Just Published My First Book: Sega Master System Game Guide

[onemanfilmcrew]

[quote="lisalover1"]If you do consider game screenshots, I would be more in favor of black-and-white screenshots. You can still see the game in action, while retaining relatively low production costs.[/quote]



I just want to thank you because you have given me a fantastic idea. Since there is virtually no overhead with the way I am publishing these, in theory I could do a trio of books. The basic volume (just text), the thorough version with B/W screen shots, and the deluxe version that is in full color.

The only problem I see with that is oversaturation, but I could be wrong. What does everyone think?

[hashiriya1]

Contact me if you want it translated to Japanese. I've translated books before (car repair manuals and short novels).

[lisalover1]

If you do consider game screenshots, I would be more in favor of black-and-white screenshots. You can still see the game in action, while retaining relatively low production costs.

I just want to thank you because you have given me a fantastic idea. Since there is virtually no overhead with the way I am publishing these, in theory I could do a trio of books. The basic volume (just text), the thorough version with B/W screen shots, and the deluxe version that is in full color.

The only problem I see with that is oversaturation, but I could be wrong. What does everyone think?

I say if you're going to release multiple versions, narrow it down to 2. Thorough and Deluxe. I would gladly pay extra for either.

[Xonticus]

If you do consider game screenshots, I would be more in favor of black-and-white screenshots. You can still see the game in action, while retaining relatively low production costs.

I just want to thank you because you have given me a fantastic idea. Since there is virtually no overhead with the way I am publishing these, in theory I could do a trio of books. The basic volume (just text), the thorough version with B/W screen shots, and the deluxe version that is in full color.

The only problem I see with that is oversaturation, but I could be wrong. What does everyone think?

I say if you're going to release multiple versions, narrow it down to 2. Thorough and Deluxe. I would gladly pay extra for either.

I too agree that only 2 editions should be enough, especially if you are going to do a series I'd be willing to buy each one tbh. Reference guides are one of the most useful resources I can think of.

[onemanfilmcrew]

Well, 2 editions it will be. It's probably going to be 4th on my list due to the time involved. The next 3 things are:

bi-monthly classic gaming magazine
additional shows of The VGA (and a DVD to boot)
Turbo Grafx Game Guide (both standard and deluxe)

Of course somewhere in there I'm moving to a yet to be determined state, so the timing is still up in the air.

[lisalover1]

Wait, does this mean you will be releasing the MS guide with pictures, or holding off until the next book to institute the idea? I want to know whether I should hold off, and wait for the better edition.

[onemanfilmcrew]

[quote="lisalover1"]Wait, does this mean you will be releasing the MS guide with pictures, or holding off until the next book to institute the idea? I want to know whether I should hold off, and wait for the better edition.[/quote]


It's going to be quite a while before I get around to the Deluxe MS Guide. And by "a while" I mean at least a year, possibly longer. There are just other projects that I'm working on and want to get off the ground, which between them and moving the Deluxe guide is on the far back burner.

[Xonticus]

I see that my package is going to be delivered today. I'm at work until 9 so I won't be able to post my first impressions until probably tomorrow. I can't wait!

[Xonticus]

Hey everybody!

I got the book in, and am pleased with the product. This is my informal critique on "The Sega Master System Game Guide"

DO NOT read past this point if you want to be totally surprised about this book. This is just my opinion and impression of the book.


It's about 7"x10" and about a half inch thick. The red/black cover with the white lettering is very attractive to my eyes and is not over complex, simple seemed to work out well in this case. On the binding part, the title of the book ends almost exactly where the red/black sections meet. Not a big deal, I was just bringing it up because I'm not sure if it was intentional or not.

Your writing style, first of all, is very fourth coming and honest. The only complaint I have in this is that sometimes I wish you could go on even more about the games than you already do, and maybe some interesting history behind it or your personal experiences/memories with the games. In reflection, I kind of wished there was a small section in the beginning of the book that shares your personal attitude/experiences/feelings towards the Master System and its games in general. I felt like I wanted to hear more of what you want to say on the subject, and that you were robbed of that opportunity. Otherwise, you seem to convey your feelings about the games very clearly, and is an easy read. Great job!

The only qualm I have in general with this book, is that there just is something that seems not right with the page formatting. The text comes pretty close to the binding at times, and I think that you could have made the game title's font a bit more interesting by either changing it entirely, not underlining it, etc. Also, the game info (released, publisher) could have been formatted in a more interesting way, or also include the exact release date instead of just a year. I hate to solder on about it, but I also think that an index of the games in the book presented alphabetically in the beginning would be a nice addition. (no page number for each game needed)

I also noticed that some of the game entries ended around mid-page. To be honest, what I think might've been cool is to have a little sprite representation from the game, like either a sprite of a baddie or a funny animation or something to make it more visually attractive and interesting. Another side note, there are 4 pages that are blank at the end of the book after the "Games by Genre" section. Don't know if it's just buffer space or what, just an observation.

I kept finding myself closing the book, and opening it to a random page and reading what was on that page. Such a fun thing to do!

In the end, I personally feel that this was a mere sampling of what you could offer us as far as a guide that you could provide. I really wanted to hear more and to be quite honest, would pay the 15-20 bucks for a guide written by you that dove headfirst into the subject and completely let go. I love the way you write and describe things, and it all invoked a sense of pure nostalgia that was untainted by the games of today. I can't wait to see what you publish next, and to see how you've explored every page with your words. This book is a steal at 10 bucks if you are at all a Sega collector or interested in the Master System.

Cheers!

EDIT: LMAO at the Michael Jackson Moonwalker entry.... holy shit that was gold.

[onemanfilmcrew]

Thank you for the in depth review. I'm really glad to hear that you are enjoying the book. I did want to let everyone know a couple of things in your review. The binding is a bit tight in places, but that's just the way that the printer does it. I tried several different setups and it still came out the same. Also, for the next project I am greatly expanding my reviews for the next project, which is the video game magazine. The current plan is to have 4 page layouts with 2-3 times the size of the review alongside tons of screen shots.

This project was very much a new experience for me, so I'm very thankful for the feedback. As I keep doing more projects I'm going to be taking all the feedback I get and using it to make what I do better. So please, anybody else that gets the book please feel free to be brutally honest with me. I'm not only doing these projects for my own enjoyment, but I'm also doing it for the classic gaming fans out there.