In-game purchases are the future. Lets discuss. Standalone demos, are a waste. Consumers are less inclined to purchase a full app when the demo is a free standalone app. The actual game should be free, and the full game should be an in-app purchase. Why? Look at Astronut. The game itself is free, with an in-app purchasable full game. Why is this better? For one, continuity. I think, were lured into purchasing the game as a whole when we already have what are the fundamentals of the game. Whereas, you play a demo, you like it, you think harder about whether its worth buying or not. Many times, you just put it off, because you dont feel like going to the app store and purchasing the full game, a separate app. Its simple, but lets face it, its a psychological factor. Youre much more likely to buy the full game if its purchasable within what is destined to be a full game. Whats more, its elegant, its simple, its all-in-one. I think we can agree we all like that. Let me refer to Dark Nebula (great game btw). Because the game as a whole is episodic, I thought it only reasonable that Episode 2 were to be an in-app purchasable addition. I inquired the dev about this. He told me no, and to increase profit, they were to sell it as a separate app (to gain prevalence in the top charts and whatnot). Okay I guess, but really, whats the difference if already more than a million people own Dark Nebula, and when really, theyd be much more inclined to buy it within the original app. Subtleties are subtleties, and people would much prefer one app, with one title, and less convolution. I think the difference in profit between DLC and separate apps are slim, to none. If anything, in-app provides a greater profit. Not without its restrictions though, you have to set the app to free. Dark Nebula, Episode 1 should be free, and Episode 2 should be an in game purchase. That way, Dark Nebula rises to the top charts, and you get a higher chance for people to purchase the DLC. In the scheme of monetary gain, this system provides the most profit. More and more devs are beginning to take this route, and I think theyll benefit from it more greatly. I do think though, that devs shouldnt overdo it, such as the devs of Rolando. Theres a line you shouldnt cross.
I kind of agree with you there. For example, Tilt to live HD. I downloaded the free version and really liked it, but initialy wasnt going to buy the full version, but eventualy, after one particular long gaming session that I really enjoyed, I just clicked that very tempting Purchase Full Game button from within the app. And bingo, I had the full game. Not sure if I would have actualy went back onto the store to search for the full game though.
No! I hate in-game purchases...I have never purchased a game and I will never do it, when the game has extra costs over its original price.
I tend to avoid any games which have DLC I just don't like having the unfinished product and I know if I buy a DLC next update they will add two more. I do occasionally make exceptions if I think the DLC is a good addition that's pretty rare though last time was Space Miner Blast simply because they deserve to get something for that and they did it fairly.
IAPs are usually good when just buying bonus stuff. When I usually have free games I think "Ugh...this must not be very good...I didn't pay for it!" and when I get a freemium game the whole game is already there, you just need the DLC to be successful in the game. If you get a lite version it does take up a whole space on your ipod/iphone, but if you really like that version, but hate that it takes up space with "lite" in the name that makes you feel like those really cheap people who only get free apps, you just delete it and move your lazy finger to the app store icon, search the app, then just wait a little bit excitedly. Usually DLCs (for me), except Minigore, and maybe Jet Car Stunts, (because Jet Car Stunts is an awesome game and Minigore just makes the game a little easier) are like "WHY IN THE WORLD DID I BUY THIS?!?!?" Finally, if you don't want a lite version, you can go directly to buying the full game, which is a lot easier than downloading a free app and then downloading a pack of levels within the game. Anyways...IAPs suck, especially when devs overdo them. I'd rather have 2 games for the price of all the DLCs combined (with all the DLC levels and stuff) than having one game with 6 DLCs for 99c each.
You obviously didn't read my post. You're not paying for extra costs. You're paying for the actual game, in-game, where the demo and full game are consolidated into one app.
I see your point but no thanks. I would rather have a full demo (possibly followed by a full game) than an incomplete full game.
I would like the full game from the start. Not interested in buying dlcs they're just annoying, messy, and unconventional.
There was never a problem with the old standard of having a lite followed by the full version. There was nothing wrong with this compared with all the hassle of dlc, iap, etc. Just give me the game already.....
Ah but that's a different entity. I have nothing against dlcs that are completely optional and only are there so we can support the developers further. DLCs that unlock content or give an advantage to the basic game is a huge turnoff. The only ones I've bought so far that unlock content are jet car stunts IAP, peggle nights IAP, and the new map IAP for catacombs. Well, honestly, the only free game that I've downloaded in the past half year is Lil pirates, which was deleted within days, so yeah, not into the dlc model.
I get what your saying which is the reason I mentioned space ore blast it's a similar model and I did buy it even though I don't like the DLC model but to be honest I would have much preferred to buy the full game on itunes of the bat. To be really honest about it though I don't think it's a particularly great game but I did enjoy Space Ore Bust and wanted to support the developer so a real sequel gets made. DLC upgrades to the full game have backfired with me more than they have succeeded though if I'm honest though a good example is capcom arcade I would have bought street fighter 2 in a second on the app store almost at any price but because of their model I tryed it first and decided it was garbage. I'll also add DLC has made me furious when it's added to a game I bought when it wasn't there originally and makes me avoid that developer if it's a real improvement fair enough but more often it's just an attempt to cash in more.
