Guest JeromeDevine Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) Well, Smartgear is really a very good piece of software and the creator has done a very good job. The only problem I seem to experience on my Samsung Blackjack i607 (Win Mobile SP) is that when you start playing a game, then press pause, and then resume, the speaker stars making a faint background clicking sound (I have 16-Bit Audio: On) that goes on from less than 5 seconds to sometimes even indefinitely. Do you think you can fix this? When the session is closed and the game is again loaded the problem does not sound any more until you press again 'Pause'. You know, I use it to Save/Load game states. Did anyone manage to fix this? Thanks :rolleyes: Relevant Settings are: Audio Rate: 44khz Stereo: On 16-Bit Audio: On Video Size: Fit2Win* Auto frame skip: On Quick & Dirty Rendering: Off Volume: 4 Edited December 28, 2008 by JeromeDevine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CharlyV Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 1) Change the sales model to "donate-ware" and allow people to send how much they feel like. 2) Increase the complexity of the DRM to try to combat the pirates. 3) Change the sales model to "non-registration" where purchasing the product will provide a link to a non-demo version. 4) Leave things as they are. I would very much like to continue improving this product, but it's very hard to justify. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, L.B. 1.) Not sure, how much people will donate. You can try to open several threads on some boards. Example, I see a lot of people on xda devs board which are willing to donate. 2.) Forget it, it´s like tilting at windmills. 3.) If someone spread the full version in Internet, you can no more stop it. Maybe the spreading is then much faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgwaste Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 1.) Not sure, how much people will donate. You can try to open several threads on some boards. Example, I see a lot of people on xda devs board which are willing to donate. or better yet. make a new web page with a little pizzaz with its own forum software and move things there so there can be different, easy to find topics instead of having your stuff buried with everyone elses on modaco. make it more centrally located. more community oriented. maybe get it in some app stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 1.) Not sure, how much people will donate. You can try to open several threads on some boards. Example, I see a lot of people on xda devs board which are willing to donate. 2.) Forget it, it´s like tilting at windmills. 3.) If someone spread the full version in Internet, you can no more stop it. Maybe the spreading is then much faster. thats a great idea!! xda-developers! You're bound to get many donations there and people interested in your emulation. Bitbank if you do decide to bring your project to xda-develpers start in the development and hacking section. We never get any emulators in that section, your topic will be the #1 most viewed lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest asrrin29 Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 1) Change the sales model to "donate-ware" and allow people to send how much they feel like. 2) Increase the complexity of the DRM to try to combat the pirates. 3) Change the sales model to "non-registration" where purchasing the product will provide a link to a non-demo version. 4) Leave things as they are. I would very much like to continue improving this product, but it's very hard to justify. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, L.B. I just recently read a blog discussing the topic of piracy and you can read it here: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001201.html Basically, there isn't much point to fight pirates, as you'll only alienate your paying customers. I say leave things as they are. Keep working on pumping out the features and making this the best and most efficient emulator out there and people will buy it. I've encouraged people I know to buy your software because it is the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Areophile Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 Bitbank, Personally, I think $10 is way too little to pay for a program that allows you to run 4,000+ games on your smartphone. I paid you the ten bucks like, what? Two years ago? I think you should up the cost to at least $25. BTW I run Smartgear on a T-Mobile Dash/HTC Excalibur with really no problems and great speed. My only hope is that you'll get the SNES and GBA emulated as perfectly and add it to what is already the sweetest phone App out there. On the piracy side...if they can break Photoshop in less than a week of release, what chance do you think you have? I have always thought that the best thing Smartgear does for you is advertise your awesomeness. It's a resume in an App! :rolleyes: My advice is to raise the price, continue the registration process as is and ADD SNES and GBA!! Really loving the app. Best ~ Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest asrrin29 Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 Bitbank, Personally, I think $10 is way too little to pay for a program that allows you to run 4,000+ games on your smartphone. I paid you the ten bucks like, what? Two years ago? I think you should up the cost to at least $25. BTW I run Smartgear on a T-Mobile Dash/HTC Excalibur with really no problems and great speed. My only hope is that you'll get the SNES and GBA emulated as perfectly and add it to what is already the sweetest phone App out there. On the piracy side...if they can break Photoshop in less than a week of release, what chance do you think you have? I have always thought that the best thing Smartgear does for you is advertise your awesomeness. It's a resume in an App! :rolleyes: My advice is to raise the price, continue the registration process as is and ADD SNES and GBA!! Really loving the app. Best ~ Troy Unfortunately raising the price will only increase the percentage of piracy. The only way to lower piracy with price is to lower price, but then you cut into profits in hopes that enough of a percentage of people will buy it to make up for the lost margins. People are already familiar with the $10 price. I say keep the same same price, and work on making amazing features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rushmore Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) Bitbank, I think you have two issues: One- Historic: Smartgear has not gotten enough exposure. If I had a dollar how many people have said, "Cool, what app is that?". Not a lot of people know about your amazing app and now item two comes into play: Two- Current and future (and related to historic): The WM device install base is flattening and your current user base is correlating to this. If you want to make a bunch of money on the app, you need to find a way to "port" to Android, Apple and Symbian. The growth curve for these OS's far outstrip WM and are HUGE opportunities, since NO ONE has as good an EMU app as you do. The Turbografx alone is pure gold for gamers. Apple is probably a moving target and a resource hog, but the next SDK for Android is supposed to be more efficient and Symbian is stable. If there were some way to make Smartgear for the noted OS's you could sell on the markets and make a mint. The opportunity is there. Long live Smartgear! Just hopefully on other OS's as well. My G1 begs for Smartgear love. Edited December 30, 2008 by rushmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dexstar Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 How do i play using the i900 the games run but i can't control them in any way! any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrewLight Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 1) Change the sales model to "donate-ware" and allow people to send how much they feel like. 2) Increase the complexity of the DRM to try to combat the pirates. 3) Change the sales model to "non-registration" where purchasing the product will provide a link to a non-demo version. 4) Leave things as they are. I would say *add* option 1 regardless of the sales model you decide to use. There will always be customers that feel they're getting more than their money's worth and are interested in donating. I would also suggest changing the Sales Model to be more modular, similar to MorphGear. In my opinion, $10 is a bargain for what customers are getting, but just raising the price won't fix the problem. Each Emulated system would be purchased and registered/unlocked individually for a small fee. I would say current reistered Users could be "grandfathered" in for all systems (except SNES, since that's not yet emulated in a public non-Beta release), or at least only charged a small one-time transition fee. This way when new systems are added, more sales are generated (I'm personally dying for more classics like ColecoVision & Atari) and Customers that don't want the entire SmartGear suite can simply purchase the systems they're interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgwaste Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 I would say *add* option 1 regardless of the sales model you decide to use. There will always be customers that feel they're getting more than their money's worth and are interested in donating. I would also suggest changing the Sales Model to be more modular, similar to MorphGear. In my opinion, $10 is a bargain for what customers are getting, but just raising the price won't fix the problem. Each Emulated system would be purchased and registered/unlocked individually for a small fee. I would say current reistered Users could be "grandfathered" in for all systems (except SNES, since that's not yet emulated in a public non-Beta release), or at least only charged a small one-time transition fee. This way when new systems are added, more sales are generated (I'm personally dying for more classics like ColecoVision & Atari) and Customers that don't want the entire SmartGear suite can simply purchase the systems they're interested in. If we wanted a bulky obnoxious module system that cost $10 per mod we would all use MorphGear. :/ one of my favorite things about smartgear is its all in one .exe file, all nice and neat. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrewLight Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 If we wanted a bulky obnoxious module system that cost $10 per mod we would all use MorphGear. :/ one of my favorite things about smartgear is its all in one .exe file, all nice and neat. I wasn't suggesting that there be multiple executables, nor was I suggesting it should be $10 per system. I was merely suggesting a pay-per-system format, where a single .exe could contain all systems available in SmartGear, but each system would require it's own unlock key, available for a small fee. The reason I use SmartGear over MorphGear is because I feel it's a better product, and because it is still actively being developed, which is rare for an emulator for Windows Mobile Devices. I feel having a pay-per-system sales model would not only increase revenue, but would also encourage continued development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gardndj Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Just another idea here. Open source smart gear and make it into a project so that other developers can get involved. There are plenty of individuals who donate their time and effort, for free, to open source projects every day because they enjoy using the program and would like to see it improve, and I'm sure the same would apply to Smartgear. That would allow for option 1 (donate-ware) to fund project expenses and move more of the burden of updating off your shoulders as more individuals get involved. Making Smartgear open would allow for ports to other mobile os's as well. Whichever way you decide to go, I definitely would like to see an updated web site with a built in forum, Sourceforge would be a great spot to host it if you went open source. Establishing a presence on other winmo forumns would be a good idea as well. I've had a great experience using Smartgear on my Q9H (only gb emu that works), and I look forward to the upcoming releases, especially for a working snes and gba emu. I've used the new beta, and the only bug I can find is that Smartgear's homescreen looks messy on my 320x240 screen since the recently played game icons cover up half the logo. Otherwise, it seems good to go and fixes the issues in the last release. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bitbank Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Just another idea here. Open source smart gear and make it into a project so that other developers can get involved. There are plenty of individuals who donate their time and effort, for free, to open source projects every day because they enjoy using the program and would like to see it improve, and I'm sure the same would apply to Smartgear. That would allow for option 1 (donate-ware) to fund project expenses and move more of the burden of updating off your shoulders as more individuals get involved. Making Smartgear open would allow for ports to other mobile os's as well. Whichever way you decide to go, I definitely would like to see an updated web site with a built in forum, Sourceforge would be a great spot to host it if you went open source. Establishing a presence on other winmo forumns would be a good idea as well. I've had a great experience using Smartgear on my Q9H (only gb emu that works), and I look forward to the upcoming releases, especially for a working snes and gba emu. I've used the new beta, and the only bug I can find is that Smartgear's homescreen looks messy on my 320x240 screen since the recently played game icons cover up half the logo. Otherwise, it seems good to go and fixes the issues in the last release. Thanks. I appreciate all of the suggestions, but I think the best option is to just leave things the way they are. I'm not going to open source it because I still create commercial emulation products that are based on much of this source. I'm going to fix the Genesis code and put up a new build this weekend. All existing customers will get it for free. Any last minute requests before I make this 1.1.1 build official? L.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgwaste Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) I appreciate all of the suggestions, but I think the best option is to just leave things the way they are. I'm not going to open source it because I still create commercial emulation products that are based on much of this source. I'm going to fix the Genesis code and put up a new build this weekend. All existing customers will get it for free. Any last minute requests before I make this 1.1.1 build official? L.B. honestly, i think SNES is what everyone is looking forward to the most. in fact, ill throw another $50 at you if the next version allows me to play zelda 3 :rolleyes: Edited January 10, 2009 by tgwaste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kburkhart84 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 honestly, i think SNES is what everyone is looking forward to the most. in fact, ill throw another $50 at you if the next version allows me to play zelda 3 :rolleyes: Though games and dollar amounts may vary, I think this speaks for all of us. I personally like zelda 3, along with the FF series. There are so many classics on the SNES that everyone has to have atleast one or two they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnambler41577 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Though games and dollar amounts may vary, I think this speaks for all of us. I personally like zelda 3, along with the FF series. There are so many classics on the SNES that everyone has to have atleast one or two they want. I know I am right there with you! The games I like are Super Metroid, Zelda 3, Chrono Trigger, FF series, Terranigma, Star Ocean, Earthbound, Secret of Evermore...etc. The SNES had a lot of great games! Especially the RPG's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeeey Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 I know I am right there with you! The games I like are Super Metroid, Zelda 3, Chrono Trigger, FF series, Terranigma, Star Ocean, Earthbound, Secret of Evermore...etc. The SNES had a lot of great games! Especially the RPG's! super mario RPG was one of my favorites. Also kirby superstar I think it was, and of coarse Super Metroid. Is zelda 3 the same thing as Zelda - A Link to the past? Cause that one is one of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgwaste Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 super mario RPG was one of my favorites. Also kirby superstar I think it was, and of coarse Super Metroid. Is zelda 3 the same thing as Zelda - A Link to the past? Cause that one is one of my favorites. yes, z3 is lttp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kburkhart84 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Yeah, I had forgotten to mention Metroid 3(Super Metroid) and Chronotrigger. I think of all console systems, the SNES had the best library of games overall. I can't really say the the Playstation series or N64 even touched it. The genesis had some gems, but the SNES just takes it out completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Torrast Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I've tried reading through as much of this thread as possible, but after so many pages I'm just going to post hoping that I am not repeating something that has already been stated. I would actually be ready to drop the cash right now to purchase Smartgear, but the biggest thing holding me back is (what I feel is) the woefully inadequate touchscreen controls. The main requirement for any emulator is the ability to see the game, for obvious reasons, but a close second to this is to be able to control the in-game environment in a way that is convenient and effective. While many devices have directional keys for movement and one can simply use the screen for your typical A-B-C buttons, some devices (such as the Touch Pro) do not have a directional pad that will work reliably. While it is also true to say that a person with such a device can simply slide out the keyboard and remap the controls, it is hard to go from, say, gnuboy to Smartgear due to the drastically different onscreen controls which affect the convenience (who wants to slide out their keyboard just to play a Gameboy game? The bulkiness would almost match using an actual Gameboy Advance SP), and overall usability of the program. Gnuboy, for all its faults, does at least have good on-screen controls, even if the Start and Select buttons need to be mapped to one of the face buttons. I also find, for whatever reason, that the A-B-C touchscreen option does not appear to function on the Touch Pro (HTC Fuze in my case, to be specific) and instead the entire screen functions as a pause button, but even if it did, I really cant justify paying for a program that gives an inferior control scheme to my device, as I would still be unable to use the directional controls on the screen :D. Another note about the touchscreen controls: The directional pad setting for the touchscreen puzzles me, as it appears that, to press upward on the keypad, I have to have at least part of my hand covering the screen, which doesn't really make sense to me, but perhaps that is something you get used to. That said, the grid for controls you have set up now may still work, if it were possible to make the grid something like 9x9 or higher, and the end user could assign functions to each individual section of the screen, each person could create their own control arrangement. Either that, or bring a more user friendly touchscreen control scheme in the vein of gnuboy or Pocketnester. For things like SNES games, I think one must accept that the keyboard will need to be pulled out due to the multitude of buttons required to play games that require the shoulder buttons (maybe in landscape mode it would be doable), but for systems like the NES, Gameboy, and even the Genesis for games that do not require the 6 button controller, most functions should be available via the touchscreen for a truly convenient and enjoyable experience. I'd be fine paying double your current cost for a program that could deliver Smartgear's compatibility and performance with the usability of other emulators (but you can leave the price the same too, haha :) ). This probably comes across as a huge bitch session, but honestly I am very pleased to see such an excellent emulation product available; it obviously has a lot of potential and you have clearly taken your time to put out a superior product. If you can sufficiently improve the usability for us touchscreen users, I'll be the first one in line to order! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Seberus Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) That was exactly my point, and I mentioned it already about 3 times, but obviously the comment was ignored all the time. I had more hope, that the function would be implemented now due to L.B. having now proper Touch Screen Devices himself, but it didnt make its way into his requested features list, so I guess people who have a PDA with a insufficent amount of keys or those, that dont wanne use their Keyboard for whichever Reason just wont find the Software very attrective. Edited January 13, 2009 by Seberus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Curious D Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 (edited) I have been looking to replace my 8125 for a few months now. I was hoping that the Xperia would come to AT&T as a subsidized phone, but of course, after waiting nearly a year, that didn't happen. More and more, I'm seeing phones that will not support portrait mode gaming (with the lack of a usable Dpad or enough buttons). I suppose it makes sense since simplicity wins out most of the time with devices and now smartphones are no longer the technogeeks' toys. But I'm also noticing that gaming emulation isn't what it was only a few years ago. Those who helped the rest of us with gaming nostalgia understandably will begin to lose interest or are too busy with their real lives to continue. I don't see as many program options coming out to replace older emulation programs. (I haven't found any Windows Mobile MAME development in over two years.) With these two factors, I'm beginning to think that I won't be able to play the old games (uh, really old games) on my next phone. Sure, there will be other games to help pass the time, but I'm a bit of an 'ol sentimental nut. Edited January 18, 2009 by Curious D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bitbank Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 That was exactly my point, and I mentioned it already about 3 times, but obviously the comment was ignored all the time. I had more hope, that the function would be implemented now due to L.B. having now proper Touch Screen Devices himself, but it didnt make its way into his requested features list, so I guess people who have a PDA with a insufficent amount of keys or those, that dont wanne use their Keyboard for whichever Reason just wont find the Software very attrective. If you guys are not happy with the current touchscreen controls, would an oncreen control panel work better for you? Would you be happier with something like this? L.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgwaste Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 If you guys are not happy with the current touchscreen controls, would an oncreen control panel work better for you? Would you be happier with something like this? L.B. ide be happier with a new release :) /me hides... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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