The Gamer's Quarter

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

I don't think there's a dedicated thread for non-staffers to suggest and discuss ideas for our favorite quarterly magazine.

So here one is!

And here's a thought!

What do you think about making an HTML duplication of the PDF pages a la Escapist? The reason I suggest this is that it makes referencing, accessing, and recommending specific articles much simpler. I understand a problem might be that a bunch of work is put into the PDF layout and that having a PDF helps distinguish the mag, but I propose that having each page discretely accessible on the web as well would be a great addition and greatly improve readership and enjoyment.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:26 pm Post subject:

the primary problem with your suggestion is bandwidth.

not to crush your dreams.
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Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

Yeah, bandwidth is our public enemy no. 1 here. I'd suggest setting up a page for donations from readers or something, but I don't know how well Shaper would go for that.

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

Fair enough. Without making much money off of mag sales and ads it would probably be too expensive to host each page online as is.

However. I'm curious now, so I want to reason through this myself.

What about taking out the images and just having text like most other web sites? Except for the comic, of course...

I'm not privy to GQ data, but to generalize, Yahoo's hosting plan now has I think 500GB data transfer a month for $40 or 200GB for only $10. A 2000 word web page is what, 12KB or so? Plus the GQ image which would be another 10KB? So each article averages about 25KB? Say it is read a million times. Would that be 25GB? Correct my mental math if I'm wrong... Now say those million read all, oh, 15 articles. That's just 375GB. Of course, then there's the rest of the site and the PDF downloads...

But you also have to figure that having it online might cut down on expensive PDF downloads. 500 or so KB per issue online is almost 15 times cheaper than 7MB(!) for every PDF downloaded.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

As far as cutting costs/raising funds, there's bound to be some creative (or simply different) ideas.

One way I guess is to embrace torrents. You might have less ability to track downloads, but I'm sure there are crude workarounds to get an estimate. The torrent would be free, of course, and you can ask for a donation of at least 10 or 25 cents for a direct download.

Or if you don't want to do that specifically, I don't see much wrong with asking for donations. I mean, I wouldn't have a request on the front page or anything, just when you go to download an issue, a page will come up asking for a donation of a dollar per issue if you like what you read with an explanation of bandwidth cost. If just ten people do that, then you have a couple hundred GB bandwith paid for.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

GSL · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:09 am Post subject:

Not to piss in anyone's cornflakes, but the reasoning behind TGQ being in the formats it currently is could also have something to do with the authorial intent as well.

Maybe TGQ was intended to be a comprehensive package--images, comics, and text--and PDF was the best means of delivering that vision online and in consistent format that looks the same on each computer that's downloaded. People could strip images out of an HTML version to make it load faster, and web browsers could rearrange and even mangle the text, but PDF ensures that the Gamer's Quarter as envisioned by Shaper and co. provides the same vision to the readers.

Just idle speculation, mind you.

Toto · 4th Man Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 122

I have a question.
It comes from my reaction to this issue of GQ. Issue 5 I thought was great. I really thought it was spectacular. But 6, not so much, because it seemed to be less about games and more about concepts of gaming. I read the articles about games (such as dessgeegas articles about Shiren), and I like Faithless' one about Sega, but some of the others I was not so enthusiastic about. Is this a diretion you staffer guys have taken with the mag, or is it just a one time sort of thing?

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

It's absolutely possible that your speculation is correct, GSL, but I don't expect that to be the case. The purpose in publishing anything is to get it to the public. To my mind, periodicals need to make it to market faster than any other readable to be of popular interest or consequence, hence it would make no sense to limit oneself to only a couple distribution models in the name of Art. I sez accept donations (maybe even submit to some less-obtrusive text ads on the front page) and keep diversifying distribution until the whole world knows about TGQ. Providing the PDF and/or a lo-tech text-only copy through a subscribable mailing list would be my pick of first steps; it's free and easy to set up with any number of places; Yahoo and Google both have stuff like that. Once people see what TGQ has to offer, five bucks plus shipping for a full-colour copy for their shelf is going to seem real cheap. Actual text on the site can wait until finances are looking healthy enough to support it.

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

I think these are all really good ideas but it comes down to what The Boss (Shaper) wants to do. I think he's more concerned with keeping a unified image of the magazine across formats, so the PDF and hard copies are the way to go. If we did text only online version and such then we'd have some people just reading one version over another, which isn't bad in and of itself but those of us closest to the process the time and amount of work put into each issue demands that we want as many people as possible to see the entirety of the fruits of our labor. However at the same time we still see continued demands for alternative methods of distribution so I definitely think it is something we (most notably Shaper) should look into.

SuperWes · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject:

Hey guys!

Yeah, the topic of HTMLized TGQ comes up often 'round here, and I have a feeling Shaper and I have a similar mindset about it. Contrary to popular belief, the reason TGQ doesn't do a text-only version has nothing to do with bandwidth and has everything to do with resources. Our top priority is to put together the pdf version. It's a pdf because we want TGQ to emulate the reading of a book as much as possible, not only for authorial intent (that does play a large part in it), but also because it's what we send to the printers to get our books made.

The final goal is these books, and that's why we've been doing the magazine the way it's done. That said, I don't think anyone has any real problems with also distributing it through an HTML Escapist style, except for the fact that it would be a whole lot of work, probably just as much work as putting together the magazine itself, and it's just not very much fun work.

So yeah, if anyone knows a shortcut to automatically formatting an illustrator file in clean, nice-looking html, let me know. It might be a fun experiment.

-Wes
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nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

I've never done it myself so I can't attest to the quality, but you can get PDF to HTML converters online. A google search revealed a free one on Adobe's web site. Again, not sure how well these things work...
_________________
Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Well, it looks like I am not too needed here, but I might as well chip in my opinion too.

GilloD · . Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 33

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

Yeah, that's kinda what I mean too, just in case my intent was misinterpreted. Though I'm more for discrete online access (without the page just being an image) than a stand-alone text document, though not to ignore the potential value of a txt document...

I love the PDF and think the book is the best way to go. I'm just saying there are many times when I want to have someone read an article and it might be too much of a hassle to download, open and browse a PDF document (I mean, it's not of course, but if someone doesn't really want to read it and is just doing it because I asked them to...). Or, for that matter, if I just want to read an article myself when I'm not on my laptop at home and don't feel like downloading the PDF yet again.

But I understand it would be more work if anything more than a simple text page is done. Perhaps someone new wants to volunteer? I'm way too busy now myself.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

Lestrade · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:08 pm Post subject:

Taking a 100+ page book and creating a non-shitty HTML version of its contents is a pretty big task. I know this because both sides of this transfer are, you know, my job every day.

Setting up a TGQ website with templates for articles could certainly be done, and then each subsequent issue could be translated as such. But I don't think this is Shaper's vision.

(He's like fucking George Lucas, man! Get us out of here! Call the cops!)

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I have a different idea than this idea!

Shapes, what do you think the feasibility of a special issue with a pack-in CD would be?

Wilkes · milky wilkie Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 256

i think you should turn the magazine into a weekly.

I fucking dare you.
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ApM · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:05 pm Post subject:

Dark Steve, we considered a coverdisc for issue 2, since I wrote a damn game for it. But then we didn't end up even publishing issue 2 on paper, so I guess the moral is that coverdiscs kill babies.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I just thought it'd be a good theme. The FREE GAMES issue. David drawing a faux soviet propaganda cover with servbots.

dhex · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:32 pm Post subject:

i'm gonna get some prices for shits and giggles, but i'm thinking somewhere around 90 cents per cd up to 200. with black thermal printing on it.

what would go on this fabulous cd?
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Freeware, maybe with an emphasis on weirder stuff like homebrew GBA games or some such. Interactive Fiction. Insert credit IF contest 1.1 entries (watch that space). Shits and giggles freebies like TGQ wallpaper. A dessgeega superplay/demo reel video. Other stuff, I bet.

Of course, someone would need to do the rounds what with editing and securing permission for distribution. Which, I might volunteer for. Maybe. Possibly. The trouble being that in terms of windows software, I'm pretty much helpless and would probably need someone to do it with me. I guess an alternative idea would be to focus on stuff that's multiplatform (java/flash games, homebrew that runs nice in an emulator, stuff with at least binaries for both windows and OSX), although that sounds like it would be even more work.

Something to think about, though. Hmm.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Yea, we were originally going to include Seiklus with the Toups interview on the disc for issue two, but that completly fell through. We were also going to include a high-res version of the magazine on the CD which would be like 50+mb to put online and doesn't load as fast. As it is things are still just on the verge of breaking even so spending more money is kind of hard, and we would have to increase the price per issue. But yes, at one point a CD was totally planned.
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

SuperWes · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:08 am Post subject:

Also: We should totally start a podcast.

-Wes
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ryan · . Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 999

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

GSL · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:16 pm Post subject:

"Haha, you dumb bastard. It's a sailboat."

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

"A schooner is a sailboat, dummy-head."
_________________
“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

Lestrade: I'm uncertain, but I may have found a way to preserve the look and feel of the articles while granting them the opportunity to appear in Google searches. This application apparently does a decent job of converting Illustrator files to XAML, which looks to be up to the task.

Toto · 4th Man Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 122

Please do a GQ podcast.
It is has infinite potential.

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:24 am Post subject:

Does someone want to let the cat out of the bag? Dhex maybe? Someone?

-Wes
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dhex · Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

YOUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. DETAILS TO FOLLOW. ~ god
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ApM · Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:24 am Post subject:

Sneak preview?

Six · . Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 313 Location: montreal

SuperWes · Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:25 pm Post subject:

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

I would subscribe if you offered a year's subscription at the same price as four individual issues.

Bonus surpriZe swag would cause me to squee repeatedly and spout about TGQ to anyone who will listen.

Never, ever underestimate the appeal of "less hassle", nor, conversely, More Slack.

Edit: If I asked really nicely is there some way I could reserve a copy each of all issues from #5 onward? I just don't have the scratch right now, but I ought to in a few months, and I want to keep my collection complete.

GilloD · . Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 33

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

Given that international shipping doubles the price of an issue, I'd like to be able to reserve my copies and get them delivered annually. For less postage, see?

simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

Podcasts on CD with subscribed copies? Shipping charges reduced or negated for subscriptions? That one'd probably go a long way for me. Not having to think about the whole "preorder and it'll be out in 2 months thing" would be nice.

Something I think TGQ could do in general would be have a set date for releases, so you could say in each issue "Next issue available September 15th" or "Hard copies ship August 3rd" or something like that, even if it means pushing releases back a couple days for certainty's sake, it might mean something tangible for a non-forumite to be reminded each time he looks at the last issue exactly when he can get the next one.