Even though I don't intend to pursue a career in video games, I've been watching these guy's videos for awhile now.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/3689-Microtran...
I happened to notice that the way SK is run is pretty much a perfect example of the points made in the latest episode, and it made me realize how well the CE system works.
I just wanted to say thanks, Three Rings, for getting it right. Don't change the way you run microtransactions in the future.
:D
Good job, guys.
Sun, 07/17/2011 - 23:37
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 00:19
#2
Valve, the god of micro
Valve, the god of micro transactions (TF2 Wise)
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 00:47
#3
they didnt get is exactly
they didnt get is exactly right.... true the free players can earn the same currency as buying players but this quickly becomes hard for those free players due to the increasing cost of CE. so in order to continue they need to fork over some type of currency at some point or wait a period of time which breaks immersion and often turning those players off all together. ultimately it does feel like a scam on OOO's part
this isn't so for other f2p games like TF2 or b2p like Guild Wars where players need nothing in the ingame store to play extended period of time and can op to buy stuff to enhance their playing experience. SK seems to force players to purchase energy to continue with their playing experience or just go into time out for a day and then continue
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 01:24
#4
Blegh
Extra credits is awful.
That's all I'm going to say, unrelated to this episode which I didn't watch.
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 02:14
#5
Player experience and perceived value are still last on the list
It doesn't take a genius to figure any of that out.
Marketing in video games is about a decade behind any other form of product.
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 02:57
#6
I don't know if its been
I don't know if its been posted in some thread on forum but it isnt here so im posting it: http://www.slideshare.net/bcousins/paying-to-win (EA)
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 03:10
#7
Valve, the god of micro
Valve, the god of micro transactions (TF2 Wise)
Ugh, the time needed those polycount hats is comparable to crafting 5 star gear, and TF2 wasn't free up until recently. And don't get me started on those crates.
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 05:17
#8
The difference is between
The difference is between default and unlockable gear in TF2, is the difference between the different 5-star gear in Spiral Knights. You don't need to unlock anything to do decently in pub.
Mon, 07/18/2011 - 08:33
#9
Spiral Knights could use some
Spiral Knights could use some tweaking to make purchasing CE with Crowns a bit easier to do (either by indirectly causing the CE:Cr ratio to tip a bit more in favor of Cr, or by causing the average rate of Cr growth to go up,) but to do that, OOO would have to also do something to encourage the purchase of CE with real money to offset the loss of cash CE purchases to players that would rather buy CE with Crowns due to the newly more favorable rate.
As I've said before, I think the solution to encouraging more cash CE purchases is the addition of Mist Tanks sold for CE -- albeit at a rate that maintains the value of CE. While OOO has the data or the ability to get the data to come up with the precise rate that would maintain CE cash sales, I think a good starting point would be 80 CE for a 100 ME Mist Tank.
That would increase the amount of floors a 400CE purchase allows you to go through from 40 to 50, which seems to decrease the value of CE... but that is offset because the additional amount of adventuring allows you to do encourages the speedy acquisition of high-star-rating equipment, particularly with favorable UVs. Ideally, the players getting these Mist Tanks will be purchasing CE with cash to make (or buy) that gear.
Or maybe they'll just buy more CE to spend on Mist Tanks where they would not have been spending CE on floors before.
i posted it just a few days ago...
but i don't think anyone watched it = [