HI Michael and All, Michael, thanks for your note.
As an XBox owner myself, while it would certainly be great to have more accessible titles on the platform, I’m just not sure I may be explaining the situation as clearly as I can, and I’m sorry for that. When I say we do not have the resources for cross-platform development, it’s not as if we do not have access to actual machines if we needed them. What I mean is that in regard to our development time, we would not be able to manage all of the hours that would need to go into this work. this isn’t even getting into payment for our time. So regarding porting titles to XBox when we would already not be able to continue Windows development is just not in the cards as things stand right now. I’ve been on this list a while, as you all have, and I can’t help but note that this type of discussion seems to come up again and again over the years, and I have to wonder why this is? anyone developing games for this community, whether they be an individual or a company, seems to run into the same questions / concerns. Why is this? Draconis is an ongoing endeavor which we would love to have as a main source of support for us and our families in our day-to-day work. We simply cannot make that happen if we’re constantly asked to basically give up everything that we have and all past efforts as a donation. Yes, there are some circumstances that would absolutely warrant this. If we were no longer supporting these games at all, for example, but this is not the case. We are simply porting these titles from Microsoft to Apple. If we gave away everything that the company has, then how would we be able to do anything for the community at all? -let alone attempt to sustain the company? In all seriousness, short of finding an angel investor, there is usually no way to develop for the blind community in any kind of a sustainable way. If you or anyone else has leads on funding that could assist us, I would absolutely be open to suggestions. Again, this is absolutely a serious question. We would certainly be open to real avenues that would sustain the company for growth and further development efforts. I hope this offers a bit more clarity and discourse on this. thanks again for your suggestions and please feel free to continue the great discussion. Cheers! Cara > On May 16, 2023, at 2:09 PM, Michael barnes <c...@samobile.net> wrote: > > I would like to make another suggestion. Port your titles to the xBox since > there are a lot of blind people on that platform. > Do think about releasing the Windows version of the games free since Windows > version of the games are not going to be supported. > > >> On May 15, 2023, at 6:34 PM, Cara Quinn <caraqu...@caraquinn.com> wrote: >> >> >> Hi all, >> >> First off, let me thank you for all of the support we’ve gotten in regard to >> our announcement today. >> >> It really means a lot to us and really is an inspiration as we move forward. >> >> We also want to extend our understanding and apologies to all of you who >> feel excluded or left out. This is absolutely not our intention, and I hope >> that is obvious. :) We would never dream of making members of our own >> community feel that way. >> >> Our decision really has to come down to what we can and can’t provide. As we >> mentioned, we are a small company and we want to do the best we can to >> continue to provide the highest-quality products that we can produce, so >> that we can offer the rich gaming experience that you’ve come to expect from >> us, and that we hold ourselves to offering. >> >> Regarding the platforms that we will be available on; We are not limiting >> ourselves to any one of the Apple platforms. For now, change Reaction and >> Silver Dollar are available on the Mac because of their older code-base. We >> are planning to update these to bring them to all apple platforms. Going >> forward, we are planning on all titles being available on all Apple >> platforms. The only exception to this might be the Apple Watch as some games >> may not be appropriate for the small format. So I hope this clears this up. >> >> Again, our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. We sure hope that >> you choose to come along for the ride with us. As I said, your support and >> excitement really go a long way to keeping us doing what we do. >> >> We hope you’ll be with us on this journey. >> >> Cheers! >> >> Cara >> >> >> >> >> >>> On May 15, 2023, at 10:51 AM, Cara Quinn <caraqu...@caraquinn.com> wrote: >>> >>> It's been a long while, but it's finally time to announce the start of a >>> new chapter for Draconis Entertainment, LLC. The dragon is awakening yet >>> again! >>> >>> This new incarnation of the company brings big and exciting changes. We >>> will explain those and some of our plans for the future here, but know that >>> we aren't spilling all the beans quite yet. What fun would that be! >>> >>> The world has moved on! >>> >>> Our first announcement is that we are bringing new and enhanced versions of >>> our classic games, along with brand-new titles, into the modern age and on >>> to Apple platforms, with an emphasis on iPhone! Thanks to VoiceOver, the >>> overwhelming majority of the visually impaired community has access to at >>> least one of Apple's operating systems, and this will make our games >>> available to the widest possible audience. It's hard to believe sometimes, >>> but that little rectangle of glass we all carry in our pockets has >>> infinitely more power than any of the PCs or Macs that our legacy titles >>> were developed on, and with the tight integration of Apple's operating >>> systems, we will be able to easily make new releases available for iPhone, >>> iPad, Mac, or AppleTV going forward. This approach means that we can >>> integrate newer technologies like full 3D spatial audio, touch and >>> accelerometer interaction, and support for console game controllers and >>> advanced haptics. >>> >>> What does this mean for our Windows products? >>> >>> We know how beloved these games have been over the years—we love them >>> too—and we want to bring all of them, with expansions and new features, >>> into the twenty-first century, so they can be enjoyed by new and old >>> generations of gamers alike. The support cost for the original Windows >>> games, some of which were new when Nintendo 64 was the hot ticket and Xbox >>> didn't yet exist, is simply too high to manage for a small company like us, >>> while also investing in the future. >>> >>> We will be bringing our Windows development to a close and giving these >>> games new life on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AppleTV. That said, for the time >>> being, we will continue to offer downloads of the installation packages for >>> our legacy catalog on our site, and customers who purchased them may >>> request replacement keys within reason. (For more details, see the Legacy >>> section of our new website at https://draconis.llc.) >>> >>> Back in March, the legacy Draconis Score Server (DSS) and Draconis Online >>> License Factory (DOLF) for the Windows versions of ChangeReaction 2 and >>> SilverDollar, migrated to a new host and received some modernization. As >>> you've already seen, this brought much needed stability to both of those >>> services. >>> >>> So what’s up first? >>> >>> With all of that in mind, we're pleased to introduce major updates to the >>> Mac versions of ChangeReaction and SilverDollar. Freed from the >>> cross-platform constraints of developing for both macOS and Windows, we >>> have been able to add some new features to these titles. The most exciting >>> of which is full-support for any of the console game controllers supported >>> by Apple platforms. These include the PlayStation DualShock 4 or DualSense >>> 5, the Xbox X / S controllers, the Nintendo Switch JoyCons, any MFI >>> controller, and others. SilverDollar now includes a great deal of new and >>> remastered audio, support for Apple Silicon, and countless bug fixes and >>> tweaks. >>> >>> These upgraded titles will be available as free updates to anyone who >>> purchased them previously from the Mac App Store. SilverDollar 2.0 is out >>> now and is available for free. ChangeReaction 3.0 will have its price >>> reduced to $4.99 in the US when it is reintroduced in the coming weeks. >>> (Prices will vary based on exchange rates.) >>> >>> Looking forward, the development to bring a mix of new and familiar titles >>> to life is well-underway, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been >>> working on! The future is bright. >>> >>> We know the dragon has been sleeping for a very long time. We appreciate >>> your patience and support more than we can say. Thank you for the last >>> twenty years. We hope you'll join us as the dragon is reborn. >>> >>> >>> Cheers! >>> >>> Cara >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#126252): https://groups.io/g/blind-gamers/message/126252 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/98907957/21656 Group Owner: blind-gamers+ow...@groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/blind-gamers/leave/607459/21656/1071380848/xyzzy [arch...@mail-archive.com] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
