Paying for the game & then for the subscription

CardinalSin

I agree with Donaldduck, but from a business perspective it works like this:

You raise capital to make something (in this case a computer game). You have to do detailed pricing models to convince the guys giving you the capital that there's a good chance you can pay them back. The higher the risk that you won't be able to pay them, or the longer it will take, the more they will charge you for the cash if you can get it at all. High interest rates can cripple or kill a long term project like building an MMORPG.

So you make people pay for the game. That way you get a significant cash injection at release, whether the game is a success or not, and can pay off a good chunk of your loans.

Then the success from your end is determined by how many people play the game & for how long. If you get a decent reaction, and a couple of million people start paying the monthly subscription, you can actually start turning a profit for your work. You can invest time & money in improving the game, so hopefully you'll keep more players for longer. If it flops, well at least your creditors have gotten most of their money back, so you stand a chance of raising more money for your next project. And if you do a WoW, you're laughing all the way to the bank with fat bonuses & happy shareholders, but you can't assume that you're gonna hit that kind of success.

So basicly it would be hard to move from the charge for the game & then for the subs model unless you're backed by your own money, or your creditors have some reason to assume that they're backing a sure fire hit.

Nick

Kormac

You wouldn't mind quoting Donaldduck or referencing the original discussion where you found something to agree with?

What you say does seem to make sense, but the reference to another discussion makes it seem disconnected and out of context (to me).

Nerf09

They could probably save a bunch of money by letting the Players create their own storyline, lore, and roleplaying.  No, im not talking about Dwarves talking like Scotts, or Player X inventing their own little storyline.  Im talking about a working PvP system where you conquer land, maintain resources, burn down enemies villages, steal, assasinate, rule, and create.  No, im not talking about Shadowbane where you powerlevel and twink everyone on your team for a week then PvP.  No, im not talking about instanced battlegrounds in Warcraft.  No, im not talking about capture-the-flag wwiionline or planetside. 

Without the need for bland repetative quests or 50 overworked terrain editors placing every single indestructable-building on the map, the devs could save a buttload of money.  Players interact, no need for bland repatative quests.  PLayers place their own buildings. All the devs would have to do is make a map and put in resources and let loose the players into the world, to do whatever the *$&# they want.

SONOFAGUNN

Nerf

This sounds like EVE a lot.....

But I think that is a excellent idea, but can it work for a fantasy storyline? I would play to find out!

I also think its funny that dwarves talk with a scot accent, a lot of elves talk with that vague Euro  better than thou tone.

CardinalSin

Yeah, sorry about that, I ment to reply to another thread, but I guess I hit the wrong button.