I’d reckon that, 5usd or so every x w/m would be a reasonable price, and maybe 2usd w/m for longtime supporters.
Also, maybe include a higher priced sub fee (10usd every x w/m, 5usd for supporters) for access to CS as well ^^
But yeah, sub fees = ossum for you, and if you can compramise enough then everyone’s happy.
]]>Have to say Farbs, keep the subscription cheap, keep the updates coming, and I believe people will support you. I have know idea how many people have purchased the game at the $20 mark, but I have and I would still be willing to pay a bit more to be playing in a dynamic environment. With all the cr@p that I end up spending my money on anyways, I am really pretty happy to be supporting a gaming community that I have been a part of for somewhere around 15 years.
You’ve made us an excellent game. I look forward to whatever you choose to focus your future efforts on.
]]>I’m probably not going to branch out into non-flash development myself for a while, as there’s a lot more of the game I want to explore and I can do that more easily by not changing platform. I am talking to other developers about them making their own CF spinoff games though, so you may see something yet. If anything comes together I’ll be sure to post about it.
<3
Farbs
Once you get to a point where you feel somewhat satisfied with where the game is at, consider the following:
–An iPhone app of this game
–Homebrew to the PSP
–Nintendo DS development
Yes, all well into the future, but I could all but maybe the PSP becoming feasible.
]]>@Farbs – I hope you make this subscription model work. I’d be unsurprised if there are some complicated rules to deal with corner cases and gotchas. Many people will point these out and tell you your idea sucks. They may be right to point out the problems, but wrong to suggest it won’t work. The product model of business itself has plenty of rules to deal with its shortcomings, even when it’s the right idea.
One thing I like about this subscription model is that it encourages quality over quantity in game development, and at the same time is fair to the indie developer.
Now to rant a bit: I’m actually a little disappointed about the idea of making the game browser locked. It reminds me of oppressive DRM measures that all too many use to try and compensate for having the wrong business model. Then I have to spend a lot of extra effort (cheesey hacking) to liberate the game from the browser just so I can play it offline.
Anyways, good job on the game. I like it. I will subscribe when I have the money.
]]>Just an idea. Start with a very low subscription price which is permanent, rewarding early subscribers. Say $1 a month. Maybe even less. Something so ridiculously small that no-one would miss it. Increase the cost (for new subscribers only) as the value of the service goes up. This means that two interesting things happen:
1. People who subscribe early feel more incentive to keep their subscription
2. The service can grow or shrink to whatever cost is required.
You can still give out free and paid versions of the games, subscribers get to keep the games they download even if they cancel, you can hand out little bonuses like soundtracks and concept art, new developers can add their games to the catalogue and so on.
The only significant problem I’ve come across thus far is keeping it manageable. Once you hit 1000 subscribers, I think it’d become less personal. So you’d have to find a way to let the community manage itself.
Looks like a fun game, so good luck with this :).
]]>Also, for anyone else who was wondering:
Antithetical
Pertaining to antithesis, or opposition of words and sentiments; containing, or of the nature of, antithesis; contrasted.