Hi all,

I have completed a major new version of my puzzle game Jam. I have had a major headache on deciding what limitations to have in the demo version, so I have decided to experiment with a new system... I call it Flexiware.

It basically works like this:


a) A user visits my site, clicks a link and sends me their basic details ie name, email and country... all by email. Whilst they are downloading the full game.

b) I manually send them a personal key to open the game, usually within 24 hrs.

c) In about a months time I email them and ask if they want to buy?

d) If they havent decided, cannot afford it this month, dropped the credit card down the toilet... or whatever, then that's OK. I will then ask again at a later date.

So, basically there is no demo and they get the full game registered to them personally without any commitment to buy, a sort of free loan.

I know it's open to abuse and it's a new experiment, plus my site will need tweeking for this particular game, but your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Alfie

Hi
I remember a few earlier experiments, kind of like what you are trying. One of them was captain comic, where the entire game was given free and then you could register if you wanted. I don't think it did too well.
Also when I suspect that some web site from where I download stuff is going to pester me with junk mail etc. I give an email address that has everything going to a junk folder. This way I can check for the initial mail which holds the registration link and then ignore the rest of the mail.
You could try nag screens that get longer and longer as the player plays more and more. But that's just my thoughts.

I don't think it'll work well. As I see it, you're asking the user to wait until you grant them permission to try your game, and then pestering them with easily ignored emails to buy it.

I don't think you'll close very many sales that way. It's too passive-aggressive.

I wouldnt pester a user with several emails, a few non reposnes then I would write it off for that user.

It's a personal one to one approach and I would send the reg keys manually rather than automating it. So, unfortunately they cannot have a key immediately.

Users maybe reluctant, and it may not work but I am willing to give it a try for a couple of months and see what happens.

Alfie

PS Any more thoughts appreciated.

The more hoops you make a user jump through just to try the game, the more would-be customers you will chase away. I know I won't bother giving an email just to try a program unless its something I REALLY, REALLY want, and I doubt I would ever want any game quite that badly.

LordKronos,

I realise that it is an hoop to jump through...and this might be a critical barrier to it working. They do get the full game without any limitations or annoyances and if they look at my site it's got my name, address and picture which hopefully should reassure them.

On the upside in terms of hoops, is that they only have that one download... at a filesize of about 850K.


Alfie

If I understand your proposal correctly, I think the biggest problem will be that people will not even play the game one time because when they choose to download it, they are expecting to play it as soon as it's done downloading and has been installed.

If they have to wait even 30 minutes to get a reg-code, they will probably move onto something else, get sucked into another game, another site, etc. etc.

Or, maybe they just type in their email address incorrectly, or maybe they don't want you to have that type of information...yet (until they have had fun with the game and decided it's a worthy product).

In my experience, users can be very impatient, so I wouldn't make them wait to play your game...even if it's a wait to play the full version.

All of the above is IMO of course...good luck with whichever method you choose and let us know if this method pans out for you.
-Scorpio

Yep, there is that issue of instant gratification...which users want from a demo. Maybe letting them have the full version will overcome this, maybe not, but only trying the system will tell.

I will check users email address from the properties section of the actually email they send me, so if they happen to put in the wrong email then this check should allow for it.


Alfie

Keep in mind that if they have the full version, they have no reason at all to pay you. You've delivered the goods before closing the sale, and that's really bad business.

Yeah.. Sounds like you're asking for donations. That works well sometimes (winamp) but not most of the time.

Alfie, it sounds like you just wanted everyone to agree with you, as you're holding on to this flawed approach quite dearly. By "letting them have the full version" you most certainly guarantee that nobody will buy your game. Even if someone really likes your game they will easily conjure up rationalizations to avoid buying it. That's assuming they oblige and email you back in the first place. When given the opportunity, who in their right mind would buy a game after a few plays if they could play as much as they wanted without having to pay. Every person thinks they are honest and no one will think you deserve any money when they've played enough of the game to get bored with it. The emails would serve only as an unwelcome annoyance. I agree that this is bad business. As it is, I think the majority of restricted demos already allow too much to warrant a purchase.

Yes, I most definitely think you are going to have a hard time making any money off of this. You have the double dilemma of both 1) getting people to download and then 2) getting them to pay.

Regarding the first point, there is one more thing I want you to think about. It has been shown time and again that, when a customer is purchasing, if you make the customer create an account before making the order, your sales will decrease (by up to 1/3 according to something I read once). Just that one simple act will deter them.

Now think about that for a moment. You have a customer who actually likes your product enough to actually go ahead and give you money for the product but is then discouraged by that one simple, extra step. By this point, they have already seen the app, they know that it does what it is supposed to, they know it fits their needs (or in the case of a game, is fun), they have invested time in it, and they have mentally dedicated themselves to using your app, yet they are still turned away by that one little step. If that one simple step is a barrier for them, how much of a barrier do you think it would be for someone who has not seen it, does not know that it lives up to its claim, does not know whether it suits their needs/is fun, has invested no time in it, and has made no decisions of any sort about it? In such a case, I think a 1/3 reduction would be optimistic.

I know Steve has talked before about challenging assumptions, but I don't think this is an assumption. This is something people have challenged before and found it to be truth.

Originally posted by Hydroaxe
As it is, I think the majority of restricted demos already allow too much to warrant a purchase.
Yes. I don't remember where I read it (might have been the ASP, or even someone in here), but someone mentioned that even having only a subset of fully functional features was enough to keep some people from registering. When asked about it, they were happy with the features included in the demo and got plenty of enjoyment from it. They claimed they weren't really interested in all the extra things in the registered version.

Hydroaxe,

"Alfie, it sounds like you just wanted everyone to agree with you, as you're holding on to this flawed approach quite dearly. By "letting them have the full version" you most certainly guarantee that nobody will buy your game"

I am open to views on this idea, and will by knows means be blinkered into using it if it never works.

With the comments from yourself and Lord Kronos it's certainly looking like a no goer. So, I am having serious second thoughts and may scrap the whole thing.


Alfie