I am getting close to the final parts of my PC FPS game, when my game is done I want to release it. I think it is not a smart plan to make the game for free with ads so I want to make it paid. I could release it on a website like steam, but when you download from such a platform you get all the game files. Can’t somebody then just release my game files online or send it to friends so that they don’t have to pay and I don’t get any revenue from it? If that is so I prefer to make a system in which somebody registers an account and pays for the account and then he/she can login when she launches the game. I already have created a register/ login system in my unity3d game using a mysql database but can somebody help me with the part - somebody registers on a website and pays there because I am an absolute noob in html and how I can build the paying system?
To release on steam you have to go through the greenlight process… User vote for you game if they like it, enough votes and you will be able to release on steam.
Releasing it yourself requires a payment system normally done through php that links to payment providers like paypal, there are tutorials online for creating such a system.
There are also other services like Desura which are easy to get your game released on, but aren’t as popular as steam, so sales will probably be less.
Every single attempt by every single company to make a solution that completely eliminates piracy has failed at some point in time and often within the first week of a game’s release. At best any solution for discouraging piracy is a bit like the lock on a door. It’ll keep out people who are normally honest but may be tempted. A real thief won’t be stopped whatsoever.
Yes, but would the time and resources spent developing it make enough of a difference to actually bring you more sales or would that same time and resources spent in the actual gameplay make a bigger difference? Additionally will your audience put up with your DRM solution in addition to the solution presented by the content store?
A stronger anti-piracy solution doesn’t guarantee more sales. It usually just means the pirates have to wait longer to play while simultaneously annoying your legitimate customers who have to deal with yet another system in order to actually play the game they bought.
Yes that’s true but if I would use the steam (with drm solution) do I have to change my code completely? Because I just check out the services steam is offering, which include networking, stats, achievements, etc. But like the networking, I have already created that for my own game. Do I have to use the steam networking or can I just use the unity networking? The only things I would be interested in is using the player account from steam, stats/achievements, drm solution. Is this possible or do you need to use all the api things?
As far as I can see there are not statements anywhere that you need to use them, though it might be better for some services (like achievements) if you do. Also, it might take a while before your game is through greenlight, so it’s not like you cann ot do it after submission. Read more about greenlight, and a bunch of tips here: http://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/tips-for-getting-greenlit-on-steam-greenlight--gamedev-13938
You’re better off going with a DRM like steam. Chances are, even if your game is passed around between friends, it will be a small number and any effort trying to protect it would cost more than the sales you might lose.
The only currently tough protection method is denuvo, which I know most of the big name games are using, but I don’t think it’d be worth it for a small indie developer.
