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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: Preorders and Sales  (Read 67548 times)

Archduke Astro

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #30 on: June 12, 2011, 04:57:23 PM »

Given the way the game is set up, and the types of resources it uses, with enough attention, you could get a pretty robust modding community.
Avan is right. That is precisely what sparked my interest enough to come here and check out the buzz. I just joined the forums late last night.

I'm a very strongly mod-centric player and to me, customizability is the lifeblood of a game. I'm far less concerned with scores or tournaments or bragging rights than I am with how modder-friendly a game is, how much replay value it has and how smoothly the player experience flows (no grinding or pointless unlockables, please). I need a game where the player has as much control as possible over the back-end of the game experience, as I'm constantly creating new content or tweaking existing content. The fact that my interests run deeply & strongly in the groove of tactical & strategic space combat pretty much made it inevitable that I'd eventually discover Alex's fascinating new game.

Hail Starfarer! Long may the preorders grow. :)
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Avan

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #31 on: June 12, 2011, 07:29:00 PM »

I'm a very strongly mod-centric player and to me, customizability is the lifeblood of a game.
You said it! I dont think I currently have any non-moddable games in fact >.>

Erebos

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #32 on: June 12, 2011, 08:17:10 PM »

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Avan

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #33 on: June 12, 2011, 09:07:47 PM »

Well, the game is already out in a playable alpha, so...

Erebos

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #34 on: June 12, 2011, 09:53:30 PM »

...so it's a slightly different story, yes; nevertheless, it's an interesting read, and relevant.

The public generally has a short attention span, and at the moment, the alpha's replayability depends upon the player's interest in mods. Once the different layers are all in place, it will hold far more interest for most gamers. I think it would be counter-productive to go all-out promoting an alpha, as opposed to slowly building up and spreading the word, then seeking more publicity when there's something more complete to offer.
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CommComms

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #35 on: June 12, 2011, 11:04:27 PM »

The real information in that article is that we should bombard Penny Arcade with e-mails about how awesome this game is so that they'll try it, like it, and mention it.
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Dark.Revenant

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #36 on: June 13, 2011, 12:51:01 AM »

Well, if early reviews hurt sales, we should come up with a really early review so that there can be more support for the alpha and then a big release-date release of reviews for when the show is really on.

Also, 350 pre-release sales is honestly on the low side for a game of this quality.  Formal advertisement is definitely something to avoid right now, but getting the word out informally at this stage will be very helpful.  If the community could organize a particular time this month to post info, youtube videos, and links on our own websites or other places we frequent, Alex would get quite a few sales.  If we do it right, he could get over a thousand sales from one good community push alone.


(Maybe you could get a guy to design a real theme for a vBB forum instead of the default SMF stuff with that kind of money)
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Erebos

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #37 on: June 13, 2011, 01:40:10 AM »

Quote
getting the word out informally at this stage will be very helpful

I agree. I don't know how everyone else got here, but the first I heard of Starfarer was a post by mendonca on a forum for another indie game (theindiestone.com). The more of this the better, especially now that Alex will starve if no one buys the game...
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Alex

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #38 on: June 13, 2011, 09:42:41 AM »

Thought I'd give you guys an update on the preorders - it's up to about 1150 through today. Sales dropped off a bit after the first couple of days, but had a lot more legs than I had hoped - getting picked up by game news sites and forums at one time or another kept preorders steady throughout May. It started to drop off sharply, but the "working on SF full-time" blog post and then the 0.34a release gave it a slight kick in pants.

I absolutely agree about the game not being ready for an official awareness-raising push (maybe after the campaign layer's first incarnation is in...). From what I can see, word of mouth is responsible for the majority of preorders so far. I think that means a lot of people playing are inclined to like Starfarer in the first place, and thus look past some of its present shortcomings (and more likely to partake in modding), both of which are great :)

Thank you all for spreading the word!
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Archduke Astro

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #39 on: June 13, 2011, 01:58:37 PM »

From what I can see, word of mouth is responsible for the majority of preorders so far. I think that means a lot of people playing are inclined to like Starfarer in the first place, and thus look past some of its present shortcomings (and more likely to partake in modding), both of which are great :)

Thank you all for spreading the word!
That's how I was first made aware of Starfarer. Me and a friend are both involved in deep modding of Gratuitous Space Battles over the long term, and he happened to mention this game to me. GSB's official development at this late date is now nearly zero. While I still get some enjoyment from the game, the number of things left undone in the codebase but also permanently out of reach of all modders is too high for my liking. I'm definitely predisposed to find your new game to be a good fit for my own interests & requirements; doubly so for the very young modding scene that's just getting off of the launch-pad here.

One of those 1150-ish preorders was mine last night. I'm glad to be on-board.  ;)
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DarkStar076

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #40 on: June 13, 2011, 03:09:24 PM »

That's how I was first made aware of Starfarer. Me and a friend are both involved in deep modding of Gratuitous Space Battles over the long term, and he happened to mention this game to me. GSB's official development at this late date is now nearly zero. While I still get some enjoyment from the game, the number of things left undone in the codebase but also permanently out of reach of all modders is too high for my liking. I'm definitely predisposed to find your new game to be a good fit for my own interests & requirements; doubly so for the very young modding scene that's just getting off of the launch-pad here.

One of those 1150-ish preorders was mine last night. I'm glad to be on-board.  ;)

Well that didn't take long - i must have had you at "Turret Arcs" to get you out and Pre-Order :D
For myself i stumbled over this proverbial Diamond in the Rough when using google to look for a new space-sim
(Best $10 i ever spent).

As Archduke has pointed out, with the development of GSB is complete and no new areas for the modding community to explore i also find myself making a new home here.  Hopefully i might be able to bring a few more people with me ;)
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Alex

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #41 on: June 13, 2011, 03:39:03 PM »

One of those 1150-ish preorders was mine last night. I'm glad to be on-board.  ;)

Glad to have you here, welcome aboard. The mess hall is on the right, and the escape pods are strategically located by the bridge. We only keep one of 'em fueled up, though, and nobody knows which - helps with morale.


As Archduke has pointed out, with the development of GSB is complete and no new areas for the modding community to explore i also find myself making a new home here.  Hopefully i might be able to bring a few more people with me ;)

Let's just say if this happens, I won't complain ;) Looking forward to expanding modding capabilities beyond what's already available.
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Dragon

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #42 on: July 04, 2011, 04:32:48 PM »

I've had the game for awhile now but am new to the forums, so hello all :)

I really do hope you do well with this little gem of a game Alex it has so much promise and I'm really looking forward to the campaign layer.

I own GSB myself as I'm sure many of your early adopters do but I didn't like the "hands off" approach... so Starfarer hits the mark with me much more than GSB did; plus I love the particle style 2D graphics!

1150 sales sounds like a hell of a good start for a game in Alpha :)
 
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Cvan

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #43 on: July 04, 2011, 04:40:23 PM »

Count me in as well! It seems like we are going to spend some quality time around here! Bought game today and its awesome!
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Alex

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Re: Preorders and Sales
« Reply #44 on: July 04, 2011, 05:09:52 PM »

Hi guys! Thanks for your well-wishes, glad you're enjoying the game.
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