|
|
|
 Topic Locked
|
|
| |
|
poohween |
 General Member |
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 2/2/2007 |
|
B-Day: 9/27/1972 (53) |
|
Posts: 250 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
10:53:38 AM |
IP Logged |
|
Great idea for the lack of funds for the server bill. Make it MANDITORY, for anyone who wants to download all of these great courses, a $5.00 a month donation. If we get EVERYONE to chip in a measly $5.00, that should help go a long way in the server bill each month. I know more than 60 people use this sight to download courses. So, if you have 100 or more people using this sight each month, that comes to $500. More than enough to pay the server bill. For ANY of you that balk at this idea, just step back and look at it from my stand point. You mean to tell me that, you are getting to download all of these courses, isnt worth $5.00 of entertainment a month? I am all for it, and I think I speak for some of you others too. I am interested to see what direction this idea will head in. But if anyone decides to push ahead, I would like to see a thread posted somewhere in this forum, of Monthly Contributers. Thats only fair for the ones who do and will pay. All others will need to pay, or do without. So, you guys were looking for a solution, well here it is. I hope you take some sort of action with this. Good luck!
Chuck |
| |
| |
|
poohween Signature |
|
| Trust your line. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Hyno Designs |
|
General Member |
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 10/24/2004 |
|
B-Day: 10/30/1976 (49) |
|
Posts: 752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
12:06:00 PM |
IP Logged |
|
That is not a bad idea to help out funding the course sourse. My only question is what kind of $$$ does all these google adds bring in a month.....I saw the sign that donations were down and that the server costs were higher than the donations......
About the designers......I know the Ea Bylaws states you cant sell the courses you make, at the same time, I still feel that the designers and the creators of the libs should get paid some kind of royality fee. Now $5.00 a course or $2.00 a course will still add up....The Links courses you can sell, hopefully they will update that game, cause I know, which game I would design for..... |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Hyno Designs |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 10/24/2004 |
|
B-Day: 10/30/1976 (49) |
|
Posts: 752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
12:36:39 PM |
IP Logged |
|
| edited by: Hyno Designs on
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
12:38:00 PM
|
| |
Now, before some one gets the wrong idea here. The TW Designs have always been free for download. Personally I think it takes a heck of a long time to built something for this game. I just think that designers should get something in return for their hard work. Yes this could be turned in to a part time business. Even if something like this was possible it would be hard to say what would be fair.
Right now, what I have done is assisted with some real course projects. Some of the clubs want to change a tee box, green or bunkering. The big thing now days seems to be tree removal and extra yardage. What I can provide is a computer version of the old hole, and than implements the changes so the real architect or the board can make a decision if they want to implement the actual changes to the course. It is pretty simple to show visually on the Tiger Woods game, by use of the hole fly overs. You can even play it. At that point you can look at it and come up with other ideas also. What this does is saves a ton of money, by being able to see the work before you go and build it. I know at my home course, we had to rebuild the 9th hole a few times, with something like this it would have saved the club a ton of money….They would have got it correct the 1st time. I would love to be able to do this with new construction, I think it would be real cool, and it could benefit the designer....Any real course designers around ??? If interested please contact..... |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Maggie |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/23/2004 |
|
Posts: 148 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
12:54:16 PM |
IP Logged |
|
| edited by: Maggie on
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
1:12:00 PM
|
| |
Could you imagine the refunds people would ask for when your (anyones) courses always crash??? LOL!
Besides, this site is NOT asking for money for courses but to cover bandwidth costs. Apples/Oranges... |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
PatchMcDivot |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/15/2007 |
|
B-Day: 4/1/1955 (70) |
|
Posts: 15 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
1:05:44 PM |
IP Logged |
|
aye, canna believe these eyes
this would be the only time ive seen a course designer ask for money for his/her course
I surely wish I loved this game that much 
and would you be paying any usage fees to Electronic Arts for using the game to make a few dollars here and there too?
only seems fair
have a bonnie day laddie |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
JSJarvis |
 Site Admin |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/8/2002 |
|
B-Day: 10/19/1971 (54) |
|
Posts: 1,752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
4:16:01 PM |
IP Logged |
|
Im not sure how this thread got pulled into a discussion about paying royalties for courses, which is not what the issue is. The staff is asking for donations to help pay for bandwidth, not to pay for courses. However since the issue was brought up, I hope EA never changes their license agreement in regards to libraries and courses. Microsoft opened a Pandoras box when they started allowing architects to charge for courses and it divided the Links community. One point of clarification though...when MS did open the gates to architects charging, they only allowed for fictional courses to be charged for, NOT real designs. So Im afraid you would be out of luck in charging for your real designs because if you did those real course owners could come back and sue you for making money off of their name and course.
I have always appreciated the time and effort that architects have put into designing courses for the community and I dont think I am out of line in saying they do it because they love the game and want to contribute to the community, not because they want to make a buck off of it. To tie thing around to what the ORIGINAL topic was about, the staff here and at TWC both put in a ton of their own personal time to run these sites. Should we ask for a salary or get paid royalties because we do so? Of course not! All the guys here are asking is for help in paying the bill so they dont have to do so out of pocket, whether that means people continue to donate because they enjoy things the way they are now with things for free or if it means allowing people to donate and get more for their money (essentially memberships like TWC has) or some other method. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
poohween |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 2/2/2007 |
|
B-Day: 9/27/1972 (53) |
|
Posts: 250 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at
9:57:38 PM |
IP Logged |
|
Look here all. I didnt start this thread to ruffle anyones feathers. I said NOTHING about paying for courses. I said lets try and make it manditory for everyone to chip in a little for the (SERVER) payment. It was brought to everyones attention last week, in big bold letters at the top of page. So, I guess this topic does need to be discussed openly. What can we ALL do to help? I know the answer, but I think if you benefit from this site, it is your part to help it keep going. Its kinda like having 5 or 6 people who live in one house. You have 3 people chipping in for groceries, power, water and rent, but the other three pays nothing. Now is that fair for the three that do pay? No way! It was brought to our attention, about the lack of funds being contributed, and was mentioned that if donations wasnt being made, then some type of membership needs to be charged. Well, instead of having another down month in contributions, it needs to be discussed among the members of this board. Lets not let it get to the point where this site has to be shut down, thats all am saying.
Chuck |
| |
| |
|
poohween Signature |
|
| Trust your line. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Hyno Designs |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 10/24/2004 |
|
B-Day: 10/30/1976 (49) |
|
Posts: 752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
12:53:23 AM |
IP Logged |
|
I understand what you are saying. If everyone who uses this site gave $25 a year, the site would do pretty nice. from seeing the same post as you, that is not the case. Take something away or add a money value, than things would change....I understand people want things for free....You know what nothing is ever free, someone is paying something for it.....
A few years ago, someone approached me from this site an offered a few thousand dollars for a half-a$$ Augusta 05 TCA file. Seeing this I saw a massive potential to make some kind of income from this video game. I also contacted a company who does what I wrote above. They pay a certain links designer $10,000 to $12,000 a course. (That is NO BS)
I also saw the EA bylaws, and understood after a while they would send u some kind of law order to stop. Yes with links you can do this, and I am sure some of the designers made a pretty nice income. from Fee Based consulting or just selling their work.
Jeff, I know this for a fact, at a few courses in the USA every hole is copyrighted. At the same time is some one drew a picture of a hole or created something on their own that was not a perfect copy, it does not infringe on any copyright law, actually there is nothing they could do. But if they took a photograph and sold it would be against the law.
I also do know of a ‘REAL’ course at this site, designed by one of the designers here, (not me) in which EA Sports approached the course to make for a video game. The Golf Course turned EA sports down. At the same time gave the designer the info needed to create the course. The thing is, in my eyes the course better than most of the stock courses.
The copyright names, not really sure, I mean how many Pine Crest courses are their in the USA, it just a common name for a course….I do know EA did Sterling Shores which was Pebble Beach in a different hole order for the old sega game…. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Maggie |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/23/2004 |
|
Posts: 148 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
8:00:48 AM |
IP Logged |
|
Again Chris, this is NOT about you but this site... You logic is so flawed it is not worth even addressing. But I guarantee you if you sold Augusta on an open server versus to your imaginary friend you would have a cease and desist order slapped on you so fast your head would spin.
Get back to the original topic at hand, people helping out this site. No one here is looking to make money just help cover the cost of the server. Over the years I have even donated to this site.. and I co-own another TW golf site. It is more than worth it for a few dollars a month to help out with bandwidth costs. This site has 20,000 user, it is shameful that it has to beg people to help it keep afloat. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Hyno Designs |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 10/24/2004 |
|
B-Day: 10/30/1976 (49) |
|
Posts: 752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
9:29:04 AM |
IP Logged |
|
| edited by: Hyno Designs on
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
9:39:00 AM
|
| |
Mags,
I understand about people donating to help. My point is simple there is a market here to make money, cause of the number of people who play this game. The # of people who visit this site. The number of hits they get a day. Last off the # of google adds on the site itself. If every one donates and the google adds pay out. This site will make more than their server costs.
This site and your site, is at the so called top of the food chain, and has this opportunity to make a profit, where the designers of the TW game do not. Your site charges people for memberships. Which is fine, cause of what you offer, and paying the bills each month can get costly. I have no problems with any of it. Cause all of you spend so much time creating these web sites for people to have and than have to pay large somes of money each an every month cause of the bandwidth and server costs.
In the Links PC game, the designers can sell their work, and my guess would be the top few designers make a nice dollar.....Yes I did call a company that uses computer simulations. There is a specific Links designer who does the work for them, and the fee is around $10,000 a course. They have a lot of clients so do the math.
I don’t care if you don’t believe me about Augusta, I am not bragging just telling people that people will buy this stuff.
Ea puts out a half crocked game, make millions. The guy who started this topic brought up helping paying the server bills. I am saying great, but I would like the designers also be able to get something. That is not possible cause of the EA By laws……
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Maggie |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/23/2004 |
|
Posts: 148 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
9:41:51 AM |
IP Logged |
|
You just dont get it.. we are not looking to make money nor is this site. This is a hobby plain and simple.
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Homeboy |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/20/2006 |
|
B-Day: 10/3/1968 (57) |
|
Posts: 256 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
12:28:11 PM |
IP Logged |
|
I have to agree with Maggie ... my day job is a lawyer and I work upwards of 70 hours a week. Designing courses for me is a release from the stresses of the real world and I am honored to see that so many people have downloaded my courses. I dont expect any payment for my courses. If anything, I feel indebted to the many people in the community who have helped me with my course designs ... making texture sets or structure libraries, etc.
I contribute to CS and Im a paying member at TWC ... and Im happy to help. The site owners are only asking for contributions to help cover the server bill and overhead. Its not too much to ask. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
JSJarvis |
|
Site Admin |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 1/8/2002 |
|
B-Day: 10/19/1971 (54) |
|
Posts: 1,752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
2:00:13 PM |
IP Logged |
|
|
| "My point is simple there is a market here to make money, cause of the number of people who play this game." |
That sentence right there speaks volumes about how you see the game and how others in the community see it. It isnt about making money nor should it be. I know you dont agree and are just salivating hoping that EA will change the license agreement so you can hock your courses to people. I dont believe other architects in the TW community see it the same way. They design for the joy of designing, for the joy it brings to have other people play their course and for the satisfaction of creating something for others. It isnt about making a buck. As Maggie said, it is a hobby and that is what it should remain. As I said earlier, when MS opened up their license to have designers sell their fictional works (and I emphasize again, FICTIONAL works - NOT REAL renditions) it split their community. It was not a good idea then and it is one I hope EA never decides to go down. I can just imagine the uproar that would occur if people were allowed to sell individual courses. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
CarnoustieTW |
|
General Member |
|
|
Scotland |
| |
| Joined: 1/8/2002 |
|
B-Day: 5/16/1959 (66) |
|
Posts: 264 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
2:48:30 PM |
IP Logged |
|
I dont see what Links has to with anything,its history,the last PC version was in 2003,four years ago,if it was so good and made vast sums of money why is it no more?.
The thread was started to point out the site need donations to pay the monthly bills,we cant leave it to the site owners to pay the bills out of their own pockets every month,any amount will help,it does not need to be $20 or $30. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
Hyno Designs |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 10/24/2004 |
|
B-Day: 10/30/1976 (49) |
|
Posts: 752 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
9:42:48 PM |
IP Logged |
|
| edited by: Hyno Designs on
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
9:44:00 PM
|
| |
Look all, I have to be honest, I don’t care either way. There is no way to win this post, nor would the community itself accept having to pay for something they have been getting for free for the last 8 years.
This website is like public TV, and needs fundraisers to pay the bills we all know that…….If people don’t donate, nor do the owners wish to continue this site, there is no longer a place to get the courses for the TW game.
What I am pointing out, there is a market for this stuff, and one could make a lot of money at it, if they know what they are doing.
Maggie you are missing my point, you say this is a hobby. But you sell 10,000 memberships at $25.00 a pop or whatever it is. That = $250,000 not bad for just a hobby. You sell 2,000 that is still 50k.I am not being a jerk by saying that, it is just simple math. Your website has the potential to make a profit at the end of the year. I have no problems with that……Maybe you are, maybe you are not, it is none of my business...
The math also says you sell 50,000 courses at $2.00 you have a $100,0000 job…
That is not the issue here, the issue is support at the course source is down, so I agree with the org poster, if people can help out than please do.
Yea the links game is dead, but their is still people who play it and still people who pay for the custom courses made for it. I would pay for a course if I thought it was worth it..... |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
big9324 |
|
General Member |
|
|
|
United States of America |
| |
| Joined: 9/9/2003 |
|
B-Day: 11/9/1970 (55) |
|
Posts: 104 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
10:48:03 PM |
IP Logged |
|
| ........but if 45,000 are sold to yourself and 4,800 people of the remaining 5,000 need a refund for courses that crash...er sorry, are to complex, then its a $400 job. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
| |
|
R0Bkh |
|
General Member |
|
|
United Kingdom |
| |
| Joined: 1/9/2002 |
|
B-Day: 9/26/1959 (66) |
|
Posts: 561 |
| |
|
| |
| Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at
11:24:39 PM |
IP Logged |
|
This thread was originally highlighting the need for donations to keep the site running and has managed to go way off topic, just to make a few points clear the site owners do not want to make profit of any kind from the site or from courses, and keep the site running through enjoyment of what they do as an hobby without incurring ongoing costs, it is right that if the active members that use the site for downloads each made just a small donation then there would be no problem, the google ads as far as I am aware do not generate a great amount but are there to aid the cause, should donations pick up then they will be removed. We appreciate all donations no matter how small and hope to continue providing a free service for all our members.
It is now time to close this thread and move on. |
| |
| |
|
R0Bkh Signature |
|
| Thanks for visiting CourseDownloads.com |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Topic Locked
|
|
