Gone Gold Reports Infogrames to Release STB 2003 in March.

LCS213 · 01-23-2002, 01:02 PM

Don't know if it's been posted here or not, but for those that are interested...www.gonegold.com
Just scroll down the page a bit.
-Lenny S.

bigdawg2003 · 01-24-2002, 06:19 AM

TommyBoy · 01-24-2002, 07:26 AM

The reported price of STB2003 is $20. Does it offer less than OOTP4?

Scott Vibert · 01-24-2002, 07:39 AM

We don't know yet.. however STB was similar to OOTP with a few small differences (I don't remember if it had the ability to import V2 leagues, and it had no challenge mode or something small like that). You do have to travel to the store to pick it up rather than downloading and playing instantly and if you break the CD you are SOL. You also are then at the mercy of Infogrames for patches to it (although they were very good about keeping the patches up to date with STB1).

Steve and Markus have mentioned that they don't have control over the price of STB, which is why it may (probably will) end up once again being about $10 cheaper than OOTP, apparently Infrogrames sets the price that they think will maximize the market for the game.

It should be interesting to see what differences will exist between OOTP4 and STB2 this time, to see if they justify the difference in prices. (Although it wouldn't surprise me at all if many of us still get OOTP directly from Steve and Markus)

Steve Kuffrey · 01-24-2002, 07:48 AM

Things will probably be similar to last year where several features were left out of STB that were included in OOTP. Patches and updates for OOTP "as a general rule" came out a week to two weeks ahead of STB patches and updates. Plus STB is again only "a sure thing" for this year, while OOTP will be made again next year.

So there are some differences(along with what Scott has said), how much these make to you is anybodies guess.

Draft Dodger · 01-24-2002, 09:07 AM

just thinking out loud...

it would seem based on pricing of the 2 titles that Markus stands to make more profit from sales of OOTP than STB.

which gives me even more reason to buy OOTP instead of the cd version.

Scott Vibert · 01-24-2002, 09:21 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Draft Dodger:
<strong>just thinking out loud...

it would seem based on pricing of the 2 titles that Markus stands to make more profit from sales of OOTP than STB.

which gives me even more reason to buy OOTP instead of the cd version.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Couple that with the guess (purely a guess) that eliscence probably gets a lot less per copy than the publisher and I'd guess that the bulk of the development teams profits would come from OOTP as opposed to STB. Of course STB helps to get the game out to the mainstream public, broadening the appeal of this game and enlarging our community.

Steve Kuffrey · 01-24-2002, 09:26 AM

You guys are on the right track.

Strick9 · 01-24-2002, 12:00 PM

I'm using STB right now, and I can't imagine the game having any more options than i need, but I'm going for version 4. I really want to use the program without cd. If that wasn't enough, I really like the added bonus of offering more support to the developers. This is one of the most responsive support sites I've ever seen for a game.

hellfrozeover · 01-24-2002, 01:00 PM

The support here is incredible. I used to play Triple Play, specifically TP 1997, then TP 2000. Then they turned me off with some really bad support and a buggy game. I e-mailed them, and it took a week for the initial response, not counting the multiple correspondance it took to fix my problem, a total of about 2 and a half weeks. That was 2 1/2 weeks of waiting after I spent $40 on a game. I tried HH2001 (a $50 game), but I didn't have any fun with it. I almost gave up on baseball sims until I tried a PC Gamer demo of OOTP3, and I bought it right away.

TigersFan23 · 01-24-2002, 07:24 PM

Actually, I believe that Markus and Co. end up doing well with STB AND OOTP going at the same time. That two separate, distinct revenue streams!

Besides, you generally make far more with on-shelf products than with on-line "shareware" or downloads. Only 3 out of 10 people who download a shareware game actually end up registering it- so you are giving your product away 70% of the time (there are exceptions, OOTP has the e-reg thing and Battlefront's Combat Mission did VERY well). Imagine how well EA would do if it gave away 70% of thier Madden 2002 PC units! 100% of the people who "try" the game out of the box pay for it (initially).

With going on the shelf requires more resources and good timing to maximize sales (i.e. like hitting a superstore reset, running promotional ads in those Sunday paper adverts, etc.) that on-line guys don't have to generally deal with.

Last year STB was hamstrung by the fact that it didn't hit shelves until mid/late June (a bad time to release a baseball title). This year is different- there is a more coordinated effort to get the word out and generate some buzz. The press release was well recieved so you should see some buzz both in print and on-line soon. Plus the game is slated to release just at the end of Spring Training- THE perfect time to release a baseball title.

Scott Vibert · 01-25-2002, 04:49 AM

Sounds good TF23, I assume you are the same guy from the original board who worked on the first version of STB.

I don't debate that off the shelf games do fairly well and they will help this game reach a larger audience as well as make those who aren't confident or comfortable in using eliscence feel at ease by buying the store version. I was should have been clearer that per unit Steve/Markus probably do better with OOTP, where as STB may very well (it probably will) reach a larger population and thereby overall do a bit better.

Besides its hard for those of us without numbers in front of us to know how well each version is doing, as I'd suspect that people who buy OOTP are more apt to go ahead and join in the discussion on the board (as they obviously had to find the site to get the game in the first place) than the STB market, who can buy the game at the store, and unless they read the box or follow links or do some research into the game may not know the site exists.

Either way its good to see STB back again.

01-23-2002, 01:02 PM	#1
LCS213 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Albany, NY Posts: 170	Gone Gold Reports Infogrames to Release STB 2003 in March. Don't know if it's been posted here or not, but for those that are interested...www.gonegold.com Just scroll down the page a bit. -Lenny S.

01-24-2002, 07:48 AM	#5
Steve Kuffrey Administrator Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: S.E. TN - Georgia born and raised Posts: 17,023	Things will probably be similar to last year where several features were left out of STB that were included in OOTP. Patches and updates for OOTP "as a general rule" came out a week to two weeks ahead of STB patches and updates. Plus STB is again only "a sure thing" for this year, while OOTP will be made again next year. So there are some differences(along with what Scott has said), how much these make to you is anybodies guess. __________________ Steve Kuffrey DABS Atlanta Braves - 2008 Eastern Division Champ *DBLC Atlanta Braves - 2011, 2014 East Division Champ, 2012, 2013 NL Wildcard Baseball Maelstrom-Montreal Expos-2013 Tourney winner, 2014 WC Team Sparky's League - Tampa Bay D'Rays Epicenter Baseball League - Astros 2014 The CBL Rewind - Phillies '95

01-24-2002, 09:07 AM	#6
Draft Dodger Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: formerly of the OTBL Posts: 4,113	just thinking out loud... it would seem based on pricing of the 2 titles that Markus stands to make more profit from sales of OOTP than STB. which gives me even more reason to buy OOTP instead of the cd version. __________________ Draft Dodger (Anarchy: Anything goes. The Draft Dodger viewpoint.) Sophmoric[sic] Member of the OOTP Boards (It's not OOTP; it's your computer) 15 GB Webhosting for $6.95 a month IMO we are best off abandoning that sinking ship that is Off Topic to the rats infesting it and just starting a whole new Baseball Forum from scratch.

01-24-2002, 09:26 AM	#8
Steve Kuffrey Administrator Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: S.E. TN - Georgia born and raised Posts: 17,023	You guys are on the right track. __________________ Steve Kuffrey DABS Atlanta Braves - 2008 Eastern Division Champ *DBLC Atlanta Braves - 2011, 2014 East Division Champ, 2012, 2013 NL Wildcard Baseball Maelstrom-Montreal Expos-2013 Tourney winner, 2014 WC Team Sparky's League - Tampa Bay D'Rays Epicenter Baseball League - Astros 2014 The CBL Rewind - Phillies '95

01-24-2002, 01:00 PM	#10
hellfrozeover All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,130	The support here is incredible. I used to play Triple Play, specifically TP 1997, then TP 2000. Then they turned me off with some really bad support and a buggy game. I e-mailed them, and it took a week for the initial response, not counting the multiple correspondance it took to fix my problem, a total of about 2 and a half weeks. That was 2 1/2 weeks of waiting after I spent $40 on a game. I tried HH2001 (a $50 game), but I didn't have any fun with it. I almost gave up on baseball sims until I tried a PC Gamer demo of OOTP3, and I bought it right away. __________________ FBA Chicago Syndicate Former Owner: WBL Minnesota Twins 2004 - 2007 AL Central Division Champs OOL Chicago Whales 2006, 2009 UL East Champs; 2006, 2009 United League Champs IBA Lehigh Valley Diamonds 2006 Governor's Cup Champions VSLB New York Yankees 2001, 2002 AL East Division Champs ILBL Commissioner/Chicago Cubs 2002 NL Central Division Champs; 2002 National League Champs ASBL New York Yankees 2006 AL East Division Champs

01-24-2002, 06:19 AM	#2
bigdawg2003 Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Austin, Texas, USA, Earth Posts: 19	<a href="http://pc.ign.com/news/41168.html" target="_blank">http://pc.ign.com/news/41168.html</a>

01-24-2002, 07:26 AM	#3
TommyBoy Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Purvis, Mississippi Posts: 137	The reported price of STB2003 is $20. Does it offer less than OOTP4?

01-24-2002, 07:39 AM	#4
Scott Vibert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: My Computer Posts: 8,209	We don't know yet.. however STB was similar to OOTP with a few small differences (I don't remember if it had the ability to import V2 leagues, and it had no challenge mode or something small like that). You do have to travel to the store to pick it up rather than downloading and playing instantly and if you break the CD you are SOL. You also are then at the mercy of Infogrames for patches to it (although they were very good about keeping the patches up to date with STB1). Steve and Markus have mentioned that they don't have control over the price of STB, which is why it may (probably will) end up once again being about $10 cheaper than OOTP, apparently Infrogrames sets the price that they think will maximize the market for the game. It should be interesting to see what differences will exist between OOTP4 and STB2 this time, to see if they justify the difference in prices. (Although it wouldn't surprise me at all if many of us still get OOTP directly from Steve and Markus)

01-24-2002, 09:21 AM	#7
Scott Vibert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: My Computer Posts: 8,209	[quote]Originally posted by Draft Dodger: <strong>just thinking out loud... it would seem based on pricing of the 2 titles that Markus stands to make more profit from sales of OOTP than STB. which gives me even more reason to buy OOTP instead of the cd version.</strong><hr></blockquote> Couple that with the guess (purely a guess) that eliscence probably gets a lot less per copy than the publisher and I'd guess that the bulk of the development teams profits would come from OOTP as opposed to STB. Of course STB helps to get the game out to the mainstream public, broadening the appeal of this game and enlarging our community.

01-24-2002, 12:00 PM	#9
Strick9 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Nashville Posts: 83	I'm using STB right now, and I can't imagine the game having any more options than i need, but I'm going for version 4. I really want to use the program without cd. If that wasn't enough, I really like the added bonus of offering more support to the developers. This is one of the most responsive support sites I've ever seen for a game.

01-24-2002, 07:24 PM	#11
TigersFan23 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 156	Actually, I believe that Markus and Co. end up doing well with STB AND OOTP going at the same time. That two separate, distinct revenue streams! Besides, you generally make far more with on-shelf products than with on-line "shareware" or downloads. Only 3 out of 10 people who download a shareware game actually end up registering it- so you are giving your product away 70% of the time (there are exceptions, OOTP has the e-reg thing and Battlefront's Combat Mission did VERY well). Imagine how well EA would do if it gave away 70% of thier Madden 2002 PC units! 100% of the people who "try" the game out of the box pay for it (initially). With going on the shelf requires more resources and good timing to maximize sales (i.e. like hitting a superstore reset, running promotional ads in those Sunday paper adverts, etc.) that on-line guys don't have to generally deal with. Last year STB was hamstrung by the fact that it didn't hit shelves until mid/late June (a bad time to release a baseball title). This year is different- there is a more coordinated effort to get the word out and generate some buzz. The press release was well recieved so you should see some buzz both in print and on-line soon. Plus the game is slated to release just at the end of Spring Training- THE perfect time to release a baseball title.

01-25-2002, 04:49 AM	#12
Scott Vibert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: My Computer Posts: 8,209	Sounds good TF23, I assume you are the same guy from the original board who worked on the first version of STB. I don't debate that off the shelf games do fairly well and they will help this game reach a larger audience as well as make those who aren't confident or comfortable in using eliscence feel at ease by buying the store version. I was should have been clearer that per unit Steve/Markus probably do better with OOTP, where as STB may very well (it probably will) reach a larger population and thereby overall do a bit better. Besides its hard for those of us without numbers in front of us to know how well each version is doing, as I'd suspect that people who buy OOTP are more apt to go ahead and join in the discussion on the board (as they obviously had to find the site to get the game in the first place) than the STB market, who can buy the game at the store, and unless they read the box or follow links or do some research into the game may not know the site exists. Either way its good to see STB back again.