Is the price of Dominions II a deterrent?

Richard · #1 November 1st, 2003, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jasper:

quote:
Originally posted by Richard:
Actuallt that's exactly the reason. It isn't just a question of traffic, it's also a question of burst traffic.
[further elaboration snipped]

Have you ever considered using Bit Torrent to smooth out your download spikes?

Um isn't that a file sharing program? I would have a serious problem giving out our final code (since we don't do shareware) to folks to distribute across the internet.

We haven't had the best experience with games that are downloadable. Magazines won't review them because they see them as shareware. We did the games we have done mainly at the request of our customers and we have not seen dramatic level of sales for our downloadable games compared to physical Version.

Also we would have to make a manual available as a pdf, which would make the game an easy target for pirates.

On the server end you also have to worry about long held download sessions, many of our customers are still on dialup.

And the customer service issues with having to turn back on failed downloads, etc.

So far the download experiment has not been a success for us.

Chris Byler · #2 November 1st, 2003, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jasper:

quote:
Originally posted by Richard:
Actuallt that's exactly the reason. It isn't just a question of traffic, it's also a question of burst traffic.
[further elaboration snipped]

Have you ever considered using Bit Torrent to smooth out your download spikes?

That might work for the 70MB demos, but wouldn't work very well for a buy-and-download model; BitTorrent isn't designed to accommodate that sort of restriction on who can download from it.

Watchdog · #3 November 3rd, 2003, 07:25 AM

Well, if downloading hasn't been successful then I guess you should just lower the price and take the hit

Seriously though, your volume would inrease a lot and that will more than make up for it. Drop the price to atleast and you'll get my $$.

That's how much I paid for aow2SM and I'm not paying more than that for this game.

Richard · #4 November 3rd, 2003, 07:35 AM

The people who buy our games are hardcore folks, dropping the price will not influence them to buy or not buy the game.

We have dropped game prices before and we have never seen a spike in sales. Sorry that doesn't work for the game we make.

blackwulf · #5 November 3rd, 2003, 11:57 AM

What do companies like Shrapnel & Illwinter Game Design offer for your money?

#1. Deep, imaginative game design developed and published by people that enjoy game substance over flash.

#2. Immense variety within said game designs with vast replay potential.

#3. Flexibility that allows us to modify the game so that we can play the game the way we want to.

#4. They offer neck deep involvement in these forums and do their best to meet customer needs and desires.

#5. They continue to support and enhance most games sometimes years after they have been published.

What I want to understand is why there is such a debate as to the price of this game?

Let�s say you played the demo and thought the game sucked why would you purchase it at a lower price?

Now if you played the demo and loved it or are a fan of the original Dominions would you seriously deny yourself this game because you think it should be $10- $15 cheaper?

Does anyone here think that Shrapnel & Illwinter added $10 to the price of the game so they could make it into FORBES top ten list next year?

The bottom line is that Dominion�s 2 offers more depth, and more replay value than your average $50 eye candy laden game title and they only want $45.

Not a bad deal if you ask me.

-Blackwulf

[ November 03, 2003, 10:20: Message edited by: blackwulf ]

MythicalMino · #6 November 3rd, 2003, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Watchdog:

That's how much I paid for aow2SM and I'm not paying more than that for this game.

Yeah, but I bought that game for 30 bucks....and if I could go back, i wouldn't pay 5 bucks for it....I just hated that game....

To me, Dominions offers EVERYTHING that I have wanted in a strategy game, AND, it is fantasy based....but not typical fantasy....original fantasy....

To me, that is worth the ticket....then there is the replayability of it all....

Shadow Magic was just...I don't know, human words simply cannot describe it....it would be more like a painful howl....

Gandalf Parker · #7 November 3rd, 2003, 03:27 PM

For a game that requires specific types of computers, such as high-end windows machines, then the price doesnt really matter since I wont need alot of it. For a game that can run on anything, it does matter, at least for me.

I understand that probably there arent alot of people who have many machines hooked up with many people who want to play with each other. For me to replace all my Dom1 copies would take one months retirement check. Im waiting to see what method has been used to balance some races, and what options are in the map editor, before I decide on a full shift to Dom2 games.

But as I said, Im probably not in a group large enough for consideration on whether pricing works or not. Other options that I would have been happy to see would be built-in allowance for home lan as some games have allowing you legally to play an MP game at home with one disc, or bulk discounts, or a cheaper Online method for buying just a CD key which is possible because it involves no production and shipping.

[ November 03, 2003, 13:28: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]