Comments on: Earth 2160 now available http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/ Comment and discussion on Valve Software's digital communications platform. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:49:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Andrew Timson http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Andrew Timson Wed, 12 Apr 2006 23:06:49 +0000 http://www.steamreview.org/?p=66#comment-379 <i>Darwinia</i>, having been released prior to its Steam release, can't really be counted. Darwinia, having been released prior to its Steam release, can’t really be counted.

]]> By: Andy Simpson http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/comment-page-1/#comment-374 Andy Simpson Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:11:45 +0000 http://www.steamreview.org/?p=66#comment-374 Exactly, I had the Live Arcade model in mind as what Valve should be doing with their demos. Live Arcade makes it daftly easy to purchase the full game, as Steam does, so really they should be comparable. Thing to bear in mind with the HL2 demo and the RDKF demo (can't remember about Darwinia) is that those games were out long before the demo saw daylight, which skews the results somewhat. Exactly, I had the Live Arcade model in mind as what Valve should be doing with their demos. Live Arcade makes it daftly easy to purchase the full game, as Steam does, so really they should be comparable.

Thing to bear in mind with the HL2 demo and the RDKF demo (can’t remember about Darwinia) is that those games were out long before the demo saw daylight, which skews the results somewhat.

]]> By: Tom Edwards http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/comment-page-1/#comment-373 Tom Edwards Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:21:06 +0000 http://www.steamreview.org/?p=66#comment-373 Another potential reason is the low conversion rates on demos: typically around 2%. The exception to this rule is <a href="http://www.xbox.com/games/g/geometrywarsevolvedlivearcadexbox360/default.htm" rel="nofollow">Geometry Wars</a>, which had a <em>40%</em> conversion rate! The reason very likely being that it was so easy to upgrade through Live Arcade, not to mention the fact that the game is allegedly pretty damn good to boot! It'd be interesting to get some conversion rate figures for RDKF and Darwinia, not to mention HL2. Another potential reason is the low conversion rates on demos: typically around 2%. The exception to this rule is Geometry Wars, which had a 40% conversion rate! The reason very likely being that it was so easy to upgrade through Live Arcade, not to mention the fact that the game is allegedly pretty damn good to boot! It’d be interesting to get some conversion rate figures for RDKF and Darwinia, not to mention HL2.

]]> By: Andy Simpson http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/comment-page-1/#comment-372 Andy Simpson Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:28:59 +0000 http://www.steamreview.org/?p=66#comment-372 Thing is... Valve's games will always sell fantastically well, demo or no demo, so they've kinda gotten complacent, thinking maybe their strategy of witholding demos is going to produce high sales like it does for their games. And it just isn't. I know I wouldn't have bought Darwinia if I hadn't played the demo. They haven't quite got the thinking straight, really. I have this hunch they're thinking about demos in a retail way. If I play a good demo, then have to go haul my ass to retail, I'm gonna think twice about it. Even if it's Amazon or something, there's still some delayed gratification there. So yes, in that case demos might hurt sales. Bad demos are going to convince me for sure not to get the game, but good demos aren't going to necessarily part me with my cash. With digital distribution, the rules of the game shift somewhat. A bad demo is still going to put me off, but a good demo that is ready to be turned into a full game with one impulse internet purchase is going to shift numbers. It's compelling. Fact is, this kinda game I've never even heard of before is not something I'm going to buy unless they can get mindshare, and a mixed bag of metacritic reviews isn't going to do that like a demo can. Thing is… Valve’s games will always sell fantastically well, demo or no demo, so they’ve kinda gotten complacent, thinking maybe their strategy of witholding demos is going to produce high sales like it does for their games. And it just isn’t. I know I wouldn’t have bought Darwinia if I hadn’t played the demo.

They haven’t quite got the thinking straight, really. I have this hunch they’re thinking about demos in a retail way. If I play a good demo, then have to go haul my ass to retail, I’m gonna think twice about it. Even if it’s Amazon or something, there’s still some delayed gratification there. So yes, in that case demos might hurt sales. Bad demos are going to convince me for sure not to get the game, but good demos aren’t going to necessarily part me with my cash.

With digital distribution, the rules of the game shift somewhat. A bad demo is still going to put me off, but a good demo that is ready to be turned into a full game with one impulse internet purchase is going to shift numbers. It’s compelling.

Fact is, this kinda game I’ve never even heard of before is not something I’m going to buy unless they can get mindshare, and a mixed bag of metacritic reviews isn’t going to do that like a demo can.

]]> By: Ironclad http://steamreview.org/posts/earth-2160-now-available/comment-page-1/#comment-371 Ironclad Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:41:33 +0000 http://www.steamreview.org/?p=66#comment-371 Business first. A free sample of a video game is a negative influence on sales, at least according to Valve. I wonder if the amount of demos avaliable for awesome games will stress the servers as well, perhaps as steam will be known as a prime demo source. Business first. A free sample of a video game is a negative influence on sales, at least according to Valve. I wonder if the amount of demos avaliable for awesome games will stress the servers as well, perhaps as steam will be known as a prime demo source.

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