The Marketing of AH - Ideas on how to increase player base

[Dadsguns]

I don't know why you bother. HTC will do what HTC wants to do. This thread is like the entire Wishlist forum... Allowed to exist so it appears that you have a voice.

You don't.

Even the times where it seems like you do have a voice are like cheap magic tricks where your decisions are made for you "Here are 4 planes we're gonna make anyway, why don't you vote on which one we make first".

AH gameplay will remain broken. AH will remain 10 years out of date. AH; "Working as intended".

Your comments sum it up rather well.   

[grizz441]

I think WWI would be too limited an area to draw in the new players. WWI planes are not flown like WWII as well as the game play options that are NOT available in WWI that some players ....buffers and tankers wouldn't get to try.

Anything that is free no strings attached will draw players with proper advertising.  I agree WW1 is not flown like WWII but I don't think that matters.  As for buffs and tanks, yeah these are part of the Ww2 experience.

[ghi]

If you look at wiki definition of MMOG, strategy is part of most games with large numbers of players, the drug keeping them playing,even if is war sim or fantasy; AH has set game goals for first person shooter kind of games not MMO, rewarding individual players not teams. War win, map reset was made more difficult over years and for a new player the game is not attractive,has little satisfaction because needs many years to become good at this game in pressent set up. The game would improve if  teams or group of players are rewarded and let every new player  bring his part on team goal. The map rest /win war keeps many players, like myself ,fighting and still paying for this game, but the reset procedure are outdated and were made more difficult to achieve; I think would be easy to introduce strategy in game, reducing the %  of bases needed for reset to 10-15% but,...adding HQ,City,factories damage in map reset formula.
"Real-time strategy"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_game

"But MMORPGs are dynamic worlds because of this diversity of motivations and because players are ultimately playing the same game. Adventures, alliances and betrayals emerge as players collaborate to achieve very different goals."
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_motivations.html

[hitech]

If you look at wiki definition of MMOG,

You may want to look at this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_massively_multiplayer_online_games

Search for Dale Addink.

Only they got 2 facts wrong, it was 1995 and was used to describe Confirmed Kill.

HiTech

[Kazaa]

You may want to look at this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_massively_multiplayer_online_games

Search for Dale Addink.

Only they got 2 facts wrong, it was 1995 and was used to describe Confirmed Kill.

HiTech

Oh snap.

[hitech]

While the concept of offering something free to bait the hook is not new in game marketing, the devil is in the details.

Limited plane set arenas at a different price has been tried before. The issue is that it does not integrate the new players into the same world as the paying players. Players form bonds / friends in the free arena and moving to the pay arena is not worth the loss of those friends.

Hence you almost completely cut off your influx of new players into the paying arena.


HiTech

[Dead Man Flying]

Hence you almost completely cut off your influx of new players into the paying arena.

And that explains the two week free trial, which makes sense given that context (i.e. forming friendships in the arena and then subscribing to maintain them rather than not subscribing to maintain them).  If you don't mind my asking, how did you decide on a two week trial versus, say, a one month trial like many games use?  Do you get diminishing returns on potential customer loyalty after a couple of weeks?

[LCADolby]

You may want to look at this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_massively_multiplayer_online_games

Search for Dale Addink.

Only they got 2 facts wrong, it was 1995 and was used to describe Confirmed Kill.

HiTech

I corrected it for you <S>

[grizz441]

While the concept of offering something free to bait the hook is not new in game marketing, the devil is in the details.

Limited plane set arenas at a different price has been tried before. The issue is that it does not integrate the new players into the same world as the paying players. Players form bonds / friends in the free arena and moving to the pay arena is not worth the loss of those friends.

Hence you almost completely cut off your influx of new players into the paying arena.


HiTech

Making WW1 free would integrate the free player world with WW2 guys coming over for a change of pace and forming friendships with free players and convincing them there is a lot more to be had in the WW2 arena.  There are a lot of subscribed players that would fly WW1 often if there were sizable furballs there. 

[Tilt]

While the concept of offering something free to bait the hook is not new in game marketing, the devil is in the details.
Limited plane set arenas at a different price has been tried before. The issue is that it does not integrate the new players into the same world as the paying players. Players form bonds / friends in the free arena and moving to the pay arena is not worth the loss of those friends.
Hence you almost completely cut off your influx of new players into the paying arena.
HiTech

I can remember the pain trying to drag a squad from RR to FR in AW

HiTech you know where to put the hook.............

You may decide

1)if you need to bait such a hook
2)what to put on the hook
3)when to bait the hook
4)how to make sure the fish know the hook is there

btw what is the cost (to HTC) of an additional approx 200 limited access free players ? (dont answer that!)

[The Fugitive]

While the concept of offering something free to bait the hook is not new in game marketing, the devil is in the details.

Limited plane set arenas at a different price has been tried before. The issue is that it does not integrate the new players into the same world as the paying players. Players form bonds / friends in the free arena and moving to the pay arena is not worth the loss of those friends.

Hence you almost completely cut off your influx of new players into the paying arena.


HiTech

Thats why you still have to maintain that limit. Right now its 2 weeks for all the arenas. Give them EW free for up to a score/kill plateau, or 6 weeks time limit. At that point they have no choice, either they move on to a subscription, or they move on. I always thought it was easier to learn to swim in an area where I wasn't dodging sharks.   

[hitech]

And that explains the two week free trial, which makes sense given that context (i.e. forming friendships in the arena and then subscribing to maintain them rather than not subscribing to maintain them).  If you don't mind my asking, how did you decide on a two week trial versus, say, a one month trial like many games use?  Do you get diminishing returns on potential customer loyalty after a couple of weeks?

Most games that use a 1 month are sold in a box. In our box version that is sold in Europe we offer 2 months, I.E. the approximate price of the box.

We simply look how long people who try the game continue to play the entire 2 weeks.

HiTech

[Dead Man Flying]

We simply look how long people who try the game continue to play the entire 2 weeks.

Thanks, I figured as much.  Outside of Aces High, I haven't really noticed the two week thing, but my only standards for comparison are box games.

[RTHolmes]

We simply look how long people who try the game continue to play the entire 2 weeks.

I suspect the dropout rate may be dependent on the length of trial, due to the very steep learning curve. if you're just converting from another flight sim, 2 weeks will be enough for you to decide whether you like this particular flavour of game.

But it only takes a week of playing as a newb to proper flight sims (an increasing majority of potential players) to realise that you wont be even close to competitive in 2 weeks. given a month to trial it, more players might think its worth carrying on with the trial and learning to fly/gv/whatever. people are surely more likely to subscribe if they think they stand a chance of being competitive in a game?

and since the game is based on a monthly subscription it seems natural to give a months free trial.

but of course it would cost 2 weeks revenue for each new subscriber ...

[The Fugitive]

I suspect the dropout rate may be dependent on the length of trial, due to the very steep learning curve. if you're just converting from another flight sim, 2 weeks will be enough for you to decide whether you like this particular flavour of game.

But it only takes a week of playing as a newb to proper flight sims (an increasing majority of potential players) to realise that you wont be even close to competitive in 2 weeks. given a month to trial it, more players might think its worth carrying on with the trial and learning to fly/gv/whatever. people are surely more likely to subscribe if they think they stand a chance of being competitive in a game?

and since the game is based on a monthly subscription it seems natural to give a months free trial.

but of course it would cost 2 weeks revenue for each new subscriber ...

This is my point. First off you have a game that is tough to start off with, then add in getting your butt handed to you every time your log on by all the regular players and it makes for a pretty tough experience, when you should be shooting for one of fun and comradary.