I''ve got one thing to say about pay-per-play....Divx. No, I''m not talking about the codec for viewing movies on your PC. I''m talking about the evil DVD scheme that was around a few years ago that Disney and Circuit City were pushing. It totally bombed.
In theory, pay-per-play sounds like a good idea, but most people just won''t go for it. This also ties in a bit with the reason that most games don''t drop their price by 50%. It''s something called perceived value. When people see that most games cost $40~60 and then they look at your game and it costs $20, most people _perceive_ that the higher priced games must be better...why else would they charge more. It''s odd, but it''s true.
Now, getting back to the pay-per-play element, the problem is two-fold. The confusion about how much it would actually cost to play the game is perceived as either high or low. The average joe will think, well, if it sucks then I won''t spend much money...BUT, if it turns out to be great then it''ll probably cost me a fortune to play it! The problem is, that neither scenario is a good one. It''s a lose-lose situation.
Also, as someone else brought up, a good chunk of the game players are kids and MOST of their parents won''t allow them to use their credit card for an unleashed pay-per-play scenario. This cuts a large chunk of your market out.
All in all, I think a small fixed monthly fee for a game can work...IF they add value to your game. But, your main sales tactic should still be pay-to-own....IMHO.
-John
Interesting way of evading piracy...
What if I dont have an internet connection?
I will not be able to play the game.
[edited by - axodoss on November 23, 2002 5:59:31 AM]
I will not be able to play the game.
[edited by - axodoss on November 23, 2002 5:59:31 AM]
Author
I don''t intend to make it feel like you''re being spied on - the aim is you just have a username + password and everything else is done behind the scenes. Neither do I intend to force you online to play - networks,direct modem connections and splitscreen will be supported too. If you have no net connection you''re unlikely to be able to buy it as it''ll probably be by download - but that is relatively getting fewer of us all the time. I think my pay-per-play ideas have been pretty busted so it''s unlikely to use that, unless:
You''re paying optionally for an extra web-playing arena, where there are prizes to be won and daily/national tournaments etc where your money primarily pays for all the servers and stuff.
Read about my game, project #1
NEW (9th September)diaries for week #5
Also I''m selling a few programming books very useful to games coders. Titles on my site.
John 3:16
You''re paying optionally for an extra web-playing arena, where there are prizes to be won and daily/national tournaments etc where your money primarily pays for all the servers and stuff.
Read about my game, project #1
NEW (9th September)diaries for week #5
Also I''m selling a few programming books very useful to games coders. Titles on my site.
John 3:16
quote:Original post by AxoDosS
What if I dont have an internet connection?
I will not be able to play the game.
True, if you are talking about single player games, but the thread was started on the premise of putting functionality on the server side for a multiplayer game (aka - they have a connection, and preferably a fast one). Personally, I would rather target the audience that has gaming machines and high speed internet connections who are going to tell their friends about the game so they can play against each other, rather than the individuals who play single player games. Just my 2 cents.
cyn
I forget which game, but the one I''m thinking of sold awhile ago with no copy protection. The company then made an expansion that included copy protection. The addon (which required the original installation) outsold the original game 2 to one!
There are other case studies that show having copy protection greatly increases the bottom line. Therefore copy protection is far from worthless. It is a very profitable feature, even if it can be cracked.
Value of good ideas: 10 cents per dozen.
Implementation of the good ideas: Priceless.
Proxima Rebellion - A 3D action sim with a hint of strategy
There are other case studies that show having copy protection greatly increases the bottom line. Therefore copy protection is far from worthless. It is a very profitable feature, even if it can be cracked.
Value of good ideas: 10 cents per dozen.
Implementation of the good ideas: Priceless.
Proxima Rebellion - A 3D action sim with a hint of strategy
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