zwetschenwasser
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 200
Registered: 05-22-2007
IP: Logged

Sell a plastic card that costs twenty bucks in stores, get the people to buy the cards, use a penny to scratch of the metallic foil on the back, go to Caravel's secure server, input their purchased code, and voila! A download link to the purchased hold...

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Currently working on GaTEB and KDD (never finished the silly thing).

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
IP: Logged

zwetschenwasser wrote:
Sell a plastic card that costs twenty bucks in stores, get the people to buy the cards, use a penny to scratch of the metallic foil on the back, go to Caravel's secure server, input their purchased code, and voila! A download link to the purchased hold...

WoW... just WoW...

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

13th Slayer
Level: Disabled

Rank Points: 27
Registered: 09-28-2007
IP: Logged

zwetschenwasser wrote:
Sell a plastic card that costs twenty bucks in stores, get the people to buy the cards, use a penny to scratch of the metallic foil on the back, go to Caravel's secure server, input their purchased code, and voila! A download link to the purchased hold...

]
NIIIIIIIICE!

zwetschenwasser
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 200
Registered: 05-22-2007
IP: Logged

Briareos wrote:

zwetschenwasser wrote:
Sell a plastic card that costs twenty bucks in stores, get the people to buy the cards, use a penny to scratch of the metallic foil on the back, go to Caravel's secure server, input their purchased code, and voila! A download link to the purchased hold...

WoW... just WoW...

Adventurequest is a better analogy. They sell guardianship cards for a one-time payment, not a monthly subscription fee.

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Currently working on GaTEB and KDD (never finished the silly thing).

Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
IP: Logged

That's a bit much for a game they never heard of. I'm betting that 90% of DROD players started with either AE or a demo.

____________________________
Director of the Department of Orderly Disruptions

13th Slayer
Level: Disabled

Rank Points: 27
Registered: 09-28-2007
IP: Logged

Snacko wrote:
That's a bit much for a game they never heard of. I'm betting that 90% of DROD players started with either AE or a demo.

Well, not me. I started with full version of JRH found in one of shops here.

zwetschenwasser
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 200
Registered: 05-22-2007
IP: Logged

I started with a link I found on www.sillysoft.net.

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Currently working on GaTEB and KDD (never finished the silly thing).

Knaight
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 18
Registered: 01-01-2007
IP: Logged

I think I did too. It looks familiar. Plus I also have Lugaru, and demos of Pax Galaxia, Titan Attacks, and Ricochet, which are all on the web site. And Laser Dolphin, but I found that elsewhere. Owning 5 out of 13 obscure games isn't all that probable otherwise.

eb0ny
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 484
Registered: 09-12-2007
IP: Logged

House of the Underdogs is alive again and all ratings have been cleared. Why not give DROD a nice bump upwards to the #1 spot in puzzle category it so rightfully deserves? It may attract new members - I discovered DROD through there.

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neveragain
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 23
Registered: 07-08-2009
IP: Logged

One reason for the slump might be the TCB official hold.

I had played all of KDD and most of JTRH before playing TCB, and I found Quest for Knowledge and The Uncturage to be really tough levels.

In later levels, I needed the H&S board several times (50+) to complete the hold.

If I've completed KDD and I have trouble with the levels, what's a new player going to think?

Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
IP: Logged

That there are plenty of easier levels to play readily available?

____________________________
Director of the Department of Orderly Disruptions

neveragain
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 23
Registered: 07-08-2009
IP: Logged

Snacko wrote:
That there are plenty of easier levels to play readily available?

A player won't know there are easier holds avaliable unless they visit the forum. And they might not.

Knaight
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 18
Registered: 01-01-2007
IP: Logged

They can pick up Journey to Rooted hold instead. Its easier than King Dugans dungeon at the beggining, although it gets tougher by the end, and you can transition from it to city beneath easily. After playing JRtH a lot TCB had really easy early levels. The uncturage and deep uncturage in particular were easy, quest for knowledge was a joke. It got harder, but JRtH does prep you for it. The TCB description says that it isn't for new players.

Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

The problem is that they will want TCB so they can get the new holds, so we're asking them to pay... what is it, $9 more? or $20?

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1723
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Last I checked, the demo versions were free. Unless you're referring to something else that I didn't catch there.

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Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

That they're paying for the JtRH engine because we don't sell the hold separately?

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1309
Registered: 11-24-2005
IP: Logged

Jatopian wrote:
That they're paying for the JtRH engine because we don't sell the hold separately?

The engine is free. The hold is just bundled with a copy of it.

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1723
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Okay, I understand now. Knaight said that JtRH was a good intro to TCB (Which neveragain already claimed was mostly not the case). Jatopian said that doing this would cost them extra, as they'd have to buy JtRH in addition to TCB.

Perhaps there could be a package deal--we do have quite a bit of canon lying around, and at $9 a pop, the price can add up. There's really no production cost either (that is, the marginal cost is zero to produce a link to the download).

There are 12 Smitemaster's Selections. This would cost $108. Perhaps a bundle could be offered of all of the holds for $50.

Additionally, when buying TCB, an offer could be made for the JtRH download for half price.

Of course, I'm no marketer. I just see a potential way to reduce the overall costs to people who really want to get involved in DROD--not to make them interested in the first place.

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slimm tom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

zex20913 wrote:
There are 12 Smitemaster's Selections. This would cost $108. Perhaps a bundle could be offered of all of the holds for $50.

That's not quite correct. There are 12 SmS holds. The SmS packages cost $9.00 each, and there's 6 of them, which adds up to a total of $54.00

skell
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3768
Registered: 12-28-2004
IP: Logged

zex20913 wrote:
Perhaps there could be a package deal--

When there will be a package deal where you buy all SmS'es, JTRH, RPG and New KDD you can count on me being one of the first customers (as long as I can use paypal).

____________________________
My website

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1309
Registered: 11-24-2005
IP: Logged

skell wrote:

zex20913 wrote:
Perhaps there could be a package deal--

When there will be a package deal where you buy all SmS'es, JTRH, RPG and New KDD you can count on me being one of the first customers (as long as I can use paypal).

I'm no official source, but you might definitely be able to barter with, say, Mike for a discount if you buy a lot at a time. Also note that KDD2.0 is also an SMS hold; you do not actually need to buy the separate engine (which has always confused me somewhat).

Bobpie
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 54
Registered: 04-26-2007
IP: Logged

The only ways DROD gets it's name out is through low traffic sites and word of mouth(That's how I started). Prices won't make a difference unless you have a audience, and right now anyone who HAS discovered DROD for themselves has downloaded AE, and if they liked it, they got JTRH or TCB. This system works fine for the amount of newcomers we get, and it would secure them for future purchases.

Now, if there is a influx of newcomers, there will be some that go the previously stated route, but some will just go and buy TCB, without any previous knowledge of the series. Those people will more then likly be turned off by DROD for reasons such as difficulty, the story, or the controls; they will more then likely not buy another DROD game again.

So if DROD gets it's name out there and we get loads of newcomers, what do we do? Since there is virtually no work to sell older DROD games, give them deep discounts, less money will be made then if you kept it full price, but you will draw in more customers, which in turn will increase the sales of newer games.
edit: If they get to cheap, just package them togeter.
/end2cents

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[Last edited by Bobpie at 07-13-2009 03:11 PM]

Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
IP: Logged

How about we do something like we did KDD 2.0, but use the TCB engine, the KDD 1.0 hold and release it for free? Sort of like an AE 3.0, a lot of people can't get used to the fact that you get most of the game's content with a demo, and I know a number of other people don't like feeling that they're playing an incomplete version.

This way we give them the same content but it won't be a demo.

____________________________
Director of the Department of Orderly Disruptions

jdyer
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 331
Registered: 03-19-2003
IP: Logged

Snacko wrote:
How about we do something like we did KDD 2.0, but use the TCB engine, the KDD 1.0 hold and release it for free? Sort of like an AE 3.0, a lot of people can't get used to the fact that you get most of the game's content with a demo, and I know a number of other people don't like feeling that they're playing an incomplete version.

This way we give them the same content but it won't be a demo.

Honestly, at this point you need a harder pitch than that. I would consider releasing KDD 2.0 for free.

Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
IP: Logged

Still, I think people should have access to the 3.0 engine outside of a demo.

Maybe KDD2.0 in 3.0?

____________________________
Director of the Department of Orderly Disruptions

eb0ny
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 484
Registered: 09-12-2007
IP: Logged

The problem is that you'll have to include all the other dungeon styles into the free release. I don't know about others, but having only the City style did motivate me to buy the full game (mainly because it is relatively ugly style).

I propose to change the Caravel's games page layout. First should go the explanation of all the available versions (and a note in what order new players should play DROD games), then free versions (so people wouldn't miss them), then JtRH and TCB, then the smitemaster selections and CaravelNet. The less newcomers are traumatized with TCB, the better. Also, it might be beneficial to move DROD and DROD RPG to separate pages, to keep things clear and untangled.

Just my 2e-2$.

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[Last edited by eb0ny at 07-14-2009 07:30 AM]

Banjooie
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1645
Registered: 12-12-2004
IP: Logged

Maybe the problem is that TCB is apparently traumatizing?

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5148
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

skell wrote:

zex20913 wrote:
Perhaps there could be a package deal--

When there will be a package deal where you buy all SmS'es, JTRH, RPG and New KDD you can count on me being one of the first customers (as long as I can use paypal).

Caravel is thinking of, once the next game and TSS are released, to begin work on producing a full compendium of all the SmSes, and maybe including some of the earlier games, fan styles, etc. We'd want to do a good job on this, and we'll most likely wait until we reach that point to pin down details.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5148
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Banjooie wrote:
Maybe the problem is that TCB is apparently traumatizing?

Ugh. Hopefully, our next game won't be so, uh, traumatizing...

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

Tablesaw
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 33
Registered: 05-14-2005
IP: Logged

I've been brought back into the DROD addiction by the recent half-price deal, so that was good.

It occurs to me that it might be better to focus on rehabilitating the the way holds are managed, in addition to aggressively selling the

In a sense, the holds page are hundreds of free games that can be played just by downloading a free demo. That's something that should be way out in front, rather than hidden deep in the boards. That's a huge amount of value to entice people to download the demo. And once they've got the demo, then they'll eventually be drawn into buying some of the premiere holds.

Redesign the holds page, for one. Put it up on the front pages. Maybe start up a blog or something highlighting and advertising new and old holds for people who haven't played the game yet.

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It's the saw of the table!