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After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

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Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#201

Post by htag »

brundolf wrote: post #182
dabeeeenster wrote: post #76

So this happened to a guy that worked for me. Loved video games, super talented front end dev. Made a horror game in Unity at evenings and weekends with his best friend. Launched it on Steam. Very low sales. But he learnt a huge amount about marketing and game design based on player feedback. Designed a second game, put all the marketing learnings into it, 48 hours after launch the biggest streamer on twitch was stre…

The flipside is that it's a lottery. Steam is overflowing with new indie games every day, and many very good ones die in obscurity. You really have to get lucky and go viral But yeah, the entry fee for that lottery is at a historic low, which is still great (especially for hobby devs who don't care about the rest!)

Is it a straight lottery (random chance), or does marketing play a role along with the game itself?

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#202

Post by datalopers »

ajmurmann wrote: post #152
datalopers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are they? 300,000 units * $30 = $9M - 30% Steam tax = $6.3M in a single year take out federal taxes (just gonna call it 36% and ignore SFJ/MFJ), leaves them about $2M each. I'm sure they're some sort of a legal entity in WA state and will owe the b&o tax too. They deserve it absolutely but $2M each does not put them in a position of "fuck you" [1]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdfeXqHFmPI

The article also mentioned money going to other people working on the game. Unclear how's much that is though. Edit: this also touches on a grievance I have with progressive taxation and annualized retirement savings. These guys might have been in a Lowe tax bracket for many years and be back in a low tax bracket depending on how sales go over the years. The one time they hit it home they are in the top tax bracket a…

Would be nice if you earned a 401(k) credit/allowance each year so when you do hit it big you can rapidly play catch-up on the past 20 years or whatever.

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#203

Post by shaftoe »

todfox wrote: post #200
dabeeeenster wrote: post #76

So this happened to a guy that worked for me. Loved video games, super talented front end dev. Made a horror game in Unity at evenings and weekends with his best friend. Launched it on Steam. Very low sales. But he learnt a huge amount about marketing and game design based on player feedback. Designed a second game, put all the marketing learnings into it, 48 hours after launch the biggest streamer on twitch was stre…

After four years working on my retro game nearly full time, and several launches, I still don't understand marketing enough to understand what to do differently. A lot of the advice out there is something like: "create a community" or "go join several communities" or "get to know other indie devs on Twitter". To me, this simply feels fake. I don't really participate in any online communities. I spend enough time in f…

Sounds interesting.

What's the game?

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#204

Post by zajio1am »

unity1001 wrote: post #186
pantalaimon wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a global issue now? Same in Germany.

Yes, its a global issue since last 40 years - im reposting what i posted to the GP: > Wait times for medical care seem surreal. Its due to the governments defunding public healthcare in order to 'strangle it then save it'. You defund it, make people say 'it doesnt work', then say that "We need to privatize it." Its de facto privatization method used since Reagan/Thatcher. Same method is being used in any country that…

Using monopsonic position to keep costs as low as possible is a primary advantage of single payer healthcare. And raising healthcare payroll taxes is politically unpopular like raising any other taxes. No need to spread conspiracy theories about preparation for privatizations.

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#205

Post by fuzzzerd »

todfox wrote: post #200
dabeeeenster wrote: post #76

So this happened to a guy that worked for me. Loved video games, super talented front end dev. Made a horror game in Unity at evenings and weekends with his best friend. Launched it on Steam. Very low sales. But he learnt a huge amount about marketing and game design based on player feedback. Designed a second game, put all the marketing learnings into it, 48 hours after launch the biggest streamer on twitch was stre…

After four years working on my retro game nearly full time, and several launches, I still don't understand marketing enough to understand what to do differently. A lot of the advice out there is something like: "create a community" or "go join several communities" or "get to know other indie devs on Twitter". To me, this simply feels fake. I don't really participate in any online communities. I spend enough time in f…

I don't have the answer, but have been seeking it for a long time myself. Heard the same advise you got, make a community, join communities, post on twitter/reddit. As you said it just feels like fake advise.

As best I can tell, success in those efdorts is equal parts luck, wit, and having something unique yet relatable.

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#206

Post by marcusverus »

travisjungroth wrote: post #141
NikolaNovak wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2m each is not "Fuck you" money perhaps but it is enough to comfortably retire to the original post point. It depends on lifestyle you desire but if I could retire tomorrow, I would make that lifestyle work.

> 2m each is not "Fuck you" money perhaps but it is enough to comfortably retire That is exactly what "fuck you" money means. It's not about having so much money you couldn't possibly want for anything. People will always want. It's about having enough that you're not beholden to anyone for your basic needs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjKP8vYjpQ&ab_channel=Youtu...

Right!?

I always thought it meant something like "enough money to tell literally anybody to go fuck themselves without fear of the economic consequences". But I did a little googling and apparently "fuck you money" is one of those things that doesn't really have a clear-cut definition. Which is weird.

In theory there is some specific dollar that you earn which puts you over the line into "fuck you" money. If you're a dollar away from financial independence, are you worried about saying "fuck you" to your boss? Hell no! Which must mean that you're already safely in "fuck you" territory.

So that the magical greenback--the one with the serial number ending in "FU"--must come way earlier. Maybe it's the buck that puts your bank account into five figures for the first time. Or the one that tops off your 6-month emergency fund. Hell, if the dollar that puts you in the dos commas club doesn't send a surge of "fuck you" power running through your veins... you might just not be the "fuck you" type.

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#207

Post by bhunta »

decremental wrote: post #115
jedberg wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He said he found gay pride parades offensive, suggested that there should be hetero parades in response, and then said that anyone that disagrees with him should be shot. He's certainly entitled to his opinions on being offended by pride parades, but suggesting those that don't agree should be shot certainly crosses the line. That is just one example. He also has been very anti-trans.

Here's some stuff I found. > In 2017, he voiced his support for Gamergate, an alt-right and sexist movement that largely targeted women, LGBTQ, and other minority groups in the industry. At the time, he referred to feminism as a “social disease,” claiming on Twitter that feminists were “overtly sexist against men.” At one point, Persson said that anyone who opposed “heterosexual pride day” should be “shot” and also t…

Yep, I don't agree with his views but I don't think they're such a big deal. If that's his opinion then, so what really. No need for anyone to get so riled up about it. I'm sure we're all mature enough to tolerate differences in belief.

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#208

Post by datalopers »

ghiculescu wrote: post #151
datalopers wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would take 20 years to pull it off, and tax legislation may change, but a married couple can earn next year ~$115k/yr federally tax-free ($89k long-term cap gains + $27k earned income). So that source of income would only be subject to the initial 20% corporate tax.

Can you elaborate on how this works? Asking for a married friend…

This blogpost [1] explains in detail but the gist is:

* Standard-deduction next year is $27,700 married ($13,850 single)

* Long-term-capital-gains is 0% on first $89,250 ($44,625 single)

Thus if you have the tooling to perfectly control your income, e.g. you take $27,700 in treasury bill payments and then sell off enough stock (or take qualified dividends from your corporation's bank account) in the total of $89,250, you'd end up with:

* Ordinary Income: $27,700 - standard deduction of $27,700 = $0 taxable income

* Long-Term-Capital-Gains of $89,250 = 0% ltcg tax bracket

= $116,950 ($58,427 single) of federally tax-free income

Then if you're in a no-income-tax state (such as WA, like the Adams brothers), you don't owe any taxes at all.

[1] https://www.kitces.com/blog/long-term-capital-gains-bump-zon...

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#209

Post by [deleted] »

felipemnoa wrote: post #90
Ericson2314 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Notch took orders of magnitude less time for orders of magnitude more money. I think they're safe. Put on your https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moishe_Postone hat and the time portion is especially key here.

I do not get your Moishe Postone reference either. What does it mean?

[deleted]

Re: After 20 years the Dwarf Fortress devs have to get used to being millionaires

#210

Post by todfox »

shaftoe wrote: post #203
todfox wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After four years working on my retro game nearly full time, and several launches, I still don't understand marketing enough to understand what to do differently. A lot of the advice out there is something like: "create a community" or "go join several communities" or "get to know other indie devs on Twitter". To me, this simply feels fake. I don't really participate in any online communities. I spend enough time in f…

Sounds interesting. What's the game?

Hazmat Hijinks.

If you happen to visit the website and see the Nintendo Power-esque PDF, tell me, shouldn't that grab the attention of the right person? I know I don't have the best social understanding but I thought I nailed that one.

Marketing is just so opaque. I would rather write an OS from scratch. At least I know that can be solved given enough time.

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