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Steal in-game stuff, earn real-world money in The Castle Doctrine's crazy contest
Who says (virtual) crime doesn't pay? Jason Rohrer, developer of controversial house defense and burglary game The Castle Doctrine, is taking $3,000 from the game's alpha-period earnings and offering it up as a bounty to any and all players during a special contest to celebrate the game's impending January 29 release date. The current exchange rate is $146 in-game dollars to $1 real-world dollar, so the more money you have in game, the more money you can claim. While the $3,000 bounty will be divided amongst all players, only the best (worst?) criminals can also win some other real-life prizes. The top eight players will receive various items that touch on Rohrer's personal history. Sixth through eighth place will receive a $50 gift card to Custom Cartridge, a guns and ammunition store Rohrer visited, second through fifth place will receive an anti-burglary device known as a Door Devil, while first place gets a dog club - "the club that started it all," as Rohrer describes it. Each of the top eight players will also get to have their favorite in-game painting become a real-life, 20x20" giclee-printed canvas. Players have until 5 p.m. Pacific on Monday, January 27 to amass their virtual fortune, at which point Rohrer will take a snapshot of the server database. The top eight players will be ranked according to their house value, so long as that house is on the public house list, and not kept private. You can read more about the contest, as well as its rewards and rules, on the official Castle Doctrine site.
Castle Doctrine dev says sales hurt players, developers
Oh boy, look! It's that game you like, and it's 20 percent off right now! Sales are great, aren't they? Well, The Castle Doctrine developer Jason Rohrer doesn't think so. Rohrer argued on his blog that rampant sales create a "culture of waiting," where players wait for a good sale before pulling the trigger on a game, which in turn makes launches weak and early adopters disappointed. Take that hypothetical game from earlier. You're ready to bust out the wallet for the 20 percent off price. But wait, what if it goes down to 30 percent off? Or 40 percent? Even 50 percent? Potential buyers can wait indefinitely, which Rohrer argues hurts the developers. "Launch weeks become weak, and developers grow to depend on sales for financial survival," Rohrer posted on his blog last week. "This waiting game is likely decimating your player base and critical mass at launch by spreading new players out over time." Rohrer also pointed out how he believes sales hurt early adopters: "To put it bluntly: sales screw your fans," Rohrer wrote. "Your fans love your games and eagerly await your next release. They want to get your game as soon as it comes out, at full price. But they are foolish to do that, because a sale is right around the corner." To counter the culture of sales, Rohrer will be offering his own game, The Castle Doctrine, at a pricing scheme that is the "inversion" of the sales business model. The game, in alpha state, is available now for $8. When it comes to Steam on January 29, it will cost $12. One week after launch, it will rise to the full price of $16, which Rohrer wrote that it will remain forever. "Anyone feel burned by that plan?" he asks.
Free for All: The Castle Doctrine takes griefing and grieving to a new level
The Castle Doctrine, the new pseudo-MMO by indie star Jason Rohrer, asks players to fill the shoes of a paranoid home owner who needs to protect his wife, kids, and home at almost any cost. Even the title of the game is based on a law that states that a person has the right to use force to defend personal space or abode, which should help you understand what Rohrer is trying to create. If you look at his official blog, you'll find out that his family was the victim of a dog attack while living in a New Mexico neighborhood. His experiences led to the creation of this art project. In the game, players build up home defenses but also try to break into neighbor's houses, dodging menacing dogs and traps. Imagine a game that plays a bit like tower defense with permadeath: If you are unsuccessful in breaking in to a house, you have to start over with a brand-new home and family. Of course, the title has brewed plenty of controversy, especially considering that you can play only as a man and that the highest in-game payout comes when you murder someone else's wife. The game is a man-on-man murder simulation where the woman and children are all property.
Jason Rohrer's The Castle Doctrine burgles with friends, out now
The Castle Doctrine is a massively multiplayer indie game about home defense, burglary and the lengths a desperate man will travel to ensure his family's safety. The Castle Doctrine comes from Jason Rohrer, the developer of Sleep is Death, and it's available now for PC, Mac and Linux as a public alpha for $8, half off its eventual full price.The game has no DRM, and one purchase includes access to all future updates and a lifetime account on the main game server. The Castle Doctrine is open source: Each purchase comes with PC and Mac builds, and the full source code bundle that can be compiled on Linux. The source code bundle includes the server software, enabling players to establish and run their own servers, should they wish.Check out The Castle Doctrine (and check out, if you like it) right here.
Jason Rohrer's massively multiplayer game, The Castle Doctrine
Jason Rohrer, the developer behind such unconventional cult hits as Diamond Trust of London, Sleep is Death and Inside a Star-Filled Sky, has a new game in the works titled The Castle Doctrine. It's "a massively multiplayer game of burglary and home defense" and will come soon to PC, Mac and Linux, according to its official site (which is pretty barebones at the moment).The website does reveal a few images, two of which are side-by-side above, showing what we can assume is The Castle Doctrine, unless Rohrer is trying to really confuse everyone. It looks to be a top-down, 2.5D pixel-fest with puzzles and some things covered in blood. How fun.
