412 replies to this topic

[frank70]

I'm critical of the season pass as well.

 

But the truth is, that we all do not know how the finished game will look like. The real-time-swing, if implemented well, could change the attractivity of the game enormously to the better. Especially the gamepad swing is a feature many many guys are asking for. So there are many potential customers who maybe come on board if these features are in.

 

Maybe PP can double up the sales (including PS4 and Xbone later). With a player base of 25.000 - 30.000 people this game could have a future.

 

I Still think that there should 2 or 3 alternative paying routes:

• Season pass 4.99 $ for the hardcore fan. I certainly will book it and many others will as well
• Base pass 1.99 $ to get access to the user made courses
• Core game for 19.99 (don't raise it too much. Without many courses and no single-player-mode the bar should not be set too high. +
• Pay-per-Course. Whoever does not want to play online or in clubs should have the chance to pay per item. Gives him the control. I could imagine those guys paying more than 4.99 in certain months when very good courses are released.

[gravedodger]

Hey Ted, I tip my hat in your general direction, excellent post mate   

I also don't think the subscription model is the best approach, I'm an impulsive 49 year old gamer and I love my golf games, release a course, put up a review and if it's a good one I'll certainly buy it and if it's a real cracker of a course I will most likely buy every course from same said designer / creator ... impulsive, that's me.

Maybe a system were the course creator and PP both get a share of my money when selling a course, just thinking out loud, say 80% to the course designer / creator and 20% to PP for providing CF and maintenance etc etc or a suitable percentage that makes it work, I'd be very cool with that sort of arrangement.

Your analysis of WOT can not be ignored, a very clever business model in a very competitive market, been playing it for 2 years and I do spend money on it because, as I said, I'm impulsive haha.

However, I know nothing has been officially finalised yet, unless I've missed something, so let's see what solution they come up with, I have confidence in the PP team to make the right decision that works for both parties ... as with any business, success relies on supply and demand!
 

 

[Ted_Ball]

Yes gravedodger you raise a point that I didn't mention. I would pay for a great course. How would it be to sit on one's high horse and never buy anything while all else are having a wonderful time at a beautifully rendered Royal Melbourne? But let's think about this. Would a course architect knock back .99c from every person who purchased and played their course if it was 3,000 people? Or more - or to otherwise fall into a more conservative model? The conundrum of the marketeers.

 

How do you deal with having something that people want?

 

Australian business people are a magnificent example of stupidity in business practices. They offer woeful service at high prices and, when their businesses inevitably are going bad, they put their dumb fingers to their lips and say. "I know..I'll raise the prices because not many people come so we'll charge the ones that do more. Yeah."  What did that guy say? "Went away...didn't come back"

[Acrilix]

I am not against subscriptions. Income is necessary. Where it crosses the line for me is making people pay for something that the designer may want to supply for free.

Why can't Course Forge have an option to generate free or subscription courses? Then designers who want to support this scheme, and contribute to PP can do so and could be issued their free passes. Anyone who wants to play these courses will then need to subscribe to have access to them.

Designers who wish their work to be genuinely free and accessible to all will then be able to offer them this way too, and everyone, IMO would be much happier.

Subscription members would have access to more courses, and non-subscribers would still have a reason to play the game long term, and may also eventually end up as subscribers to benefit from the enhanced experience that this would offer.

[letorgan]

Bonjour ;

 Pour le paiement des 5$ comment cela va t'il ce passer ? le paiement sera actif directement par Steam ? 

[Crow357]

Bonjour ;

 Pour le paiement des 5$ comment cela va t'il ce passer ? le paiement sera actif directement par Steam ? 

Oui , vous ferez l'achat via le site Web social de PP puis via Steam , je crois.

 

I hope google translated that correctly.

[letorgan]

yes forgiveness for the translation and thank youfor the answer 

[trailblazergolf]

when I was heavy into links 2003--about once a month I would send a donation of $ 10--15--20  on their opening page you could do that --seemed like a good way to help keep the game rolling

[Buck]

May I respectfully request a Season Pass "Forever Membership" that is offered before launch?

 

Priced appropriately of course, one time only, and only advertised here on the forum?  Perhaps even requiring a forum handle for at least the last 6 months?

 

I really really valued when Plex did that with their Plex Pass Lifetime.  It's never been offered again and the monthly fees have continued to go up for that, but they really showed how much they valued their old school longtime supporters by offering that lifetime membership in a limited fashion very early on...just once.

 

(and honestly, I wouldn't still be using Plex if a recurring fee was required of me)

 

I would think the world of PP if they offered something similar for the very small group that's been around here for years now.

[gravedodger]

Good point Buck, when Elite Dangerous was in early beta stage I paid about 3 times normal game price for lifetime pass for all future additions to the game.  At the time some people were saying it was a risk but I didn't see it like that and now I'm seeing the benefit of that move and will continue to benefit for each added season on their 10 year game plan.

 

[Buck]

Good point Buck, when Elite Dangerous was in early beta stage I paid about 3 times normal game price for lifetime pass for all future additions to the game. At the time some people were saying it was a risk but I didn't see it like that and now I'm seeing the benefit of that move and will continue to benefit for each added season on their 10 year game plan.

Good additional example.

I wasn't aware that ED did that. It's a really cool concept that rewards the very very early supporters and really should not be a huge negative to developers since the actual number of people getting the benefit of the one off early offer are so extremely low.

[gravedodger]

It might be an option for PP to look at ... they have all the email address' of forum members so it would be an easy task to send a newsletter with a lifetime pass payment option sometime before the retail release of the game.

Forums are a great place to 'think out loud'

[Nukelaloosh44]

May I respectfully request a Season Pass "Forever Membership" that is offered before launch?

Priced appropriately of course, one time only, and only advertised here on the forum? Perhaps even requiring a forum handle for at least the last 6 months?

I really really valued when Plex did that with their Plex Pass Lifetime. It's never been offered again and the monthly fees have continued to go up for that, but they really showed how much they valued their old school longtime supporters by offering that lifetime membership in a limited fashion very early on...just once.

(and honestly, I wouldn't still be using Plex if a recurring fee was required of me)

I would think the world of PP if they offered something similar for the very small group that's been around here for years now.

$100 for lifetime membership would seem fair to me.

[sirputterman]

$100 for lifetime membership would seem fair to me.

Lol umm I don't see PP in business for long at a 100 bucks for a lifetime membership. Hmm @4.99 a month thats  almost 60 beans there a year, then an additional amount for licensed courses. 

You honestly can't expect PP to take that much of a hit can you?

I still like the idea of 5.99 a month which includes CF and all courses or a yearly sub of 60.00 one lump sum payement.

Have a courses only subscription ( No CF but all courses included )  of 4.99 a month   or 40.00 a year sub.

Then have individual courses  and course packs available perhaps @ 1.49 user made and 4.99 Licensed courses. course packs could be 4 courses ( 1 Licensed and 3 users ) for 6.99 

This gives a great variety of options for both the hardcore and the very casual golfer and anyone in between. 

[Buck]

100 bucks for a lifetime membership...

You honestly can't expect PP to take that much of a hit can you?

 

 

I'm pretty sure he was talking about the extremely limited, one time, pre-launch, offer for long time forum members (hardest of the hardcore).  

 

Obviously offering those sorts of deals wouldn't be for the mainstream...nor even really advertised.  Just a one off, up front, pre-launch....very very limited - Similar to the Elite Dangerous & Plex examples given above.

[sirputterman]

Still the same Buck a 100 beans for a lifetime membership is asking a bit much I would think. I mean then you get into the bickering of who deserves that pricing and who doesn't. When PP was trying for funding I put up a 100 bucks to try and help get it off the ground. Of course since that fell through I was out nothing but still would that qulify me as a long time member? I mean I was certainly close to one of the firsts  to donate  and  I did joint the forums  in the early stages but was I one of the earliest to do so? That I couldn't tell you. Where would the cut off be to qulaify as an "early member" 

I think there is more then enough inuendo's about certain people getting treated a bit better then the rest and I don't for one second buy it but you know as well as I do that it is out there in the forums so it isn't something  that isn't out there.      

[Buck]

Still the same Buck a 100 beans for a lifetime membership is asking a bit much I would think. 

 

I guess I just don't see it that way.  

 

There appear to be a few hundred people that are active on the forum *and* who routinely play the game.  Please correct if I'm way wrong on that, but it just feels like a very limited one time offer to long time testers wouldn't kill anything and would show great appreciation for the early arrivers.

 

The user base is ultimately, hopefully, going to be many many thousands of people.  The best way to make true evangelists out of us who've been around is treat us well right from the get go with a unique special offer.

 

...also, I didn't even say the $100 thing.  I don't what the number would or should be.  Nor should it necessarily be "for life" - Perhaps a nice discount on a multi year or something.

 

Ultimately, it'd just be pretty awesome to see something unique and appreciative from the get go from PP.

 

Finally - I'll say it again - I love the game so far, but I simply won't pay a monthly fee.  That doesn't mean I won't buy a yearly fee if value is there, but I refuse to have monthly recurring payments.  I simply hate them.  Just an oddity of "me" I guess, but I can't stand monthly payments.

[sirputterman]

sorry I know you didn't bring up the 100.00  figure I just thought you were supporting that amount. Ahh the cureses or the written word. 

[PinHi]

I gave this some thought and I do not see it as a good deal for myself.

(1) I am a solo player that plays offline and like to play a season or career mode. I have not heard that this would be in the full release - could be a year or more and it certainly would as someone said - have to be a fabulous one at that and still not sure I would want to pay monthly to play it - probably not.

(2) Still if I wanted to buy licenced courses -  no issue with that. Only when I have bought other courses in past they were mine and could play them anytime I wanted - no extra charge. That I still need a pass - then no I will not buy.

(3) Was looking forward to dabble in course forge and see what I could do with it  - since I am not a great designer and not even to play test or play my own design - then no not for me.

The whole thing to me is like leasing a vehicle after your finished leasing it is not yours unless you buy it outright - only in this case you cannot buy it outright.. Once you stop making that monthly payment all those licenced courses you had paid for  and for that matter any other that were not thrown in at start up ( unless in the future are added to basic game ) you cannot play until you start monthly payments again. You are left with the basic game at start up.

No - not a good deal for me - actually it has driven me back to playing Links 2003 - does have a very good career mode - beautiful courses - imo - by some great designers - some who are now here. If I want to dabble with a designer, I can use GNCD at TGC. Also will have basic PP Game as well

I would not mind paying for courses - providing price is right, for both licenced and community designed - that way I could pick and choose and after buying - they are mine and could play when I wanted no extra charge - but to pay monthly - No

That's my story!

[karma4u]

Here's the thing....at the end of the day PP will charge what they feel they must for PG......And if you want to play the game....you will pay the amount they want......Hate to bring some folks to reality, but it's a pay for play world.....

So, in the end........is the entertainment that YOU derive from the game....worth the cost??....Simple...