Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: My renewed argument for Free to play

« on: May 14, 2017, 02:40:22 am »

While constant, aimless change will limit product success, so will failure to remedy flaws. Alliance has a number of aspects which should be improved, but the launch period was fraught with problems, and they can only go forward from there.

Also, Neddie, why are you complaining about second hand key market? From the point of customer it's a great thing (they can get games cheaper) and nobody forces devs to put their game into bundles, for instance ones that cost 30$ and have plenty of games. Of course people are going to sell that further. That's how free market works.

I neither complained about, nor offered any value judgment upon, resellers and the reseller market. My stances on macroeconomics, microeconomics and market theory are not disclosed, as they are not relevant to this discussion.

2

General Discussion / Re: My renewed argument for Free to play

« on: May 11, 2017, 07:41:10 pm »

Let us not forget that key resellers and gift trading are on the way out, with Valve's changes to gift handling. These secondary markets, which have diluted game value, are going to be cut off at the knees.

The problem is not acquisition, but retention. Retention and free to play acquisition strategies overlap, you release good content regularly and you ensure a critical core population, which can then grow. If we cannot retain people, the health of the community will not improve whether the game is priced at ten dollars, one dollar, or free. The only functional difference is that you remove the revenue per acquisition, in exchange for more people who churn. After that, less revenue means fewer resources to produce content.

For those of you who do not have experience with consumer products, conversion to in-game/service purchases is very low. All companies that rely upon in-game purchases spend a lot of marketing dollars attempting to acquire those few people who not only spend money in game, but spend an inordinate amount. It requires a huge human pool, and deep capital investment to be consistently profitable.

3

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Achievement exp block

« on: April 18, 2017, 03:43:00 pm »

With achievements, it still takes hundreds of matches, and at least a hundred hours, to hit 45 in any one class.

4

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: Automated Crew Shuffle

« on: April 18, 2017, 03:28:08 pm »

As a participant in a number of Chaos Skirmishes, I feel this feature would greatly expedite the existing event, and offer some more options to general players.

5

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: New Faction Leaders Get Nothing For Their Effort

« on: April 18, 2017, 03:26:30 pm »

Is that information not on the forums? I'll request a peek via email as well, then.

6

Feedback and Suggestions / Re: A cry for change

« on: January 16, 2017, 06:10:47 pm »

Many, most of you do not know who I am. I have no salutes. I've posted but a handful of times here. But I started playing Guns of Icarus Online in 2013.

I was absent from Guns of Icarus Online for three years. I bought it back in the sands of time, I backed the Kickstarter which has emerged as Alliance, and after a few months of regular play, I vanished. I did not return until late this past year, and I was shocked by what I saw. In the interim, there had been few substantive changes to the game, thus I had almost no learning curve and a very short adjustment period upon return. The primary differences were a lower hourly player count, general uncertainty about the survival of the game, and a weaker Muse presence. If one - precisely one - of the sixty people I knew in my first period with the game didn't notice me upon my reappearance, I would not be here today, but one did, and I rejoined the skirmish community.

We want Skirmish to succeed. We want Alliance to succeed. This is a niche where there is no real competition beyond the spectre of Blackwake, and Muse is fortunate to have one of the most dedicated, lasting core player communities I've ever seen, even in this metaphorical drought. Make use of us, reward our faith in you and our love of the game. Good development depends upon good engagement and good use of core players. From my own hobbyist experience, if you're going to make a game, you have to play it, and you have to listen to the people who play it.