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recrutment of players/customers
I have been a long lasting customer of www.cwnet.com. they have a system emplimented, that helps recrute new costomers. Costomers get more customers and get rerworded for it. i think for every 12 customers you get 1 year of vendetta free. i like the sound of it and i think it will bring in a lot more customers :-) you can have a web link like they do and it would be great!
http://www.cwnet.com/sub.php?page=promosignup.htm
P.S. i was at some friends house and i showed them the game and they loved it :-)
http://www.cwnet.com/sub.php?page=promosignup.htm
P.S. i was at some friends house and i showed them the game and they loved it :-)
At the present time the developers are not trying to market the game, largely due to its unpolished state. Bringing in a large number of new customers with the game in its current state would result in a lot of dissapointed players, something Guild is trying to avoid. Given time they can bring the games actuall content up closer to what its potential is, and will push the marketing of it at that time.
At such a time as they are interested in bringing in a large number of new customers I am sure they have quite a few ideas and marketing campaigns allready mapped out. They also are aware of the dedicated community they have and I am sure they will tap us for help with marketing the game, possibly through something like what you suggest, maybe not.
In the meantime feel free to ask friends to join the game, but please make sure that they are aware that it is done by a small company and is still unpolished compared to most released games.
For the most part those of us who continue to pay and play vendetta, and who have done so long term, are supporting the potential we see in the engine and the dev team. I myself have been looking for a "multiplayer elite" since around the late 1980's, shen i played elite on my C64. Vendetta is the closest I have found, and I feel the game is well done and that given enough time it will become a benchmark by which all other space games are measured.
Incarnate has compared thier current buisness strategy as something along the lines of having a lot of small investors (US, the players) who are looking for a good space RPG as our return on investment, as opposed to having one large investor who is just looking for profit.
At such a time as they are interested in bringing in a large number of new customers I am sure they have quite a few ideas and marketing campaigns allready mapped out. They also are aware of the dedicated community they have and I am sure they will tap us for help with marketing the game, possibly through something like what you suggest, maybe not.
In the meantime feel free to ask friends to join the game, but please make sure that they are aware that it is done by a small company and is still unpolished compared to most released games.
For the most part those of us who continue to pay and play vendetta, and who have done so long term, are supporting the potential we see in the engine and the dev team. I myself have been looking for a "multiplayer elite" since around the late 1980's, shen i played elite on my C64. Vendetta is the closest I have found, and I feel the game is well done and that given enough time it will become a benchmark by which all other space games are measured.
Incarnate has compared thier current buisness strategy as something along the lines of having a lot of small investors (US, the players) who are looking for a good space RPG as our return on investment, as opposed to having one large investor who is just looking for profit.
Well said, Spellcast.
This article:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/artgaming.php3
pretty much sums up my viewpoint on the modern gaming industry. Large companies like EA are strangling so much creative potential in gaming by forcing games into one of a particular series of molds. If a game doesn't fit the tried and true formula, then the big companies won't touch it, assuming it's going to be unsuccessful.
The only way to combat this is to support smaller companies like Guild Software which have a lot of creative talent and vision, but aren't worried about making games that conform to the cookie cutter formula of an RTS, FPS, RPG or what have you. They are going to create the game they want to, and supporting that is the first step along the way to a true digital renaissance.
This article:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/artgaming.php3
pretty much sums up my viewpoint on the modern gaming industry. Large companies like EA are strangling so much creative potential in gaming by forcing games into one of a particular series of molds. If a game doesn't fit the tried and true formula, then the big companies won't touch it, assuming it's going to be unsuccessful.
The only way to combat this is to support smaller companies like Guild Software which have a lot of creative talent and vision, but aren't worried about making games that conform to the cookie cutter formula of an RTS, FPS, RPG or what have you. They are going to create the game they want to, and supporting that is the first step along the way to a true digital renaissance.
Spellcast said:
Bringing in a large number of new customers with the game in its current state would result in a lot of dissapointed players, something Guild is trying to avoid.
So, basically, Spell, you're saying that the devs don't care if WE'RE disappointed, just the new players? >:) Hehe.
I patiently await the next update. I agree with Spellcast - now is not the time for a concentrated advertising & marketing push. I would say that by August/September 2006 would be a good time to begin the PR, ready for the Xmas buying season. Which means devising a plan before May 2006.
As some free marketing advice, I say ignore the PC gaming channels completely until then. Focus on the smaller and more loyal groups like Mac users, UNIX users & Linux users. Guild is kind of already doing this with the current 80+ active players who pay for it now.
However, these mac/unix/linux groups can be considered smaller "test markets" for the larger PC game market. Consider what AOL did when it started: Mac-Only. It worked out all the kinks, figured out what its userbase wanted as far as content, and when it started to accept PC customers, it was so much better than Compuserve, Delphi, and Prodigy (not to mention eWorld. Ugh). Anyway, mac- and linux / unix groups will probably be more loyal due to the lack of other MMORPG's on their platforms. It's a safe strategy.
That's my quicky advice for recruiting more players. Start with small markets, engage the userbase, then ride the wave until a full market release is feasible.
Bringing in a large number of new customers with the game in its current state would result in a lot of dissapointed players, something Guild is trying to avoid.
So, basically, Spell, you're saying that the devs don't care if WE'RE disappointed, just the new players? >:) Hehe.
I patiently await the next update. I agree with Spellcast - now is not the time for a concentrated advertising & marketing push. I would say that by August/September 2006 would be a good time to begin the PR, ready for the Xmas buying season. Which means devising a plan before May 2006.
As some free marketing advice, I say ignore the PC gaming channels completely until then. Focus on the smaller and more loyal groups like Mac users, UNIX users & Linux users. Guild is kind of already doing this with the current 80+ active players who pay for it now.
However, these mac/unix/linux groups can be considered smaller "test markets" for the larger PC game market. Consider what AOL did when it started: Mac-Only. It worked out all the kinks, figured out what its userbase wanted as far as content, and when it started to accept PC customers, it was so much better than Compuserve, Delphi, and Prodigy (not to mention eWorld. Ugh). Anyway, mac- and linux / unix groups will probably be more loyal due to the lack of other MMORPG's on their platforms. It's a safe strategy.
That's my quicky advice for recruiting more players. Start with small markets, engage the userbase, then ride the wave until a full market release is feasible.
>>So, basically, Spell, you're saying that the devs don't care if WE'RE disappointed, just the new players? >:) Hehe.>>
hardly. But a less agressive marketing campaign means that the players who expect nothing but polish and perfection are less likely to stop by and then flame vendetta on every gaming board they can find. lol
Of course I happen to be one of the alpha/beta's and was one of the people that at various times during that stage of the game offered (and sent via paypal) donations to the devs because i believed (and still believe) in what they were (are) trying to achieve. I was quite happy to ask them to collect a fee so that they could continue to push forward with vendetta. and I have a subscription, (and have had one) since the first day of release. (and i pre-ordered a copy from gamestop or eb online or somewhere.. the printed backstory is pretty cool :) )
EDIT> (OFF TOPIC) and if you want to see a real flamefest take a look at dreamcatchers message boards ( http://dreamcatcherinteractive.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39 ) for thier new game dungeon lords. I purchased it, its not bad, but its almost as complete as vendetta is, and they charged $40 a pop and mass marketed it, a quick browse of that board will reveal exactly WHY guild isn't pushing Vendetta as much as they probably could)
hardly. But a less agressive marketing campaign means that the players who expect nothing but polish and perfection are less likely to stop by and then flame vendetta on every gaming board they can find. lol
Of course I happen to be one of the alpha/beta's and was one of the people that at various times during that stage of the game offered (and sent via paypal) donations to the devs because i believed (and still believe) in what they were (are) trying to achieve. I was quite happy to ask them to collect a fee so that they could continue to push forward with vendetta. and I have a subscription, (and have had one) since the first day of release. (and i pre-ordered a copy from gamestop or eb online or somewhere.. the printed backstory is pretty cool :) )
EDIT> (OFF TOPIC) and if you want to see a real flamefest take a look at dreamcatchers message boards ( http://dreamcatcherinteractive.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39 ) for thier new game dungeon lords. I purchased it, its not bad, but its almost as complete as vendetta is, and they charged $40 a pop and mass marketed it, a quick browse of that board will reveal exactly WHY guild isn't pushing Vendetta as much as they probably could)
*wanders off to take a look at that link* Wooooo... yeah, I like that thread that's titled "How did this get released? ( http://dreamcatcherinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23140 )
Anyway, I gotta agree with the "alternate O/S" idea. That might not be what the dev's were thinking when they went that route ('cause they know that if they didn't support Linux, it was just gonna be shooting themselves in the foot.../sarcasm), but I'm glad they did. To add to it, most of the time, we alternate O/S folks tend to get rather passionate about the things we get involved in, and will have patience in waiting for them to get better. We're also the type to get our hands dirty trying to make it better (some of us Linux guys fall into that category, and there's gotta be some Mac guys too).
It's nice not having a horde of players who don't understand that launch into VO, complaining and generally making a nuisance of themselves, for right now. Maybe later... but not right now.
P.S.: Thanks for linking tip, Suicidal Lemming.
Anyway, I gotta agree with the "alternate O/S" idea. That might not be what the dev's were thinking when they went that route ('cause they know that if they didn't support Linux, it was just gonna be shooting themselves in the foot.../sarcasm), but I'm glad they did. To add to it, most of the time, we alternate O/S folks tend to get rather passionate about the things we get involved in, and will have patience in waiting for them to get better. We're also the type to get our hands dirty trying to make it better (some of us Linux guys fall into that category, and there's gotta be some Mac guys too).
It's nice not having a horde of players who don't understand that launch into VO, complaining and generally making a nuisance of themselves, for right now. Maybe later... but not right now.
P.S.: Thanks for linking tip, Suicidal Lemming.
theluckyone, just paste the link and it'll make it a link, you can't do reformatting and stuff, your link must be naked!
The only reason I even found this game is because of Escape Velocity fans that I know. There was a short article on InsideMacGames about VO, and an EV fan basically told me that VO is like EV in 3D. I almost spazzed.
I have to admit, after I got over the newbie hump. The first 40 hours of gameplay was probably one of the best times I had in VO.
VO is almost ready as it is, but that's comming from a fan of the genre, so the mass public would probably have a far different opinion. That's why VO's popularity should be on a word-of-mouth basis.
I have to admit, after I got over the newbie hump. The first 40 hours of gameplay was probably one of the best times I had in VO.
VO is almost ready as it is, but that's comming from a fan of the genre, so the mass public would probably have a far different opinion. That's why VO's popularity should be on a word-of-mouth basis.
I guess what i was getting at was that i hope that we can continue to be part of the game on the outside, like word of mouth getting others into the game and getting rewarded for it.. that is all.