Quote:
Originally posted by Luvian:
A demo is an idea I can agree with. It leave the prices as is, and allow people to try the game for a while.
The problem is that you can't really make a single player version or a MMORPG. Or at least, it wouldn't have the same feel at all.
There was a mmorpg in development a few years ago that had planed something like that. I think it was mimesis online. They had the intention of creating a seperate trial area people could play in to test the game. I don't know if this recquired a different client and you then had to buy the game as usual if you liked it, or if they gave you the real client for free.
Anyway, I'm not even sure the game got released. I never heard from them in ages.
Thoran, I don't see the 50$ as a marketting scheme. To me it's just the price of the client. Just like you usually buy a cellphone and then get a service. And yes, I know some companies give you a basic cellphone for free. It still doesn't change the fact that most people buy theirs, and that cellphones aren't considered free. They're just sometimes a gift if you subscribe.
You're really tight with money if you care about 50$. I paid about 90$ for Cities of Heroes and a 3 months time card, and just because I wanted something to play in the 2-3 weeks until WoW's release. And guess what? My salary put me in the poorest Canadians.
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Well I don't think my wife would call me tight with money [img]smile.gif[/img] (I don't think much of dropping a hundred bucks on a bottle of Scotch, or 60 bucks on Half Life 2, or a couple grand on go-fast goodies for my car), I am however extremely PICKY, and if I feel someone is trying to put something over on me I'll go out of my way to avoid it... whether it's $5.00 or $5000.
I guess in this instance I understand enought about the various marketing options available to these vendors to know that the one they've chosen is NOT being used for altruistic reasons. It's being used because it's the most agressive one they can get away with and customers are swallowing it.
Riftmaker has the perfect example of MMO Marketing in action. They KNOW that there are a certain percentage of Riftmakers are out there... people who will buy the game and not like it. Instead of allowing those players to try before you buy they force them to take the risk and buy... and in his case throw a hundred bucks down the toilet. THAT is exactly what I object to, because it's not necessary, it's a greedy money grab on their part. SP game makers provide demo version of their games (at least the good ones do).
I understand a demo might be tricky for them, but certainly a one month trial is WELL within the realm of possibility, let users download or order a one month subscription (or maybe 15 hours of play or something) for $15 bucks (DON'T give it away free or you'll have every little shit in the country on there babbling incoherently)... if after that month they love the game then go for the full subscription. At that point if the game maker STILL insists on front loading the package (something I still feel is unnecessary) at least the user knows what he's paying for. The only MMO that I ever tried was UO and that was the situation. I played for an hour and all I encountered were a bunch of illiterate kids, and the graphics STUNK... so I lost interest almost immediately. However, I have read reviews of MMO's I'd be interested in trying (WoW specifically) and the inability to try it out has and will keep me away.
[ 11-12-2004, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Thoran ]