Aces High Price: My Suggestion

[Toad]

 

Originally posted by LePaul:
Well to those of you that have been in here a lot longer than I, apologize if this issue is a re-run to you.
***
Please review the forum messages before posting your 2 cents.    (Image removed from quote.)
Paul[/B]

No offense taken.

However, may I politely suggest a search of the General Discussion Forum using the word "price" and going back a year?

It would be a long "review" but then you could again post your 2 cents with a more complete understanding of what has already been said.

 

[LePaul]

Hi Toad.

Like I said earlier, humor me.  I don't care to drift into a message area in the thousands to find what I may already know.  That people aren't crazy about the $30 a month fee.  And my thoughts on that have already been posted.  However, I am interested if HTC can make/sell/license a version for a small ISP like myself to host my own games for more than 8 players.  To date, no reponse.  

Paul http://bd5.checksix.net

[easymo]

 You would play if the price is less?

 If we are gonna cut prices. Lets start with harleys. Im willing to pay $1000,00 for a new one.  I really mean it. Ill find the money somewhere. Since it rains all the time here in east Texas, and its hotter than hell in the summer. I dont feel that I should have to pay full price. I can only use it part time anyway.

[LePaul]

If your comma is accurate, you'd pay $1 billion for a Harley.  I guess barnum said it best...

But anyways, as you asked...if the per month fee were less, AND i could get decent ping times to the server, sure Id play online.  But, both are not the case.  Pings times aren't that great and Id really like to host my own 16/32/64 player battles here.  Id love to know the cost for a copy/license to do that!

Paul

[easymo]

 If a typo is the only flaw you can find in my argument. This is hopless anyway.

[Tac]

Easymo... your bellybutton ears are growing longer each post. Keep up the good work.

ALL massive online games that are coming out now are going to the $10 a month range. HTC will either have to "get with the program" or get swamped by the competition. Folks here love to squeal about the great features of AH, support, modeling and other stuff and then say that they would pay the 30 a month because its worth it, others say it keeps the peons and "kids" out of the game and other such idiotic elitist (and non-bussiness oriented) views, yada yada yada (see other price threads and you will see all this and more).

I, as a gamer who LIKES and ENJOYS WW2 sims very much, but are not THE ONLY game I like to play; can tall you that the moment I see my favorite 3 games going into massive online play... game1, game2 and game3... I like them all, all are different genre's.

I pay for the box version and $10 a month each... now comes a WW2 sim I like.. and it asks me for $30 a month to play? Sorry, but as much as I like WW2 sims I enjoy the others as well.. and if I can get my fun on 3 games for the price of one (AH) you can bet your bellybutton that AH will NOT be the one I choose.

Now I hear that other companies are making better, bigger ww2 sims... and are very likely to go to the $10-$15 range per month. That is one I can easily subscribe to it without it being a load on my wallet.

AH will end up with $10 a month for unlimited play or end up releasing a boxed version and then $10 or so a month, you just wait and see, the market is what determines all this, not a few 200-250 people that can afford such outrageous price.

Warbirds? Air Warrior? $100 a month bills you say you had? Heh, why do you think those 2 games are going downhill already?  

History will prove me Right!      

LET THE FLAMES BEGIN!

[K-KEN]

This is a reply to restore the night entity! http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum1/HTML/005327.html

Sorry it was off this topic, but I wanted Igloo and all to get this! We need to restore the night!  Please!


K-KEN

 http://www.cutthroats.com/


 

 

Originally posted by Igloo:
Keep in mind though, that other online games have literally thousands of people playing them.  People often refer to online RPGs and their price, but you cannot compare the two.  Online RPGs have a few 100,000 people who bought the game and pay low monthly prices.  That is a lot of income for that company.

HTC, on the other hand, only has around (my guess) 200-250 people who pay for their accounts.  That is not much profit if the price is lowered to match other games that have a much larger customer pool.

[Toad]

 

Originally posted by LePaul:
Hi Toad.

Like I said earlier, humor me.  I don't care to drift into a message area in the thousands to find what I may already know...  

...To date, no reponse.  

Paul http://bd5.checksix.net

Yet you told Easymo to read the *entire* thread!

I'm simply suggesting you follow your own advice to him. This "price" is a long, long thread.  

...and you might want to call HT or Pyro directly. They answer the phone and have been very amenable to discussing the game. Failing that, there is always E-Mail. Might as well go to the source.

[easymo]

 Lepaul. I just had you in an arena. You continued to vulch people on the runway after I ask you not to. Nobody else was. and you ran off two of my players. If you had your own 16 plus hosted game. Nobody would play with a 12 year old anyway.

[LePaul]

Well lets see, lets tell the whole story...

You took off a mile ahead of me, I caught up to you, and shot you down.  A vulch is when you pick on a helpless opponent rolling to take off.

You whine like a pig.  Figures you want to ride one too  

I could hardly care less if you were in the games I host or not.  I have a lot of people I play AH with online and we have a great time in Free For All.

Point is, I nailed you fair and squre.  Go whine to your mommy, pal.  Enjoy the ride down in the chute....

Paul

[easymo]

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[This message has been edited by easymo (edited 09-26-2000).]

[LePaul]

Cat got your tongue, EasyMo?

Good.

Go away if you can not stay on topic and discuss this like an adult.

OOh..did I ban you from my game this evening?  Sorry....NOT!  Muhahaha.  Kids like you shouldnt be up so late on a school night anyways.

Paul

[easymo]

  Since you missed the point of my post. Ill try it this way. Long after people have forgotten how many kills you got. They will remember how you played the game.

[AaronGT]

Dropping the price of AH is going to be
very difficult for HTC as I assume the
financial backers have been provided with
forecasts of monthly income. Changing
the pricing structure will make this harder
to predict.

However the next 6 months may be tough with
WB III coming online (well established
already) and possibly WW2 On Line, and maybe
competition from the online element of
Rowan's Bob (although I think Rowan has
missed the boat by missing all the 60th
anniversaries).

If AH doesn't capture market share over the
next 6 months things might get pretty messy.

The Warbirds wing I fly with have talked
about flying Aces High, but some of us only
fly occasionally (and these people are not
dweebs or incompetent - just short of either
cash or time). For these people WB offers
a better pricing structure. This means the
Wing is unlikely to decamp to AH, and the
people, and the Wing are important to me,
and we have developed trust and tactics
flying together.

AH needs to offer something significant to
overcome these obstacles and gain that
vital market share, and I think the current
pricing structure is an obstacle at the moment. But it _is_ hard to balance changes
against revenue and financial backing requirements.

It's very hard. I don't envy HT in the least.

[Tac]

This is the way I see it:

Post the number of people you know would subscribe to AH for at least a year (meaning they are into ww2 sims) if the price was an affordable $10 or $15 a month (with or without buying a boxed version, unlimited play).

I personally know 12 and 6 or 7 more possible from my college buds.

So in my case, HTC has lost $1,440 + $840 probable per year and god knows how many others my pals know that would also subscribe if it wasn't $30 a month!

If it was $15 it'd be $2,160 + $1,260 probable.

It is much better to have a wide audience, where you can lose a dozen or so accounts without it hurting you so much, than to have a small group which would DEFINETELY hurt to lose those dozen or so accounts.

Now also take into account the competition, from whom you are likely to nab a great portion of their subscribers because AH IS a better sim and doesnt show a wallet-killing aspect. Then add the possible thousands that ARENT in AH or WB or AW because of the pricing...

I'd say AH is losing a hell of a lot of money from such untapped source of income.