Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!ispd-newsserver!hoffmann
From: hoffmann@acl.kodak.com (marty hoffmann)
Subject: Re: M.U.L.E.
Message-ID: <1991May2.120314.18373@ssd.kodak.com>
Originator: hoffmann@wotan
Sender: news@ssd.kodak.com
Organization: Eastman Kodak
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 2 May 91 12:03:14 GMT


In article <1991May01.214722.18015@convex.com> William Dockendorf writes:
>...
>  What they are saying is that since the same number of people rating
>both of these games in their surveys, then approximately the same number
>of people had played both games, and by implication, approximately the
>same number of people had a copy of each game (in some form - legal
>or pirated).  Since the sales figures were 5 to 1, then it would seem
>that there are at least 4 pirate copies of M.U.L.E. for every one bought.
>

	I am not a statistician, but I would say that this is a pretty
	risky conclusion to draw, unless you know how many people 
	responded to the surveys.

	Taken to an extreme, suppose only one person responded to each
	survey.  Obviously we can't conclude that 120,000 copies of
	M.U.L.E. were pirated.

	Taken to the other extreme, if 1,000,000 people responded, then 
	120,000 copies quite possibly could have been pirated (then again,
	maybe not).

>  The actual figure could be higher, or it could be somewhat lower since
>...

	Could be greatly higher or lower.  

	In any case, saying that piracy has hurt the chances of someone 
	like me ever playing M.U.L.E. seems to be a safe bet.  That's a 
	shame, because it sounds like an interesting game.  Do you think 
	the pirates care that I will never be given the opportunity to 
	experience M.U.L.E.?  Don't count on it.

>
>  William (one of the 30,000 store bought copies) Dockendorf
>

	I assume that this does not mean that I am responding to the game
	itself.  If I am, than M.U.L.E. really must be a fantastic game :^)

Marty (one who has bought just about every other game imaginable) Hoffmann

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| Martin R Hoffmann        | Opinions expressed above are | 
| (hoffmann@acl.kodak.com) | not Kodak's (blah blah blah) | 
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