a valid concern, of course, but keep in mind that Jollygood Games is actually going to promote the game and find ways to increase the number of people playing, not the other way around. We are going to listen to feedback...

OK, sounds better But another thing I'd like to mention:
What Turbosliders also needs is a well maintained server. Playtrix is nice because it has few lags but it's not really maintained and contains many tracks with bad check points etc.

And if there are more players then there should also be online servers for Slider only cups, the new Fixed-Random Car mode etc.

[Z]

I agree with Flexman; TS could really use a fully maintained server. There have been a lot of talk about backward driving -problem (which is important, of course), but I would like to put "bad track design" among the biggest drawbacks of the game. The whole idea of braking track records / own personal records or even basic, fair online racing is threathened by these short cuts that are founded every day. This is a track-design / editor question basically. Of course, the designer himself has lot to do with it but even the most experienced track makers haven't been able to take all checkpoint issues in account. The maintained server could select only fair tracks without short cuts. Selection could perhaps be based on public vote.

Also, one feature I'm personally missing is a distinct driver/user profile with password and registered driver nick. I'd die for that

[Flexman]

I agree with Flexman; TS could really use a fully maintained server. There have been a lot of talk about backward driving -problem (which is important, of course)

Backward driving could also be solved now with a Tool that Mike Nike wrote. Unfortunately the ones who started the dedicated servers often need long time to react, so he wasn't able to improve his tool or get it installed anywhere. That wouldn't happen on a well maintained server.

Of course, the designer himself has lot to do with it but even the most experienced track makers haven't been able to take all checkpoint issues in account. The maintained server could select only fair tracks without short cuts. Selection could perhaps be based on public vote.

This also is a fine idea! It would also help if someone fixes the checkpoints and uploads the Track with the fixed checkpoints to the server. The Name of the Track creator remains the same and if someone already has the track the laps only would count if he passes the checkpoints existing on the server.

I hope that the voting would not make some of the odd tracks disappear which i also like (e.g. Tungos, and some of AE).

Also, one feature I'm personally missing is a distinct driver/user profile with password and registered driver nick. I'd die for that

If the new version doesnt include that already, Mike also wrote a tool for that!

[Mike Nike]

Also, one feature I'm personally missing is a distinct driver/user profile with password and registered driver nick. I'd die for that

If the new version doesnt include that already, Mike also wrote a tool for that!

A distinct player...well...
In much theory on paper i created a PlayerRegistration-System and i try to write it down in code language during the next weeks...

Players with static IP can be always detected correct.
With unstatic IP there appear some more problems, which let the registration be a bit unsafe.
In much more than 2 hours theory written down i decided to let exist a name in the PlayerList on a server with the ServerAdminTool with StatisticPlugIn only 1 time.
Example: Flexman has a static IP. While he is offline, a player named Flexman connects...with wrong IP...a serveradmin message appears which a kind of warning and kicks this player (faker...or doublename person by accident...or Flexman himself at another PC...).

With unstatic IP its a bit more complex and more unsafe for statistics, but it's still to solute.
Passwords will maybe appear...and because all player in chat can read the passwordcommand, it must be a special passwordsystem, which has nearly 100% safety.
Another decision: in later existing statistics won't exist playernames, which can be listed together as one player, if they are the same person.
There are for first enough reasons, i wrote down and decided for that...[/quote]

[Creator]

I think 10 euros is a fair amount of money for all the fun we're had and will have from the game.

I'd just have one question: Will registered users receive further updates (>1.00) for free? I think that would be a normal way to go..

--
Z

Yeah, all the updates are included for the lifetime of the product.

[Creator]

10 euro, instead of 13 (or 12,95$)?

Yes, $12.95 is about 10 euros and this is the introductory price for all the people who want to purchase a full version early on when the game is available.

... of course much higher then a usual freeware game, in my opinion.

Freeware games are usually free, by definition, so obviously TS will be slightly more expensive. But we'll have more active community support, improved graphics and gameplay, continued development, etc. which sets TS apart from the freeware offerings.

This means...if 100 of old players would like to buy the game, but want maybe only pay 8 euro or something, don't know...then they play together 100 licenses for 800 euro (200 euro less than normal then).

We'll work with you, obviously. If you and nine of your friends want to purchase the full version you can have ten copies for 80 euros, for instance. If you have a group of people who would like to play TS and want to get everyone licensed, just let us know and we'll figure something out. (As soon as the full version is released we'll post the official discounted rates for multiple orders.) Other cool support is planned (for example to TS fan-sites) but more information will be posted later...

[Creator]

That's a valid concern, of course, but keep in mind that Jollygood Games is actually going to promote the game and find ways to increase the number of people playing, not the other way around. We are going to listen to feedback...

OK, sounds better But another thing I'd like to mention:
What Turbosliders also needs is a well maintained server. Playtrix is nice because it has few lags but it's not really maintained and contains many tracks with bad check points etc.

And if there are more players then there should also be online servers for Slider only cups, the new Fixed-Random Car mode etc.

We're working on getting bunch of good servers for the launch, at least for the US and Europe.

[Guest]

We're working on getting bunch of good servers for the launch, at least for the US and Europe.

That sounds very good!

Ok sounds Great! Although disturbing wrong-way drivers should be kicked I hope that "rude" driving still well be allowed to a certain degree because it always funny to fight with other drivers and push them off the road sometimes (and getting pushed of the road of course).

[Wenom]

Looking good but the price...

[Froz]

That's a valid concern, of course, but keep in mind that Jollygood Games is actually going to promote the game and find ways to increase the number of people playing, not the other way around. We are going to listen to feedback...

OK, sounds better But another thing I'd like to mention:
What Turbosliders also needs is a well maintained server. Playtrix is nice because it has few lags but it's not really maintained and contains many tracks with bad check points etc.

And if there are more players then there should also be online servers for Slider only cups, the new Fixed-Random Car mode etc.

We're working on getting bunch of good servers for the launch, at least for the US and Europe.

Playtrix.net will happily host few sliders1.0 servers too

there are over 200 tracks in 0.86b... playtrix server admins have no chance of testing them all for shortcuts, bad design, over 60secs first lap etc etc... we need players feedback of those tracks, what to remove etc....

playtrix.net forum has a slider channel where all hopes and wishes of how to "tune" ptx's slider servers are very welcome....

about how the playtrix slider servers are maintained... well... not very well
server lies in a deed dungeon, with no easy access... and we are talking about Windows server, which is far from nice to remotely administer over an ssh - tunnel...so, linux slider server is highly wished for

i'm hoping that v1.0 would offer some good in-game administrative tools ... "referee" passwords to give to some players... or something.

keep up the good work !

-Froz-