WorldWorks Summer 2006

Greetings everyone,

Before I get into any update details I want to thank you with all sincerity for supporting WorldWorks. I know that all of us who work in this niche market eat humble pie every time someone sends a kind word our way or shows some “above and beyond” level of support. You’ve helped to create real jobs that support real people and that fact is never lost on us. It’s not just your dollars that keep us afloat; it’s your enthusiasm for what we do! That inspires us all and pushes us to achieve a higher standard. Thank you for that energy!

As the number of staff involved with WorldWorks has increased so has my personal workload. Unfortunately this prevents me from being as active on the public forums as I once was. Sometimes I forget that you don’t always have a clear picture of what’s being developed and just how busy things are behind the scenes. Hopefully the following will fill in a few gaps for you and give you a heads up on where things are going with WorldWorks in general.

PIRACY FORCING CHANGE:

ARRRGGG…avast ye scum! Give me yer files and lemme sharem wit me mates!

The only time piracy is fun is when it stars Johnny Depp playing his Pepe LePew, Keith Richards inspired cartoony mix of pirate. In the real world however an extremely small business like WorldWorks Games barely hangs on for survival when faced with piracy. Whether it’s a language barrier issue or simply a culture of internet indifference, people continue to share our products ignoring our continued pleas for understanding. While the multi-billion dollar music industry experiences a general upswing after launching a crusade against sharers, WorldWorks and other small money challenged businesses like us suffer a continuing spiral into darkness. We are relegated to obscurity in the media and we are literally being shared to death by a generation that for the most part feels file-sharing is a kind of birthright.

The topic of piracy has come up many times at WorldWorks over the years so many of you will already understand the chronic problems we face. Piracy saturation has affected us across the map from simple friend-to-friend sharing to file networks and even (most disgusting of all) complete compilations of our work being sold illegally all around the world. Point being, WorldWorks is known worldwide for its terrain but very few people are actually paying for the product and supporting the hard working creators that make it possible. It is simply too damn easy to share a PDF with your buddy. You can download my further thoughts on this topic by reading the last page of the Beginners Guide here: http://worldworksgames.com/store/index. ... ucts_id=13 .

All of that said and for the sake of our survival a decision has been made to make a few changes. While we will not abandon the PDF market entirely we are taking steps to add watermarking to our products. Essentially if the file is shared you will also be sharing private information about yourself with others. The watermarking system will take some time to implement and while we are at it the store will likely undergo some code enhancements, interface redesign and upgrades for a smoother shopping experience. This is a long term project so we will keep you updated on progress as it is made. And while we fully realize that this will not completely eliminate the piracy problem it should make the process a bit more difficult for casual sharers and hopefully raise our bottom line a little bit.

TANGIBLE PRODUCTS?

WorldWorks is also looking into self funded tangible products to be distributed from our online store next year 07. We have had some messy false starts with partners to create tangible products in the past but they have sadly been flawed endeavors. You may notice CDroms and pre-printed products out there from WorldWorks at various stores but it is important to note that we did not receive a meaningful return on those products. Keeping that experience firmly in mind and with the advent of new small run manufacturing techniques, we will hopefully be offering our very own tangible product lines in the near future. I can’t give you additional details until we are further down the road but it is our intent to offer an alternative product line that is resistant to piracy and incredibly easy to build. That does not mean we will be giving up on the PDF terrain market but it does mark an effort by us to create a more mainstream and approachable product format.

PROJECT UPDATES

As you know we have many projects in the development pipe. I know that many of you would like to see things moving along at a faster clip but our resources are limited and projects have a tendency to move at their own pace. I am still the only “full-time” employee here at WorldWorks with the majority of staff working on their respective projects after a long hard day at their real jobs. This is the reason we use the frontage WIP meter (work in progress) rather than giving absolute release dates. Until the business reaches a more financially stable zone this is how it will have to remain (stretched a bit thin). With only so many hours in the day we do our best to keep things rolling (sometimes at the expense of sleep ). The other reason product development seems to take so long relates directly to the amount of energy put into overall product quality and post production. We see a lot of RPG related businesses out there routinely releasing products with just plain bad production qualities and the bare minimum of effort. Sure we could release paired down versions of our work without the bells and whistles in no time flat but it simply would not be a WorldWorks Games product. Quality control is important to me and everyone who works with WorldWorks. We want to see a product shine from start to finish with a quality level that is not typically seen in small press releases. Unfortunately this takes time and requires us to do a lot of hoop jumping to get things done in a way deserving of your dollars.

Enough of my blabbing. Here’s a short breakdown of what’s in the works;

MODEL SETS

HoverForce: ZeroPoint
Developers: Ebbles Miniatures, WorldWorks Games
Description: Near future sci-fi vehicles for Mayhem and our upcoming combat game Hostile Takeover.
Status: Still in Critical Production

Hostile Takeover
Developers: Steven Caires, WorldWorks Games
Description: Near future combat, skirmish game. Utilizing WorldWorks terrain and a unique rule set full of visual videogame-like action elements. (Possibly in a tangible boxed set format with minis)
Status: Ongoing development. Critical Production

Shadowcore Prime
Developers: Paul Senior
Description: Full 3-D Sci-Fi model set focusing on an unusual alien spaceship.
Status: After a complete texture redesign late in development this product is now entering Post Production. We even have a small documentary in the works charting the course of development on Shadowcore Prime.

Codename: Black Helix
Developer: Paul Senior
Description: 2.5-D Sci-Fi
Status: Still in Pre-Production

The Streets of Himmelveil
Developers: Denny Unger
Description: Gigantic modular fantasy city infrastructure system for WorldWorks developing fantasy mega-city Himmelveil.
Status: After suffering a catastrophic hard-drive failure a few months ago Himmelveil is slowly starting to rise from the ashes. Critical Production

Codename: DarkAge
Developers: http://www.dark-age.com/ and Denny Unger WWG
Description: Building set for the DarkAge environment. Can't say much more at this point.
Status: Pre-Production

Codename: UnderWood
Developer: Denny Unger
Description: This one may be a bit too early to announce but it revolves around exterior environments.
Status: Still in Pre-Production

Thoumonts Rare Tomes
Developers: Peter Gifford
Description: Magic shop set within the context of WorldWorks developing fantasy mega-city Himmelveil.
Status: Project on hold due to Peter’s current real-life workload. Stuck at Post Production

Bits of Mayhem: Downtown
Developer: Matt Lyon
Description: Additional Mayhem “Flats” with a downtown theme. New bonus signage as well.
Status: Critical Production

Codename: Blacktop
Developer: Matt Lyon
Description: Multi-genre full 3-D mansion
Status: Currently on hold. Stuck at Critical Production

Mayhem Subway
Developer: Scott Reid
Description: Our newest member to the model design team takes a crack at a full subway expansion set for the city of Mayhem (I've seen impressive stuff so far )
Status: Critical Production

ARCRAETIA AND ADVENTURE MODULES

Missing Persons
Developers: Bob Cooper, Alberto Silva, WorldWorks Games
Description: Part of the Dark Spiral Trilogy, follow up to Something Below adventure module. Set within WorldWorks original fantasy setting Arcraetia
Status: Awaiting promotional items. Post Production

Coins of the Realm
Developers: Bob Cooper and Alberto Silva
Description: Coin sets from Arcraetia which can be printed out and used within the game. Includes counterfeit coinage
Status: Complete. Awaiting promotional items.

Dinass Ffordd Seeds of War
Developers: Joel Sparks, Matthew Cuenca, WorldWorks Games
Description: Hidden forces push Worheim and Crenn toward war. Player characters must soon choose sides. Set within WorldWorks original fantasy setting Arcraetia
Status: Awaiting final bonus models. Post Production

Flight of the Alba Star
Developers: Chris Johnson, WorldWorks Games
Description: First in a series of original WorldWorks sci-fi adventure modules
Status: Awaiting artist. Critical Production

Under the Veil
Developers: Will Belford, Leonardo Montenegro, WorldWorks Games
Description: Original adventure set within Arcraetia
Status: On Hold

Well that's about it for now. The above list doesn't cover everything that's going on but it gives you a pretty broad picture of the key projects happening right now. As you can see there is a distinct buzz of activity happening behind the scenes with everyone diligently hammering away at there respective projects. Because we are being fairly open about it and giving you some advanced insight, you should keep in mind that some of these projects may change, grow or shrink over time. Nothing is written in stone but we do our best to keep productions on a straight track.

From all of us at WorldWorks, we hope you are having a fantastic summer and we can't wait to share the rest of 2006 with you!

------------------------------
WorldWorks Games
Founder / Project Manager

Denny Unger
Site: www.worldworksgames.com

I normally am a firm opposer of DRM, but for WWG I'd be more than willing to deal with it. Especially since it sounds like you're going with the watermarks, which shouldn't be intrusive or modify how those who purchase the sets legally use them. Are you planning on taking legal recourse with those copies with watermarks that you find out in the wild?

Ahhhh, Dark Age. It makes a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach. As someone who has had Dark Age since it's first incarnation in 2002 and someone who's been part of the WWG world for about a year and a half now I'd be more than happy to be an envoy of sorts between the two if you need me to.

DriveThru's watermarks are at the bottem of the page with the name of the account that bought the product. Other ways of watermaking is placing details of the user - name, address etc, underlayers of the product. This way they are hidden from plain sight but can be found if you know where to look and how to look. I'm thinking that WWG might go down this path.


Now as the the Shadowcore Prime preview?!?! A texture sample would be great. DarkAge sound great, I know the game don't play it but will get the set(s).

Mayhem Downtown - now this is a must have. Just a request - Mayhem police signage if we can just for the flats. Even if its just a placer for a later set.

Blacktop - Mansion, cool I thought so, Hunted House here we come. Or not as the case maybe, Why is it on hold? Is it because of Downtown or are we going to see texture upgrades?

Have we the forum met Scott Reid before, in avatar format? Or is he brand-spanking new? Mmmm Subway slaughter with Widow-Maker tm Chainsaw! Do we get tain cars with that?



Great line up Denny! Really look forward to Prime and Mayhem items and anything else thats hitting soon.


Lord Abaddon of Wormwood

I am all in favor of watermarking, be it visible or hidden. Heck, being able to tap someone on the shoulder and say 'that's mine, give it back' would not bother me in the least. (I have had books and terrain lifted from me at the game store, and am a tad bitter about the whole thing, even now that store is gone.)

Just make sure that whatever you use for watermarking does not open you up for a lawsuit. (I have heard of a company that includes the purchaser's credit card information in the watermark. Sounds good, but if someone manages to hack into the computer and retrieve the information from the watermark then I really hope that the company is held liable.) Putting the purchasers name and the purchase number on the other hand seems like a sensible precaution.

Adobe DRM would be a no-sale. You probably would believe the amount of flack I have heard about companies that use it.... (Because I suspect that you have heard it too....)

As for tangible products vs. PDF... projects such as the Harbormaster or the Maiden would be very nice to have preprinted. They would make very nice gifts. Products such as Interior Works, Streets of Himmelveil, and Gothic Realms would suffer if that was the only way to obtain the peices.

Basically, the more copies that are likely to be made of the various pieces, and the more variable those peices are the better it is to have as a PDF.

One major exception to that rule - Preprinted, precut Paperlinx would make it much more likely that I would use them, but would require a laser cutter. A wee bit of an investment there.

The Auld Grump

I'm pretty sure that the watermarking technology that is used will be sufficient to stop casual pirates. And you can be pretty sure that watermarks won't be in a static location on the page, nor just limited to a visible watermarks.

The diehard pirates will find and strip files just to be able to say they did it; they're likely not the ones to be stopped, although it might be possible to slow them. Its really the generation that doesn't think twice about sharing the file that you want to jerk into an awareness of what they're doing.

I think that part of the license when buying a product ought to say that if your watermarked file is found on a public file sharing network, WWG reserves the right to transact a $1000 charge on your credit card.

E-Youth do your country proud! Good to see more of the Commonwealth making up WWG.

Funny note I find it a tad strange that a Melbournite is doing a Subway set, tram set yes but....

Maybe You Peter and I can get together at some point.

I know I have asked you before but where do you find your cardstock?


Lord Abaddon of Wormwood

Good luck with the watermarks for property protection! Hope it works as I'd hate to see WWG go out of business! I for one like your product and the only way the stuff I bought would get shared were if someone stole the files from my house!

Looking forward to a long life for WWG and lots of new and amazing terrain!

Skunk

Check out my fantasy campaign, Wizard Quest, a world using Wizards of the Coast’s 3.5 DnD system by visiting .

Check out the NEW IMPROVED flash teaser for my sci-fi campaign, , coming Jan 2007. I’ll be using D20 Future for the rules.

Check out what games I’m working on and their status by visiting .

The new and improved Tampa Bay Game Players Forum is here! So see you in the game! .

Scott try , these guys have just gotten a shipment of 190gms Single-side Coated A4 paper for about $18.

btw your shot makes you look like the new Dr. Who. Good to see the face of such builds.



Lord Abaddon of Wormwood