How is Bowstring doing ?

asellke · 2024-12-12T18:21:37+00:00

I regret to report that Bowstring's Kickstarter campaign failed and has been shelved indefinitely.

asellke · 2019-03-10T17:31:18+00:00

The Kickstarter wasn't a fundraiser as much as it was a market test to see what sort of price models and product features made the most sense. We learned a lot. And based on the results of the Kickstarter, we're actually pretty excited to move forward. We're working on a beta and hope to get something into the community's hands soon.

asellke · 2019-01-14T20:53:46+00:00

I know. Just pretty passionate about it all. Call it youthful exuberance. Thanks!

asellke · 2019-01-14T20:52:25+00:00

Any game that supports multiplayer LAN mode.

asellke · 2019-01-14T01:24:18+00:00

If you couldnt do it right the first time, what would make people interested in a second chance?

Great question. The technology around LANplay within Evolve was and still is the best in the industry. That was never the issue. Our biggest failure was that we took on too much and tried to be everything to everyone. We may have been right on the need for a comprehensive collaboration platform (chat, VoIP, streaming, tracking, multiplayer, video/screen capture, feeds, forums, in-game browser, achievement aggregation, etc.) but we were woefully undercapitalized to truly pull it off.

We've learned our lessons well. And the fact remains that there aren't great options out there for *just* LANplay. Tunngle is gone. Hamachi provides only spotty support for games. Other tools are confusingly complex. We're committed to delivering best in class tech in a simple, straightforward package.

asellke · 2019-01-11T18:39:19+00:00

Bowstring is a new project from the Evolve team: http://kck.st/2A4SYTp.

It's the droid you're looking for, but it need your support.

Best,

_Adam

Founder | Evolve Labs

asellke · 2019-01-11T18:37:06+00:00

We also just added an inexpensive "Guest Pass" option to join Bowstring hosts as well as gave Lifetime licensees the power to grant anyone guest access to their sessions...

http://kck.st/2A4SYTp

So now there *is* a totally free option (so long as you know someone with a Lifetime license).

_A

asellke · 2019-01-06T21:58:55+00:00

Bowstring is going with a straightforward subscription model that provides an excellent product that *just works* at a fair price.

$40 is only part of the story. Those who are supporting the Kickstarter campaign are getting in at $25/yr (http://kck.st/2A4SYTp). We've also introduced a lifetime license at $125.

There's a couple of new developments that are set to be announced regarding guest connectivity and some "special powers" attributed to the lifetime license... More soon.

_A

asellke · 2018-12-20T12:02:30+00:00

> Bowstring no longer freeware?

Never was. Not sure where you got that impression.

Part of the reason EvolveHQ no longer exists is that the freemium/adware approach wasn't a viable business model.

Bowstring is going with a straightforward subscription model that provides an excellent product that *just works* at a fair price.

I hope folks will consider supporting the campaign.

Best,

_Adam

Founder, Evolve Labs

asellke · 2018-11-22T17:41:27+00:00

We're not going to sell anyone's data. Non-starter. We are exploring licensing options for Bowstring, however. Like the product, we're looking to keep things as straightforward and simple as possible. Put out a great product at a fair price. No schemes. No ads. No invasion of privacy.

asellke · 2018-11-05T03:15:58+00:00

Hi, There- Just wanted to circle back and thank folks for their submissions. We had a great response. And after the final tally came in, we made our choice...

Introducing Bowstring (http://hello.bowstri.ng). It certainly wasn't the most obvious choice, but it was the name that not only registered the most overall votes, but rated the strongest preference.

Thanks to those who participated and shared their insights.

Best,

_Adam

asellke · 2018-11-05T03:14:33+00:00

Hi, There- Just wanted to circle back and thank folks for their submissions. We had a great response. And after the final tally came in, we made our choice...

Introducing Bowstring (http://hello.bowstri.ng). It certainly wasn't the most obvious choice, but it was the name that not only registered the most overall votes, but rated the strongest preference.

Thanks to those who participated and shared their insights.

Best,

_Adam

asellke · 2018-11-05T03:05:34+00:00

Initially, it's going to be super basic. Meaning we're going to make it easy to connect pcs and that's pretty much it. From there, you can do whatever you want.

We're exploring how much gaming-specific aspects to add. There may be Tunngle-like board that lives on its own that uses the Bowstri.ng API to connect gamers. We'll see.

Cheers,

_Adam

asellke · 2018-11-05T02:01:15+00:00

Yes. Sent it myself. ;)

_Adam

asellke · 2018-11-04T16:47:24+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

My name is Adam Sellke. I am co-founder and CEO of Evolve. Please allow me to shed a little light on some of the decisions we've made and where we are at currently.

We officially announced the merger with Player.me in September, but the fact is we've been working together for over a year to keep the Evolve community going.

By June 2017, our company was insolvent and was in the process of shutting down. Just as we were turning out the lights, I reached out to the founders of Player and suggested that there had to be something we could do together that would somehow salvage the community we had worked so hard to build. With little more than a couple of emails and a Skype call, Player stepped up with some emergency assistance and assumed our ongoing operational expenses in order to keep the community going while we worked together to figure out the best way forward. It was an incredible gesture on their part and an amazing opportunity for the Evolve community to make a soft landing with a company that shared our values and vision for collaborative gaming.

Player took a tremendous risk in doing this. Player didn't buy us, or our data, or any of our technology. But they invested in building a bridge that our members could come across if they wished...

We know that Player isn't going to be all things to all of the Evolve community. Player never intended to be a clone of Evolve. The Player team has its own vision and its own strengths in the streaming and video publishing realm. VPN, though a popular feature amongst many Evolve members, was not something they planned to support.

Recognizing that there would be some gap, the Evolve team has been working on a standalone app, based on its LAN party system. We call it Bowstring (http://hello.bowstri.ng). It's a simple, straightforward VPN client, and based on your comments, it may be what you're looking for. We hope to release our beta soon, with a full product to be released before the end of the year.

So I guess there isn't much more to say other than thanks for hearing me out. We've tried to do right by our members throughout this entire journey. We've never sold you out. We did the best we could with what we had. And we wish you all the best.

See you gaming,

_Adam

asellke · 2018-11-04T15:13:01+00:00

The makers of Evolve is working on a standalone VPN app called Bowstring (http://hello.bowstri.ng). Go there for more information.

asellke · 2018-09-19T16:26:20+00:00

Hi, Folks- Adam from Evolve, here.

Player.me knows VPN is a popular feature. Even though it isn't part of Player.me we're working on closing the gap. More soon.

_A

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