Thinking about fremium games, on the other hand barricades
An interesting topic was raised in the post "5 reasons why freemium games" suck " . " It would seem that this is exactly the case when the discussion in the comments is much more useful than the content of the post itself.
What can I say about this?
Dear Skaarj gave the following thought - “In general, the player’s purchase of things during the game has almost no effect. Shifting game focus. "
')
It also affects how ...
What are classic fremium games without donat (real money amounts)?
Exciting game crafts, with a crazy game design. wild game mechanics and weird balance.
Fremium games, in the overwhelming majority of cases, totally lose in terms of balance, mechanics and gameplay, offline games!
The essence of most modern fremium games looks exactly like this: “We create and polish the game for Donat, and in the free access we release an option in which it is almost impossible to play. Sooner or later, the restriction (s) of the game system must come out and that the player will be forced to donate, because it will be impossible and pointless to continue the (free) game. ”
In some cases, such restrictions somehow tied at a time.
For example, getting new "buns" from the game (the following types of weapons, protection, magic, types of equipment, etc.) can, without donation, be delayed for a completely indefinite period ... In a literal sense, for ten hours of playing time ... How do you imagine Can you imagine for a working / student person who has a minimum of free time? Indeed, in this case, the process can take weeks and months!
In addition, the effect of reducing the attractiveness of the gameplay will be observed, because the player will not receive "new buns", which guarantee a fundamentally new experience, experience, experiences from the game. The likelihood that a modern, extremely spoiled player will simply give up the game , feeling "deceived" is very high! Who wants to "pay for the pixels"?
After all, they pay completely for something else ... Roughly speaking, there is a stage of “entering the game” ... So it is this one that should last as long as possible, preferably infinitely, in order for the donate process to be the most reasonable and reasonable for the player. You can not put the player before the fact, try to "extort" money from him. Because the player can really leave, and under the most negative impression. And this already forms a negative attitude towards online multiplayer games in society itself.
Far from the fact that what was offered to the player in a free trial period is enough for him to pay. And if so, then it is impossible to raise the question of payment during this period ...
The key to successful functioning of a fremium game is finding the right, “addictive” balance between playing time and “buns” from the game. And this should be done in the free version. This mechanism should work without Donata!
The key to understanding this principle is the idea of ​​"holding the attention" of the player. Played fifteen minutes - get a bun, play another fifteen - get the next, play an hour - get a big bun, come in next time - get a great gift.
In-game items are NOT ANYTHING, the only real value in this whole system is player attention. The struggle is precisely for this, getting Donat from the player is a matter of a purely secondary and solvable!
Ideally, the accumulation of game resources in general should not depend on the presence of the player in the game, if there is no player, the accumulation should still continue, and for an arbitrarily long time ... Through this, the player’s encouragement and retention mechanism is laid, even after periods of his long absence. This is very important for building the right relationship with the player! And the success of his transfer from free to paid ...
There is another way to tie the limitations of the mechanics of the game to time, which is more used in a variety of strategies.
This case is much tougher and it is set as follows - by entering the limits for filling storages on some game resources (gold, crystals, wood, gas, etc.). For example, the storage of gold and team points (necessary for game actions) is filled in 4-8-10 hours, after that the process stops, in the most horrendous variants there is an out of sync between different types of resources, for example, the gold deposit is filled in 5 hours, and the command points in 7 hours ... And a free player, the game should come out during these periods and manage to collect "everything", because otherwise the deviation from the optimal schedule of development of its "combat potential" in the game will become frightening and this lag will increase like an avalanche s And since merciless PvP (Player vs Player) is confessed in games of this type - “punishment” will follow immediately ...
As a rule, this option is combined with a couple of moments. Infinite tightening of the “party” into the game ... The match can actually last for several months, or even a year ... It is assumed that it will be very difficult for a player to psychologically abandon the game (and donat) for which he spent so much time and effort, as well as those social connections in the game, which he managed to “acquire” during all this time (this is the very component of “self-realization” in the MMO that is so widely discussed).
As well as the most serious mistakes of developers in terms of game design, making the world \ map geographically limited (trying to increase the aggressiveness of PvP), creating a certain number of bonus points, for control of which additional advantages are given (again, this is aimed at increasing the activity and rigidity of PvP) , and in the worst case, they turn the game into an “ultimate”, which has the tendency to end, as a game of tic-tac-toe, sea battle or chess ...
As a result, a real nightmare begins inside the game world. Nightmare for both players and developers with project investors.
Very quickly, a group of one or two percent of active players-geeks, who are gaining a very high total "combat potential", seizing all the important territory and key bonus points ... After that - the game for all other players no longer makes any sense then the positive impressions of the game (and even more donat) no longer have to count. But what about the situation if the gaming world itself was designed for ____ thousand people? Not bad such "efficiency."
What is the probability of leaving the player in such a scenario? What is the likelihood that he will start creating a negative viral advertising game? How do we deal with this?
Player accessibility is the key to the success of a fremium game!
The entire discussion of Bennett Fodi’s reflections was reduced to the merciless condemnation of his criticism of the current model of fremium games.
The speakers, without even realizing it, constantly tried to refute him, somehow argue with him, to say that “This is all wrong!”.
Rather than extract useful and constructive thoughts from this criticism.
We will try to do it yourself:
1. These games are about “pay,” not “play.”
As soon as there is a massive change in this paradigm to another, such as - “These games are not about“ pay ”, but about“ earning ”a revolution in the gaming industry will happen ... Internet poker, online casino, all this is too small for a specific audience. It is necessary to give the player the opportunity to earn, and real money.
I’m not talking about pharming and other fans who convert excess free time into selling game items for real money, but about a much broader model.
Developers are too carried away by the need to charge money from the player and create his dependence on the game, and think too little about giving something more to the player.
One of the promising areas in the gaming industry is the creation of projects that blur the line between the game and the real world, bringing the game to real life, organizing interaction, symbiosis between them. And not at all in the form of "cosplay" ...
2. All are in unequal conditions. (Donat is cheating!)
As soon as an effective way is found to charge the players, without giving any of them exceptional advantages, a completely different understanding of this whole business will come.
As mentioned above, Donat is not even “cheating”, it’s just “bringing the game to a normal battle”, putting the game into a workable, playable state.
This approach has numerous costs, missing a significant portion of the potential audience of the game.
This is something that could be offered in the "zero", today you need to look for something completely different.
3. It spoils the impression. (The developer is a drug dealer!)
Exactly.
Raising money for the right to play the only playable version of the game, this is exactly the “pay for pixels”.
Needless to say, it is simply impossible for an adult, adequate person to “sell” such an option?
The essence of the gaming industry is to sell very different things, including the very special relationship with the player, and between the players ... This is a very important point, it has great potential for development.
In addition, the current model of “monthly premium-subscription” should be criticized and revised. Is this the only possible option? Is it effective?
Is "exploitation of gaming addiction player" is the most optimal way?
4. This is an irreconcilable conflict. (Between the attractiveness of the free game and the need of charging Donat).
In fact, this conflict is much harder and affects the problem of game design, mechanics and game balance of the game.
The best thing that the game industry has come up with right now is to try to get the player on the (inferior) game, and then suddenly “surprise” him that the game is basically non-playable without a donate, and the only way to get a “new dose of the game” is to pay Donat
The very mechanism of drug trafficking.
Needless to say that this approach is sharply negative in terms of the perception of computer games in society?
Why it happens? Again, because of the misunderstanding of the answer to the question - “And what do we sell then?”.
5. You miss opportunities for creativity.
Here is the case when the quotation will have to be given entirely:
Absolutely true, you can even say __ brilliant, words ...
Bennett Fodd clearly marks the impending revolution in the MMO games industry ...
It is necessary to look for new methods, approaches and paradigms ...
The boundaries of the game should be constantly expanded, the very charging of money should be part of the game.
This will avoid many associated problems and conflicts, ultimately making the projects themselves much more massive, useful ... and profitable.
6. Modern MMOs are the opposite! (bonus)
Again, I would like to touch on this delicate and provocative moment.
Modern ideas about business have a great impact on the entire MMO industry, expanding the concept of many projects 180 degrees.
The current MMO project is really a “game”, but the game is precisely to “pump out” money from the player, using his psychological weaknesses, problems and dependencies.
Needless to say, in such a “consumer” attitude towards the player, there is initially a huge potential for self-destruction, both for an individual project and for the industry as a whole?
How long will it take to form a negative attitude towards multiplayer games in society and the recognition of the entire industry as a “creator and exploiter of dependencies”?
After all, the further this approach continues, the more the negative perception will grow, and even the direct resistance of the entire population.
And here there is a space for a variety of legislative initiatives governing this market, along with alcohol and tobacco! After all, the material and political interest in such actions is steadily increasing every year.
The question is not whether I am right and strongly “exaggerating”, but the fact that the appropriate measures should be taken now, creating new working methods and approaching game design in a completely different way.
And for this you need the next generation of game designers, ready for a complete revision of all ideas about the process of the game and the interaction between people and the game.
Will it appear at all and will there be enough representatives for all market participants? I strongly doubt ...
The text was very long, otherwise no.
I hope that this excursion “on the other side of the barricades” you liked, was useful and fascinating for you.
Until new meetings.
What can I say about this?
Part one.
Dear Skaarj gave the following thought - “In general, the player’s purchase of things during the game has almost no effect. Shifting game focus. "
')
It also affects how ...
What are classic fremium games without donat (real money amounts)?
Exciting game crafts, with a crazy game design. wild game mechanics and weird balance.
Fremium games, in the overwhelming majority of cases, totally lose in terms of balance, mechanics and gameplay, offline games!
The essence of most modern fremium games looks exactly like this: “We create and polish the game for Donat, and in the free access we release an option in which it is almost impossible to play. Sooner or later, the restriction (s) of the game system must come out and that the player will be forced to donate, because it will be impossible and pointless to continue the (free) game. ”
In some cases, such restrictions somehow tied at a time.
For example, getting new "buns" from the game (the following types of weapons, protection, magic, types of equipment, etc.) can, without donation, be delayed for a completely indefinite period ... In a literal sense, for ten hours of playing time ... How do you imagine Can you imagine for a working / student person who has a minimum of free time? Indeed, in this case, the process can take weeks and months!
In addition, the effect of reducing the attractiveness of the gameplay will be observed, because the player will not receive "new buns", which guarantee a fundamentally new experience, experience, experiences from the game. The likelihood that a modern, extremely spoiled player will simply give up the game , feeling "deceived" is very high! Who wants to "pay for the pixels"?
After all, they pay completely for something else ... Roughly speaking, there is a stage of “entering the game” ... So it is this one that should last as long as possible, preferably infinitely, in order for the donate process to be the most reasonable and reasonable for the player. You can not put the player before the fact, try to "extort" money from him. Because the player can really leave, and under the most negative impression. And this already forms a negative attitude towards online multiplayer games in society itself.
Far from the fact that what was offered to the player in a free trial period is enough for him to pay. And if so, then it is impossible to raise the question of payment during this period ...
The key to successful functioning of a fremium game is finding the right, “addictive” balance between playing time and “buns” from the game. And this should be done in the free version. This mechanism should work without Donata!
The key to understanding this principle is the idea of ​​"holding the attention" of the player. Played fifteen minutes - get a bun, play another fifteen - get the next, play an hour - get a big bun, come in next time - get a great gift.
In-game items are NOT ANYTHING, the only real value in this whole system is player attention. The struggle is precisely for this, getting Donat from the player is a matter of a purely secondary and solvable!
Ideally, the accumulation of game resources in general should not depend on the presence of the player in the game, if there is no player, the accumulation should still continue, and for an arbitrarily long time ... Through this, the player’s encouragement and retention mechanism is laid, even after periods of his long absence. This is very important for building the right relationship with the player! And the success of his transfer from free to paid ...
There is another way to tie the limitations of the mechanics of the game to time, which is more used in a variety of strategies.
This case is much tougher and it is set as follows - by entering the limits for filling storages on some game resources (gold, crystals, wood, gas, etc.). For example, the storage of gold and team points (necessary for game actions) is filled in 4-8-10 hours, after that the process stops, in the most horrendous variants there is an out of sync between different types of resources, for example, the gold deposit is filled in 5 hours, and the command points in 7 hours ... And a free player, the game should come out during these periods and manage to collect "everything", because otherwise the deviation from the optimal schedule of development of its "combat potential" in the game will become frightening and this lag will increase like an avalanche s And since merciless PvP (Player vs Player) is confessed in games of this type - “punishment” will follow immediately ...
As a rule, this option is combined with a couple of moments. Infinite tightening of the “party” into the game ... The match can actually last for several months, or even a year ... It is assumed that it will be very difficult for a player to psychologically abandon the game (and donat) for which he spent so much time and effort, as well as those social connections in the game, which he managed to “acquire” during all this time (this is the very component of “self-realization” in the MMO that is so widely discussed).
As well as the most serious mistakes of developers in terms of game design, making the world \ map geographically limited (trying to increase the aggressiveness of PvP), creating a certain number of bonus points, for control of which additional advantages are given (again, this is aimed at increasing the activity and rigidity of PvP) , and in the worst case, they turn the game into an “ultimate”, which has the tendency to end, as a game of tic-tac-toe, sea battle or chess ...
As a result, a real nightmare begins inside the game world. Nightmare for both players and developers with project investors.
Very quickly, a group of one or two percent of active players-geeks, who are gaining a very high total "combat potential", seizing all the important territory and key bonus points ... After that - the game for all other players no longer makes any sense then the positive impressions of the game (and even more donat) no longer have to count. But what about the situation if the gaming world itself was designed for ____ thousand people? Not bad such "efficiency."
What is the probability of leaving the player in such a scenario? What is the likelihood that he will start creating a negative viral advertising game? How do we deal with this?
Player accessibility is the key to the success of a fremium game!
Part two. Search for pearls.
The entire discussion of Bennett Fodi’s reflections was reduced to the merciless condemnation of his criticism of the current model of fremium games.
The speakers, without even realizing it, constantly tried to refute him, somehow argue with him, to say that “This is all wrong!”.
Rather than extract useful and constructive thoughts from this criticism.
We will try to do it yourself:
1. These games are about “pay,” not “play.”
As soon as there is a massive change in this paradigm to another, such as - “These games are not about“ pay ”, but about“ earning ”a revolution in the gaming industry will happen ... Internet poker, online casino, all this is too small for a specific audience. It is necessary to give the player the opportunity to earn, and real money.
I’m not talking about pharming and other fans who convert excess free time into selling game items for real money, but about a much broader model.
Developers are too carried away by the need to charge money from the player and create his dependence on the game, and think too little about giving something more to the player.
One of the promising areas in the gaming industry is the creation of projects that blur the line between the game and the real world, bringing the game to real life, organizing interaction, symbiosis between them. And not at all in the form of "cosplay" ...
2. All are in unequal conditions. (Donat is cheating!)
As soon as an effective way is found to charge the players, without giving any of them exceptional advantages, a completely different understanding of this whole business will come.
As mentioned above, Donat is not even “cheating”, it’s just “bringing the game to a normal battle”, putting the game into a workable, playable state.
This approach has numerous costs, missing a significant portion of the potential audience of the game.
This is something that could be offered in the "zero", today you need to look for something completely different.
3. It spoils the impression. (The developer is a drug dealer!)
Exactly.
Raising money for the right to play the only playable version of the game, this is exactly the “pay for pixels”.
Needless to say, it is simply impossible for an adult, adequate person to “sell” such an option?
The essence of the gaming industry is to sell very different things, including the very special relationship with the player, and between the players ... This is a very important point, it has great potential for development.
In addition, the current model of “monthly premium-subscription” should be criticized and revised. Is this the only possible option? Is it effective?
Is "exploitation of gaming addiction player" is the most optimal way?
4. This is an irreconcilable conflict. (Between the attractiveness of the free game and the need of charging Donat).
In fact, this conflict is much harder and affects the problem of game design, mechanics and game balance of the game.
The best thing that the game industry has come up with right now is to try to get the player on the (inferior) game, and then suddenly “surprise” him that the game is basically non-playable without a donate, and the only way to get a “new dose of the game” is to pay Donat
The very mechanism of drug trafficking.
Needless to say that this approach is sharply negative in terms of the perception of computer games in society?
Why it happens? Again, because of the misunderstanding of the answer to the question - “And what do we sell then?”.
5. You miss opportunities for creativity.
Here is the case when the quotation will have to be given entirely:
“If you sell hats, it’s true that you don’t ruin the game for everyone, but even in this case, you still miss the opportunity to invent a way to charge people money ... so that it increases the value and value of the game for everyone.”
Absolutely true, you can even say __ brilliant, words ...
Bennett Fodd clearly marks the impending revolution in the MMO games industry ...
It is necessary to look for new methods, approaches and paradigms ...
The boundaries of the game should be constantly expanded, the very charging of money should be part of the game.
This will avoid many associated problems and conflicts, ultimately making the projects themselves much more massive, useful ... and profitable.
6. Modern MMOs are the opposite! (bonus)
Again, I would like to touch on this delicate and provocative moment.
Modern ideas about business have a great impact on the entire MMO industry, expanding the concept of many projects 180 degrees.
The current MMO project is really a “game”, but the game is precisely to “pump out” money from the player, using his psychological weaknesses, problems and dependencies.
Needless to say, in such a “consumer” attitude towards the player, there is initially a huge potential for self-destruction, both for an individual project and for the industry as a whole?
How long will it take to form a negative attitude towards multiplayer games in society and the recognition of the entire industry as a “creator and exploiter of dependencies”?
After all, the further this approach continues, the more the negative perception will grow, and even the direct resistance of the entire population.
And here there is a space for a variety of legislative initiatives governing this market, along with alcohol and tobacco! After all, the material and political interest in such actions is steadily increasing every year.
The question is not whether I am right and strongly “exaggerating”, but the fact that the appropriate measures should be taken now, creating new working methods and approaching game design in a completely different way.
And for this you need the next generation of game designers, ready for a complete revision of all ideas about the process of the game and the interaction between people and the game.
Will it appear at all and will there be enough representatives for all market participants? I strongly doubt ...
Total
The text was very long, otherwise no.
I hope that this excursion “on the other side of the barricades” you liked, was useful and fascinating for you.
Until new meetings.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/175583/
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