Generic crystal version - Page 2

Jim Sachs · 05-29-2002, 10:03 PM

The 1300% markup would only be true if someone were to only buy one copy. The entire reason for the $300 fee is to (emphatically) discourage this. Nearly all manufacturers which offer custom versions of their products charge a high setup fee which gets absorbed when the desired number of copies is purchased. For example, I can have special pens made with my logo on them. The setup fee is $500. If I buy 1 pen, the cost is $501, but if I buy a large number then the price per pen is very low, even including the setup fee.

Hey, I didn't invent this stuff -- it's extremely common. Companies asked for it, with the promise of many copies, so we did it. It's a one-time purchase, with the copies installed on several thousand computers in a major corporation. Once installed, their MIS department has no interest in spending any more time re-installing updates, so I don't plan any.

That's the scenario that's currently in place. If other companies want to distribute copies with their logo as advertisements, and are willing to buy at the distributer level, then we might negotiate a different deal, perhaps cutting a batch of CDs for them. Anyway, all that is in the hands of the sales department.

chaosworrier · 05-30-2002, 01:09 AM

So am I correct in understanding that the initial $300 is priced to dissuade smaller "entities" just so the larger ones who can afford this feel "special"?

I have no intention of sounding facetious but can find no way of phrasing this question without doing so.

Thanks in advance,
Paul.

feldon34 · 05-30-2002, 01:19 AM

Special Corporate versions of otherwise consumer products are not particularly uncommon.

Speaking for myself, I can't really think of anything I'd want written on the crystal. I do admit to liking the alternate coral bits arranged around the crystal.

As for autographed posters and other sales bits, when I mention these to Jim, he gets pessimistic. He doesn't think they will sell particularly well. Maybe I need an advanced signup of people who are 100% sure they would buy posters, autographed or otherwise and other items. I am really hopeful that the coffee mugs, etc. are tastefully done, such as just a couple of fish on one side of the mug and a witty quote attributed to Jim Sachs on the other.

What would be really cool is Polo shirts from Land's End with a clownfish and SereneScreen.com embroidered on it. I'll take two.

Oh, and Jim/Prolific/etc. NOW is the time to start talking to Pixar directly (not Disney) about how to capitalize on Finding Nemo.

Anything short of daily phone calls and letters to them over the next 9 months would be a missed opportunity. Nowhere else will such public exposure be available. I say anyone who goes and sees it should be able to buy the Aquarium and mail in their ticket for a $5 rebate on the specialty creature pack and get a poster.

For anyone wondering what the heck Finding Nemo is, it will be Pixar's fifth entirely 3D created film. It's a movie (targeted to kids, but whose humor appeals to all ages) about saltwater fish.

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chaosworrier · 05-30-2002, 01:37 AM

I suppose that it could be worse, the corporate variant could have the amazing fluorescent neon singing bobo fish from Southern Borneo (genus species: Ijus Madethisupis) that we would never get.

Paul.

IXNAY · 05-30-2002, 04:22 AM

So there will be no crystal version with the profilic logo for the public?
It could be a good promotion...

patscarr · 05-30-2002, 04:58 AM

Sign me up for at least 20 mugs. I have big family.

pipeta · 05-30-2002, 05:02 AM

Many products have special collector versions which are limited to a small number of copies and sometimes have a different price than the regular product. It is possible to make the crystal version (with Jim's signature on the crystal) available for an extra charge in a limited number of copies (100-500 or something similar).
Just a suggestion. I believe there will be people who will buy it and the effort is very small (just like adding an etching for a company).

feldon34 · 05-30-2002, 10:54 AM

So there will be no crystal version with the profilic logo for the public?
It could be a good promotion...

I don't think you will ever see this. And I'm not sure what it would accomplish except to dilute the SereneScreen brand. The Aquarium sells itself. It doesn't need a Prolific logo stamped on it.

Prolific is merely the publisher. It's not like they wrote the Aquarium (I'll give them due credit whenever I see the DirectX 7 version).

Disney already gets too much credit for Pixar's films. I don't think Jim should be in the same boat (He's actually already been thru the Disney ringer once).

chaosworrier · 05-30-2002, 03:58 PM

Then how about strengthening Jim's visibility by having his "logo"?

Also, I would not see the crystal version as diluting but simply as a variant of the same theme.

The best choice, if it was going to happen, would be to simply have both variants in the same s/saver and make the choice of backdrop user configurable.

Paul.

feldon34 · 05-30-2002, 06:23 PM

I am really wondering if the obsession with the crystal version of the Aquarium is so strong because it's not available.

Yellow Tang · 05-31-2002, 07:13 AM

Yes Morgan, that's the point!!! ;-)

Axle · 06-01-2002, 11:08 PM

Ok, these crystal things sound vey fancy shmancy.....but what the hell does one look like??

The image i get in my head is that the SS still functions exactly the same way, but at the back theres some sort of logo written in this mysterious and expensive "crystal".

Better yet, has anyone got a screenshot?

feldon34 · 06-02-2002, 01:12 AM

chaosworrier · 06-02-2002, 02:51 AM

Now you can see why we "all" want one!

Paul.

Axle · 06-02-2002, 05:54 AM

Meesa thinks that once the 3D background is out, eveyone will ever forget about wanting the crystal version.

Im not sure i see whats so great. =P

Tiny Turtle · 06-02-2002, 07:36 AM

Put me down on the "Not for me" side.

TT

patscarr · 06-02-2002, 08:05 AM

Morgan always has a screen shot!

chaosworrier · 06-02-2002, 08:40 AM

I idea of having a translucent object appeals to me.

Paul.

grape_jellyfish · 06-02-2002, 02:13 PM

Makes me keep watching for Fred Flintstone to go walking across the screen, cause of the edges of the crystal.

feldon34 · 06-02-2002, 02:16 PM

I've got a solution for all the people who are dying for Crystal.

05-29-2002, 10:03 PM	#21
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,774	The 1300% markup would only be true if someone were to only buy one copy. The entire reason for the $300 fee is to (emphatically) discourage this. Nearly all manufacturers which offer custom versions of their products charge a high setup fee which gets absorbed when the desired number of copies is purchased. For example, I can have special pens made with my logo on them. The setup fee is $500. If I buy 1 pen, the cost is $501, but if I buy a large number then the price per pen is very low, even including the setup fee. Hey, I didn't invent this stuff -- it's extremely common. Companies asked for it, with the promise of many copies, so we did it. It's a one-time purchase, with the copies installed on several thousand computers in a major corporation. Once installed, their MIS department has no interest in spending any more time re-installing updates, so I don't plan any. That's the scenario that's currently in place. If other companies want to distribute copies with their logo as advertisements, and are willing to buy at the distributer level, then we might negotiate a different deal, perhaps cutting a batch of CDs for them. Anyway, all that is in the hands of the sales department. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

05-30-2002, 01:09 AM	#22
chaosworrier Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 19	So am I correct in understanding that the initial $300 is priced to dissuade smaller "entities" just so the larger ones who can afford this feel "special"? I have no intention of sounding facetious but can find no way of phrasing this question without doing so. Thanks in advance, Paul. Soylent Green is People! Last edited by chaosworrier; 05-30-2002 at 01:29 AM.

05-30-2002, 01:19 AM	#23
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Special Corporate versions of otherwise consumer products are not particularly uncommon. Speaking for myself, I can't really think of anything I'd want written on the crystal. I do admit to liking the alternate coral bits arranged around the crystal. As for autographed posters and other sales bits, when I mention these to Jim, he gets pessimistic. He doesn't think they will sell particularly well. Maybe I need an advanced signup of people who are 100% sure they would buy posters, autographed or otherwise and other items. I am really hopeful that the coffee mugs, etc. are tastefully done, such as just a couple of fish on one side of the mug and a witty quote attributed to Jim Sachs on the other. What would be really cool is Polo shirts from Land's End with a clownfish and SereneScreen.com embroidered on it. I'll take two. Oh, and Jim/Prolific/etc. NOW is the time to start talking to Pixar directly (not Disney) about how to capitalize on Finding Nemo. Anything short of daily phone calls and letters to them over the next 9 months would be a missed opportunity. Nowhere else will such public exposure be available. I say anyone who goes and sees it should be able to buy the Aquarium and mail in their ticket for a $5 rebate on the specialty creature pack and get a poster. For anyone wondering what the heck Finding Nemo is, it will be Pixar's fifth entirely 3D created film. It's a movie (targeted to kids, but whose humor appeals to all ages) about saltwater fish. <center></center> "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 05-30-2002 at 01:35 AM.

05-30-2002, 01:37 AM	#24
chaosworrier Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 19	I suppose that it could be worse, the corporate variant could have the amazing fluorescent neon singing bobo fish from Southern Borneo (genus species: Ijus Madethisupis) that we would never get. Paul. Soylent Green is People!

05-30-2002, 04:22 AM	#25
IXNAY Green Frog Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 840	So there will be no crystal version with the profilic logo for the public? It could be a good promotion... IXNAY dreaming of the serene terrarium - My Private Homepage -

05-30-2002, 04:58 AM	#26
patscarr Pet Shark Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Back in Buffalo Posts: 5,455	Sign me up for at least 20 mugs. I have big family. Patrick

05-30-2002, 05:02 AM	#27
pipeta Royal Gramma Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Israel Posts: 146	Many products have special collector versions which are limited to a small number of copies and sometimes have a different price than the regular product. It is possible to make the crystal version (with Jim's signature on the crystal) available for an extra charge in a limited number of copies (100-500 or something similar). Just a suggestion. I believe there will be people who will buy it and the effort is very small (just like adding an etching for a company).

05-30-2002, 10:54 AM	#28
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	So there will be no crystal version with the profilic logo for the public? It could be a good promotion... I don't think you will ever see this. And I'm not sure what it would accomplish except to dilute the SereneScreen brand. The Aquarium sells itself. It doesn't need a Prolific logo stamped on it. Prolific is merely the publisher. It's not like they wrote the Aquarium (I'll give them due credit whenever I see the DirectX 7 version). Disney already gets too much credit for Pixar's films. I don't think Jim should be in the same boat (He's actually already been thru the Disney ringer once). "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-30-2002, 03:58 PM	#29
chaosworrier Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 19	Then how about strengthening Jim's visibility by having his "logo"? Also, I would not see the crystal version as diluting but simply as a variant of the same theme. The best choice, if it was going to happen, would be to simply have both variants in the same s/saver and make the choice of backdrop user configurable. Paul. Soylent Green is People!

05-30-2002, 06:23 PM	#30
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	I am really wondering if the obsession with the crystal version of the Aquarium is so strong because it's not available. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-31-2002, 07:13 AM	#31
Yellow Tang YT Join Date: Jan 2002 Tournaments Won: 1 Location: Germany Posts: 729	Yes Morgan, that's the point!!! ;-)

06-01-2002, 11:08 PM	#32
Axle Registered Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 59	n00b question alert Ok, these crystal things sound vey fancy shmancy.....but what the hell does one look like?? The image i get in my head is that the SS still functions exactly the same way, but at the back theres some sort of logo written in this mysterious and expensive "crystal". Better yet, has anyone got a screenshot? Axle Foley Avid User of SereneScreen Aquarium

06-02-2002, 01:12 AM	#33
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

06-02-2002, 02:51 AM	#34
chaosworrier Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 19	Now you can see why we "all" want one! Paul. Soylent Green is People!

06-02-2002, 05:54 AM	#35
Axle Registered Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 59	Meesa thinks that once the 3D background is out, eveyone will ever forget about wanting the crystal version. Im not sure i see whats so great. =P Axle Foley Avid User of SereneScreen Aquarium

06-02-2002, 07:36 AM	#36
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Put me down on the "Not for me" side. TT Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

06-02-2002, 08:05 AM	#37
patscarr Pet Shark Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Back in Buffalo Posts: 5,455	Morgan always has a screen shot! Patrick

06-02-2002, 08:40 AM	#38
chaosworrier Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 19	I idea of having a translucent object appeals to me. Paul. Soylent Green is People!

06-02-2002, 02:13 PM	#39
grape_jellyfish Registered Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,235	Makes me keep watching for Fred Flintstone to go walking across the screen, cause of the edges of the crystal. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....It's learning to Dance in the Rain.

06-02-2002, 02:16 PM	#40
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	I've got a solution for all the people who are dying for Crystal. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman