Free Gamepad with Pre-Order of Pow Pow's Great Adventure

[Chris Evans]

Our game, Pow Pow's Great Adventure, is nearly done and now it's available for Pre-Order. We're offering a Collector's Edition, which comes with CD, DVD case, and 8.5 x 5.5 color manual. There's a lot of goodies on the CD as well.

If that's not enough, we're also giving all those who pre-order the collector's edition a FREE gamepad! We've always talked about on these forums how we wished a standard gamepad would ship with PCs. Since our game Pow Pow is very console-like, we really wanted people to play with a gamepad. So we took a bold step and decided to include a gamepad with every order for a limited time. Of course, I'll let you guys know how it goes.

If you want to check it out (or Pre-Order ;) ), go to this page:
http://www.outsidetheboxsoftware.com/games.html

As usual comments are welcome.

[Anthony Flack]

How absolutely excellent. I've often fantasized about doing that.

[papillon]

... certainly gets my attention, I need a gamepad anyway. :)

[robleong]

Good luck, Chris! You're a mine of innovation! :)

[Lerc]

How absolutely excellent. I've often fantasized about doing that. You should have super special addition versions. Either by auction or for lots of money where you supply the game plus one of the original clay models.

[Anthony Flack]

Clay models aren't built to last though. Mostly I break them down and return the clay to its respective colour blobs when I'm done.

No, I should give out gamepads too. We should all give out gamepads. And Santa should be forced to bring gamepads. Start a campaign for "a gamepad in every home"

[Gmicek]

Clay models aren't built to last though. Mostly I break them down and return the clay to its respective colour blobs when I'm done.

Isn't there a way to help make them last though? Baking them, or whatever it is you do with the thing that passes for an ashtray kids make in elemtary school, hehe.

I know I would pay upwards of $100 for one of your models if it came on a cheesy little stand with a placard that had a little info on the model/game.

[Dan MacDonald]

I want my own platypus ship as a desk accessory, maybe on a little spring or wire so it can bounce around.

[simonh]

Another idea might to be give away those leads that let you connect your PlayStation pad to the PC - nearly everyone has a PlayStation pad, and the leads are quite inexspensive.

[simonh]

Here's one you can get for £7:

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=PC&title=114167

[Valen]

Isn't there a way to help make them last though? Baking them, or whatever it is you do with the thing that passes for an ashtray kids make in elemtary school, hehe.

I remember making something out of clay in middle school that was baked. :) It's probably not the same kind of clay that Anthony uses though. I would imagine he'd need very soft clay like Play-Doh. From what I remember, baking clay was very dense and tough.

[Anthony Flack]

Another idea might to be give away those leads that let you connect your PlayStation pad to the PC - nearly everyone has a PlayStation pad, and the leads are quite inexspensive.


I'd thought of that one, too. Actually, I thought it would be even better to somehow lobby hardware manufacturers to make a couple of PS ports a standard accessory built into the PC case. That would be brilliant. As you say, playstation pads are everywhere. Most people are probably within 100m of a playstation pad at all times...

Do you guys seriously think I could sell merchandise? I do actually use the bakable clay for certain things... sculpey III is very good stuff. It's quite similar in look and consistency to my regular clay (which actually needs to be quite firm, or it sags). I certainly could make permanent display models... what a weird sideline that would be though! I'm not sure if I have it in me to churn out many duplicates of the same thing, but well... maybe.

Perhaps when I launch a CD version. Either way, they'd make good prizes, wouldn't they?

[Sunshine]

I like the idea of santa bringing gamepads, because I'm sick of console gamers saying that the computer controls suck.

As far as selling the models from the games, I think that would be Really cool. Ultima Online has a few special editions in which you get the little action figure of one of the characters, And also every ultima came with a little trinket of some sort, somtimes a little metal anhk, somtimes a silver coin. And each one had a cloth map with it. I thought that was the coolest thing ever :D

[Valen]

Do you guys seriously think I could sell merchandise? I do actually use the bakable clay for certain things... sculpey III is very good stuff. It's quite similar in look and consistency to my regular clay (which actually needs to be quite firm, or it sags). I certainly could make permanent display models... what a weird sideline that would be though! I'm not sure if I have it in me to churn out many duplicates of the same thing, but well... maybe.

Perhaps when I launch a CD version. Either way, they'd make good prizes, wouldn't they?

Anything is possible. Have you read The Purple Cow? Something like clay sculptures from the game would certainly qualify as remarkable. Sure there are games that action figures are made for, but when was the last time you saw them made out of clay? Hell, your games overall are quite a purple cow just because of the clay. What you need to do is to get the word out to your biggest fans, give away a whole bunch of these sculptures to people who have been cheerleaders for you, your big supporters. It's a good bet that they'll tell their friends, and that's the best kind of publicity you can get. There are people who *love* to show off cool things that nobody else has. As for making them, why not pay another person or company to do it?

[Gmicek]

Do you guys seriously think I could sell merchandise? I do actually use the bakable clay for certain things... sculpey III is very good stuff. It's quite similar in look and consistency to my regular clay (which actually needs to be quite firm, or it sags). I certainly could make permanent display models... what a weird sideline that would be though! I'm not sure if I have it in me to churn out many duplicates of the same thing, but well... maybe.

I know I'd buy at least one for myself, and no doubt a few more for prizes and stuff like that. No doubt they would be a bit pricey because of the time involved in putting them together, but it would undoubtedly be awesome to have.

Anyway, put my name on the waiting list! hehe. Hell, even if you don't sell them as a side business I'm not above bribing you with cash for something :)

[Anthony Flack]

The wheels are turning in my brain now... hmmmm

I think I SHOULD make them myself, and sign them, and have them be hand-made rather than produced industrially... the difference between something that's special and something that's junk.

However I could possibly use some molding or stamping techniques to increase efficiency slightly.

Anyway, I'll set it aside for now... game to write first. And then think about setting up to sell boxed copies. And maybe leapfrogging from there. But I am thinking it's a cool idea and I'd really like to see it happen now. Even if they're too expensive to be a truly viable business venture, they would still make really neat exclusive giveaways...

[Dan MacDonald]

my very own Cletus, yah.. sign me up for a figurine on a pedestal with a number and your initials on it. Man.. how geeky are we Greg?

[Chris Evans]

Heh, I probably should change the title of this topic to "Thoughts on Claymation Merchandise"... ;)

[Gmicek]

my very own Cletus, yah.. sign me up for a figurine on a pedestal with a number and your initials on it. Man.. how geeky are we Greg?

No, see, we're cool, get it straight man!

I'm not sure of the time involved in putting the models together, but you could just do it on a made to order basis, at least in the beginning. That way the risk is put on the customer. Obviously you limit the potential sales significantly by doing that, but in the beginning it wouldn't matter since it would be the hardcore buying them.

Have fun shipping them! ugh.

And relating to the original subject of the thread. At first I could care less, if I want a gamepad I'll go buy a gamepad. But the other stuff you get in the special edition is cool and makes me want to preorder (even though I'll have to wait til later this month, I'm poor with IGC coming, heh). I'd love for more indies to offer stuff like this.

[Nemesis]

Speaking of Cletus.. what's the status Anthony? I've been keen to see a demo ever since I tried Platypus and got to your site!

[Kai Backman]

I showed images of Cletus to my SO who is a fine arts painter. She immediately fell in love with them and tought them so cool (especially the cow who is lifted by the UFO). They are definetly exclusive items, and you should charge accordingly. :D

And I'm waiting for Cletus myself .. ;)

[Anthony Flack]

Oh, I think this thread has been hijacked enough...(whistles nonchalantly)

[z3lda]

OK, I don't care about Cletus (haha) :p

"If that's not enough, we're also giving all those who pre-order the collector's edition a FREE gamepad!"

This is a nice idea, and I had similar ideas of giving away things like an art book, comic book, a plushy toy..etc. How are you getting these gamepads? Is the manufacturer giving you a discount or are you just buying them full price and giving them away?