User Acquisition Explained

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Sokolov, Sep 8, 2016.

  1. eSmokefish

    eSmokefish Devotee of the Blood Owl

    Like what. How MtG does it? With every new block, an old block's worth of cards is phased out and banned from Modern play, and I assume Pox's equivalent would be Ranked play? I assume this isn't going to affect unranked/singleplayer. [Scaremongering and assumptions intensifies]

    Beyond that, keep up the good work doing whatever it is you do.
     
  2. fogandsteel

    fogandsteel I need me some PIE!

    What is DOW? And what does it have to do with meta game?
     
  3. fogandsteel

    fogandsteel I need me some PIE!

    I played the Banner Saga multiplayer competitively (if such a word can be used for such a casual game). The game is very, very uncomplicated. I played about 100 matches, then quit as there was no new content, no tournaments with prizes, no nothing.

    As far as their business model went, they were completely free-to-play (you could spend a little bit of money if you wanted to have clothes of different color on your units). And while free might be good for clients, it's not viable for the business.

    All businesses that try to use the free-to-play business model need to understand that they cannot pay their bills nor invest in the game development with free.

    PS However, it can be argued that their multiplayer version was mostly promotion vehicle for their single-player titles: "The Banner Saga" and "The Banner Saga 2," which they sold for solid cash.
     
  4. Etherielin

    Etherielin The Floof Cultist

    Drums of War and it's the whole faction contribution thingy.
     
  5. fogandsteel

    fogandsteel I need me some PIE!

    Yeah, but how is it connected to meta game?
     
  6. darklord48

    darklord48 Forum Royalty

    By placing a the top ranked player for a faction, or the top contributor for a faction, you can earn free stuff. It only applies to PvP.
     
    fogandsteel and Etherielin like this.
  7. Etherielin

    Etherielin The Floof Cultist

    Top contributors receive rewards by the end of the season. It's influential on the meta in a sense of a carrot on a stick.
     
    fogandsteel likes this.
  8. bambino

    bambino I need me some PIE!

    @Sokolov ,, im glad u mentioned something about rotations, , because the fact of the matter is this game can never be balanced in its current format or lack of. . heres why:
    pox's collection has become quite large,, but compared to mtg its miniscule, , but of course mtg has been out much longer..
    the point is when WoC make an new expansion,, there focus is solely on the new expansions, whatever new mechanics, interactions etc , at the same time disregarding the working mechanics of the last 50, ooo+ cards,, theres much freedom for them , allowing them to focus on the here and now.
    But when sok makes a new rune , hes not so free,,, he literally as to make certain that this
    new champ or spell etc cannot be exploited by other runes,, for fear of making something op..and not just comparing runes from the new expansion, , but also with runes almost 10 years old..imagine mtg making a new rune and trying to make it play nice with runes 15 years old...an impossible task...but this is what sok does every 3 months,,, and every time the list /possibilities of op get larger , its more likely that things will come out wrong, , the nerfs then begin.
    I think if uu developed some type of format/rotation it would be a big load off your shoulders as well as helping the game I. many ways...sorry fer the bad post....at work..
    also,, there has to be a free version of drafts sok,, I hope...I dont mind spending a lil money ,but cant buy 8 dollars worth of commons every time I wanna join.
     
    fogandsteel likes this.
  9. fogandsteel

    fogandsteel I need me some PIE!

    So you mean that the players are incentivized to play meta-decks to get to the top spot? But wouldn't you try to play a meta-deck in any case just to win for the sake of winning (because people like to win)?
     
  10. bambino

    bambino I need me some PIE!

    I think the meta is after the fact,,
    so the incentive is to be #1 in yer fac, get the rewards in stuff. (now im just saying as I see it).. usually the player is using a meta type style as opposed to a theme, cuz meta are usually more powerful (fwis),, but there are powerful themes such as voil , but usually when one particular theme is powerful (such as voil)and rises high it will be nerfed,, its not so easy to nerf a meta.
    anyway , that player, whos winning games, whooping butt and rising to the top,, well his bg will be considered meta.and of course it will be replicated by other players
    .. but no there is no meta attached to the game technically. again this just how I have seen things ,, other players may certainly have a different pov.
     
  11. Compost

    Compost I need me some PIE!

    Well hopefully this ps4 release ushers in a new prime.
    Out of curiosity, has protectorate ever "wondered the war"? I've come played this game regularly like 3 times throughout its life, once early after its release, again 5 ish years ago, and now, and every time wrath is way ahead and wins by a landslide every time
     
  12. darklord48

    darklord48 Forum Royalty

    Wrath has the coolest factions and themes.
     
    SPiEkY likes this.
  13. iPox

    iPox Forum Royalty

    Great thread. Thank you Sokolov for sharing your knowledge with us.
     
    BurnPyro likes this.
  14. Sokolov

    Sokolov The One True Cactuar Octopi

    This is talking about meta in a different context.

    Meta has 2 different meanings, though both are tied to "game beyond the game":
    1. Deck Meta Game - this is the one about deck building and what is strong in the current "meta", this is, strictly speaking, the wrong way to use the word, but its a common usage
    2. Layer Meta Game - this is a game layer that exists on a separate plane or axis from the current game - for example, Planetside 2's map control game exists on a related, but separate layer compared to the shooter gameplay
     
  15. Sokolov

    Sokolov The One True Cactuar Octopi

    Do you have experience with free to play game models? How do you know this?

    In fact, it's actually the reverse. Free to play games are generally more profitable than their paid counterparts. While it's true that "free" cannot pay bills, that's not why games go free to play. The goal of free to play models is to widen the funnel, and then make up the revenue on the other end with player numbers and self price discrimination. In free to play games, the 80/20 rune typically applies, 80% of the revenue will come from 20% of the players. Most will be free, but they provide both content and organic advertising for your game, allowing you to capture more paying customers.

    There are also great variances in the kinds of free to play models out there, so numbers can vary wildly. Some F2P games will have a ton of free users, League of Legends comes to mind, so their per user revenue is quite low - but they make up for it with a huge playerbase. Other games, like World of Tanks, makes much more on a per user basis, but has a smaller player base.

    upload_2016-9-10_14-43-51.png

    upload_2016-9-10_14-44-12.png

    Typically, a F2P model is more risky, but also potentially much more profitable. While traditional pricing will yield more consistent, but more muted, earnings (unless you have the backing of a big publisher and a lot of hype/marketing).

    I can provide more details on this, but you seem to have some misconceptions about free to play models.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2016
    fogandsteel likes this.
  16. Sokolov

    Sokolov The One True Cactuar Octopi

    Given our recent conversations, I should have remembered you'd be interested :D
     
  17. Gnomes

    Gnomes Forum Royalty

    Consider saving conversations like this in a doc. Of some kind, i see you reply to some questions over and over again and this just linking this for could stop some headache.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2016
  18. Sokolov

    Sokolov The One True Cactuar Octopi

    Oh, I have it in a notepad yes :)

    It's actually in my Youtube folder in case I decide to do a video on the topic at some point.
     
  19. IMAGIRL

    IMAGIRL Forum Royalty

    I remember Gedden in a Q&A giving rough stats on banner adds saying something along the lines of "1% of the people who even see the banner add will click it, 1% of those will make it to the tutorial, and if were lucky, 1% of those will stay for a peroid longer than a month."

    Found this from an earlier Q&A

    Any thoughts Sok?
     
  20. fogandsteel

    fogandsteel I need me some PIE!

    All the more reason to provide more details.
     

Share This Page