[UA] Bizarre text distribution model

[Gareth Hanrahan]

> The disadvantages are equally clear: I need a good reputation to make this
> work, since that's what I'm trading on.  If I set my goal at $4000 and
> people only pre-pay $2000, what do I do then?  If I release it anyway, the
> system collapses because everyone with a grasp of economics figures, "I
> shouldn't pay -- in a year, Stolze will cave and release it regardless".
> If I don't release it, I've effectively stolen two grand from my closest
> fans, which is not a route I want to go.  Plus, I can never earn more than
> what I get up front.  (Not that long-term royalties have ever paid out for
> me in gaming.  But I suppose there's still time.)

Hmm. How about setting it up so that the work will always be released at
some point, regardless of how much money is paid - but every payment reduces
the delay? For example, you declare that REIGN will be released in, say, 99
years. However, if I pay 10 dollars, then that's reduced to 89 years or
something? The best way to do it would be to set the payments up on a
curve - buying the years off is cheap enough, buying the months off is much
more expensive, and when we get the release date down to weeks, you start
raking in the cash...

That ensures that the fans who paid will always eventually get
something...eventually...
> -G.
Gar


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