RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds

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RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 8:53:24 AM

Icemania

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
With that said, I'm not our marketing department but I do see from this side what's going on and they are not sitting on their hands, they are getting ready for the various announcements and other PR related to this release.

You are doing a marvellous job in Product Development Erik.

Now, who can I annoy in the Marketing Department, and are they reading this forum?

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 121

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 10:17:41 AM

Icemania

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

quote:

ORIGINAL: DevildogFF
Your marketing strategy is CRAP, Matrix. Why haven't we heard a FREAKING THING about Universe?

If it weren't for Distant Worlds being really good, I would write you off. Why must we pry and pry!?

Because we're not ready yet - I understand the anticipation is hard from where you are sitting, but you wouldn't be happy if we released more information before we were ready. We will give enough notice and preview information before the release to make sure everyone is informed about it.

Erik, out of interest, has your Marketing Department had a look around the forums of some of your competitors? I assume they have for Competitive Intelligence. So why is it that Stardrive 2 and Galactic Civilisations 3 can trickle out information, while Distant Worlds Universe has almost nothing? Just be careful about what is released ...

< Message edited by Icemania -- 3/5/2014 11:22:15 AM >

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 122

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 1:50:36 PM

Erik Rutins

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Hi guys,

It's all a group effort and we work together from the Development and Marketing side. Ultimately our marketing folks take the lead in determining the promotion timing, but where we are in terms of development and art has a huge effect on that. I'm sure marketing would have preferred us to get more of the development and art done earlier so that promotion could start earlier, but that's not always possible. We're discussing the release and promotion timing each week though - I'll see if we can start sending out some more information.

As Phil said above, statements about incompetence, malice or subterfuge are really not on target or appropriate. We're all doing the best we can to get this release finished, polished and tested, setup a great promotion effort and get it in all of your hands. As always, we want Distant Worlds to succeed as much as possible in every way. We all share the same interest and goals here, it's just that things look very different depending on which side of the fence you are looking from.

Regards,

- Erik

_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 123

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 1:52:15 PM

Erik Rutins

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Incidentally, I've watched a few of Angry Joe's reviews as well - I hope that he and many other reviewers will take a look at Distant Worlds: Universe. However, it's always worth pointing out that the budget for Distant Worlds is nowhere near his favorites with the Total War series. As long as the more mainstream reviewers keep that perspective, accept the 2D graphics and focus on the gameplay, I think they'll love it. We'd be happy to give him a preview or review copy.

Regards,

- Erik

< Message edited by Erik Rutins -- 3/5/2014 2:53:37 PM >

_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 124

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 2:01:12 PM

Icemania

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In that case you might be find his FTL review interesting. And his latest Total War Rome II review.

C'mon Angry Joe ... if you are the 4X fan you claim to be ... now is the time. But Erik it's really up to your marketing department to get on the front foot. Just tell Marketing to send some Silvermist ...

< Message edited by Icemania -- 3/5/2014 3:02:52 PM >

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 125

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 3:48:51 PM

ASHBERY76

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I don't care about mainstream marketing.What would be nice is for fans to actually hear about the game during development and that is what companies like Paradox,stardock and even CA does very well.

_____________________________

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Post #: 126

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/5/2014 4:10:14 PM

Dagfinn

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,

We're no longer aiming for the end of March, but we are close. Delays can arise for many reasons - development, art, marketing time, etc. I can't say more right now, but as soon as possible we'll share more information with you all.

Regards,

- Erik

Ahw, too bad

After a long time lurking, I had finaly decided to give DW a chance. Obviousley I will have to wait even a bit longer.

No chance of a preorder of DW: Universe that would let us to download the former titels in the series?

< Message edited by Dagfinn -- 3/5/2014 5:11:13 PM >

_____________________________

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(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 127

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:52:01 AM

tjhkkr

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,
It's all a group effort and we work together from the Development and Marketing side. Ultimately our marketing folks take the lead in determining the promotion timing, but where we are in terms of development and art has a huge effect on that. I'm sure marketing would have preferred us to get more of the development and art done earlier so that promotion could start earlier, but that's not always possible. We're discussing the release and promotion timing each week though - I'll see if we can start sending out some more information.
As Phil said above, statements about incompetence, malice or subterfuge are really not on target or appropriate. We're all doing the best we can to get this release finished, polished and tested, setup a great promotion effort and get it in all of your hands. As always, we want Distant Worlds to succeed as much as possible in every way. We all share the same interest and goals here, it's just that things look very different depending on which side of the fence you are looking from.

Regards,
- Erik

Having worked in software development earlier in my life and watching the roll out of major products that put Distant worlds to shame as far as size of project is concerned (this is not meant in insult), and watched them be disasters because they slammed and jammed (and other terms I can no longer use) I am thankful for the work you all do in all aspects.
I appreciate the different stressors on any project large or small.
Looks like all you guys are doing a good job from this old veteran programmer/troubleshooter's point of view.

< Message edited by tjhkkr -- 3/6/2014 3:56:31 AM >

_____________________________

Remember that the evil which is now in the world will become yet more powerful, and that it is not evil which conquers evil, but only love -- Olga Romanov.

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 128

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 4:50:40 AM

Shark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tjhkkr

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,
It's all a group effort and we work together from the Development and Marketing side. Ultimately our marketing folks take the lead in determining the promotion timing, but where we are in terms of development and art has a huge effect on that. I'm sure marketing would have preferred us to get more of the development and art done earlier so that promotion could start earlier, but that's not always possible. We're discussing the release and promotion timing each week though - I'll see if we can start sending out some more information.
As Phil said above, statements about incompetence, malice or subterfuge are really not on target or appropriate. We're all doing the best we can to get this release finished, polished and tested, setup a great promotion effort and get it in all of your hands. As always, we want Distant Worlds to succeed as much as possible in every way. We all share the same interest and goals here, it's just that things look very different depending on which side of the fence you are looking from.

Regards,
- Erik

Having worked in software development earlier in my life and watching the roll out of major products that put Distant worlds to shame as far as size of project is concerned (this is not meant in insult), and watched them be disasters because they slammed and jammed (and other terms I can no longer use) I am thankful for the work you all do in all aspects.
I appreciate the different stressors on any project large or small.
Looks like all you guys are doing a good job from this old veteran programmer/troubleshooter's point of view.

Truth be known...the number of problems a project has is directly proportional to the size of the project and the number of staff that are working on said project. An issue of too many cooks in the kitchen, to borrow an old saying.

_____________________________

Distant Worlds Fan

'When in doubt...attack!'

(in reply to tjhkkr)

Post #: 129

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 12:29:59 PM

Icemania

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76
I don't care about mainstream marketing.What would be nice is for fans to actually hear about the game during development and that is what companies like Paradox,stardock and even CA does very well.

I fully agree we could hear more during development, as I posted earlier, with examples.

The mainstream marketing isn't for us, at least not directly. Like me, you are already checking out new products of interest. But if bringing this game to a broader audience helps increase the size of the community, leading to a mega-mod or two, and helps fund a bigger and better Distant Worlds 2 ... then yes I'm very interested in mainstream marketing.

Not so long ago I didn't participate in any gaming forums. I was not aware of SpaceSector. I most certainly did not go searching for 4X games. But if I had seen this game on the mainstream media, which is all I was tracking at the time, I would have been a guaranteed sale.

< Message edited by Icemania -- 3/6/2014 1:31:44 PM >

(in reply to ASHBERY76)

Post #: 130

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 1:06:33 PM

Icemania

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As I've posted before I completely agree with the comments made to be patient before release. Both in the Forums here and on SpaceSector Erik made it clear it was just a schedule, not a promise.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
Currently scheduled for late Q1 2014.

That said, like others it's been interesting observing, across many games, when community feedback is positive, and negative. In my own line of work, expectation management is crucial ... even the worst community feedback on gaming sites looks downright mild compared to what I've seen in recent years. I can imagine the frustration when there is negative feedback after experiencing it personally as well.

A constructive suggestion is to always test before communications that it's likely to be "underpromise and overdeliver". It sounds simple but it's not, I always have to remind myself of this when excited about something we are delivering, and always regret it when I forget it. So in this case, if the internal estimate was late Q1, I would have been communicating externally it was more like Q2. This suggestion equally applies as much to game features and information that maybe trickled to the community.

< Message edited by Icemania -- 3/6/2014 2:11:18 PM >

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 131

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 1:23:51 PM

feygan

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I feel the need to add one last part to my general attempts at open discussion on the whole issue of how this expansion has been lacking information.

A number of posters have said how video game design isn't like other software design, or how it isn't like any other industry or manufacturing process etc etc. Since when did video game design gain the right to sit atop a pinnacle of righteousness that sets it apart from any other industry or job in the world?

If a person is as skilled as they can possibly be within their respective field of work and they also spend time keeping their skills up to date. Then all jobs are equally hard & simple. Quantum physics may well be an extremely complex and difficult undertaking unless you happen to be a full trained quantum physicist, in which case it is now no more difficult than flipping burgers in a large fast food franchise if that was your career. I have never worked in any sort of software development but that does not mean I don't realise it is not mystical magiks going on behind the doors.

A well known phrase in my country is that a bad workman will always blame his tools, that seems to be what is happening here with comments regarding how hard video game design is. If a person finds their job particularly difficult it is for one of two reasons only. Either they do not possess the needed skillset for that job to begin with, or they have allowed their skills to become obsolete within the field.

One quick note is that some folks have taken some of my potentially harsh comments about the expansion and such as a demand for wanting it right now without delays. I have stated a number of times I do not care when it is done and the delays are not a factor. My issue is that firstly almost nothing was given out as information about the expansion other than a half baked 30 second interview on a single site. I understand Matrix may not sell itself on the major gaming sites and that is perfectly fine, but they do have some pretty extensive forums and other social media systems in place that I am willing to wager hold the vast majority of their games customer base.
My only (yes I only have a grand total of two) complaint is how a delay comes about so close to release that no one saw it coming, then to not inform a potential customer base on the exact reasons for the delay. From a business perspective I have had delays where I knew I would fail to meet a deadline or appointment, everything from equipment failure to personal problems. Only once did this cause me a problem because I failed to keep a customer informed, that was a hard lesson but one I learned. No customer in the world really cares about waiting a little longer provided they are not hanging in limbo for the reason why.

So far we have had one single post (not a thread or announcement) regarding the delay, and that seems to have only happened because folks were starting to become agitated an demanding answers and making accusations about the quality of Matrix games marketing. If that delay was genuine and if it was only just discovered the week of the post then unfortunately it will have a hard time being seen as such. Instead it appears as though this happened in the publishers office. "Dammit those customers types are asking questions around here how long before we have a product?" "Hmm could be awhile we hit a snag some time back" "What snag?" "Oh just some stuff it should be fine in a couple or few months maybe" "Ok give them the usual fluff about some software delay and then leave them hanging for more, it should buy us at least a couple of weeks before the sharks come back". I would hate for that scenario to be true and I honestly do not believe it really happens with the exception of a few very rare instances in the gaming world. But by keeping quiet all Matrix Games is doing is throwing fuel to the rumour mongers.

I was looking forward to the expansion and now I really don't care about it that much, I may get it I may not do. But I will definitely not be buying before around June/July time when it has been tested to death in the wider community and the full extend of modding realised by forum members. This I think is a shame considering I have been a supporter of this game since the first day buggy release, since then it has grown and matured at the hands of a very skilled developer in my opinion. Now it has been broadsided by the all too common publishers woes that seem to be systemic in the gaming world of late.

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 132

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 1:38:41 PM

Icemania

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feygan you do have a point. There are 180 software development projects running where I work at the moment of various complexities and time scales. If the Project Manager advised in March that he wasn't going to be delivering in March ... more than a few words would be said ... as it's highly likely there were warning signs earlier. That said, it is also worth having reasonable expectations for a small publisher. I certainly don't expect them to have Project Management Systems like we have (that don't come cheap I might add) and it's a creative process which increases uncertainty.

So all I can say is that I really hope to be talking Universe with you sometime.

< Message edited by Icemania -- 3/6/2014 2:40:34 PM >

(in reply to feygan)

Post #: 133

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 1:40:36 PM

Cauldyth

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quote:

ORIGINAL: feygan
Quantum physics may well be an extremely complex and difficult undertaking unless you happen to be a full trained quantum physicist, in which case it is now no more difficult than flipping burgers in a large fast food franchise if that was your career.

Interesting that you should use that as an example. I'm a theoretical chemist who now works in making scientific software - software which attempts to be scientifically predictive. I can assure you that science does not operate like that in any way whatsoever. It doesn't become assembly line production once you're skilled at it. It will always be highly speculative, frequently leading to dead ends, etc.

The most brilliant scientists in any field can spend years struggling with something. To say that they should've been able to schedule solving Problem X by Date Y is simply absurd.

(in reply to feygan)

Post #: 134

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:01:45 PM

feygan

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Cauldyth

quote:

ORIGINAL: feygan
Quantum physics may well be an extremely complex and difficult undertaking unless you happen to be a full trained quantum physicist, in which case it is now no more difficult than flipping burgers in a large fast food franchise if that was your career.

Interesting that you should use that as an example. I'm a theoretical chemist who now works in making scientific software - software which attempts to be scientifically predictive. I can assure you that science does not operate like that in any way whatsoever. It doesn't become assembly line production once you're skilled at it. It will always be highly speculative, frequently leading to dead ends, etc.

The most brilliant scientists in any field can spend years struggling with something. To say that they should've been able to schedule solving Problem X by Date Y is simply absurd.

However when was the last time a skilled scientist blamed their delays on "but my job is very hard"? My point stands simply as no job in the world is harder or easier than any other except when seen from an opposing job, in this case the only thing making a job harder is a lack of skills relevant to the field.

I fully agree that any scientist who is dealing in theoretical research can never give even an approximation of completion time, but then do most theoretical scientists also not do a lot of secretive work? By this I mean they are keeping their findings hidden to themselves to prevent someone from beating them to the post. I really can't see any instance in which such secrecy is needed for a simple game expansion, there are no grand new ideas to steal and you already have an established customer base that isn't going to get stolen. Also not having a clue about completion times only flies when you are in the theory stage, once any process moves into practical stages a worker can begin to give estimates that will become more finite as the project progresses. DW:U was due for release in March so it's safe to guess the theory part is long behind. But yet again I will explain that is not my issue as my entire problem comes from a total lack of information offered by a publisher that would appear to claim to want money from me and you. Information that someone somewhere must know at this point and has decided for some reason not to release.

(in reply to Cauldyth)

Post #: 135

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:10:41 PM

Cauldyth

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Oh, I'm not defending Matrix's secrecy. I think they should be much more forthcoming with details and information. I'm just saying that their slipped released date isn't some sign of incompetence. Some fields of work have fundamental research associated with them, and I'd put game development into that category (fun factor, balance, AI).

But yes, I wish Matrix would be much more forthcoming with information - not just on features, but also on where they stand with the schedule. Erik has said they won't make March, but that they're "close" - does close mean early April? by the end of April? by summer? A little info would go a long way!

(in reply to feygan)

Post #: 136

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:15:17 PM

feygan

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True enough and I do not think the slipped date blame lies with the developer, he has proven his ability numerous times as anyone who played the first release can attest. This is why it appears to be either incompetence or deliberate with holding of information on the publishers part.

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Post #: 137

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:21:19 PM

Icemania

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Let's please drop the incompetence idea feygan. I really don't agree with it or consider it constructive.

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Post #: 138

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 2:51:59 PM

feygan

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I'm not saying that is 100% the cause of this and I have never sated as such. But there are only a number of factors that can cause such a lack of information and one of them is incompetence. To eliminate it just because it causes unpleasent feelings will leave you with the only possibilty of a deliberate choice to with hold information with opens up speculation of dishonesty and other such rumours. Neither I nor any of us are likely at this time to know enough to say a possible factor is true or not true so I use the term just to be objective and unbiased.

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 139

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 5:41:40 PM

Erik Rutins

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Hi Feygan,

What you're doing is just speculating, but it rises close to the level of trolling. As you said, you can't know what is true or isn't, so it's best in those cases to extend the benefit of the doubt to all parties. We're all working hard to get Distant Worlds: Universe to you all as soon as possible.

Regards,

- Erik

_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

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Post #: 140

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/6/2014 8:42:55 PM

VorteeX

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Erik and TEAM manage to finish expansions many times, they was always balanced, good designed and never realase until finished. Some others do this only to get money from poor players. So i'm 100% sure we get best what we can get in shortest time what is possible :)

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Post #: 141

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/7/2014 1:41:29 AM

Phier

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I only picked up Distant Worlds a couple of weeks ago after about a year of knowing but not buying. Best 4x game I've played, and I started with Stars! on my Amiga 2000. The thought of it being fully moddable is outstanding.

It shouldn't have taken me so long to hear about it though, I hope you can get the word out, because I'm selfish. More people playing = more people modding ;)

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 142

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/7/2014 3:49:50 AM

Cauldyth

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Welcome to the best 4X game ever made.

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Post #: 143

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/7/2014 1:36:53 PM

whiran

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The biggest thing going for Distant Worlds is its fan base.

We know that Matrix, for whatever reason, does not want to bring Distant Worlds to Steam. That needs to be accepted (regardless of what one may think of the decision) and move on from it.

With this in mind, looking at possible strategies for marketing and the one that comes to mind for me is a referral program. A good referral program works extremely well with a product that is well received and people want more of. Most strategy gamers know other strategy gamers who know more strategy gamers who know people who might want to try something new who know etc..

A good referral program encourages people to spread the word via word of mouth and increases sales dramatically if, and only if, the program rewards the legwork with something that is desired. In this case Distant Worlds - Universe. A simple program of $10 USD off per referral (who buys) that is open to everyone (regardless if they currently own the game or not) might work. I haven't spent any time looking at the situation and this is just off the cuff.

Opening the game up to pre-orders would be beneficial as well although it would cannibalize current sales at the $100 USD mark (assuming, of course, that Universe won't be sold at the $100 USD mark.)

The idea would be to build up the community in preparation to sell them other products (although I don't know how much cross over there is between distant worlds and the rest of the games sold by Matrix) and for Distant Worlds 2.

Depending on how much energy that the guys at Matrix wanted to put into it (I'd guess minimal at best to keep in line with their current methods) they could maintain a "leaderboard" of the top referrals and update it as it goes up. This would ignite the competitive spirit of a portion of the people involved.

So, what happens if someone refers enough people (who buy) to get the game for free? Should it stop there? I don't think so - allow them to build up to another free copy of the game or more. Then they could give it away.

Combine this with a focus on youtubers, twitch channels, and other localized and informal mediums with regular updates (at the pace of the current responses in this forum from Matrix types) in the forums and I'd guess that there would be an uptick in sales. Probably a lot of upswing. But, again, it depends on how much effort Matrix wishes to devote to this one product.

This is just one title out of an awful lot in Matrix's stable.

Matrix is blessed with this title in that it sells itself.

If I were to guess on what they will actually do it'll go like this: release a pre-copy to Space Sector, maybe send something to Rock, Papers, Shotgun, and be done with it. Oh, they might "release" some sort of information here in the forums (a sticky saying Universe is now available) and they might "promote" the game on the main Matrix page. I write might because sometimes they skip that for their own products. They might advertise the game in Germany (I think they've done some advertising in some physical medium there - a gaming magazine or something?) as well depending how "ambitious" they want to be.

(in reply to Cauldyth)

Post #: 144

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/9/2014 12:45:08 AM

Spidey

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Just to elaborate a bit for those who haven't ever done any programming...

It's not at all like building a brick wall or installing a new kitchen, unless we're talking about replication projects that involve strictly known features in a well-known environment performed by people who have done this kind of thing several times before. Even then there's some risk of unforeseen issues or feature creep. That last thing describes a situation where, during the project, the requirements of the project end up getting expanded. Think of it as starting out with the installation of a low end classic kitchen and suddenly having to make it have all the features a modern high tech kitchen AND a living room. And even that is a minor understatement because a kitchen is tangible. What you see is what you have to work with.

Programming is essentially the engineering of some functionality based on logic and cascading assumptions and described linguistically in code. And when I say "code", what I mean is an abstract language with a tremendously unforgiving grammar nazi kicking your ass if you make even the tiniest mistake anywhere. Does anyone here write English 100% correctly? Now imagine having to write thousands of lines in English without screwing up the grammar or making a logical mistake anywhere. No mind slips, no key slips, no swapping two numbers, no wrong references, and no ambiguous wording.

That's the challenge of programming. Now add to the mix that game development usually involves some form of innovation, a huge variety of different target systems, a whole bunch of different technologies (sound, graphics, physics, AI), something that ties everything together coherently, and on top of that mod-friendly games have to compile user-made stuff into the game without going too much FUBAR if any given resource looks "odd". Knowing everything about one programming language is fairly mean challenge. Knowing everything about that language and all the other technologies in use? Good luck with that.

TL;DR: Don't bash programmers too much for not being very good at predicting their completion dates. It's not an easy task at all. It's like predicting how much time it's going to take to do a weekend project before finding out that your in-laws will be staying for a little while. Some factors just aren't very predictable. Instead of accusing programmers of being incompetent, one should thank them for taking the time to get things done right. Not all of them do and it is *such* a pain in the backside when they don't.

(in reply to whiran)

Post #: 145

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/9/2014 1:05:13 AM

Spidey

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quote:

We know that Matrix, for whatever reason, does not want to bring Distant Worlds to Steam. That needs to be accepted (regardless of what one may think of the decision) and move on from it.

The reasons are fairly obvious, I think. The pricing on Steam is tremendously lower and there's always a bunch of games on sale, which means DW would look prohibitively expensive by comparison and possibly generate negative PR. Nobody would buy an "old" 2D game for $40 or more and DW is really at its finest when it does have all the expansions included. In other words, the price would have to be dropped a whole lot and after Valve's cut the income per unit sold would be tiny.

quote:

With this in mind, looking at possible strategies for marketing and the one that comes to mind for me is a referral program. A good referral program works extremely well with a product that is well received and people want more of. Most strategy gamers know other strategy gamers who know more strategy gamers who know people who might want to try something new who know etc..

A good referral program encourages people to spread the word via word of mouth and increases sales dramatically if, and only if, the program rewards the legwork with something that is desired. In this case Distant Worlds - Universe. A simple program of $10 USD off per referral (who buys) that is open to everyone (regardless if they currently own the game or not) might work.

Two words. PONZI SCHEME!!!

I'm personally not a fan of referral programs and similar schemes where users get a financial incentive to convince other people to buy something. It results in exaggerated recommendations and unhappy buyers, who will then try to get some of their money back by talking other people to buy the game. Good for Matrix and Code Force, but also something that ought to earn them a whole stack of dark side points.

quote:

Depending on how much energy that the guys at Matrix wanted to put into it (I'd guess minimal at best to keep in line with their current methods) they could maintain a "leaderboard" of the top referrals and update it as it goes up. This would ignite the competitive spirit of a portion of the people involved.

I'm sorry, man, but this is even worse. Now we're making a sport out of paying customers competing to make other people buy a game regardless of whether the game actually appeals to those other people. I, for one, would really, really, *really* like to see this not happening. Just my personal opinion, mind you.

quote:

So, what happens if someone refers enough people (who buy) to get the game for free? Should it stop there? I don't think so - allow them to build up to another free copy of the game or more. Then they could give it away.

Why, hello there total Ponzi Scheme. Can you imagine just how terrible this could get in terms of PR? Paying gamers to use whatever means to get other gamers to buy the game? You know, if Matrix goes this path then I'm not sure I'll buy Universe. I'm just not very good at going dark side.

(in reply to whiran)

Post #: 146

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/10/2014 10:31:00 PM

Gregorovitch55

Posts: 191
Joined: 2/11/2014
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Incidentally, I've watched a few of Angry Joe's reviews as well - I hope that he and many other reviewers will take a look at Distant Worlds: Universe. However, it's always worth pointing out that the budget for Distant Worlds is nowhere near his favorites with the Total War series. As long as the more mainstream reviewers keep that perspective, accept the 2D graphics and focus on the gameplay, I think they'll love it. We'd be happy to give him a preview or review copy.

Regards,

- Erik

I would send Quill18 and Arumba a preview asap, Erik, or at least when Banished-mania has died down a bit, lol. They don't give a toss about graphics, just gameplay and value for money. Maybe Shenryyr2. They will also agree to whatever release conditions you need etc.

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 147

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/11/2014 2:30:13 PM

Icemania

Posts: 1847
Joined: 6/5/2013
From: Australia
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I wasn't aware of them Gregorovitch55, cheers, will have a look at their past reviews.

(in reply to Gregorovitch55)

Post #: 148

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/11/2014 2:41:33 PM

Icemania

Posts: 1847
Joined: 6/5/2013
From: Australia
Status: offline

Quill18 already did Distant Worlds Legends. TotalBiscuit and/or Angry Joe would provide roughly an order of magnitude more views ...

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 149

RE: Space Sector Preview For Distant Worlds - Universe - 3/11/2014 7:31:54 PM

Gregorovitch55

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Joined: 2/11/2014
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Indeed, almost exactly an order of magnitude - TB's got 1.5m subs vs Quill's 140k. I'm not sure he would do DW justice though since I think he'll put in about 6-10 hours max on a game and it doesn't seem to me like that's enough to even scratch the surface of DW. What could he say? "Man, this is so xxxxx massive I'm TotallyLostHere?" Also by no means all his followers are into high end strategy gaming, lol. I'm inclined to think a good specialist LP with reasonable exposure is what's needed to draw people into this game rather than a review. Das does a good job, but he's only got 10k subs, Quill has 140k and he must be getting bored of EUIV and Civ5 by now, and he did promise to take another peek at DW when the consolidated package came out in the previous review.

Arumba's got 50k subs and his tag line is "I enjoy strategy games, 4x, RPGs, etc; games that make you think."

Zemalf has 30k subs and he might well be interested too ["I create slow-paced let's play videos for fun, sharing them with those who enjoy slower and more "serious" gameplay"]. He's a sort of Finnish Larry Monte in his style and he's done, for example, a 24 part tutorial series on Dwarf Fortress (avg 30 mins per episode). He would do a fantastic job on DW if the fancy took him.

So those guys alone would reach about 20 times as many people as Das: it'd be a start anyway.

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 150