As I have been chatting up AH on Reddit recently the sub model is the one thing that stops people. I try to explain that the value you get for that is better than spending the same money to buy new IL2 games or a few planes each year. I know in the end one day you own it all and with AH you do not but I don’t plan to take my cartoon airplanes with me when I go lol.
I’m still out there talking it up anyway.
The problem is, respectfully, it doesn't matter what you think. Or me. Or any of the old farts already here.
What matters is what your prospective customer thinks. I think what they are seeing is a subscription as much as their netflix for a game that hasn't been materially updated in 6-7? years? Hasn't seen a new plane in 15? years?
Imagine if Netflix stopped getting new movies and new shows for years and years. No new content. No new Original Series? They could truthfully say, look at all these shows we already have in the archive. You can just watch those over again. Do you think that would hurt their ability to get subscriptions?
A subscription is sellable to get access to constant new content development like the old days of AH or like some MMO. Its a hard sell just to play a game that is not updated in years other than some player content.
They expect that situation to just cost a couple of bucks out of the bargain bin, like I bought 1946. And then they expect to just own it and not pay endless rent. Shrug. I'm glad to be proven me wrong if you can generate some new customers.
I didn't have many arguments against that. The .50 a day thing is not a compelling argument. The only valid arguments is even in it's current state is still regularly gets 100+ players in one arena most nights. That is not something they have seen in IL2. And I made an argument that the historical scenarios are probably an experience they can not currently get in any of the other sims.
He will probably at least give it two weeks, maybe 1 month. I'll give 1946 about that same amount of time next month. It will be interesting to compare our notes.
I warned him I had no intention of converting. I think DCS meets my current needs best for a variety of reasons, but I wanted to fill my knowledge gap on that one so I have a complete comparison of the various options. If for no other reason so I can explain why DCS is better, IMHO, than 1946. Or GB for that matter.
But the remaining player count (he did seem to react well to that) and scenarios did seem to make him interested enough to go download. I have no idea if he would ever switch. Mainly because of what his initial reaction to the sub. That is definitely going to make selling him an uphill effort. But he wanted to try AH for the same reason I am willing to try 1946. To at least be able to discuss the various competitors intelligently.
