Hey everyone, I am unsure if this is the right place to post a topic like this, but does seem to be the best place. I am currently planning a new and exciting idea for a game and wanted to put out the feelers for the best way to approach this idea especially at the end mark. So I think the best place to ask this kind of question is here with my target market. I don't want to divulge too much detail about the game as it is still in the planning stage but I will give enough to hopefully get the best response from you guys. The game will be a traditional RPG game with magic, warriors, bows and arrows etc and a style reminiscent of Final Fantasy 1-5 but with its own unique style injected on top. Rather than a hardcoded storyline the game works on a quest system, similar to console RPG's like Skyrim and Fallout, these quests do build up a storyline, but like I said there is no direct storyline in terms of the traditional RPG games like Final Fantasy etc. Gameplay is completely offline but new gameplay is downloaded from an online server and is frequently added to the server for the game to download. The game will have a companion website with player profiles to show off your character/awards etc. What I want to hear from potential players is whether you would buy this game for a set price (From $4.99+) with additional content being free, with the possibility of some 'premium' content being charged for ($0.99 - $1.99) Or whether you would download the game from free and pay a monthly subscription for the content (around $2.99 p/m) that helps towards the running of the content server and companion site. Please vote in the poll above and any additional comments will be gladly recieved
I wouldnt want to pay a monthly subscription, only game i've done that is Order & Chaos which i loved, epic game but with so many other games available i soon gave up and shut down my account. Same here in my view, i would pay for a premium priced game but if i had to pay month after month i probably would give up soon afterwards. Order & Chaos really was exceptional so you would have to really have an epic RPG to compete with them in a monthly price war. I would go for say a $4.99 price tag with free updates just like so many other games out there. Just my view of course
No, personally I never pay subscriptions for any game on any platform. I don't like MMORPGS, and I like to pay once for a game that I'll own and be able to play for as long as I like. If the game interests me enough then I don't at all mind paying $4.99 or above. I've even spent $20 for an iOS game. But I'd never pay for a subscription or consumable IAP. That's just my choice, and I'm probably in the minority.
Would this be a single player game or would it be more of a multiplayer thing? As a consumer I would be more prone to pay a higher 1 time payment; I would also prefer to own a game I can play anytime without having to be online or pay up after each timespan. I think your best bet is to use small non-invasive ads to support any servers if there is no other work around, even subscription fees are likely to dry up over time. However, your description given no clear reason why servers or anything other than a vanilla iOS game would be required. Episodic content could be added via updates (a la Dragon Fantasy). If the game is a nonlinear JRPG of any quality like you described I believe there is enough demand that standard set price sales would support development costs.
I wouldn't care for a subscription fee even for an MMO. Last MMO I played was on PC (Guild Wars) because I refuse to spend monthly fees to play something like World of Warcraft even if it is better. Don't know...monthly fees just never clicked with me. Rather pay a higher price for the app at first. The same way I feel about freemiums/IAP. Hate 'em and would rather pay higher to get the "whole" game. IAPs are fine for big expansions and such though.
The game would be single player, with the possibility of multiplayer features, but that would probably be arena type matches. The content will be delivered at a high frequency making the idea of app updates useless as it would not be quick enough to support that kind of frequency and would be annoying to players needing to update all the time, hence why the content would need to be delivered via a server to the app.
I assume you have looked into it but I am suspicious as to Apple's stance on allowing content delivery via outside server. You seem to have a lot of confident in the development speed on this game and expansions. Being a cynic I'd be curious about more information as available since this sounds like a huge leap from Bash Bieber.
Possibly, but 2.99 per month is way too steep. Also I would have to really enjoy thE gamE. Also doing it free with subscription isn't a great idea (ppl could just dl it again for free each month. Also keep some base content forever ( non subscription) and include like 6 months with the initial purchase (or something to that effect)
Delivering the content is basically a free IAP, in terms of Apple there may have to be a subscription, but a free subscription can be done thus keeping Apple happy, the purpose of this thread is to get an idea as to whether the free subscription is the best option of a paid subscription. Development time isn't going to be short, a shot in the foot in iOS games I know, but I am planning on getting a team together to develop this alongside myself, thus better graphics, gameplay and overall polish.
Depending on the game, I would gladly pay $5-10 for a good game that has regular updates. Obviously, if you're updating your game consistently, it shows that you're putting work (money) into it, so I would easily reward you with $1-2 for extensive DLC. TBH, if the game looks good, all I need to see is that it has GC achievements and I'll buy it. It'd also be awesome if major DLC comes with new achievements as well!
I think it would be very risky attempting what you say, you pay for this game which is 'offline' and then pay a monthly fee. Order & Chaos is monthly but its an online game. I havent seen an offline game with a monthly fee. Theres plenty where you pay for updates but if your game is $4.99 and then 3 months later you can pay $2 or $3 to unlock more levels/add-on's thats not 'too bad'. But again its a difficult one, if your pricing model is too over the top then people wont bother with your game, if its cheap and it works well then you should make up for the cheaper price with a lot more people coming on board. But having a monthly subscription for an offline game i think is suicidal
It would either be pay for the app and in terms of possible keeping Apple happy a free 'subscription' to the new content or a free app and a monthly subscription, not the both together, that is definite suicide.
How about an option for "show me what you've got before I tell you what I would pay for it?" Take a look around this forum and you will see endless carping about anything that costs anything over 99 cents. If you deliver something that makes people want to open their wallets for more, show it. Otherwise your poll just looks like "how much could I get away with charging," a question better answered in the open market on the App Store than here.
Considering the In App Purchase guide talks about delivery of content to a game, there are definite ways to ensure Apple are happy with it. As previously mentioned the speed of development will not be quick, but I am looking into getting a team together for it, the main purpose of this thread is a bit of market research to get an idea of how best to propose this when trying to secure funding to help with the development.
I would gladly pay a subscription, did with Order & Chaos. My problem being is that payment model with your (offline) game model... I understand you'd obviously have to be online for the server to recognize the updates... but yeah... I just don't know about that. If the game is good enough, I will pretty much pay whatever. Some games I value more than others, so I would at least have to wait till we see some more information about said game before I can really even attempt to think about what I would pay for it.
Whatnot & so forth (felt like sayin it) I would rather pay $5+ for the full game,then toss some money at DLC when it's available. Only game I did monthly was order and chaos,but I no longer play it.
I haven't read through this thread so pardon me if this point has already been made. Personally, I never play and IOS game for much more than a month. The games usually aren't good enough to keep my attention and the ones that are, are often flooded out by the constant stream of hot new games. I know this is the same for a lot of other IOS users. That being said, I don't think a monthly fee would work. After the initial payment, I think the game would lose its interest within a months time and I don't think you'd get many subscribers. A month is quite a long time in IOS game life. With the throw-away mindset that many users have with apps, I think your best bet is to have one initial payment. Good luck
I'd recommend starting it off at like $4.99, a great price, and then gradually increasing the price as more updates come out. That way, you would have early adopters, which you need to get your game and servers up and running. I personally would much rather pay, say, $10 for a game, or something like that, instead of having it on a subscription. With this pricing scheme though, you could offer the content for free, and then offer some premium, NOT NEEDED items for like $.99 or $1.99. This, to me, would sound like the ideal pricing scheme, as a consumer, but not really sure what would prove to be more profitable. Still, I think I'd be more likely to play the game for one, premium price, instead of having the subscription based payment model
No, 4.99 is more than enough and definetley not paying subscription for a game (I only pay subscription for apps like hotspot vpn
