TRAUMA added to the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle




I recently had to give up working on a serious FOSS project mainly because no one donated. I think FOSS projects are just going to have to learn the hard way like I did that you can't work on it long term because no one is going to donate. And until it becomes widely known that you simply aren't going to be able to fund your FOSS game then your going to see more developers getting burned.

Your only hope is to be commercial and then FOSS after sales. Also nobody cares if it is FOSS until it is finished anyways.

Honestly I'd protest against trying to make money with games at all for the realistic average FOSS-type team. Games that make money normally require high demand, high paid incredible talent. That or money making is only for the lucky group to be first with a game genre to the platform who can even make a well rounded good game in the first place.

If every large genre have a FOSS. Then the gaming world may corrupt, as FOSS re-use resources minimizing labour. And if player play more FOSS then less income to non-FOSS. FOSS kill huge amount of income to IT industry. That's probably why few goveronment will support it as it also kills tax/employment.

Awesome point as to why government would not support FOSS. However I do not agree FOSS will kill commercial. Free labor does not produce at the rate that paid labor does. Also free labor does not tend to be in the consumers best interest but mainly in the developers interest. If people want / need something done then they will pay for it...

I think at best FOSS vs commercial will be much like windows vs linux - linux will always be "2nd" however will always be destined to be first.

And yes I agree that government should help FOSS projects. FOSS projects are in demand but by their nature are very hard to fund. This is the very kind of things that require tax / government intervention. Much like how roads or military would never get paid for.

Thats the model: I wanted, pay for FOSS. However, its very unlikely to work. General people will not donate/pay those end-up to be free.

Most people care about now, not future.