Hi, WOW! Just WOW! Hodapp, you say we do not understand FAAD, who are you to say it is we that do not understand things? Yes, you are the site admin but you are seriously saying you know what we understand or not? David
WOW! Just WOW! So whining about games going free and somehow killing indie community is the only reason you keep posting in this thread? You dont care about a solution? Hi, If memory serves, I think I've read that in one of your posts here. Quite a few times already. IMNS
The word 'trolling' is being thrown around pretty easily here. Usually it's purposefully posting with the sole intention of 'baiting' people into throwing angry insults around, which I haven't really seen clear examples of here. What I've seen is mostly criticism, which is fine really, no need to restrict any voices. Not taking any sides here, just sayin' what I'm observin'.
From reading your posts it is abundantly clear you have no clue how the economy of the App Store works and what purpose daily free app sites serve.
Hi back, I actually think there IS a discussion here but you are feeling singled out and are getting defensive so you can't see it. Points are made for one side, points are made for the other. Problem is all you say is it is bad, end of story and everyone boycott it. I worry about the future of the app store just as much as anyone for the record but honestly you dragging your heels in deeper is not going to help it at all. Thing is, many big companies have free for a day things - a coffee chain in the US Dunkin Donuts has a free coffee day every once in awhile or even for a couple hours when they introduce a new product just to get people to try it, then tell their friends - hey did you taste that new Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts? That prompts them to go buy it. Will DD go under for one day of free Iced Coffee - hardly. Should I stand outside next time with a picket sign and urge people not to go in and claim their free cup? Yeah, I worry for the Indie developers and I worry about the quality but I have had time to think this out and I say that if they CHOOSE to participate in a marketing program who are we to criticize it? Yeah I still think ICS Mobile chose to market marketing if you will - but heck isn't that what the app store is all about? Making opportunities for yourself. NEG
I'm not contributing to the main argument, but I saw a problem with your coffee analogy. The thing is, people repurchase coffee, so they can go and tell their friends about it and buy the same coffee later on. However, that doesn't really apply to games, you buy it when it's free, you tell your friends about it, they buy it when it's free, but they'll never repurchase it.
So to summarize here: ICS Mobile is capitalizing on marketing. The developers that sign on to their plan do so VOLUNTARILY. It is THEIR choice to promote their app for free for a limited time or not. If they lose tons of money because they didn't know what they were getting themselves into, it is THEIR fault, not ICS Mobile's. So while there may be a valid argument that freeing indie apps is bad for indie developers and the App Store itself, it is NOT ICS Mobile's fault. There are simply developers out there that are sold with FAAD.com, and it is THEIR decision. So while people like Harpgliss have a valid point that freeing indie apps is not good, people like Hodapp are also correct in that it is NOT ICS Mobile's fault. There is NO REASON at all to be arguing for/against ICS Mobile. They don't have some godly power to make any app they choose free, it is the developer's choice. And for the record, I'm neutral on this argument. Like I said earlier, there is no basis to argue for or against ICS Mobile. The only thing they should be accused of is trying to earn some money.
Hi, This thread started out as a simple, "Hey look at what this service has to offer". It has strayed to far from it's original meaning and took the shape of a Golgothan*. I think it's about time it's put to rest. Matt R. * Golgothan is basically a sh!t demon. It's from the movie Dogma.
I knew someone would bring that point up but remember if one person tells two friends and those tell two friends and those tell two friends etc - see how many people will buy the coffee after giving away one cup? Its not the repurchasing that is important its the marketing and word of mouth that is. Will every single Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker be able to take advantage of the free product, especially if only offered for a couple of hours during a work day? No way. There is no analogy that will be exactly equal to the app store, let's face it. But I thought it was the principle that made sense.
The sales figures that developers have boasted following their free promotions show otherwise. People show the game to their friends and they buy it for a buck. As mentioned previously, that's a trivial impulse purchase for most people outside of the TouchArcade forums.
Never thought this day would come but I agree with Matt. Your not gonna change the world on either side of the debate and the developers are the ones who do this by their own choice. "wah wah, their ratings are gonna plummet" You don't think they know that before they go free? Let's drop this. I mean four weeks of bantering is enough. Everybody kiss and make up. *grabbing my camera*
I love Free App A Day and the like - on a limited income it is good to know that every once in a blue moon there is going to be a really sweet free game (for instance 1112, or Babylonian Twins).
yea, but it sucks to realize something you've paid for or struggled to win a code for has gone freebie.
Ya see it everyday when you pass a gas station and the price drops from the day you filled up. You're loosing alot more money there but noone slits their wrists over it.
Exactly. So everybody stop arguing. It's the developer's fault, not ICS Mobile, so you can't take a side for/against ICS.
