It's just sad that there isn't a clone that costs $4.99 to buy and doesn't need more purchases. It's even sadder that even if the clone did exist few people would buy it.
I really miss the Doom model of give away a few levels cor free and buy the rest.
Sure, I've played the same level for weeks on end, but I haven't bought anything.
Of course I've been tempted to push the button, spend 99 cents and bypass the level, but I have something called willpower and a certain amount of pride that every level I've beaten is legit.
However, I'm actually quite happy to pay for the content directly. Developers don't work for free, and they're constantly adding to the game. I like to support them (and other devs) as so many people expect to get hundreds of hours of gameplay for free these days.
I don't see an issue with paying for content gates in such a fashion -- but I do dislike the "Pay $0.99 to get 5 more moves, you've nearly done it!" mechanic, and others like it, so I don't pay for those.
> ...but I have something called willpower
This is why people think Candy Crush is bad -- because most people don't have this willpower, and it plays on this weakness, almost to an exact science.
But, I wonder if all of the levels actually are beatable. I haven't been able to figure out if some of the levels are random or not. It seems like there are definite patterns for some levels, but not all.
This is what bothers me. I want to know that any given board can be beaten. If it can't and then they charge you to keep playing, that would be dishonest.
I just haven't figured out it that was the case or not.
The only one I've had a problem with so far was 417 (which is basically a lottery level), but if I didn't have enough free powerups in storage, I am quite sure I would get lucky one time...
There are several levels you'll play where you have absolutely zero chance of winning (particularly the later levels where you need X of this and Y of that) because the colors just don't come up. Yeah, that's down to randomness, but it's one of those things that could be resolved. Also, when playing if you receive a call or switch to some other app in the middle of a game you lose your game and that life. Yet another way to pluck more money out of people. Then you have the arbitrary play limits (3 days to unlock another pack via bonus levels, 30 minute waits for lives, etc).
I'd have much less of a problem with the game if each level had a solvable method to it. Then you can make it pay to pass or skill to win.
Which levels are you talking about? Definitely there are levels where it all comes down to luck, but even with 0.5% of winning, you'll probably get there after a couple hundred games. I'm not even sure it's a good business decision for them, more like poor design imo -- I suspect there are more people who get frustrated and quit than those who actually pay...
I don't know if it was poor design or purposeful to get more money out of people, but I tend to think the latter because of just how many places it begs to buy things.
People probably do get frustrated and quit. I know that's what I end up doing. Especially when my gaming habits are 30 minutes here and there. I just want a short session, not play for 5 minutes and have to pay more or wait 30 minutes to play more.
http://seriouspony.com/blog/2013/7/24/your-app-makes-me-fat
The fact that people are playing it regardless of whether they are paying or not helps king.com make profit to demolish games like Banner Saga (note: this is a game I backed).
You might wonder how - but it's rather simple. Even if you pay zilch to play and you get to level 153, your friend brother, mom, sister, father or acquaintance will see this and try it out, and perhaps get hooked (if it's someone that would pay money to 'compete' in levels with you, even better).
It's a numbers game. Games like that depend on few gamers that spend in the thousands (aka 'whales'), and to get to them they need to wade through a sea of people that spend 0$ but are connected to the so called 'whales' .
So yes, thanks again for helping King.com ruin The Banner Saga for me...
Sadly, things like this get tons of hate in the reviews... People would rather be annoyed with stupid social media and IAP crap than pay a dollar for the rest of the game. The only way to really make it work is (from my experience) make an ad-supported, shortened lite version, so people can test it out before buying it. That's a real pain because now you have two malls to manage, update, and promote. At least that's how it works on iOS.
I also believe this model is executed well on the App Store — I personally play and purchase Tell Tale's episodic games, the Layton Brothers Mystery Room game, Phoenix Wright, Ghost Trick, and so on. All of them use this sales model.
One of the biggest, most loved games ever also used this model: Letterpress. It is free and offers a single purchase for unlimited multiplayer opponents. People love it.
I've read about more interesting Android games on this article's comments (didn't know there were Layton games for Android) than in several unsuccesful searches. And all the "most popular" Android games the Play store shows me are not for me.
http://twolivesleft.com/Crabitron/
A blog post about what happens when Yogscast briefly mentions your game would (I hope) be appreciated by HN.
We post all our sales (including what happened after Yogscast) on our "Crabstarter" page: http://www.crabstarter.com
Is the change in platform somehow making the difference? Is it that Doom was perceived as technically advanced, while these smartphone games are not? Has the audience just gotten less mature, and more entitled?
I'm a huge fan of Match 3 games and I can honestly say there's plenty enough choice in that genre without having to rely on Candy Crush.
Once I've played the first x levels, I've usually satisfied my curiosity about the game and, if there is a pay wall, move on.
I do appreciate the chance to try before I buy, but maybe because I'm not 'investing' in the game (either by paying money upfront or time investment in a free game), it's easy to move on to one of the hundreds of other good games out here.
Practically speaking, a lot of these freemium games just have a lot of money to spend on creating content. It's usually a better more polished game even if you don't spend money on it. That $5 clone has to come up with all the development budget up front, while the freemium version has constant cash flow.
Example - JewelsStar
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.game.Jewel...
However, I'd pay for a polished experience like a PopCap made game (Bejeweled).