Box and printed manual?

[Bradylama]

If the manual is anywhere near as awesome as Arcanum's it'll be well worth the extra $25.

 

[Atrokkus]

oops, double-post, too excited :shock:

 

[Atrokkus]

I have just received exclusive rights to publish a photo of the AoD master disc:

 

[lex@r]

LMAO that was good, i rate that ^

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Whereabout is your sweet spot that would make you continue , how many copies to break-even?

No idea yet. Everything costs money. Digital distribution portals want 30-40%. Doing it yourself is costly and time consuming. Visa usually charges 8%, bandwidth costs could potentially be as high as 10%. Then there are taxes.

In the end it would depend on what my team would find acceptable. Each person would have to look back at the 3 years spent working on the game, then look at the amount on the cheque, and decide whether or not it was worth it and whether there is a reason to continue.

Do you know how many copies other indies sell, have sold? E.g. teudogar, prelude, spiderweb, etc.?

Spiderweb games sell 3-5,000 copies. Mount & Blade sold more than 10,000, but it's an action game. Prelude sold very poorly.

50 boxed copies seems very pessimistic, this isn't a schoolyard sale.

I assume that only some uber hardcore RPG players will be interested in paying 50 bucks for a game they can get for 25.

You could probably make a lollypop licking simulator and sell more copies than that.

Very true.

Well, I would if the game is any good, love my boxes. And if it's really limited to 50 boxes, hell, this is gonna be a collectible worth thousands in a couple of years, so I might buy two

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

I have just received exclusive rights to publish a photo of the AoD master disc:

 

[Jasede]

I can't buy a game without a box and manual, sorry. Just can't. Ya know, I am rather old-fashioned. If I just pay for a few bytes to download... well, what do I "own" then? A few bytes! That could be easily lost, too. I don't buy into digital distribution.

Do make sure to have that fancy editor of yours edit your writing! I don't want to feel as if I were reading one of my stories while playing AoD - this is not the time for dragons.

 

[Müg]

The beach was almost empty. Few people were there at this time of the day, the sun about to set, announcing the coming night, even though as for now, it was still bathing the few visitors of the place with its orange-hued radiance. Among those people was Erik Elymandias, a dragon of stout seven feet, sporting a lithe, agile build. His raven scales flattered by the sunlight, he would silently walk along the sandy shores, leaving footprints in the sand, a solemn figure with a long shadow; a shadow not caused by some dark, glum predestination, but, much rather, simply by the angle of that setting orb of crimson.

Erik was a young dragon by most standards, having turned sixteen years many weeks ago. He usually didn't walk, but rather, strode about, each step a carefully calculated depiction of motoric grace. Today, however, he seemed broken, shattered. An onlooker wouldn't have recognized Erik - his shoulders were slumped, his body bent.

Going for a walk was a bad idea. Though warm, the sea's breeze kept annoying the trenchcoat-clad dragon, creeping under his garbs as if the very air had come alive with a desire to make the lizard growl, to make him feel both pestered and frustrated. Why had he come? Why had he come here in the first place? He posed this question to himself, again and again, just standing at the sandy shore and gazing at the sapphire-hued depths that extended endlessly in front of him, the vast bodies of water akin to a fence that prevented him from ever reaching the state of calm he longed for. He went on this trip to clear his mind and to relax, to rid himself of the thoughts that kept plaguing him.

He failed.

Who wouldn't want to read this stuff all game long?

 

[Jasede]

Yeah, I should totally write for AoD, to, you know, increase the target audience.

[The horror!]

 

[Vault Dweller]

Well, I would if the game is any good, love my boxes. And if it's really limited to 50 boxes, hell, this is gonna be a collectible worth thousands in a couple of years, so I might buy two

No, it's not limited to 50 boxes. I'll print as many as necessary.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

this is not the time for dragons.

Silly boy, it's always time for dragons.

And yeah, I'll be getting the boxed copy, partly to support the team and partly for the lovely big manual. I like manuals like that.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

First pic of the box design is out.

 

[Hazelnut]

I'm planning to get the direct download versions, but, incase I decide I want the full box after I purchased the DL version, can I get the box for the price difference or do I need to buy an additional full copy (for the full price)?

That would make sense, so yeah, sure.

Er, which option makes sense to you exactly?

 

[Vault Dweller]

I'm planning to get the direct download versions, but, incase I decide I want the full box after I purchased the DL version, can I get the box for the price difference or do I need to buy an additional full copy (for the full price)?

That would make sense, so yeah, sure.

Er, which option makes sense to you exactly?

The other one.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Which of them is the other one?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Well, there is one and then there is the *other* one. I clearly meant the other one. Do I really need to explain that?

 

[Lumpy]

"so yeah, sure" is a friendly expression, thus implying agreement to the possibility most beneficial to the quotee. Thus, I deduce that it will indeed be possible to get the boxed version by paying only the difference of money.

 

[Frau Bishop]

50 US$? That's about 35 Euromarks, haha, I love your shitty currency, I'll take two boxes.

 

[Vault Dweller]

"so yeah, sure" is a friendly expression, thus implying agreement to the possibility most beneficial to the quotee. Thus, I deduce that it will indeed be possible to get the boxed version by paying only the difference of money.

Indeed. If someone buys a digital copy, likes it and wants to upgrade to a boxed copy, why not? To me, that's the highest mark of approval.

 

[Elwro]

Another possibility to consider would be offering physical shipment, but at the same time unlocking the game for the player / enabling him the full download. Spiderweb and Matrix do this: you can almost immediately play the full game, and the CDs reach you in a few days.

(This would in effect be equivalent to buying the digital version and instantly upgrading to the boxed one)

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

First pic of the box design is out.

No chainmail Bikini? This SUX!

 

[Quigs]

You should sell a collectors edition to Beth fanboys, charge 20 bucks more, and include a "Making of", I.E. A link to the codex.

 

[Fez]

We need "feelies" in the box.

 

[Jedi_Learner]

...

 

[Vault Dweller]

Hmm, a good, high-quality map is always a nice extra feature. Morrowind map was pretty cool and very nicely done.

I can get a nice, glossy, full color 11x17 map printed on a 60lb paper for about 6-10 cents a piece, including folding. Why not?