Marketability ideas (not gameplay mechanics)

To over simplify there are two kids of customers:

1. Casual. Angry birds playing adults and kids. Because of limited cash or limited time or limited focus like quick easy compartmentalized games. You can set it down and pick it up where you left off. Not play game for a week cause too busy and not lose your whole character.
OE's appeal and relation to casual gamers:
Prolly 90% of oe subs.
Find game: iTunes searching for 'Space game', top 25. Far more play game if app is free. Word of mouth, maybe see something on a game review site, maybe see ad on another free mmo (galactic empires, astroempires, kinngdomgame).
Willing to Pay: $0-$3 for app, $0-$7 for monthly sub, prolly for month or two. Problem is there is no space on app screen for commercials (which bring really minimal revenue anyway)

Freemium model:
http://gigaom.com/2011/01/05/developers-dont-bet-on-mobile-ad-revenue-to-pay-the-bills/

To be completed....please don't respond.

Helio,

I read part of it and that link and talking about advertisements in the game. ( /me shudders ) Just thinking about being in combat on the app and my finger brushes the advertisement and suddenly I am loading a Discover Card web page instead of taking care of business.

As with any product the best way of selling a product is to let the product sell itself. Case in point, my F-150. I wanted a new truck and went to several dealers. The salesman doing the test drive always had the A/C cranked to max and the radio blaring when I went to get into it. It really chaps them when you turn off the radio, turn down the A/C, then turn off the vehicle. You restart to listen to how it starts and if there is any mechanical noise. You then have to drive the vehicle through designated roads dictated by the salesman and when the ride is over go through a high pressure sale. The guy that sold me my last 2 vehicles tossed me the keys, said "go have fun and bring it back in about an hour."

How does this relate to software? Just about every game you get into has a demo mode which is like those salesman who had to ride along with you and micromanage everything. You don't get the full flavor. The ones that let you go on your own are the ones that don't need any pressure because the product sells itself once the user has a chance to become familiar with it.

Where this game has to make its money is in the subscriptions. Why pay for the app when the browser is free? Don't charge anything for the app. Get it ported over to Android as well so we broaden the gaming base. The developers were smart where they allowed you to play the game without a subscription an have access to everything. I would change the rules on it where you only get 2 weeks of free play. After 2 weeks you either subscribe or find another game. The sale didn't take.

We also need to get the word out about the game. Sites like IGN where we could showcase the game and draw interest to it with a release date. The main idea is to draw as many subscribed players as possible and retain them.

I agree Phil we needs subs and to keep people playing, iws should be for extra income and not the main income I am happily paying $5 a month for ae but I would rather pay that for oe and I don't have a lot of spare money but I find $5 a month

In my case the only thing I can do is introduce positive comments in AppStore about OE....

As I have no feedback from Paul about my previous offering, so I will repeat here...

"As the most important thing is that new players come to the game ( and continue for sure....), I offered previously, and do it again, open new market to OE... I refer the spanish/south america one. I read everyday tons of comments in AppStore about games that are only in english (something that usually not like to spanish speakers...). I offered myself to translate all screen menus of the game to spanish... I assume that with the spanish texts could be easy to implement in the settings part the languaje option (go to one or other folder I assume...)

I would like to help OE... Is feasible Paul?

OJ"

Oldwick wrote:In my case the only thing I can do is introduce positive comments in AppStore about OE....

As I have no feedback from Paul about my previous offering, so I will repeat here...

"As the most important thing is that new players come to the game ( and continue for sure....), I offered previously, and do it again, open new market to OE... I refer the spanish/south america one. I read everyday tons of comments in AppStore about games that are only in english (something that usually not like to spanish speakers...). I offered myself to translate all screen menus of the game to spanish... I assume that with the spanish texts could be easy to implement in the settings part the languaje option (go to one or other folder I assume...)

I would like to help OE... Is feasible Paul?

OJ"

I like the idea, but this brings to the surface another issue: the fact that the english and spanish players, with the exception of those who are bilingual, will not be able to communicate with each other. This might not be a bad thing, as both communities would be large enough to coexist within their own languages (trades, etc). However, what about diplomacy? When a spanish player attacks an english player's colony for example, and the english player sends a warning that is not understood, suddenly the spanish player is KoS for something which may have been a mistake (just learning or something). I know I attacked a colony without fully understanding what would happen when I started the game. I think it could work but scenarios like that must be kept in mind.

Zak Zelkova wrote:I like the idea, but this brings to the surface another issue: the fact that the english and spanish players, with the exception of those who are bilingual, will not be able to communicate with each other. This might not be a bad thing, as both communities would be large enough to coexist within their own languages (trades, etc). However, what about diplomacy? When a spanish player attacks an english player's colony for example, and the english player sends a warning that is not understood, suddenly the spanish player is KoS for something which may have been a mistake (just learning or something). I know I attacked a colony without fully understanding what would happen when I started the game. I think it could work but scenarios like that must be kept in mind.

2 words, Zak: Google Translate

but really yeah I feel like as long as some sort of translator is used and perhaps a disclaimer (saying "sorry my English is bad" or whatever) too, then it would be fine

Please no ads!

What we need is a free app, more range of IWSP Items, and a slightly higher sub.

Make the game more simplistic at the starting level (sounds like Brandon has this in mind). I think a lot of newbies were confused at first and left before they figured out what the game was about.