I don't know what to say, but after reading the Topple 2 thread, it currently has 5 pages, and 2 posts about the actual game. Every other post is that it's too expensive. This doesn't help anyone who wants to read/learn anything about the game. I know everyone wants everything for as cheap as possible, I do to, but there comes a point when an entire thread is based around the high price, it basically offers nothing for someone like myself trying to make an educated decision surrounding the gameplay and to read user-feedback. So, I guess I'm asking to have a discussion surrounding complaints about pricing..... Any thoughts?
And three dollars isn't high, people are just cheap. I'm sick of it to. And it's not like ngmoco gonna drop it just for us. It's pointless and annoying. Maybe a new rule restricting it. Or maybe make a complaining forum.
I think it is fair enough to say something is too expensive.. but.. it ends up with lots of "Yeah, me too" posts which are just clutter. And then the 99c people jump in and because they can't ask for promo codes they insist it is too expensive in the hope the dev will fall for it. Lots of unwelcome noise that no-one at all benefits from. And for the publishers / developers be sure everything is ready so when it does appear we have screenshots, demo videos, gameplay hints. That will show what the price gets you better than most other things.
I agree... but I don't think we can ban pricing complaints. The best alternative is maybe to post a thread maybe for "reviews only"? And ban price discussion from that thread alone? arn
I hear you folks. And it's a fine line, and yes, of course we can complain that it's expensive and maybe even that something is not worth the asking price. Personally, I find it more constructive to read in a thread from someone who has played the game and says "It may not be worth $2.99 for x reason, but $1.99 for sure", rather than 30 posts of "what? It's not $.99? I'll wait for a price drop". Again, I like everyone else want the cheapest price, but am just wondering at what point the thread becomes a discussion about price and/or when it becomes clutter/spam. I like your idea arn in terms of a separate thread to discuss pricing, as I don't have any better suggestions. Of course, it brings us back to the issue of having everything related to 1 game in the same thread..... I dunno, maybe it's just that 1 particular thread that has struck a nerve, and it's not really a big issue in the grand scheme of things....
Arn great idea on that one, implement it. $2.99 is not expensive at all, I hate those whiny bastards.
Do not complain It's really stupid to complain, the price is as it is. Review only thread would be a great idea!
Well if something is $10 and = complete BS then yes I think a simple post saying it would be enough. But I don't like a ton of pages worth of just people complaining about the price. I say ban it from the threads. If someone has a complain on the price go email or send a PM here to the dev.
I can see why with Topple 2 though because, some of us paid for the orginal Topple before it went free, and now its just a demo for this new version.
It's annoying isn't it! While I too like to pay as little as possible for my apps the constant whining about prices is growing old and tiresome (kinda like me! ). As you point out it doesn't help anyone who wants to actually read or learn about the games themselves. And it makes it harder for me to make an educated decision surrounding the gameplay based on user feedback. I suspect that it also makes some devs uncomfortable. They are excited and proud of their achievement in producing a game. They are keen to tell us about it and hear our feedback. And then they see lots of posts whinging about the price. But I don't know what the answer is. I've been a member of these forums since October last year. And I lurked here for several weeks before that. In that time there has always been people complaining about prices. I think one of the reasons the whining seems to have increased is that there are more people posting on these forums. And there are more younger, school age members posting here now (who might not have jobs and an income and therefore no ready means to pay for apps - Before anyone jumps on me I know others complain as well and that not all of the younger forum members have been complaining about prices). As I said before I don't know what the answer is. But I don't think that arn's suggestion of a thread for reviews only with price discussion being banned will work well. I think it will just create more threads in an already very crowded forum. And I have a concern that a seperate thread for reviews will stifle discussion about a game. For example (leaving aside posts complaining about the price) most threads start by someone posting about a new game they have seen. Then people post on how it looks from the description/website/genre/etc. Then someone purchases it. Then that person posts with a review/feedback/inital thoughts. Then other posters purchase and discuss their thoughts. Sprinkled in here and there are posts where people ask questions about gameplay and controls, compare the game to other games of the same genre, and ask for tips and gameplay strategies. The reviews posted in the thread generate other discussions and analysis about the game. In fact reviews are the foundation of most of the threads. If we have dedicated review only threads what happens to the rest of the threads? Do we end up with multiple threads for each game? One strictly for reviews, another for strategies and hints, another for help requests, another for discussion about the controls, another about the price, and so on? I think that there is no practical solution to this problem at all. And I know that there is no easy solution!
arn your forum do as you will but like to point out like jeremy at ilounge gems reviews attach say a B let's say to a review and says if price changes higher then down to a C for instance. He always talks about price/ratio value. He gets a ton of flack for it too. But then again I see lots of xbox360, ds, ps reviews where they mention value based games saying well this game isn't all that but hell for $20 you'd be an idiot not to get it. People can bicker all they want and true it won't change anything dev decides when/if/ever it'll change but people moaning is just a reflection of "their perceived value of other appstore games currently available certain price". I bought one $10 game and never will again as I got ripped off. Perhaps if there was a demo I wouldn't have bought it then I'd know it wasn't for me (app store description deceive me). BTW, regarding Topple 2 I didn't jump in that thread but tell you it isn't improved gameplay (besides different modes) than the original so doesn't matter if it was $1 or $5 you won't like it if you didn't like the original like I didn't. I like the concept though and applaud ngmoco for bringing local wifi gameplay to their recent titles.
A post which discusses the game and then the value is quite different from the ones I think we all mean. If someone buys a $3 app and after playing it for more than a few minutes - because some games get better and first impressions are not always accurate - reviews it here, maybe points to a video, talks the good/bad they found and then says it's worth $1 then that's fine by me. I have got information from that post. I might even buy it because the info shows it is a game I want. The ones that annoy me are the 'yeah, a price drop would be good'. Posts that only inflate the posters count, they don't add any value themselves to the thread. They just make noise. It must be nerve-racking enough for a dev to come here and announce their app but for others to then leap all over it because it's a $ more than they want can only make them feel worse.
No matter what it will always impress me how people who have a $300 unit can complain about a price of a game that is $3. Especially when you look at other mobile games where the price is doubled for a crappier game.
The complaints about pricing finally got its own thread. I know I brought this up on the other "begging for promo codes" thread, and seriously, when I read comments for games and most are complaining about pricing, I get really annoyed. People who want to complain about pricing should not buy an iPod or iPhone. Frankly, I think many are spoiled and don't realize that we have it pretty good in the iTunes world where the majority of games are sorely underpriced. The other point that's annoying is when people complain about good quality games that they either got for free or $.99 and then go on to completely trash the game because they didn't think it was worth it. It's disappointing really when most of us understand the labor and difficulties associated with putting together a game, and then you have this separate group that doesn't put value on anything besides themselves.
Here is how the system should work but doesn't: Devs make a game, good or bad. They release it at a price that they can turn a profit on and feed their families. People buy the game. People either like the game or hate it. People then post about the game and tell their friends, buy it or don't buy it. The Developer makes good money and continues to make good apps, or he goes out of business because his games are crap. That's in a perfect world... Now reality. Good Dev makes a great game and puts it out at a price that will turn him a profit and allow him to continue to make good games. People complain about the game because it's "too expensive" compared to all the CRAP in the app store. Dev is pressured to lower his price because no one will buy his game. Finally it is .99$ a good hand full of people buy the app, but its not enough to support him, so now all good devs take their talent elsewhere and the iPhone/iPod have only crap games made by amateur Devs. That's reality... It's gonna happen if people don't start paying for what the app is really worth. The app store is still very young so we haven't seen the effect of this, but its coming I bet ya.
If the price is too steep for you, fine, say so, but contribute to the thread, instead of: -dude, $3? that's not gnarly -i know, dude, I could get two cheeseburgers for that -dudes, i totlly hear yas, im brok! JESUS CHRIST GET A JOB AND LEARN HOW TO SPELL!
I agree with all who say they are sick about people whining about prices. I like arn's idea of a separate "reviews" thread, but I think the point is valid that some people use price point as part of their explanation as to why the did / did not like the game. If a separate forum is set up, I think it would need to be understood that mentioning price is fine in relation to game value, but that people who just bring up price to complain (and have never played the game), will be banned from that forum. That would unfortunately mean more dilligent monitoring / reporting on that forum, but it might be worth it if it meant having threads with more thought-provoking, uncluttered narratives on the games themselves. Sorry if this has all been said, but I just sort of skimmed a lot of the longer posts here
I'd say both parties are guilty as charged those who say $5 is way too much for x game cuz it sucks hard and those who say $5 I spend more on huggie diapers for my kids grow up you loser Honestly not sure how to handle the current mess but I'll try to be myself more mindful of what I post and try not to knock an app so hard like I've been know to do in the past.
I just want to add to my original statement in that I'm not trying to ban or rule out conversations surrounding price. As several others have alluded to, it can be part of the discussion when the person has actually played the game and gives reason why it may or not be worth (to them) the asking price. I personally appreciate people's opinions and feedback regarding the game and why they think it was or wasn't worth the asking price. This allows me to make an educated and informed decision on will it be worth it for me. To say that we have a $300 device doesn't give us the right to complain about price is a false logic in my opinion. I have felt unsatisfied with some $.99 purchases and $9.99 purchases. And I have a right to those feelings and to express them, regardless if my device costs $300 or more. BUT, I can express some reasoning behind why I felt unsatisfied with the game. And this can and should be part of a thread conversation. All I'm really perturbed about and again, not sure if it's a widespread issue, or the beginning of one, is the many many comments made about pricing before playing the game. If it's too expensive for you that's ok, there have been some games I personally didn't feel justified their asking price even if it's 500% cheaper than other consoles. But the thread is still focused around the game. In the end, I think that's why we all come to TA, to discuss games. Again, price is a part of the game to some degree, but not the only part.
