Comments on: Breaking rules http://programmerjoe.com/2007/01/31/breaking-rules/ Joe Ludwig\'s blog Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:02:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Questor http://programmerjoe.com/2007/01/31/breaking-rules/#comment-954 Questor Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:00:48 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2007/01/31/breaking-rules/#comment-954 You wrote: "If you could come up with a way to allow anybody to host a world instance and set the rules in that world, but still keep collecting revenue from those players, you could probably draw a lot of attention." Furcadia features worlds created by players. Furcadia is free for anyone to play snce it's funded 100% by player purchases of cosmetic perks, such as having wings or a picture of a shamrock in your description. Although Furcadia is, itself, non-combat, there are many player-created player-run sub-worlds, known as "Dreams". A handful of them are combat-oriented to the point of having diced combat like traditional paper/pencil tabletop games. The server features 4300 players at night, and they do make a LOT of money, about a million a year. So far, though, there's been no publicity generated. Hell knows why or why not. For the record, the adults-only area of Furcadia is rated R. Sex in public isn't allowed. There are several Dreams that are huge bondage/domination sex slave auctions, and S&M dungeons for those who are into that and looking for it. You wrote:
“If you could come up with a way to allow anybody to host a world instance and set the rules in that world, but still keep collecting revenue from those players, you could probably draw a lot of attention.”

Furcadia features worlds created by players. Furcadia is free for anyone to play snce it’s funded 100% by player purchases of cosmetic perks, such as having wings or a picture of a shamrock in your description.

Although Furcadia is, itself, non-combat, there are many player-created player-run sub-worlds, known as “Dreams”. A handful of them are combat-oriented to the point of having diced combat like traditional paper/pencil tabletop games.

The server features 4300 players at night, and they do make a LOT of money, about a million a year. So far, though, there’s been no publicity generated. Hell knows why or why not.

For the record, the adults-only area of Furcadia is rated R. Sex in public isn’t allowed.

There are several Dreams that are huge bondage/domination sex slave auctions, and S&M dungeons for those who are into that and looking for it.

]]> By: DrewC http://programmerjoe.com/2007/01/31/breaking-rules/#comment-84 DrewC Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:13:27 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2007/01/31/breaking-rules/#comment-84 You could make a huge amount of money permitting gray shards. The FBI just shut down a gray shard Lineage 2 operation in California: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/feb07/iptheft020107.htm The FBI estimates that his server was drawing more than $750,000 a month from NC Soft. While I'm sure that figure is bullshit (assumes everyone who created an account does not already own a Lineage 2 account, and would have purchased a Lineage 2 account if this gray shard did not exist), even if it's off by an order of magnitude, it's still a lot of money. Plus there’s already an existing technical solution: Steam. I think the first people to do this are going to make a lot of money. You could make a huge amount of money permitting gray shards. The FBI just shut down a gray shard Lineage 2 operation in California: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/feb07/iptheft020107.htm

The FBI estimates that his server was drawing more than $750,000 a month from NC Soft. While I’m sure that figure is bullshit (assumes everyone who created an account does not already own a Lineage 2 account, and would have purchased a Lineage 2 account if this gray shard did not exist), even if it’s off by an order of magnitude, it’s still a lot of money.

Plus there’s already an existing technical solution: Steam.

I think the first people to do this are going to make a lot of money.

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