<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things --> <!--X-From-R13: Pevna Uerra <oevnaNcflpubpuvyq.bet> --> <!--X-Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 17:06:33 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 38FB98CE.934828CB@psychochild.org --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: Pine.LNX.4.10.10004172143100.29164-100000@achaea.mudservices.com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:brian@psychochild.org"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00398.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00401.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00396.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00420.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00402">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00402">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00402">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Brian Green <<A HREF="mailto:brian#psychochild,org">brian#psychochild,org</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 16:05:50 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> A clarification before I begin. I happen to really like Achaea's system. I think it's elegant and quite smart from a business point of view. My experience on Meridian 59 showed me that people were willing to pay a more money to play some games (Merdian used to cost up to $30/month for the constant player). My arguments here are more devil's advocate than a vehement disagreement. As a player, however, I'd probably be one of those bastards that played the game and added to the community but not the bottom line. I'm still quite cheap in some ways. Matthew Mihaly wrote: > Therefore, given that it DOES work on some scale, it seems to me that the > only way you can demonstrate it wouldn't work on a larger scale would be > to identify factors which would accelerate costs faster than benefits to > the game accrue as you grow. If this can't be done, then I really don't > see how you can reasonably claim it won't work. I see two main arguments against scalability of pay-per-item/service games. The first is that Achaea makes quite a bit of money from labor-intensive auctions. It's pretty much established fact that you can organize a large activity easier in a smaller community than in a larger one. I would suggest that the tasks of organizing such auctions on a larger game would be much more difficult to orchestrate. I also suspect that your intimacy with your playerbase allows you to better gauge your customers; it has been said that such closeness is MUCH harder on large-scale games. The second argument is what you have said yourself; your game is niche. Niches rarely scale very well at all. You may attract a certain type of person, but can you say that you could attract 100 or even 10 times as many such people and still be as profitable? Some things to consider. -- "And I now wait / to shake the hand of fate...." -"Defender", Manowar Brian Green, brian#psychochild,org aka Psychochild |\ _,,,---,,_ *=* Morpheus, my kitten, says "Hi!" *=* ZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' "Ritalin Cures Next Picasso" '---''(_/--' `-'\_) -The_Onion_, August 4th, 1999 _______________________________________________ MUD-Dev mailing list MUD-Dev#kanga,nu <A HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A> </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00420" HREF="msg00420.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Matthew Mihaly <the_logos@achaea.com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00396" HREF="msg00396.html">[MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Matthew Mihaly <the_logos@achaea.com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00398.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Alignment</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00401.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Spawning and quests (was Sony ban)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00396.html">[MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00420.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00402"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00402"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00403" HREF="msg00403.html">[MUD-Dev] RE: MUD-Dev request rejected</A></strong>, Schubert, Damion <a href="mailto:dschubert@origin.ea.com">dschubert@origin.ea.com</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 00:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00421" HREF="msg00421.html">[MUD-Dev] Value of Characters [was: Quote from a Simutronics developer]</A></strong>, Christopher Allen <a href="mailto:ChristopherA@Skotos.net">ChristopherA@Skotos.net</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 19:48 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00413" HREF="msg00413.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] RE: MUD-Dev request rejected</A></strong>, John Szeder <a href="mailto:jszeder@roshambo.net">jszeder@roshambo.net</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 19:49 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00396" HREF="msg00396.html">[MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:the_logos@achaea.com">the_logos@achaea.com</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 21:56 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00402" HREF="msg00402.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></strong>, Brian Green <a href="mailto:brian@psychochild.org">brian@psychochild.org</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 00:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00420" HREF="msg00420.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></strong>, Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:the_logos@achaea.com">the_logos@achaea.com</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 19:49 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00428" HREF="msg00428.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The scalability of paying for in-game things</A></strong>, Brian Green <a href="mailto:brian@psychochild.org">brian@psychochild.org</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 22:19 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00388" HREF="msg00388.html">[MUD-Dev] ADMIN: Digest size</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw@cp.net">claw@cp.net</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 20:44 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00368" HREF="msg00368.html">[MUD-Dev] Alignment</A></strong>, Richard Ross <a href="mailto:rross@redhotant.com">rross@redhotant.com</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 16:23 GMT </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>