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    Thursday, July 20, 2006

    My Position on People Stealing my Work

    I have received a lot of feedback regarding a comment I made in my last post about people illegally hosting my work.

    I made it known that Exmortis 2 currently has 215 hosts world wide - of which only 9 have been given permission. That means that 95.8% of websites hosting my game are doing so in an illegal fashion...

    I've had many people comment to me via email that I should do something about it and that I should take legal action etc. I do appreciate the sentiments... :) So I feel that I must address these concerns...

    I realise that stealing web-content is a big issue at the moment - especially considering the somewhat humerous banter going around about sites like ebaumsworld allegedly stealing content from other sites and profiting from the practise.

    The main problem with this being that these websites make money off the advertising revenue that is generated through the web traffic they receive as a result of the hosted stolen content. Essentially these websites are making big dollars on the artist's work - without the artist receiving any remunerative return or credit... This is considered stealing and such hosts can be brought to prosecution as a result.

    So what is my stand on this?

    I honestly don't like people stealing my work... who would? I think it is wrong to steal someone's work and benefit from it financially without the person who did all the hard work receiving anything in return... majority of these people haven't even credited me for the game!!

    That said however, everyone - and I mean everyone - who has asked me for permission to host the Exmortis games, I have given it to them. It is common courtesy to ask permission. I ask for nothing in return except a written credit.

    But on the other hand the way I look at it, I am making these games not to make money for myself... but to gain recognition for my name, my work and my design services. It is a hobby - pure and simple. The more people that host, the wider the worldwide distribution of my work. The more exposure it gets. And hence the more my needs and purposes are served.

    So this puts me in a hard position. Do I request that those sites illegally using my game to take my game down from their site? Or do I turn a blind eye because it means more people are seeing my work as a result?

    So far I have turned a blind eye. I haven't been able to identify any benefit that it would present to me to have my game effectively removed from 95.8% of it's internet circulation...

    And so once again the content thieves win, because the little guy like me can not afford to cut off his nose to spite his face...

    Opinions? Thoughts?

    Monday, July 17, 2006

    Exmortis2 Goes 7 Figures!

    Leffler Web Design has hit another amazing milestone! As of yesterday's mochibot report, Exmortis2 has hit the magical 1-million "worldwide plays" mark!

    It's taken 112 days and 215 hosts (incidentally - of which only 9 have my personal permission) to get the game to this point.

    I must say that while the daily play stats are naturally dwindling as the game gets long in the tooth, Exmortis2 still seems to be attracting on average 5000 hits a day!

    That's above and beyond my expectation when I originally released this game back in March - so thank you to all that have played the game from the bottom of my heart. I've said it before and I'll say it again - you guys are the reason I pour my heart in this work and spend copious amounts of sleepless hours making this stuff!

    Thursday, July 13, 2006

    Exmortis3 Storyline Tidbits

    More tidbits for you on the Exmortis3 storyline... My main reasons for being a tad cagey about plot specifics thus far is because nothing has been firmly set in stone until now...

    Spoliers from here on... Invisotext initiated! (Highlight to read)

    As I have previously alluded towards, you certainly do reprise your role as Mr. Hannay. Let's just say that revenge is not something he is consumed with at the beginning of the game... he is destitute and resigned to a fate of eternally roaming the spirit realm with no way back to the world he once knew.

    Yes, that's right people. You're stuck in the spirit world again after being on the wrong end of an almighty smackdown at the hands of Vlaew (ie. the Exmortis2 twist conclusion)... During the game I probably won't be explaining the specifics as to why you ended up back in the spirit realm, so I'll just clear that plot point up now for you...

    After going through the ritual in Exmortis2 (the one that transported you to the spirit realm), your soul was forever anchored to that world. As a result, you are effectively immortal. All Vlaew did by 'killing' you in Exmortis2 was expel your soul back to the spirit world. And considering that you completed your Exmortis2 objective in destroying the portal between the ethereal and corporeal worlds, you now find yourself stranded with no way back to Earth.

    But an opportunity to exact a swift revenge upon Lord Vlaew will literally fall in to your lap. Will Mr.Hannay ever make it back home? And if so, how much time has passed since your "quick death" at the hands of the Ancient? How has the world changed? And how has mankind changed? Will there even be a mankind left to return to?

    Wooooooooo..... epic! :)