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Garry's Mod Goes Commercial 67

Posted by Zonk from the antlions-vs.-gmen-vs.-combine dept.
Gothic_Walrus writes "A recent entry in The Steam Review brings the news that Garry's Mod, the popular mod for Half-Life 2 that allows players freedom to play with the game's physics engine in what is effectively a sandbox mode, is going to be sold through Steam at a $10 price point. It's worth noting, however, that the current version of the mod will remain as a demo."
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Garry's Mod Goes Commercial More

Garry's Mod Goes Commercial

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  • Had to (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Southpaw018 ( 793465 ) * on Friday April 14, 2006 @08:56AM (#15128554) Journal
    To be totally honest, if I had developed Garry's Mod, I would sit down one day and say "I'd be insane not to sell this." It's fully featured, well done, and allows you to explore the exact mechanisms of the fantastic Source physics engine. If i were still into it hardcore, I'd probably throw down the $10 for the extra features in the pay version.

    This is the beauty of Steam and how independent publishing works - the same way everything else does. Have a good product that people like and enjoy using? Sell.

    • Re:Had to (Score:4, Informative)

      by rehtonAesoohC ( 954490 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @10:29AM (#15129089) Journal
      Technically, it's not the Source physics engine, it's the Havok physics engine.
      • I was under the impression that the physics engine in Source was to Havok as Half-Life's model animations and scripting abilities are to Quake 2's.
        It's not your stock Havok engine, they've done a lot of messing about under the hood.
    • This is the beauty of Steam and how independent publishing works - the same way everything else does. Have a good product that people like and enjoy using? Sell.

      And even if you don't have a good product, rip people off ;)

      ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.

      That is a logical fallacy, there is nothing cowardly about not having a login - for one thing it protects you against kiddie moderators who believe everybody which disagree with them is

  • Free Garys Mod (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CogDissident ( 951207 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @08:57AM (#15128559)
    You know, paying for garys mod is like paying for a tech demo. All this thing is used for is to play around with a graphics engine you already paid for in HL2. I really don't understand why anyone would want to pay for this. Just another tiny expansion to milk money out of peoples pockets, like selling CS for HL1 in stores when it was free online.

    • Re:Free Garys Mod (Score:5, Funny)

      by the_humeister ( 922869 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:12AM (#15128610)
      You mean like Doom 3? J/k, I liked Doom 3.

    • Re:Free Garys Mod (Score:5, Informative)

      by MindStalker ( 22827 ) <mindstalker@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:17AM (#15128637) Journal
      like selling CS for HL1 in stores when it was free online.
      The CS box in stores came with a license for HL1 as well.
      • But it cost more than HL1, and had less content to boot!
        • Cost more? Really I don't remember that, though I can imagine it would have in its first few weeks on the shelf which is the norm. I was never much involved in the CS crowd, but do remember showing people who were stupid enough to buy CS how to obtain and use their license for HL.
          • I didn't buy HL until years after CS came out. I bought it to play a mod called Natural Selection and at that time, probably circa 2001, the CS version, with no single player story, was $30 at every store in town while the 'classic' HL (including blue shift and the original mods like that tron disc mod) was $20.

    • Re:Free Garys Mod (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:32AM (#15128740)
      Just like CS for HL1, you don't have to buy Gary's mod either. There is still a free version available, and if the updates aren't worth it to you, don't buy it. The retail CS came with two things, a CD containing the executable (so you wouldn't have to d/l it) and a HL license. The price of the HL license made the purchase a reasonable one - though it might've been a more limited license, I don't remember. (Disclaimer, I didn't buy retail CS).

      The thing with the popular HL mods from CS, Day of Defeat, Natrual Selection, They Hunger, etc... is that they were all really high quality stuff, on par with anything the professionals (including Valve) sold. If paying these people a reasonable fee keeps them motivated to keep producing such outstanding content, then great. And if people find those costs too high to bear, then they'll simply move on to other things.

      I look at paying for Gary's mod a reward to Gary for providing an excellent tool, and hopefully some incentive for him (and his team) to keep going. Although I'd argue that Gary's team could've done better than a 50/50 split with Valve.
    • All this thing is used for is to play around with a graphics engine you already paid for in HL2.
      Shows how much you know.
      • My wallet is 50$ lighter, thats how much I know. Really, what else has anyone done with garysmod? Its used for comics, funny movies, and odd screen captures, I can't think of any other uses for it.

        Its a sandbox tool, a very good sandbox tool, but thats all it is.

    • In other words, you're pissed that this guy might make a couple bucks on something he probably had a good time programming. How dare he. He should be doing this in his spare time (and giving it away), while making the real money off of that web app that his PHB just told him to write.
      • I'm not opposed to the guy making a buck for himself, but I am opposed to the idea of him charging people for new versions of the same product. Donations are also a good way for people to pay you for something they think is worth it.

        The information on the steam browser leaves out that its also available freely, which means he is misleading people into paying for a free product when they won't know the difference.

        • Donations are also a good way for people to pay you for something they think is worth it.

          Oh, so you are opposed to him charging for it.

          The information on the steam browser leaves out that its also available freely, which means he is misleading people into paying for a free product when they won't know the difference.

          Ahh, the poor consumer - forever incompetent and always snookered by the evil marketers. I guess we need a new Federal law to deal with that.
        • ...I am opposed to the idea of him charging people for new versions of the same product.

          This is how Microsoft makes a profit.

          The information on the steam browser leaves out that its also available freely, which means he is misleading people into paying for a free product when they won't know the difference.

          Oh, c'mon. Valve charges $10 bucks to deliver Counter-Strike. It's a free download for Half-Life retail owners, I have never heard anyone complain about this. Steam allows game producers to sell their
  • I should have seen it coming, anything that good would eventually be commercial. I guess it won't be so bad, $10 isn't too much. It sounds like the deal will be good for Garry, too. If it keeps the updates coming, recognizing new games and adding its gfc like it says, it'll be worth it.

    As much as I hate to say it, I'd have to say I'd buy it.

  • HLComic (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Deltaspectre ( 796409 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:01AM (#15128572)
    I know, 10$ isn't a big deal, but how is www.hlcomic.com going to handle this? :P

  • Standalone? (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Asmor ( 775910 )
    So is it going to be standalone now, or will it still require HL2?

    I'd buy it in a heartbeat for $10, but I'm not the least bit interested in HL2.

    • Re:Standalone? (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "So is it going to be standalone now, or will it still require HL2?"
      Yes.

  • Good move? (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by uglysad ( 867575 )

    Garry is optimistic on the matter. "PetitionOnline will probably explode," he admits, "but eventually I think everyone will see that this is a great move".



    Indeed, this will be a great move for his bank account
    • Thats all that matters...

      Isn't it?

    • Re:Good move? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by cowscows ( 103644 )
      If getting some income on this allows him to spend more time working on the mod and less time worrying about feeding himself other ways, then it just might be a great move for the mod as a whole. Doing things just for the fun of it is nice, but it doesn't put food on the table. I think just about everyone would like the opportunity to make a little money off of their favorite hobbies. Making a living off of it would be even more nice. Making a living off of it and being your own boss is even better. If you

  • Nice to see. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rob T Firefly ( 844560 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:40AM (#15128794) Homepage Journal
    With the increasing complexity of the toys, addons, and other hacks a good game inspires, it's always good to see an independent modder make good on his or her work, especially when it's something a bit more inspired than a simple "put Barney the dinosaur into Doom" or "put a beard on Mario" hack.

  • "Price point" (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:43AM (#15128805)
    is going to be sold through Steam at a $10 price point.

    What is with this "price point" stupidity? Why can't people simply say that it will be sold "for $10", without adding a completely meaningless appendage?

    • Re:"Price point" (Score:4, Insightful)

      by PoderOmega ( 677170 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @09:50AM (#15128854)
      If I had mod points I would mod you up. "Price point" is a business speak for "cost".

      • Re:"Price point" (Score:4, Informative)

        by kjamez ( 10960 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @10:31AM (#15129105) Homepage
        "Price point" is a business speak for "cost".

        no, "cost" is business speak for "cost". "price point" is business speak for "sell price" ... which, typically, is a percentage higher than "cost" ... but, when things typically fall within a range of "costs", they all get the same "price point".

        personally, i think "price points" should be strategically set so that local taxes and whatnot make the item an nice round number, instead of the "14.99 price point" which comes out to (here) $16.29 ... THAT is ridiculous. Make it an even $16.00 and i'll be happy, and oblivious to the ever increasing sales taxes my state like to impose upon us.
        • I would prefer it if retailers could "harmonize" with all the taxes so it comes out after tax at an even $16 so I don't have to fish for change or get change back and have a jingly pocket.... (or use my credit card)
          • Some places do that, particularly local shops whose proprieters don't want to bother doing the math with every purchase.
          • that's my point: in states with no sales tax (i lived in oregon prior to tennessee) it was super convenient, because the 4.99 price point meant that you could buy it with a $5.00 bill ... not 5.49 after tax. and you have a response that says "some shops do that on a local level" but i've never ONCE experienced any store owner who would price things intentionally higher than their competitor(s) so they didn't have to do the math ... that .99 is there for psychological reasons as we aren't trained to includ
            • Ah, missed your point there, I thought you were complaining that it's hard to calculate taxes in your head for a .99 price as compared to a .00
            • I can't stand the Wendy's commerical where the college student is doing his budget, and he's lunch from Wendy's will give him 1 penny left over (that he will invest LOL!!!) because the the 99 cent menu.

              Come on, there are very few places (if any) that don't have tax. I would -love- it if something 99 cents or 4.99 actually got me back a penny from my dollor or five.
              • I can't stand the Wendy's commerical where the college student is doing his budget, and he's lunch from Wendy's will give him 1 penny left over (that he will invest LOL!!!) because the the 99 cent menu.

                Come on, there are very few places (if any) that don't have tax. I would -love- it if something 99 cents or 4.99 actually got me back a penny from my dollor or five.

                I'm not aware of any developed area that doesn't have tax at all. However, several US states don't have sales tax, such as New Hampshire and

              • Virtually every advertised or displayed price in the UK is inclusive of tax, at least at the cheaper end. Dell and other vendors of more expensive products may often exclude it from the most clearly advertised price but even then they usually show the inclusive price next to it.

                Hence, if I go to buy a can of coke that is advertised for 50p, it actually costs me 50p.
    • Some people believe a penis is a meaningless appendage for geeks...

    • Re:"Price point" (Score:3, Insightful)

      by spezz ( 150943 )
      Why can't people simply say that it will be sold "for $10", without adding a completely meaningless appendage?

      Same reason you say *completely* meaningless instead of just "meaningless". People like to embellish.
    • I'm not a huge fan of the term myself, but I think the idea is that people tend to group prices into certain mental categories. For example, there might be an "under $1" price point that people think of as basically nothing, so we're willing to spend 75 cents on a game of Tekken or a Snickers bar or something else we don't really care about. And if we think of 2 cents and 57 cents and 99 cents as basically the same amount of money, why wouldn't a company charge 99 cents?

      Same here, I'd imagine. If I'm willin
    • Because that is the cheapest "price point" i heard (ie can't backup my statement) that that is the cheapest you can sell somethign on steam. But you could always think of it as 5 oblivion mods.
  • It makes me wonder if this will become more and more common. Will more game engines allow you to sell your mod online? Right now it seems on Steam has that capability but who knows if future games will keep this in mind. I think there will always be a few free mods/skins/maps and so on, but the number may go down. The downside of course is that people that play your mod will be less and the people on servers running it will be lower as well.

    I just hope it doesnt get too out of hand, thankfully there is s
    • Here's the thing: if you sell your mod, not as many people will own it, but it'll be advertised MUCH better. Think of it this way: there were about 50 servers running Dystopia soon after it came out, but last I checked (last week) that number was down to about 7-10. And this is one of the more popular 3rd-party mods for HL2. Now take a look at HL2DM, a game that is arguably poor-featured, and the server count is huge (last I saw, over 70). And this is 1 1/2 years after release. Now granted, CS:S and DOD:S h

  • Let me clear some things up (Score:3, Informative)

    by tpemble ( 941481 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @06:05PM (#15133012) Homepage
    I'm a member of Garry's team, or the "Garry's Mod Illuminati", and there are a few things all of you should know.

    For one, I read somewhere that 9.0.4 was not worth $10 because of the amount of bugs in it. That's precisely the point: this new version is a complete rework of the entire mod. Most of the bugs (text corruption, Lua's instability, etc.) are gone, and anything that pops up will be squashed along the way. Not to mention Garry will be releasing updates every week or so.

    The mod team is not made up of robots. Most of us didn't know that we're going to get paid. As a matter of fact, I didn't know until I read that article. The point being that we're all working on this because it's a hobby. I've been following Garry's Mod since v2 and now it's more than thrilling to be able to contribute to it and have thousands of people play with what I've created. We do this because it's fun, and, like you, we don't like it when our contraption falls to pieces or when we can't read the menus because they've turned to gibberish. Garry spends a lot of time trying to decide what is best for the mod and the community, and he's worked hard on keeping it that way.

    The new additions are not minor, and more things will be added along the way. One of the most awesome features is the reimplementation of Lua. Lots of people complain that this takes away from the building aspect of the game, and that's not entirely true. The new toolmodes and post processing effects have been coded using Lua, providing us (and you) with the ability to create any toolmode or PP effect we want. Garry is also focusing on creating build and physics game modes, to emphasize the true roots of the mod.

    $10 is not a lot of money, and it's well worth it considering that without it there wouldn't even be any more updates. Garry hasn't sold out, he just found some more motivation. Besides, if you don't want to spend the money, keep playing 9.0.4, no one is stopping you.

    • $10 is not a lot of money, and it's well worth it considering that without it there wouldn't even be any more updates. Garry hasn't sold out, he just found some more motivation. Besides, if you don't want to spend the money, keep playing 9.0.4, no one is stopping you.

      Ten bucks is also the lowest price that Steam is rigged to accept. I'm not saying that Garry would have decided to charge less, given the opportunity, but he certainly could have ended up charging more. Ragdoll Kung-Fu, or Darwinia, anyone?

    • Thanks for the input. I certainly think that Garry has the right to sell his product, and I hope the quality of the mod increases because of it. I think it will.

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