So many ideas, so many options to work with. In the end, it isn't my property of course
I personally think Steam could work. I've had the evidence dumped in my lap. It's never easy to argue a losing viewpoint in the face of proof.
DLC also clearly works. I've also seen it crammed in my face as well as proof the idea works.
But in a crowd of say 10000 clients, the idea all 10k clients will like something is just plain crazy of course.
Soooo if Slitherine makes as much money as Slitherine desires, in the end, as long as THEY made the level of success THEY desired.
Some things though just have no numbers to work with, and a lot of us spout off opinions pretending to be facts.
I personally couldn't care less how many of the wargaming world are self evident cheap skates. I'm not one of them. Which is not to say I am not capable of being a cheap skate elsewhere in gaming. Just not in wargaming. And no, it's not out of some undying love of the hobby, or some peculiar love of a company. Ian has gained my respect, he's profiting from it too. There ARE wargame makers that most assuredly don't have my respect.
I hear that Matrix Games never puts their prices down meaningfully. You should try HPS, they never reduce their prices ever at all. In fact, if you like that company's games, you should be buying them from NWS instead. Often a difference of 15 bucks on anything even new.
But it's not correct to say Matrix Games never has sales. And their sales are often fairly good too. For those die hard cheap skates, you can always wait till Christmas, they usually have some good deals. Just don't expect 50 dollar games for 10 bucks.
Not all of the industry makes transitory play only once titles.
A lot of the console games out there go for 50 bucks to 70 bucks new, and have no replay value and are likely only good for a month.
Most of my wargames from Matrix Games/Slitherine will still be as good as they were the day I bought them, endlessly replayable, and not really losing any original dollar value. So people just need to accept it, not all games lose value in a month. You either like the game and it's what it cost the day it was released, or move along and get over it.
But I am sure Steam could move more copies all the same, even for a lower price, but that's just the dynamics of volume.
I don't advocate spoiling the cheap in society though. Maybe people have just gotten cheap at heart.
I don't support Steam because it is a cheaper option, I support Steam because it's a more VISIBLE option.
It has nothing to do with re downloadability as much so either.
And I too have watched almost every name in quality wargaming disappear.
And not just computer wargaming. Wargaming in general has had a rough life since 1970. Not sure there was really ever a 'golden age' at all. Likely foolish rose coloured glasses.
Avalon Hill is gone. So is SPI. Can't think of any meaningful names actually that made it out of the 80s.
ASL has been on a sort of life support since the 90s. More like the living dead as a game.
So I welcome DLC. I welcome anything Slitherine can make work. But we all know, most games live for about 3 years regardless. Because by then all the hardware has evolved, all the OS programs change. I can barely play a lot of my classic game, not because they stopped beuing great, but because we stopped being able to run them in the conditions they were sold in.
I figure Panzer Corps will have run it's duration as a product in 2 years maybe more. So I can just hope we get as much DLC as we can, as soon as possible, before the usual process catches up to it.
I'm already dropping hints for Slitherine to recreate Panzer leader now
is it possible to add an double pack option for 10$?