Spreading the game - Business Model

[renato_Shira]

I really dont know how much this have been discussed.

My name is Renato, Im from Brazil. I got the game last month and I think its amazing. Really addictive!! Simple (it show always be like this) and VERY collaborative, lots of users interactions. But I am here to question the Business Model used by Jollywood. I understand a lot about Internet Business Models.

Its not possible to enjoy the game as it is with the demo version. Using a demo version just irritates the users and causes the impression that it is not a good game, since there´s never anyone online.
You can only see the very good points of this game when you have full version, that´s nosense! We should show good points to attract new costumers and give paid users extra features (like punaball, battle mode, rank, whatever).
This would:

1. INCREASE number of users
2. INCREASE number of costumers (paid users)
3. SPREAD game throught the Web
4. And then... go back to 1...

This is not a new model, this is a model being used by A LOT of sucessfull online game companies (take a look at Tibia). You give the user FREE FULL VERSION and sell very good extra features. No secret.

Here in Brazil, in 2 days in terra.com.br HOME, this game became very known. It´s unknown now because of the only demo avaliable version. But you got a VERY VERY VERY good distribution channel. Terra.com.br has millions of pageviews per day! And its been trown away because of the actual business model.


WHY PEOPLE WOULD BUY AN EXTRA FEATURES VERSION?
Just because its really cool to play puna. Paid users would talk about puna, call players to play, make championships.
Just because its really cool to be ranked. Since people are addicted, the WILL wnat to get ranked.
Just because its cool to ... etc... whatever be extra features.

So, have you had this discussion already ?

[xzeal]

Welcome to TS

It has actually been discussed a lot and the current "bottle neck" is the demo version. As Ande (The game creator and developer) has noted a new demo version which the community has proposed (looser restrictions and combine demo and full players in same servers) would create huge security risks. In other words cracking would turn into a large problem. At the moment as i have understood Ande is looking into it and has given some controvertial answers. I really don't know if it is going to happen or not. For the record a year ago there were more demo players then full version players.

Actually I am thinking if cracking does turn into a problem would it decrease the number of licenses sold? I mean look at "Galactic Civilizations 2" they sold a huge number of copys with almost no protection system.

As for the business model, the publishers don't have a very high budget and have to resort to different means. Such as mostly getting the game up on every bigger indie game site etc. (alright i don't really exactly know what else they have done. Honestly a large part of the community is not happy about the business model either., but JJG has good community support and while they don't spend much time to increasing the size of the community they do invest time and money into satisfying our needs.

Things have quited down for now on the future of TS and JJG. PS:check out my site http://tsnews.pri.ee

[renato_Shira]

Thanks for the answer xzeal

As a developer too, I really understand that getting togheter demo (lets call it demo version, althought there should never be a demo version) and full versions would create security risks. I can even see which they would be. But as far as I know a simple protection (checking in master server licenses key when necessary) could be enougth to archive more users and more paid users. More, as you said, broken protection systems dont mean less sales. Microsoft is this huge company just because they didnt worry about unlicensed copies that actually spread their software.

I dont beleave that a "less restricted" version could resolve it at all. There should never exist a demo version, but a FULL FREE and a FULL LICENSED versions, which includes premium specific capabilities (like puna, a NEED for those who really enjoy the game). Also remember that a free game has much more space on media then paid ones.

I actually work on virtual comunities, which this comunity of ts player really is, and this kind of restriction can broke its growth. Its been maintained because this game is very good for sure.

[xzeal]

I dont beleave that a "less restricted" version could resolve it at all. There should never exist a demo version, but a FULL FREE and a FULL LICENSED versions, which includes premium specific capabilities (like puna, a NEED for those who really enjoy the game).

Calling it a demo is just due to habit. Anyway i guess less restirctons isn't quite what i ment, i was typing in a hurry. Actually pretty much all you wrote there is what we mostly decided (or at least proposed). I'm not bothering to go into detial, the topics shouldn't be very hard to find .

Also remember that a free game has much more space on media then paid ones.

Now that is something i have never thought of before... In any case When Turbo Sliders was in beta mode, some 1,5 years ago (or more) the game was free and it developed a much bigger community then it has now. Then it was mostly advertized by word-to-mouth and gaming site reviews (i foudn the game back then on http://the-underdogs.info and i only tryed it because of the killer review).

[mikko]

I dont beleave that a "less restricted" version could resolve it at all. There should never exist a demo version, but a FULL FREE and a FULL LICENSED versions, which includes premium specific capabilities (like puna, a NEED for those who really enjoy the game). Also remember that a free game has much more space on media then paid ones.

This is a very important and well justified input, which should be carefully considered by the game developers.

[xzeal]

This is a very important and well justified input, which should be carefully considered by the game developers.

Developer There is only one man behind the game and he considers this a pet project, since it doesn't exactly pay the bills. I believe his day job is in connection with the Alan Wake project and Remedy, to what length, I am not sure. So that's why things don't move as fast as they could.

Considering that they don't have a normal publisher- developer relationship I really wonder sometimes who makes these decisions.

[Rendy Andrian]

You're right, i think it should more popular in Indonesia too. But it's too bad, because i don't make or have any website, plus, Indonesians are more relevant to other Online Games.

Any ideas to make the game was really popular in my country?

If i send a text message to a radio station, is it work?