So Skies of Glory has just been released, we have learnt how developers can rip people off (i.e - Eliminate). What is your opinion?
free with DLC is good idea - gets the game into more player's hands. I don't think its necessarily the way to make a lot of money though - from the Developer's side. Case in point - Eliminate isn't in the top 100 grossing - and its biggest hyped DLC game.
I think it's a decent tool but iTunes and the AppStore need to now have the basic entry structure modified so as to better detail each of the in-app purchases right there in the app's description. Crap like get the FREE GAME with DLC only to find out that the dev expects you to pay for each aspect of the game separately w/o the app description listing any of the information for these in-app purchases is just sleazy.
Yeah, that is also my opinion on the subject. I don't want to be fannying about with DLC for essential content such as planes, weapons/armour, multiplayer etc. I just want to play the game. Bonus content that isn't required for the gameplay (such as changing appearance, skins, bonus content etc) is the only content I feel that should be charged for via DLC.
Eliminate likely made hundreds of thousands of dollars judging by its position and sustainability on the top grossing chart following its release. It stayed on the charts higher and longer than Command & Conquer Red Alert, which launched a day before Eliminate for $9.99. Eliminate's pricing structure also allows for tons of flexibility in sales and promotions, something that can't be done with other games where you can only drop the price... Assuming of course you didn't launch at 99¢, then you've got nowhere to go. From the Skies of Glory thread: It's kind of depressing that quite a few people around here equate developers trying to pay their mortgages with greed, and selling a game for more than a couple bucks as being ripped off. This phenomenon doesn't seem to exist anywhere that I've been able to find outside of the App Store.
I think there is a fine line with developers with this. To offer a payed game with a couple of levels then charge for the rest is a rip off - if you pay for a game then you expect a full game. To offer a payed game full of content (a full game) then expand the game with new modes and levels is fine. This is giving more back to the customer. The difference is that the customer does not feel cheated.
Playing for free for eternity is taking it too far? This is what I've never understood with people who don't like Eliminate. I've had a ton of fun with the game and I've yet to pay a cent for it.
Oh...I see. You cracked eliminate and think your some kind of pirate god. C'mon man! I see right through you!
I'm quoting myself because the market is to blame for this. Where people expect games for nothing. I still think it is a rip off to offer a game with a couple of levels. What really should be fair is the customers should pay up to $10 for a full on game full of content and not moan about it. I mean how much do PSP games cost? The iPhone platform could be so more enriched with higher content - games that are worthy to be called games. But the devs cannot do this because no one will buy them at higher prices.
Yes... some people are still arguing that Pocket God (for the price of a cup of coffee or something) is boring after 5 minutes. GUYS PG IS THE GREATEST ENTERTAINMENT APP IN THE STORE! And you can "play" it very often, not just once for 5 minutes. 5 minutes a day = lots of time of funny pygmie deaths
No that part I respect It's just that I wouldn't mind paying £10 for unlimited energy/power cells, rather than free with DLC...
Oh and, to the rest of the topic: I don't buy DLC very often. As far as I remember the only ones were Pocket God (mostly to support the developers I wouldn't buy a few graphic customizing options if i didn't know that the developers stick to the community...) and Auditorium (the level packs looked interesting... I needed more difficult puzzle input so I bought them )...
I'm sure ngmoco would be willing to consider this if you could figure out how they're going to pay for the servers they use to host Eliminate next year when you're still playing 24/7 off the £10 you gave them.
I don't mind dlc when either the game is free, like eliminate or seed, or when dlc is my necessary to have a 'full' gameplay experience, like pocket god or seed. Basically, seed is currently the download of the decade!(free, full game with unnecessary dlc)
