Why not AHII server for $29.99 Lifetime Subscription?

[CptTrips]

I know it's been suggested before to load up an AHII server.  I'm not sure if it's been considered with a lifetime subscription.
They are essentially "buying" it like a copy of IL2 or Battlefield and can play on the server for free as long as they want.

• Assuming you have some sort of source control and haven't lost the code and assets.  It should all just be sitting around somewhere waiting to be re-monitized.
• It wouldn't be expanded or improved.  It's as is. So the only thing you'd have to do is some subscription code massaging.
• I believe from past conversation about your hardware when working on WW1WF, I can't believe you don't have the spare hardware for it.  I can't image you have enough players for AHIII or get enough players for AHII to top out your bandwidth.  If you get to that point, it's a good problem to have.
• In theory there were lots of people who didn't have machines that could handle AHIII.  Maybe this could re-monitize some of them. 
• Maybe some players who had machines that could handle AHIII, and just got bored.  Maybe this could bring them back for nostalgia's sake and re-monitize some of them. 
• I doubt you will lose many AHIII players to go only play AHII.  But you might get some AHIII players to drop $29.99 to play both just for the occasional hoot.
• The nice thing about an upfront lifetime subscription instead of charging them a small amount per month (originally was thinking 4.99/month) is you get a chunk of money up front.  Immediate revenue realized, instead of wonder if they are going to get bored and cancel in 3 months. That is money that could be used to drive some new development in AHIII.  Like some new planes and upgrading the remaining models.
• Maybe perks earned in AHII could be used to occationally buy a month in AHIII?  Even so you are keeping contact with AH players who are constantly looking over the fence at AHIII giving you continual chances to convert them.  So an almost like advertising that you get them to pay for.
• Could it be put on Steam and another release giving you another "New" release to drive traffic?
• It would take some work to set up, but nothing like creating another game from scratch.  Why not get paid again for the same code.
• Potential customers that balk at a monthly charge at least have an alternative.
• More traffic to your games and site can't be a bad thing.  Who knows where it leads.

$0.02.

[Slade]

I like the idea on paying a one time (discounted) lifetime AH membership rather than monthly as an option.

+1

[CptTrips]

[oops tried to fix a typo]

[DmonSlyr]

Id probably buy it. Id probably play it sometimes for kicks.

I dont know the technicals but it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

I would hate a lot of AH3 players moving to AH2 which could reduce Ah3 #s if the fight got really big in AH2. That's my only devils advocate.

[CptTrips]

I would hate a lot of AH3 players moving to AH2 which could reduce Ah3 #s if the fight got really big in AH2. That's my only devils advocate.

I can't imagine that would be a significant problem.
 
First, you're not going to lose anyone interested in Scenarios/FSO.  They may add it for an occasional hoot, but scenarios will be run on AHIII.  I guess that's the other minor change would be to disable things like the SEA and H2H in the old version.  But it's a LOT  easier to rip stuff out than it is to put new stuff in.

Second, I could see a lot of AHIII players adding it on, I can't see them giving up AHIII and all the people they hang out with.  Anyone who even thinks that may be a potential problem should think long and hard about whether the ball has been moved forward in terms of game-play or whether it has stagnated if you can't successfully compete with a 5 year old version of yourself.  I think the vast majority of AHIII players would add rather than switch.  Especially once they try it again and think, oh, these graphics really are a lot worse than I remembered.

My  guess is you would draw in 4 types:

1.  Old players who would come back and buy it just for the nostalgia kick.  That might be enough of a spark to reignite their flame and get them thinking of maybe giving AHIII another try.

2.  AHIII players who will keep their AHIII account, but buy into the AHII server for the occasional stroll down memory lane, especially if they see some old familiar names in there.  And maybe they will start peer pressuring them to come to AHIII. Come back to join the current scenarios.

3.  Kids may have money to buy a game, but who's parents aren't signing onto any subscription trap.  Maybe AHII becomes the bush league breeding a whole new generation of customers.
 
4.  All the other people who don't mind buying a value priced game to have some fun with, but hate subscription entanglements as much as they hate F2P grinding micro-transactions.

This seems like it would be a low cost, lowest risk approach to help out in some reasonable time-frame. 

Should be fairly minor code changes, no new graphics or models needed.  Set up the payment system and release it on Steam as a new SKU for $29.99.

 
 

[CptTrips]

Maybe 39.99?  Iffy.

I can get Battlefield 4, for $20 and have a list of 30-40 filled 64-player servers to play on all day.

I don't think you could go into the 40s.

[Meatwad]

I would see people going to AH2 simply because of the less system requirements as long as it was not updated to the new code/stuffs.  Ones that can hardly play AH3 should be able to run #2 easier

[CptTrips]

I would see people going to AH2 simply because of the less system requirements as long as it was not updated to the new code/stuffs.  Ones that can hardly play AH3 should be able to run #2 easier

Are you saying current AHIII account holders?  Or players that have left because they couldn't run AHIII well that might come back to play AHII?

I can't imagine there is any significant number of current AHIII account holders who have kept their account all this time that are unable to run it. If so, they would have already left.