Super Ubi Land accepted! Desura for Alpha Funding!

I've been approved on Desura for Alpha Funding! I haven't finalized and published the game just yet because I am thinking of creating a video showing gameplay, footage of myself working on the game and speaking to the gamers about what the game is about and how they can help me mold it into something great! I'm really trying to take it out of the mario style mold and turn it into it's own game. I've made a lot of changes in the game but I am glad Desura gave me a chance to use their platform for Alpha Funding.

One of my questions that I'm asking my fellow Scirra game devs is how much should I set the price of the game at? And what should I discount the Alpha Funding (early adopters) price to?

The game is planned to have over 35 levels across 5 worlds with bosses and mini games and tons of collectables, unlockable characters and a full soundtrack with over 20 tracks.

Thanks for your advice.

-Drew

*Updated Title Screen

<img src="http://datboidrew.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/super-ubi-land-screenshots/sul_screenshot_91220012_d.jpg" border="0" />

*I've removed all of the ? cards. Replaced with a space capsule type item.

<img src="http://datboidrew.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/super-ubi-land-screenshots/sul_screenshot_91220012_a.jpg" border="0" />

*An update of what the first level looks like. If you've played the mini demo in the Scirra Arcade you can notice the difference.

<img src="http://datboidrew.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/super-ubi-land-screenshots/sul_screenshot_91220012_b.jpg" border="0" />

*A falling style level where you use your balloon to float and avoid enemies/obstacles.

<img src="http://datboidrew.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/super-ubi-land-screenshots/sul_screenshot_91220012_c.jpg" border="0" />

Wow, great news. Congrats man! I don't know what to say about pricing, it's a very delicate issue... Some people won't buy a game because it's $1.99 instead of $0.99, and then you get $10 games of the same size flying off the virtual shelf. It's an enigma. <img src="smileys/smiley5.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

I would, however, fully recommend having a discount for early adopters. That really draws people in, plus it's just fair since they're getting an unfinished game!

Thanks SullyTheStrange!

Yea it's something that bothers me. I'm putting in a ton of work on the game and it's still far from finished. $0.99 and $1.99 isn't the pricing I'm looking forward to selling the game at. I'm aiming more towards the $9.99 price point but like you said, it's a delicate issue. *Sigh.

I'm thinking of setting the Alpha Funding price to $5.00

Yeah, I'm still in the early stages of my platformer (much earlier than you, though, school and work like to keep me from making progress <img src="smileys/smiley6.gif" border="0" align="middle" />) but the thought's always in the back of my head: what would people be willing to pay to actually play this thing? On Desura or Steam it's a better scenario, but most app stores don't have many successful indie games that are more than a buck or two. Sort of depressing to see all your hard work selling for pocket change, right?

I guess the secret is to pick a price in your head as a goal and use it as motivation. You gotta MAKE your game be worth that much, and make your audience believe it is too. $9.99 isn't breaking anyone's bank, I say go for it!

How does Desura's alpha funding work?

The amount of work you put into it, unfortunately, shouldn't dictate how much you sell it for. Rather, how much you work should result in how good the product is, and depending on the market/how many markets you sell it in, how good it is should result in how many sales you get (plus marketing/etc).

It's really difficult to judge the price you should place the game at. And ultimately, I think that the reviews you receive in an early version should give you a better idea of how much people will be willing to spend.

But for a more concrete answer, I'd say sell it no more than 4.99. If it does well, make an expansion (or sequel), and make more money. These are just my feelings; and to be clear, I feel like 4.99 is a max, not necessarily a recommended retail value.

But finally, that is a generic answer. If you have it on one market where games can sell well for $10, go for it. But if you have it available cross-platform, with a potential audience in the hundreds of millions, I say go with a lower price.

LASTLY, there are books and online resources that have done research regarding game sales and pricing. Might be better off looking there.

Or just wing it and hope for the best.

<img src="smileys/smiley20.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

p.s. 3.99 is a little less common. could be a winner. idk.

Anyways the game looks great, and the scirra arcade version is a nice intro. Congratulations on your sponsorship!

Congrats, i still don?t know about the prices for iOS and Android, it would be nice if the price is $ 10 for all platform compatibility.

Grats man :) well done.

Thanks guys!

10 bucks for all platforms would be cool. I wouldn't know how to go about doing that tho :(

I'm thinking of going with $10 for the price of the game and 4.99 for the alpha funding price. I'm just going to have to make sure people feel it's worth it. Wish me luck!

I'd like to see more Construct 2 games on Desura!

Rory

here's the information on the Alpha Funding program

desura.com/groups/desura/news/alphafunding-for-indie-games

Thats awesome :)

NotionGames - Wow that's great work - best of luck! Let us know how things go, I'm more than happy to buy a copy once it's ready to go. I'm sure many other C2'ers will be happy to do the same to support a successful C2'er too.

Just a random thought - I see on greenlight lots of indie game packs. Perhaps one day a few of us could pool a few of our best games and release them on Desura or Greenlight as well.