game updates

[Kortelan]

Well first off I keep getting an error when I try to view the scrolls site. So is it that you haven't put it up or is there a problem?

Also as for the options I would go with number four. I would say I doubt many people will pay but every game where the game masters put work into it and make it look nice it will get a few thousand people at least. To get people to pay I would suggest investing money into a good programmer to get it very nice looking and not a forum that looks like you can get one like it for free. Also I know a web game that advertises on its home page and login page so it doesn't have to completely rely on players. Maybe make small rewards for people who pay more, nothing big enough to give them a decided advantage because that will drive off many people who can pay just not a lot but something large enough to make it worth while. Like Bob pays $3 extra so his province's harvest is a bit better then it would have been. That can lead to him using that to possibly great advantages or lead to him letting an advantage slip through his fingers. So pretty much nothing unbalancing but something that can be used to good advantage if you play well so it would also encourage good strategy.

[Gamemaster]

The error you encountered has been fixed.

Thanks for pointing out that advertising could also provide revenue. We are assuming it would not be sufficient to pay the costs so we did not include it as an option by itself, but it could make other options more viable.

As for programming, yes, that would probably be involved in all of the options presented.

[Kortelan]

Well I read what it has to offer and I must say its a great start.

[Clabbuk]

Option 1: 2 things. People will probably not want to pay for an issues-only game. Plus, all the hard work put into the game, such as maps, history, custom software, etc. would all be wasted.

Option 2. Not bad in my opinion, as long as the fee wasn't too high. There aren't any other games like this that I know of, and that would make people more willing to pay for it, although I'm not sure how much. I don't spend a lot of my time here, so I might spend $5-10 per month to continue like this. I think this option is best coupled with advertisements, and an option to remove the advertisements for yourself by paying a certain amount, either a one-time fee or a regular payment, because this would lower the monthly fee considerably.

Option 3: This option reminds me of the game AdventureQuest, as different as it may be from NAE. From being on the forums, I've learned that they've done something very similar with their game and this has been very successful for AdventureQuest financially, but players occasionally complain about it.

Option 4: Perhaps one way multiple players per province could be worked out would be to pay some sort of fee to start as Ulor of a province, but could still be non-Ulor characters in the provincial government for free. I imagine the fee would have to be carefully considered, as too small of a fee would result in too many provinces, and too large would mean that there are more players than positions in a provincial government.

One more note: FlashFlashRevolution.com has given an option to players that allows them to preview certain game features and such (which wouldn't really work as well on NAE, I think), as well as a different font and colour for your name on the forums, the ability to change your member title, and in blue lettering "FFR Supporter". This isn't quite as well suited for NAE, but some players would probably be willing to pay a small fee to gain recognition, especially as the game gets bigger.

I hope that all made sense and I also hope that it helps, even if it's just giving ideas.

[Kortelan]

On the issue of payment, I wouldn't pay. Simply because I don't have money. Also at its current stage it would say its not worth paying for. I mean its a great game and I have to hand it to you guys for having everything figured out and all but its lacking any other reason to pay. Frankly take away the in depth preparation and you have your average shoddy online game. But if you made me pay to continue playing I would quit. No matter how good the game gets. I don't have the money and once I do have the money I have many other things to spend it on. Now assuming you get the game very kick ass and I had money I would pay probably $15 at most, maybe $20.

[Gamemaster]

We have added more items to the library and there is also now an article on the main page about Zekresh Money at:

nationsandempires1.blogspot.com/2007/02/zekresh-money.html

That article is different from the essay on the history of money in the library.

[Gamemaster]

Thanks for all the comments and advice, guys.

[Gamemaster]

One other thing, we have enough playtesters already, but most of them are inactive or are playing only via e-mail despite repeated suggestions that they get involved in the forums.

If any of you know of anyone who would like to become a playtester, we could perhaps add a few more if they will be active on the forums.

[Kortelan]

I have someone who wants to be a playtester who is checking out the main page.

[Nashlan]

If I were to stumble across this game in it's current state at present, I would not pay to play it. That said, having started playing it now I am finding it enjoyable and would consider paying for it, although I think advertising should always be considered as another source of revenue if only to lower membership costs.

I really like the idea suggested by Clabbuk of having players who want to be an Ulor or other provincial/national leader pay a fee and keep the lower levels free, as this will encourage people to try the game and hence be more prepared to pay for it if they want to advance.

To appeal to a larger audience, especially a paying one, the game will need a facelift from it's current state also to make it appear more professional.

[Clabbuk]

I have a friend who would probably be interested in playtesting, and would probably participate on the forum. I'll send my friend by the main page.

[Gamemaster]

Sounds good. I'll look for an e-mail or a posting from your friends.

Also, I agree that Clabbuk's idea is good about perhaps charging a fee for players to have a character with a better starting situation. One advantage of that is that it does not affect the realism of the game. Instead it simulates the fact that some people begin life with more advantages than others.

We are also working on developing some new options instead of picking from among the four I posted previously.

Have anyone you know who wants to play either send us an e-mail at [e-mail] or send a telegram to "Zekresh" in Nation States or just post an answer to this thread as a guest.

[Gamemaster]

Also, we have just added another document to the library

nationsandempires6.blogspot.com/2007/02/war-of-duel.html

[Kortelan]

I have an idea. We all know these forums will not be the end result of NAE. By the time you in the admin get the finial project done we players will probably have gone pretty far. So it creates a problem. Do you open the game to the public how knows how many years after the start date with us playtesters owning empires ourselves which puts the public at a huge disadvantage or do you restart erasing what we will have done? I am going to suggest a solution to this problem which you might not have thought of, assuming you have thought of this problem already. Why don't you let the playtesters keep this forum while inviting them to the full game? That way we can keep everything we do here as well as starting all the first batch of public members on equal footing.

[Nemt]

As much as I'd like to keep playing forever with the same world, I really doubt the gamemasters would have enough time to manage both the forum and whatever the final game turns out to be, Kortelan.