15 replies to this topic

[Target Rich]

OK we now have the beta...and MWO has captured its core market Mechheads...about 400 k of them...

PGI is now finishing the beta...and hopefully we will see some form of workable final sometime in September or so.

To succeed..a INDY game like MWO must be cost competitive to the degree that it attracts a huge market... Then PGI makes a small amount per game...but has a player base of MILLIONS... Otherwise...PGI will continue to have to soak the 400k player base with the current absurd MC requirement to puchase virtually everything required to enable players to be competitive..

There are many different ways to market this type of game currently. One of the best is to sell the game as an INDY on Steam...

I do not know...personally...I normally purchase my games at WalMart....

Regardless...most games that are geared to a mass market of millions sell said game for about $30 to 50 with free play after that. They do make their additional money off of selling tweaks...like the cockpit bubble heads...camo paint...and othe customization...

They do NOT however do the current MC route...because that requires that mass market to simply spend too much time grinding for the basic mechs....without any real abilityto play a range of mechs...competitively.

Ideas?

[Tahribator]

Your post is very incoherent. Steam supports F2P games already and recently allowing beta/alpha games on the platform. There is nothing holding MWO from going Steam route, other than PGI and IGP themselves. No need to be an indie, cost something, worry about in game currency or anything. AFAIK Steam doesn't charge developers for bandwith or for publishing, other than a cut on in-game currency/bundles bought over Steam.

When this game launches on Steam, it WILL be the launch. Wether it's good or bad, it will be judged by it's Steam release version. They can't screw it up, so they will hold on until last moment this game feels polished enough for the masses.

[Ph30nix]

ummm the game is free to play, offering it any other way would cost SOMEONE money, either PGI (steam) or us (walmart/game crap)

if you need a backup disc make it yourself its not difficult at all.

they just need more and better advertising, which will come in time im sure, steam might not be horrible depending on the deal steam has with indy game developers. (i wouldnt call PGI a indy developer)

also do yourself a favor stop buying ANY games from walmart/game crap.
they are a fraction of the cost on steam especially during sales while i dont like some of the limitations with steam its better than paying 10-20 more at walmart or 10-30 more at gamestop and giving those creeps money.

[Carl Wrede]

Never really liked steam, especially when they force you to be online for single player games to be able to play at all.

[Echo6]

Carl Wrede, on 26 April 2013 - 09:19 AM, said:

Never really liked steam, especially when they force you to be online for single player games to be able to play at all.

I don't think they do that anymore... at least I don't have to.

[Zyllos]

Carl Wrede, on 26 April 2013 - 09:19 AM, said:

Never really liked steam, especially when they force you to be online for single player games to be able to play at all.

Try using "Offline" mode when you play.

[Kahoumono]

What makes you think they are going after the mass market? With new player intro as it is I'd think they were doing just fine milking us mechheads.

[AnubiteGroove]

Just FYI, it's already coming to steam. They have a "testapp" up and running, and it shouldn't be long.

I launch MWO with steam now, as a non-steam game, so I can chat in-game and have a web browser to boot.

[Rofl]

AnubiteGroove, on 26 April 2013 - 10:24 AM, said:

Just FYI, it's already coming to steam. They have a "testapp" up and running, and it shouldn't be long.

I launch MWO with steam now, as a non-steam game, so I can chat in-game and have a web browser to boot.

Same. Works fine for me in steam as non-steam. Would be neat to see their announced achievements incorporated into the steam version.

Either way, all games are steam games, unless they're forced to launch via another content delivery platform. When I launch MWO from steam, I label it "MWO - Mechwarrior Online - www.mwomercs.com" in the hopes of my other steam friends checking it out passively.

[Straften]

Target Rich, on 26 April 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

OK we now have the beta...and MWO has captured its core market Mechheads...about 400 k of them...

PGI is now finishing the beta...and hopefully we will see some form of workable final sometime in September or so.

To succeed..a INDY game like MWO must be cost competitive to the degree that it attracts a huge market... Then PGI makes a small amount per game...but has a player base of MILLIONS... Otherwise...PGI will continue to have to soak the 400k player base with the current absurd MC requirement to puchase virtually everything required to enable players to be competitive..

There are many different ways to market this type of game currently. One of the best is to sell the game as an INDY on Steam...

I do not know...personally...I normally purchase my games at WalMart....

Regardless...most games that are geared to a mass market of millions sell said game for about $30 to 50 with free play after that. They do make their additional money off of selling tweaks...like the cockpit bubble heads...camo paint...and othe customization...

They do NOT however do the current MC route...because that requires that mass market to simply spend too much time grinding for the basic mechs....without any real ability to play a range of mechs...competitively.

Ideas?

Your name is Target Rich, and you shop at Walmart. That is rich.

I'd like to see the MC cards in Gamestop, maybe certain Walmarts. But in truth, this is 2013. The MC will be sold (and the game will be downloaded,) predominately online. Steam was a good move.

Edited by Straften, 26 April 2013 - 10:34 AM.

[Doctor King Schultz]

IMO they're holding off on steam until 'launch'. Putting up a broken unfinished version now would not do them half as good as waiting until all core systems are in and the game is nearly bug-free. They want that influx of players at a time when the game is more likely to garner a positive reputation and keep them.

[AnubiteGroove]

Rofl, on 26 April 2013 - 10:29 AM, said:

Same. Works fine for me in steam as non-steam. Would be neat to see their announced achievements incorporated into the steam version.

Either way, all games are steam games, unless they're forced to launch via another content delivery platform. When I launch MWO from steam, I label it "MWO - Mechwarrior Online - www.mwomercs.com" in the hopes of my other steam friends checking it out passively.

Only issue I have (I used to advertise via display name) is I am frankly embarrassed by what this game has devolved into. I don't want to tell others of the game until it is polished now. I like it, has tons of potential, but I don't want to ruin people's chances of getting hooked or even wanting to play.

Also, since when is PGI indy?

Edited by AnubiteGroove, 26 April 2013 - 10:33 AM.

[Victor Morson]

Target Rich, on 26 April 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

There are many different ways to market this type of game currently. One of the best is to sell the game as an INDY on Steam...

No, as a F2P Game. MW:O is not indie. It's got a publisher and a reasonable, if not huge, budget. Steam has a whole category for these games, i.e. Planetside 2 on Steam.

Target Rich, on 26 April 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

I do not know...personally...I normally purchase my games at WalMart....

Do yourself a favor and stop that right now. Steam Sales will utterly blow away whatever you're paying.

Target Rich, on 26 April 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

Regardless...most games that are geared to a mass market of millions sell said game for about $30 to 50 with free play after that. They do make their additional money off of selling tweaks...like the cockpit bubble heads...camo paint...and othe customization...

.... google "Free 2 Play." It's a different business model. The "Pay $60 and then never pay again" model is in decline.

Target Rich, on 26 April 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

They do NOT however do the current MC route...because that requires that mass market to simply spend too much time grinding for the basic mechs....without any real abilityto play a range of mechs...competitively.

Are you talking about Trial 'mechs? It's an awful, awful system that PGI insists on holding. Past that, you make money so fast it's silly to complain.

Doctor King Schultz, on 26 April 2013 - 10:31 AM, said:

IMO they're holding off on steam until 'launch'. Putting up a broken unfinished version now would not do them half as good as waiting until all core systems are in and the game is nearly bug-free. They want that influx of players at a time when the game is more likely to garner a positive reputation and keep them.

If they are even REMOTELY intelligent about this they will hold on Steam until Community Warfare is released.

We're going to get a HUGE one time boost of players when this game goes on Steam. HUGE. Including a lot of people who know nothing at all about it.

If we showed those people the game we have right now? You'll lose almost all of them. If you show them the game we'll have in 3 or 4 months, they might stick around a lot more.

Zyllos, on 26 April 2013 - 09:49 AM, said:

Try using "Offline" mode when you play.

That's been fixed for a while now. It used to be argumentative about running offline mode, but it gives you zero grief these days.

Plus the good news is even if offline mode was still totally broken, it would make 0 different to MW:O. Not exactly a lot of reason to boot it up without a net connection, eh?

Edited by Victor Morson, 26 April 2013 - 10:37 AM.

[Pupecki]

MWO simply isnt ready for steam yet, once they get more of an actual game (i.e. CW) then I'm all for it but currently there isnt much to keep new players interested and has far too many bugs for it to be considered polished. You only get once shot to make an impression on steam and it needs to be a good one so I suggest PGI waits on steam till they have more of a finished product.

[Thoummim]

Steam suck please no.

[AnubiteGroove]

Not sure why people think steam sucks. Great sales, ability to add your own games via CD key or "non-steam" status, ability to chat in-game and use a web browser, you can keep track of what friends are playing and join them, and more.