XDCD Would you rather have a 1000 active players of which a 100 are willing to pay $5 to get an edge, or a 100 players of which 10 are willing to pay $50 to win? Revenue might be the same, but the risks aren't.
I've actually seen this quote somewhere, and it's completely true. Not only is it more stable to have more players, but it is also more satisfying, it gives motivation to developers. If I was a developer of a massive game but getting negative profit, I'd not care about the money, but instead think about how many people are enjoying the product.
You also spoke about "real time efficiency forecast" which we already have, anyway, unless I'm thinking of the wrong thing? "Remove XioScript" well I'm not sure what my view is about XioScript. I use it, but is it bowling an underarm to the batsman? I agree it must hurt the sales a bit, which is why I think it shouldn't be banned now, since so many people have it, but be banned along with a mass overhaul (at the bottom, my point about overhaul of game).
In this game, it updates on every 24 hours. While it appeals to some people, it does not appeal to most people. Nowadays, people don't want to spend hours on end just to see changes every 24 hours.
The problem is, not everyone is prepared to spend $$$ to gain a lead on a passive game.
People would be more likely to purchase one-time services (That is, lifetime use) - Even if they are slightly more expensive. Some games offer a whole shop of one-time services, while keeping subscriptions only for "Deluxe" mode, which usually means more xp, or in this game, perhaps boosters.
Would you rather sink money into a game that imitates an office, or would you sink lots of money into fun games like Call of Duty, Shellshock live?
A game developed by Valve. Team Fortress 2. It's an FPS, cartoony-sort. Compare this game to others like COD, it's pretty crap. But, Valve thought one step ahead and figured out what the people want: Different weapons, different aesthetics, valuables. Instead of just selling items from a store for real $$$, they actually gave these items away. Every now and then, the people who play get new items, new weapons. So they get rewarded nicely for playing the free to play game.
Best part? Players can sell their items to other players, for steam credit. (Obviously, with Steam credit, they can buy other games or buy other weapons). Among the drops, there is a chance to get rare items. They are not necessarily stronger, but they are more expensive. A while ago, I spent $2.40 (USD) as a "guaranteed lottery" (opening crates). I gained an item that was worth $40 (USD), and sold it to someone.
While this has no relevance to this game, it does tell a good story, and there is a moral to it. They turned an otherwise average game into a market place. You can pay to win. You have a very decent chance to get real money, and the developers gain a lot of revenue from tax, and a lot of player base and fans.
Some ideas worth considering:
[*] Loosening up services, making them one-time purchases
[*] Remove and/or edit subscription items (nobody likes paying every month)
[*] Introduce a better marketplace where players could sell their subdivisions for cash
[*] Introduce rewards for play
[*] Introduce items that benefit subdivisions (e.g. "Butcer's Knife" gained from rewards for playing, increases quality of
meat products, sell on the market for 50c or something like that. It's ambitious, but very flexible, and worth considering.
[*] Lastly, but most importantly, have a mass overhaul of the game. Introduce more materials, more subdivisions, more more more. We love diversity, so why not have a city map, interactive maps so instead of focusing on an international scale, we must first make a good name on our home country? What if, instead of picking a place on Earth for a starting point, you start on only one country? Start in Germany. It's tough, you have to compete with newbies, you have to compete with local companies. You make small profit at first, but as your company grows, you can expand outward into France, dominate markets, and choose your next country to dominate. Higher level countries provide higher wealth levels, but you must compete with tougher players. Like I say, it's ambitious, but heck it's worth opening a new realm to test this right? It puts a whole new spin on Virtonomics, turning it from a spreadsheet game into a business empire builder. Keep subdivisions, keep work efficiency and qualifications, but make it fun.
Times are changing, and we must change with it. That's business, right? |