This quote sums it all up...
The thing is, the stuff that's for everybody is already sold to everybody. So you can't win by being more average than average, because that slot's taken.
-Adam!!!
Friday, September 07, 2007
Again with the Seth Godin...
What can I say. His world-view helped shape mine. Check out this interview
This quote sums it all up...
-Adam!!!
This quote sums it all up...
-Adam!!!
Caring about Disney
As both of my regular readers can attest (hi guys!) I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. I didn't really mean to be, I just never had anything good to write when I was at the keyboard. Awesome ideas in the car, but but later...at the keyboard...they were gone! Anyway, I was on vacation again at Disneyland.
Good heavens, I love it there.
If you have a young 'un like me, I really hope you can take them to Disneyland while they're small (my guy is 6, the age I went when I first visited the park.) Not only is it totally fun for everyone, but I get to look back on my experience as a child and realize I'm helping create these same awesome memories for Alex. It really is magical. He loves roller-coasters now. =-)
I've said this before. Disney sells awesome memories. They sell them at a premium price, but I don't mind. I'll keep going back again and again, because I think it's worth it. I have some friends I think would see things like the $2.75 price tag on each bottle of water, $8 for each sandwich and let it ruin the otherwise magical memories. When I'm on vacation, I just switch into 'vacation money' mode, and stop caring what things cost. At least for essentials like food and water! I still use discretion regarding what stuff Alex is allowed to buy. He doesn't ask for much that's unreasonable, thankfully. My opinion: It's expensive, accept it and go have an awesome time. The place is magical.
How do they do it? Well, most of all, I think the cast really cares about what they're doing. I know a lot of Disney employees (my wife's best friend works at the park now) and the best ones, the ones that stick around, really do care about making the guests experience a great one.
I also care about the customer's I work with for Bella Sara. Sometimes I care because the person seems really nice (via e-mail) and sometimes I care for selfish reasons because I want my product/company/job to succeed. I'm not sure one's actually better than the other, provided the motivation is genuine and positive. I think the same is true at Disneyland.
Why people care isn't as important as THAT they care. If you don't care about what you're doing, chances are, you're not doing it very well (certainly not as well as you could be.)
-Adam!!!
Good heavens, I love it there.
If you have a young 'un like me, I really hope you can take them to Disneyland while they're small (my guy is 6, the age I went when I first visited the park.) Not only is it totally fun for everyone, but I get to look back on my experience as a child and realize I'm helping create these same awesome memories for Alex. It really is magical. He loves roller-coasters now. =-)
I've said this before. Disney sells awesome memories. They sell them at a premium price, but I don't mind. I'll keep going back again and again, because I think it's worth it. I have some friends I think would see things like the $2.75 price tag on each bottle of water, $8 for each sandwich and let it ruin the otherwise magical memories. When I'm on vacation, I just switch into 'vacation money' mode, and stop caring what things cost. At least for essentials like food and water! I still use discretion regarding what stuff Alex is allowed to buy. He doesn't ask for much that's unreasonable, thankfully. My opinion: It's expensive, accept it and go have an awesome time. The place is magical.
How do they do it? Well, most of all, I think the cast really cares about what they're doing. I know a lot of Disney employees (my wife's best friend works at the park now) and the best ones, the ones that stick around, really do care about making the guests experience a great one.
I also care about the customer's I work with for Bella Sara. Sometimes I care because the person seems really nice (via e-mail) and sometimes I care for selfish reasons because I want my product/company/job to succeed. I'm not sure one's actually better than the other, provided the motivation is genuine and positive. I think the same is true at Disneyland.
Why people care isn't as important as THAT they care. If you don't care about what you're doing, chances are, you're not doing it very well (certainly not as well as you could be.)
-Adam!!!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Winner Take All
With GenCon now in the rear view mirror, I had the good fortune to run into some old friends from Wizards in the lobby of my hotel. Not so surprisingly, talk quickly turned to games, gaming, and the games industry. This is the conclusion I came to following our discussion.
The games industry is a Winner Take All industry. Unless a company or product breaks the mold in a major way, it's also a zero-sum industry. Taken with my theory of Viral, Hardcore, Vanish, this means in order to go viral, and reap the rewards that come with viral success, you have to generate a new sort of game/category (and new audience), or you have to knock another game out of it's place at the top of the pile.
There is no room for another Fantasy TCG, unless Magic goes away.
There's no room for another Kids Anime TCG, unless Pokemon goes away.
There might be room for a non-kids Anime TCG.
There's no room for another plastic miniatures game, unless Clix goes away (which it might.)
And so on.
See how kids anime and adult anime fall into two different categories. That's important. The smaller the slice of category pie, the more chance to you have to gain traction and become the Winner-Take-All success of that more specialized category. Unfortunately, the category has to be small enough that you can dominate it, but also large enough that domination results in your game's success. It's a particularly tricky piece of the puzzle of success. If you create a new, smaller category, but aren't brining new people into the zero-sum equation, your success will still be limited to the number of people you can convert from other products.
While working at the Bella Sara booth, it was so clear. We were the only stop for girls at the whole show. The only question was whether there would be enough girls (or people who had girls in their lives) to make the show worth it. It was. Every other booth in the hall had competitors, except us. Blue ocean, smooth sailing.
Zero-Sum
Viral, Hardcore, Vanish
Winner Take All (for Viral success)
-Adam!!!
The games industry is a Winner Take All industry. Unless a company or product breaks the mold in a major way, it's also a zero-sum industry. Taken with my theory of Viral, Hardcore, Vanish, this means in order to go viral, and reap the rewards that come with viral success, you have to generate a new sort of game/category (and new audience), or you have to knock another game out of it's place at the top of the pile.
There is no room for another Fantasy TCG, unless Magic goes away.
There's no room for another Kids Anime TCG, unless Pokemon goes away.
There might be room for a non-kids Anime TCG.
There's no room for another plastic miniatures game, unless Clix goes away (which it might.)
And so on.
See how kids anime and adult anime fall into two different categories. That's important. The smaller the slice of category pie, the more chance to you have to gain traction and become the Winner-Take-All success of that more specialized category. Unfortunately, the category has to be small enough that you can dominate it, but also large enough that domination results in your game's success. It's a particularly tricky piece of the puzzle of success. If you create a new, smaller category, but aren't brining new people into the zero-sum equation, your success will still be limited to the number of people you can convert from other products.
While working at the Bella Sara booth, it was so clear. We were the only stop for girls at the whole show. The only question was whether there would be enough girls (or people who had girls in their lives) to make the show worth it. It was. Every other booth in the hall had competitors, except us. Blue ocean, smooth sailing.
Zero-Sum
Viral, Hardcore, Vanish
Winner Take All (for Viral success)
-Adam!!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Doctor is Out
I guess Dr. Phil is going to tackle violent video games. I don't normally have a problem with Dr. Phil, even when I disagree with him. He's already started with this article.
This is the quote that bothered me:
His advice to parents is sound, though totally obvious. Be aware of what your kids are playing, limit their time, pay some friggin' attention. Dr. Phil just needs to heed his own advice.
-Adam!!!
This is the quote that bothered me:
"If you shoot somebody in one of these games, you don't go to jail, you don't get penalized in some way — you get extra points!"Extra points? What is this, 1985? Very, very few video games use points any longer. It's an antiquated term, based on an antiquated vision of what a video game is. What this says to me is Dr. Phil is speaking about these games from a position of ignorance. He doesn't play them, he doesn't know what modern games are about, but deems himself qualified to speak about them.
His advice to parents is sound, though totally obvious. Be aware of what your kids are playing, limit their time, pay some friggin' attention. Dr. Phil just needs to heed his own advice.
-Adam!!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Hasbro on Fun and Profit
Boardgame news reports the Hasbro/EA agreement, then calls the Hasbro COO out for talking like a corporate stooge.
I totally biased on this point, but IMHO the executives at Hasbro don't see their products as games or toys. To them, they are brands. They are brands with profit potential. Some more than others.
Q: Can a company who sees it's own products in a such a sterile, uncaring light, really make things that are great?
A: Not unless they get lucky. Happily for them, adequate is still profitable on a large scale.
I'm a capitalist. I'm all over the idea of creating something great and selling it for money. I'm also an idealist. I believe profit is a side effect of doing great things. If the people at the top don't care, that feeling filters throughout an organization. I know. I've seen it first hand at Wizards of the Coast.
For the record, we've got plenty of caring where I work now, and it's awesome.
-Adam!!!
I totally biased on this point, but IMHO the executives at Hasbro don't see their products as games or toys. To them, they are brands. They are brands with profit potential. Some more than others.
Q: Can a company who sees it's own products in a such a sterile, uncaring light, really make things that are great?
A: Not unless they get lucky. Happily for them, adequate is still profitable on a large scale.
I'm a capitalist. I'm all over the idea of creating something great and selling it for money. I'm also an idealist. I believe profit is a side effect of doing great things. If the people at the top don't care, that feeling filters throughout an organization. I know. I've seen it first hand at Wizards of the Coast.
For the record, we've got plenty of caring where I work now, and it's awesome.
-Adam!!!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
It's a Small Virtual World After All
So I type "bella sara" into the Technorati search engine, as is my habit to do every now and then. I like to see what the world thinks of our little product.
As it turns out, the new temp who's joining us on Monday has blogged about his new gig. He doesn't sound too excited. Oh well. Another job fell through, now he's stuck with us.
It's a weird thing to run across, the blog of a person you're going to meet and work with in a couple of days. After reading a few back entries, I know more about him than any other employee I've ever hired, much less worked with as a temp. I suppose I could try and freak him out by referencing something from his blog. =-) Probably wouldn't work. Probably more grief than it's worth.
Ah well, it'll be fun to see how the internet person compares to the real-life person. It's still freaky feeling.
-Adam!!!
As it turns out, the new temp who's joining us on Monday has blogged about his new gig. He doesn't sound too excited. Oh well. Another job fell through, now he's stuck with us.
It's a weird thing to run across, the blog of a person you're going to meet and work with in a couple of days. After reading a few back entries, I know more about him than any other employee I've ever hired, much less worked with as a temp. I suppose I could try and freak him out by referencing something from his blog. =-) Probably wouldn't work. Probably more grief than it's worth.
Ah well, it'll be fun to see how the internet person compares to the real-life person. It's still freaky feeling.
-Adam!!!
Monday, July 30, 2007
"Your Website" Prime
I just read a USA Today article on Amazon Prime where frequent buyers can pay $79 per year for unlimited free 2-day shipping. While the article is fine, it almost completely glosses over why the program works.
By signing up, customers have invested in Amazon.com.
Not in the stocks & bonds sort of way, but in a more personal way. What customer would shop ANYWHERE ELSE after putting that money down? All Amazon has to do is provide their usual service (customers who pay $79 ahead of time know what to expect from Amazon) and come next year, those customers will do it again.
I don't purchase enough from Amazon to make it worth my while, but I certainly can see how many people do. Like the article says, one healthy holiday shopping list would cover it.
The question is how to replicate that for other sorts of websites. What can you do to get the visitors to your website to 'invest' in it? I don't mean just money, though it's certainly a good example, but anything. Forums are a good (if a bit typical) way to get that sort of investment. What other ways can you get people to buy-in to your site in a way that makes other sites seem like a waste of time?
Not sure...
-Adam!!!
By signing up, customers have invested in Amazon.com.
Not in the stocks & bonds sort of way, but in a more personal way. What customer would shop ANYWHERE ELSE after putting that money down? All Amazon has to do is provide their usual service (customers who pay $79 ahead of time know what to expect from Amazon) and come next year, those customers will do it again.
I don't purchase enough from Amazon to make it worth my while, but I certainly can see how many people do. Like the article says, one healthy holiday shopping list would cover it.
The question is how to replicate that for other sorts of websites. What can you do to get the visitors to your website to 'invest' in it? I don't mean just money, though it's certainly a good example, but anything. Forums are a good (if a bit typical) way to get that sort of investment. What other ways can you get people to buy-in to your site in a way that makes other sites seem like a waste of time?
Not sure...
-Adam!!!
Friday, July 27, 2007
A big cash prize...ooh...aah...
White Wolf is offering a 'big' $25000 prize for the winner of their EVE CCG at GenCon this year.
That's a nice prize. I'm sure it'll lure some folks in. Still, how unremarkable is that? GenCon...tournament...cash prize... It's all been done before, and better (I suspect), by Wizards and Upper Deck.
Just spit ballin' here.
If it really is all about the cash, what about giving:
the top 25 finishers a $1000 prize?
the top 50 finishers $500? How many players would that lure in?
The thing about giving a big pile of cash to one player is you'll lure in a semi-large group of really, really competitive players. The winner will be either a previous fan of the game (good, but not great from a marketing perspective) or players who are really good at learning games (but probably don't really care about yours.)
Think about how you could spend $25000 to make the convention game experience top notch for all the players. Moderate prizes, comfortable play area, free food and drink for paid tournament attendees, massages between rounds for the tournament leaders. What would be the coolest thing you could do/provide to the players at your event? What would make everyone walking by the event jealous that they didn't get in on it?
Last year Spoils had I-Pod tournaments. Awesome. THAT's what I'm talking about. Creating prizes that stand out.
Be Remarkable or Be Boring. IMHO, cash is boring.
OP programs seem enamored with the 'pro' player. Of course, any store owner will tell you the pro players are crappy customers. A broad generalization of the pro-player is a male, high-intensity, win oriented, gamer, who buys like he plays. That is, very efficiently. They don't buy from the local store, and they don't pay full price. When they do show up for a local tournament, it's to collect prizes.
Unless your game is designed to cater to that sort of player, and Eve might be, I don't know. I suggest catering to a more casual gamer. It's what most retailers already do, because that's what most of their customers are (even if they want to be pros). They're an under-represented portion of the CCG market. Casual gamers also tend to have lives, jobs, and a tad more money.
Of course, big prizes are sexy. We do like sexy in this business, I guess.
-Adam!!!
That's a nice prize. I'm sure it'll lure some folks in. Still, how unremarkable is that? GenCon...tournament...cash prize... It's all been done before, and better (I suspect), by Wizards and Upper Deck.
Just spit ballin' here.
If it really is all about the cash, what about giving:
the top 25 finishers a $1000 prize?
the top 50 finishers $500? How many players would that lure in?
The thing about giving a big pile of cash to one player is you'll lure in a semi-large group of really, really competitive players. The winner will be either a previous fan of the game (good, but not great from a marketing perspective) or players who are really good at learning games (but probably don't really care about yours.)
Think about how you could spend $25000 to make the convention game experience top notch for all the players. Moderate prizes, comfortable play area, free food and drink for paid tournament attendees, massages between rounds for the tournament leaders. What would be the coolest thing you could do/provide to the players at your event? What would make everyone walking by the event jealous that they didn't get in on it?
Last year Spoils had I-Pod tournaments. Awesome. THAT's what I'm talking about. Creating prizes that stand out.
Be Remarkable or Be Boring. IMHO, cash is boring.
OP programs seem enamored with the 'pro' player. Of course, any store owner will tell you the pro players are crappy customers. A broad generalization of the pro-player is a male, high-intensity, win oriented, gamer, who buys like he plays. That is, very efficiently. They don't buy from the local store, and they don't pay full price. When they do show up for a local tournament, it's to collect prizes.
Unless your game is designed to cater to that sort of player, and Eve might be, I don't know. I suggest catering to a more casual gamer. It's what most retailers already do, because that's what most of their customers are (even if they want to be pros). They're an under-represented portion of the CCG market. Casual gamers also tend to have lives, jobs, and a tad more money.
Of course, big prizes are sexy. We do like sexy in this business, I guess.
-Adam!!!
A Model Post
I wouldn't be caught dead wearing one in public...but on the internet, why not? I hope I never run for office, this is bound to come up!
In case you're more insane than me, the 'hat' is Available here.
In case you're more insane than me, the 'hat' is Available here.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Dis-Organized Play
What do retailers want from organized play? Well, the easy answer is sales, but like most things, Organized Play isn't easy.
As a publisher, the most efficient way to create an organized play system is to put a bunch of stuff in a box, and get that box to the retailer. In general, that's what most publisher-based OP programs are, stuff in boxes. SIB.
What's good about SIB
A consistent OP system provides continuity for players. They know what to expect when they show up for an event, and thus the expectations are easy to meet. (Unrealistic expectations on the part of your customers are a killer!)
They provide an easy solution to the problem of holding events in the store. Everything's provided, including instructions. If there's a problem, the better publishers provide some sort of customer service support.
It's economical. Most SIB's are either free or cost so little that the bump in sales from the event covers the cost. A good deal for everyone.
What's bad about SIB
In markets where there is a high density of game stores, competition can be fierce. SIB events homogenize the store's events. If there's five stores running the exact same events (or worse, the same events on the same nights...say, Friday!) there's little reason to go to any particular store. As such, if there were 30 players in the area, but each simply goes to their closest store, each event only attracts an average of 6 players. Not the critical mass events require to be considered successful.
What's this mean? It means if you're developing an OP program, realize that you've got a different problem to solve depending on the store you're dealing with. Stores with competition are looking for ways to stand out from the others. Stores that are the only game in town are looking for ways to fit in.
-Adam!!!
As a publisher, the most efficient way to create an organized play system is to put a bunch of stuff in a box, and get that box to the retailer. In general, that's what most publisher-based OP programs are, stuff in boxes. SIB.
What's good about SIB
A consistent OP system provides continuity for players. They know what to expect when they show up for an event, and thus the expectations are easy to meet. (Unrealistic expectations on the part of your customers are a killer!)
They provide an easy solution to the problem of holding events in the store. Everything's provided, including instructions. If there's a problem, the better publishers provide some sort of customer service support.
It's economical. Most SIB's are either free or cost so little that the bump in sales from the event covers the cost. A good deal for everyone.
What's bad about SIB
In markets where there is a high density of game stores, competition can be fierce. SIB events homogenize the store's events. If there's five stores running the exact same events (or worse, the same events on the same nights...say, Friday!) there's little reason to go to any particular store. As such, if there were 30 players in the area, but each simply goes to their closest store, each event only attracts an average of 6 players. Not the critical mass events require to be considered successful.
What's this mean? It means if you're developing an OP program, realize that you've got a different problem to solve depending on the store you're dealing with. Stores with competition are looking for ways to stand out from the others. Stores that are the only game in town are looking for ways to fit in.
-Adam!!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
CSI - Customer Service International
Bella Sara has launched in Italy. That's really cool, but it's stressing both me and the website out. We've got a web upgrade scheduled for next week which will really take care of the speed issues, and a bunch of other things that have been chronic for months. Must...hang...on...a...bit...longer....
What's interesting is how we've got a brand new group of customers, BAM!, joining all at once. We've got a new partner who's just dived into the deep end of the Bella Sara customer service pool. Its sink or swim time. It's my job to be the life preserver.
-Adam!!!
What's interesting is how we've got a brand new group of customers, BAM!, joining all at once. We've got a new partner who's just dived into the deep end of the Bella Sara customer service pool. Its sink or swim time. It's my job to be the life preserver.
-Adam!!!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Mmmmm...That's Del.icio.us
Del.icio.us is something I've been peripherally aware of for years. I set up my page of links ages ago, but never used the service. Well, I'm still not sold on it's use for me, but I'm giving it another go. I read a fair number of blogs (about a 1/2 to 1 hour's worth per day) and my excuse for taking that sort of time is education. I'm alway looking for the next cool thing. Of course, when I find it, what do I do with it? Del.icio.us is a way to share what I've found with the world, and save stuff I like for myself. Rather than 'save as new' in Bloglines, choking my blog list with stuff I've already read, I'll add it to my link list and maybe, just maybe, other folks will get something out of it.
Or not.
I've added my Del.icio.us link to the top of my links list, there on the right. Not much there yet, but it'll grow.
-Adam!!!
Or not.
I've added my Del.icio.us link to the top of my links list, there on the right. Not much there yet, but it'll grow.
-Adam!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Magic is Gone
Not really. In fact, I've still got boxes of the stuff. =-)
I'm done selling on E-Bay for a while. Partly because I've made roughly twice as much as I expected from my old Beta cards, but mostly because it's totally StReSsInG Me OuT!
Magic buyers are a lot more serious than RPG book buyers. They pay a lot for the cards and they're very particular about every little thing. I get that, but it's really hard to deal with. I got my first non-positive feedback (neutral, which isn't so bad...) and it bothers the crap out of me.
I offered the guy his money back, but that wasn't good enough. Oh well...
In case you want to know what Magic cards are going for in the new millenium...Click Here (The auctions are over. I wouldn't use this blog to sell stuff.
All I have left to do is ship...and fret that it all arrives okay.
-Adam!!!
I'm done selling on E-Bay for a while. Partly because I've made roughly twice as much as I expected from my old Beta cards, but mostly because it's totally StReSsInG Me OuT!
Magic buyers are a lot more serious than RPG book buyers. They pay a lot for the cards and they're very particular about every little thing. I get that, but it's really hard to deal with. I got my first non-positive feedback (neutral, which isn't so bad...) and it bothers the crap out of me.
I offered the guy his money back, but that wasn't good enough. Oh well...
In case you want to know what Magic cards are going for in the new millenium...Click Here (The auctions are over. I wouldn't use this blog to sell stuff.
All I have left to do is ship...and fret that it all arrives okay.
-Adam!!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Feels Borderline Illegal
I try not to get political here, but the FBI site for kids K-5th grade just seems wrong to me.
My favorite parts...
and
Quotes taken out of context for humorous purposes. =-)
-Adam!!!
My favorite parts...
Today, there are over 350 violations of the law that the FBI investigates. We can't list them all here because there are so many...
and
Have you ever had your fingerprints taken? It's a great idea to do this...
Quotes taken out of context for humorous purposes. =-)
-Adam!!!
The Old Man's Got it Going On
Who in gaming doesn't respect Richard Garfield? I know I do. In the early days of Magic I think I could call him friend, though I suspect acquaintance is probably more accurate.
What strike me as interesting about Richard is, in addition to being a game design genius, is how he thinks about the way people play. (or is it the way he thinks about how people play?)
This interview really knocks it home how it thinks not only of the game, but of the gamers. In my experience, it's a rare combination.
Creating games that allow people to participate in front-line creative roles remains my dream. I'm not sure Richard was going there, but I think he'd appreciate the goal.
-Adam!!!
What strike me as interesting about Richard is, in addition to being a game design genius, is how he thinks about the way people play. (or is it the way he thinks about how people play?)
This interview really knocks it home how it thinks not only of the game, but of the gamers. In my experience, it's a rare combination.
"I also was scared of becoming a creator that wouldn't let anyone else contribute creatively. Instead, I tried [giving] the big picture for where I wanted to go and allow people to get there, creatively, on their own. I tried to offer advice and opinion rather than command, so that Magic grew with the best of many rather than the best of few."This sort of thinking is actually both revolutionary and very rare. Many of the designers I know are vastly talented (more so than I) but often tend to be either independant maverics or a small cabal of independant maverics. The idea of allowing others to contribute to their games ranges from distasteful to horrifiying. Allowing the public to contribute, unthinkable.
Creating games that allow people to participate in front-line creative roles remains my dream. I'm not sure Richard was going there, but I think he'd appreciate the goal.
-Adam!!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Fan Dance
What makes a fan club cool? What makes is special? Those are the million dollar (I hope) questions. What would I be willing to do/pay to be a part of a fan club? More to the point, what would YOU do?
A fan club's duty to the fan. It should:
Identify you as a fan. You care more than the average person. Celebrate that.
Provide content that only you, the real fan, wants, needs, and can get.
Allows you to identify yourself as a fan in some public manner. Wave the geek-flag, as it were.
Allows you to participate in the success of the thing you love.
Embrace and build your fan community. If people care, provide them an outlet for that emotion. Listen. Care back. Be your fan's greatest fan. Act on their behalf as you'd have them act on your's.
-Adam!!!
A fan club's duty to the fan. It should:
Identify you as a fan. You care more than the average person. Celebrate that.
Provide content that only you, the real fan, wants, needs, and can get.
Allows you to identify yourself as a fan in some public manner. Wave the geek-flag, as it were.
Allows you to participate in the success of the thing you love.
Embrace and build your fan community. If people care, provide them an outlet for that emotion. Listen. Care back. Be your fan's greatest fan. Act on their behalf as you'd have them act on your's.
-Adam!!!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Ace of Clubs
This week's task is a simple one. Write the skeleton of a new Fan Club, the success of which the company's entire future might depend. No biggie!
=-)
Actually, I've already done it once (with a lot of help from Lone Shark Games). The Bella Sara Dreams Club will premier and Gen Con Indy, and while I'm very proud of it, it's not 100% as good as it could be. For 2008, I want a fan club that'll knock the socks of any fan club that's gone before. Wish me luck!
-Adam!!!
=-)
Actually, I've already done it once (with a lot of help from Lone Shark Games). The Bella Sara Dreams Club will premier and Gen Con Indy, and while I'm very proud of it, it's not 100% as good as it could be. For 2008, I want a fan club that'll knock the socks of any fan club that's gone before. Wish me luck!
-Adam!!!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Um...what?
I read a combat robot message board regularly for my other hobby. It's a lot of fun and for my part it is pretty simple (comparable to any R/C hobby+model building, only my models are made from titanium.) A lot of the other participants are engineers, however, and this is how they talk...
-Adam!!!
I know the guy who wrote this. He's both a great guy and WAY smarter than me. =-)F = A*P, so A = 1.063*pi = 3.34 sq in, P = 250 psi, so F = 834 lbs. With that and a 1" stroke you can fiddle with the geometry quite a bit and still have some impressive hitting power.
The volume of gas per shot is PI*r^2*h, or .884 cu in, times P/1 ATM. P = 250 and 1 ATM = 15 so you use 250/15*.883 or 14.71 cu in of CO2 (at STP) per shot.
So, how much gas is in a 16g cartridge? 16g of CO2 becomes .302 cu ft at STP, or .302*1728 = 521.8 cu in. 528/14.71 yields ~35 shots.
Of course, it isn't that simple...
-Adam!!!
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