[Once A Villain]

Would you guys be for or against an episodic price structure that changed based on how much gameplay was in a particular episode? For example, our game Once Upon a Time in Japan has two flashback chapters that could each be sold as individual episodes, but they would only be about 2 - 2 1/2 hours of gameplay a piece as opposed to perhaps 5 hours or so for the main storyline portion of the game.

You see, in our game, we introduce the two main characters with playable flashbacks. Then in the final portion of the game you play both characters at different times to bring the main storyline to its climax. We were thinking of an episodic price structure like this:

Episode 1 (2 - 2 1/2 hours of gameplay) - $5.99

Episode 2 (2 - 2 1/2 hours of gameplay) - $5.99

Episode 3 (5 hours of gameplay) - $11.99

We are aiming for at least ten hours of total gameplay and the total cost of all episodes (therefore the full game) would be about $23.97. It's not our goal to get more money out of doing it separately, it will just give us the ability to actually finish the entire thing.

Anyway, is this acceptable (assuming that the game is really good, of course)?

[Lucien21]

Seems in line with Telltale's prices.

If the quality of the game was sufficient I don't see a problem with those prices.

[TigerShard]

Looking at it as an uneducated consumer, I would wonder why I have to pay $12 for the final installment while the previous ones were only $6. Bait and switch. I think you should devide the final episode in to two pieces, even if you are playing both characters in each one, and have a total of 4 episodes, I think it might work better. You can release both episode 3 and 4 at the same time, so the customer can download both, or just one at at time if he/she feels like it.

[Toefur]

I agree with TigerShard. From a consumers point of view, I don't think it would fly well at all.

Would it be better to divide the total price up amongst the three episodes? It only comes to $7.99 an episode then, and that really isn't very much money.

[HeinzHarald]

If the game's as good as something Telltale delivers then sure the prices seem ok, but I agree that charging a different amount of money for different episodes isn't such a good idea. I'd go with TigerShard's suggestion of splitting the game in four episodes, or just two episodes. I would also recommend that you add some kind of discount for those who buy episodes in advance. Let's say if you've bought the first episode at $5.99, you could have the option of buying the remaining three right away, at say $15. This way your initial cashflow is better, and the customer saves a couple of bucks.

[Rowne]

The prices sound fine to me, in my mind, it all comes down to the math. Episode One was roughly six hours of play for $19.99 and in my opinion, that was a bit steep, a lot of print 'zines actually had the balls to agree too so it must be true. Now it sounds like your game will have a little more value for money than that as the end result is eight to ten (better to air on the side of ten, really) hours of gameplay for $24.

If you really did want to keep your current system, I don't think consumers are so dumb that they wouldn't be able to figure that out. You could offer a packaged version of all your episodes with a small discount (perhaps $20 or $22) or you could offer them singularly, pointing out the length of each episode and the relative cost. I think being up front about it would be enough for most buyers anyway. After all, the adventure gaming crowd aren't exactly a dim bunch.

It might be better to split them into four episodes but the fact of the matter is that if someone isn't smart enough to comprehend the pricing system, they're likely not smart enough to actually enjoy the game anyway, which is going to result in a lot of angry calls and support calls (or emails). That's just the harsh reality of it. If it's more about the sale though then four episodes would help.

Just my two pence, anyway.

[Legolas813]

Even if the final installment is much longer, it seems kind of shady to charge more for it, when the customer has come to expect the lower price. Possibly charge $7.99 for the last one (so the difference is not that noticeable), but $11.99 is just too much compared to the others.

[rtrooney]

The total price of the game is very acceptable. The price distribution across the three episodes is not. I tend to agree with those that say split the last episode into two parts, and price it accordingly, as opposed to those say divide the total cost by three.

After all, I may play the first episode and, for whatever reason, not like the game. Although perhaps insignificant, would I rather pay $6.00 than $8.00 for the opportunity to make that decision.

[insane_cobra]

Sounds like a great value to me.

I like the game structure, by the way. Will the choices you make during the flashback episodes affect the main storyline or is the game completely linear in that regard? It's fine both ways, but I'm curious.

[Once A Villain]

Thanks for all the comments guys. We might be able to split the game into three parts now for equal prices of $7.99 each. In the last two days we've really expanded the first flashback (on paper). We've got all the backgrounds done and a playable demo from our original design doc, but we are now adding some all new locations, a brand new character, a few more puzzles, and some additional detail to the story. If we do the same in episode 2, then we'll be close enough to the size of episode 3 I think.

Originally Posted by insane_cobra

I like the game structure, by the way. Will the choices you make during the flashback episodes affect the main storyline or is the game completely linear in that regard? It's fine both ways, but I'm curious.

Well, at this point the choices you make in the flashbacks don't change things down the road, but that's not to say there aren't at least two endings to the overall game that are dependent on the choices you make.

[Kurufinwe]

I voted yes, but you should be aware that you're getting (for each episode) pretty close to the characteristics of a movie ticket. Sure, each episode is still a bit cheaper and maybe a bit longer, but not so much that it will prevent some of your potential customers from asking why they should play your game when they could just as well go to the cinema instead.

To be honest, if I had to choose between spending the same sort of time and money on either some mindless entertainment like, say, Snakes on a plane, or an independent (sc. with not very high production values) adventure game filled with obtuse puzzles laced with a clichéd plot and uninspired story-telling, I'd probably choose the former -- at least, I know I could just turn my brain off and not get out of it feeling annoyed.

I'm not saying that your game has to be like that. Actually, I'm convinced that an indie adventure can do much better than Snakes on a plane when it comes to originality, emotional impact, intellectual stimulation, etc. (enjoyability, basically). But just make sure that you do fall into the right category, and that the comparison with some random current movie puts you in a good light.

[JohnGreenArt]

I'm tired of these muthaf***in' snakes on my muthaf***in' adventure games!

[Once A Villain]

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

To be honest, if I had to choose between spending the same sort of time and money on either some mindless entertainment like, say, Snakes on a plane, or an independent (sc. with not very high production values) adventure game...

I wouldn't worry about the production values being low. We'll show some stuff soon. A screenshot or two and a sample of the music.

Let's just say a lot has changed since my posts and pics in the Amateur Games thread.

[MDMaster]

Unfortunately I don't like at all this episodic trend of late. Mainly because I spend money on something that just gives me a nice brand Cd/Dvd burned by me with a big nice writing on it, and that's all. I usually pay a game also because there's the medium to install it from whenever I want (well, except those Starforce ones, hehe), a manual of some sort and maybe some other goodies. I mean, I feel like I own something.
So, while I feel the price you're listing here is sure reasonable, I doubt I will ever give money to someone releasing episodic games. I agree it's the perfect way for small software houses to avoid big distribution hassles, but still doesn't click with me.

[stuboy]

Ask yourself; if I was selling this in a shop, could I get away with charging $24 for the full game? It just depends on how good your game is.

From my perspective, I rarely by episodic games for a simple reason; the developers control whether they get marked down. Recently, I've picked up deals like Sands of Time, Armed and Dangerous, i-ninja, Republic: The Revolution, In Memoriam, Galleon, The Secrets of Da Vinci etc. for one, two or three pounds. So that's how, as a smart consumer, I operate; I aim to hit the sweet-spot between a game becoming being dirt cheap and it becoming rare and collectable. I think a lot of the people on this site work like this - unlike casual gamers, who will find an attractive box, a movie tie-in, or buy a game a friend says is good, they buy smart. The only things they'll buy full price are things they really care about.

The problem is, a hyper-niche product like yours isn't going to get a casual audience, and therefore requires a) a really low price point or b) the target audience to really, really care about your game. Which means, essentially, you better have a great script and puzzles or else no-one will want to buy it.

Good luck.

[MDMaster]

Originally Posted by stuboy

Ask yourself; if I was selling this in a shop, could I get away with charging $24 for the full game?

Well, 24$ for a retail release with some kind of manual and disc, sounds fantastic. Too bad it spoils the whole point of the episodic release

[Once A Villain]

Originally Posted by stuboy

The problem is, a hyper-niche product like yours isn't going to get a casual audience...

We definitely aren't aiming for a group as large as the casual audience, but at the same time, I'm curious to know why you see our game as being "hyper-niche"? Just wondering... Is it the setting by chance? I hope not. Otherwise, it's kinda like, "Heaven forbid we try to do something that hasn't been done before in the genre. I guess we should go back to the drawing board and try to be the team that does the 29th game featuring Atlantis or the Templars."

[MDMaster]

Originally Posted by Once A Villain

Heaven forbid we try to do something that hasn't been done before in the genre. I guess we should go back to the drawing board and try to be the team that does the 29th game featuring Atlantis or the Templars."

Now this remark made me want to buy the game, hehe

[stuboy]

Originally Posted by Once A Villain

We definitely aren't aiming for a group as large as the casual audience, but at the same time, I'm curious to know why you see our game as being "hyper-niche"? Just wondering... Is it the setting by chance? I hope not. Otherwise, it's kinda like, "Heaven forbid we try to do something that hasn't been done before in the genre. I guess we should go back to the drawing board and try to be the team that does the 29th game featuring Atlantis or the Templars."

Not at all. We're all hyper-hyper-niche here to be honest.

Niche 1: Gaming
^
Niche 2: PC Gaming
^
Niche 3: Adventure Gaming
^
Niche 4: Indie Adventure Gaming

You see?

Your setting, btw, sounds very interesting. Don't change it for the world.

[Once A Villain]

Originally Posted by stuboy

Not at all. We're all hyper-hyper-niche here to be honest.

Niche 1: Gaming
^
Niche 2: PC Gaming
^
Niche 3: Adventure Gaming
^
Niche 4: Indie Adventure Gaming

You see?

Your setting, btw, sounds very interesting. Don't change it for the world.

Thanks. And I hoped that's what you meant by hyper-niche, I just wasn't sure. I hope our voice acting doesn't alienate our audience though. We are going with Japanese voice actors, but the text will be in english (and any other language that it can be translated to). It might be a risky move, but we feel very strongly about conveying the mood of the setting in all aspects.