X: Beyond the Frontier - why not make it free?

Vitez · Post by **Vitez** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 22:13

Lets face the facts: X: Beyond the frontier and X-Tension aren't the real money makers nowadays for Egosoft (9 years old games aren't sellig too good). Altough, there are some people who would like to get them. I've met some of them on forums, and they are right about something: it's simply impossible (or rather hard) to get your hands on them legaly. So, most of them simply download it from a warez site (I don't think that is good!).
So, why won't Egosoft make the game free and downloadable from their site?
Those who want to get the game could get it legaly this way.
Infact, this could be a good way to get people involved with the X-Universe in the summer (the sooner the better) before X3: Terran Conflict.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 22:22

Because it has nothing to do with Egosoft whether those games are free or not. THQ, the publisher of X-BTF and X-Tension, still hold the rights to those games...you need to talk to them if you want them to be released to the public domain.

Vitez · Post by **Vitez** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 22:30

I can't even find these 2 games on their website

(Currently thinking of sending an e-mail, or conacting them on somekind of a forum - slight hint for an e-mail adress

). Anyway: Can't Egosoft do something about this? For the fans?

Free Trade Inn · Post by **Free Trade Inn** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 22:54

The company sold the rights as part of the pub/dist, deal.

To then ask for excusivity is sadly not going to happen.

Also they dont work fully on XP

FTI

surferx · Post by **surferx** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 23:01

I voted no, but what I would like is a working XP patch for XBTF.

Boringnick · Post by **Boringnick** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 23:07

I played X-BTF and Xtension on XP and Vista, and they work.

Although I used the latest patches.

Shadowfront · Post by **Shadowfront** » Sat, 5. Jul 08, 23:07

Well I might just be one of those people Vitez is talking about. Would love to have the games but no legal way at all.
In fact thats the case with many good old games sadly.. the publishers dont let go and it makes no sense. They still dont get the profit and we dont get the games. Theyre just wasted and buried

repatomonor21 · Post by **repatomonor21** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 00:19

Both would be nice. Well, I can insure you, that X-Beyond the Frontier is fully playable on Windows XP. (because I do it atm)

Well, all I can say, that Good Luck Vitéz mate, but... Be cautious.

Gothsheep · Post by **Gothsheep** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 00:23

Most companies are very reluctant to give up their rights to anything. See, you're just thinking about the game itself, when there is a lot more involved than that. The rights to the software include the code involved, as well as the license and ideas within. Issuing a game as public domain means a lot of that is lost. Games like Star Control 2, which were given into public domain by the owners, were done so because the entire license has been abandoned.

Boringnick · Post by **Boringnick** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 00:47

Gothsheep wrote:Most companies are very reluctant to give up their rights to anything. See, you're just thinking about the game itself, when there is a lot more involved than that. The rights to the software include the code involved, as well as the license and ideas within. Issuing a game as public domain means a lot of that is lost. Games like Star Control 2, which were given into public domain by the owners, were done so because the entire license has been abandoned.

Releasing a game for free is completely different to "public domain". Releasing for free means just, that you can download it and play for free. Nothing else. All the copyright is still with the creators. Releasing it as public domain means, that you lose all rights to it. Anybody can take the product and sell it on the internet, disassemble it, rename it etc.

Those two have nothing to do with each other.

Here are some old games released for free:

http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/

http://www.fileplanet.com/180464/180000 ... (Complete)

Star Control 2 was released into a Open Source License. That is not exactly Public Domain either. Not even the full game was re-licensed. Only the source code was released as Open Source, the trademark is still with Accolade. That's why the opensSource game is named "The Ur-Quan Masters" and not Star Control 2

The Inter-Galactic Kong

Vitez wrote:Lets face the facts: X: Beyond the frontier and X-Tension aren't the real money makers nowadays for Egosoft (9 years old games aren't sellig too good). Altough, there are some people who would like to get them. I've met some of them on forums, and they are right about something: it's simply impossible (or rather hard) to get your hands on them legaly. So, most of them simply download it from a warez site (I don't think that is good!).
So, why won't Egosoft make the game free and downloadable from their site?
Those who want to get the game could get it legaly this way.
Infact, this could be a good way to get people involved with the X-Universe in the summer (the sooner the better) before X3: Terran Conflict.

I wholeheartedly agree, all games that are so old that they're not being sold anymore should be freeware. I mean, Quake, how old is that and they still charge for it? And System Shock 2 (a game I never played first time round). I know they don't charge much, but they shouldn't charge at all for these ancient relics.

Lancefighter · Post by **Lancefighter** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 08:52

Ground Control, the first one.
Amazing game, free now since GC II came out (which removes the whole strategy aspect of it )

philip_hughes · Post by **philip_hughes** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 14:04

...At least x stays faithful to the original concept!

Incidentally, just be careful with what you post. the mods tend to frown on less than legal methods of aquiring software.

On the "old games should be free" thing:

They have been written, just like a book or movie. I hardly see george lucas giving up the rights to star wars without a fight. If a game is for free its because the publishers are being nice. there is no obligation.

Paranoid66 · Post by **Paranoid66** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 14:29

Why not just supply old games as bonus material with later game releases as an added incentive for people to buy.

Or a straight forward compendium release of old titles like XBF, Xtension, and X2. I guess that would require THQ, and ES coming to terms.

I admit I would like to play the original X games sometime. I played around with the Demo, downloaded from this forum, and it seemed good fun although at the time it had a few bugs maybe due to missing codecs or something on my part.

Blown · Post by **Blown** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 14:40

make it free! Or flog it off cheap... Any publicity is good publicity, sell the old X games at $2-5 a copy, and the bargain hunters will eat it up. After that, they might just try x2 or x3... The alternative is people stealing it, and whilst I am opposed to software piracy by principle, agrivate someone, they will spite you, by stealing your stuff. Best countermeasure, make it available, and easy to access, and it ain't worth stealing it.

philip_hughes · Post by **philip_hughes** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 14:48

pjknibbs wrote:Because it has nothing to do with Egosoft whether those games are free or not. THQ, the publisher of X-BTF and X-Tension, still hold the rights to those games...you need to talk to them if you want them to be released to the public domain.

...So its not up to ego

Vitez · Post by **Vitez** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 14:54

Ok...huhh...gathered some courage..and wrote to THQ...... pray, vote, comment, maybe there's hope (although, one mail might not change the world, but "hope dies the last")

repatomonor21 · Post by **repatomonor21** » Sun, 6. Jul 08, 15:57

Vitez wrote:Ok...huhh...gathered some courage..and wrote to THQ...... pray, vote, comment, maybe there's hope (although, one mail might not change the world, but "hope dies the last")

*prays*

The Inter-Galactic Kong

philip_hughes wrote:...At least x stays faithful to the original concept!

Incidentally, just be careful with what you post. the mods tend to frown on less than legal methods of aquiring software.

On the "old games should be free" thing:

They have been written, just like a book or movie. I hardly see george lucas giving up the rights to star wars without a fight. If a game is for free its because the publishers are being nice. there is no obligation.

Movies are timeless. Games are not, you cannot compare the two. You can happily enjoy time and time again a movie from 1978. Can you really say the same about a game from that time? I think not.

Also, what's illegal about downloading 'freeware'? It's free, so it's not illegal to download it, hence the word 'freeware'. I agree with you when it comes to illegally downloading something that's still out there to buy, or that's still got a price on it, but there's nothing illegal about downloading 'freeware', surely?

The Inter-Galactic Kong

philip_hughes wrote:
pjknibbs wrote:Because it has nothing to do with Egosoft whether those games are free or not. THQ, the publisher of X-BTF and X-Tension, still hold the rights to those games...you need to talk to them if you want them to be released to the public domain.
...So its not up to ego

Well, whoever it's up to should stop being a bunch of greedy, moneygrabbing gits and release these ancient relics (for that is what they are) for free.

egosoft.com

egosoft.com

X: Beyond the Frontier - why not make it free?

Should X: Beyond the frontier and X-Tension be free?

X: Beyond the Frontier - why not make it free?

Re: X: Beyond the Frontier - why not make it free?