Demo vs Full (and Paypal)

[ampos]

My next app, DOTS & LINES, is a kid's "join the dots" game. It has 200 pictures. I plan to sell it with 50 enabled and InApp purchases for the rest.

On WebOS and Android I have to use Paypal for the InApp, so my question is if it will be fine to limit it to paypal payment or release a "plus" version with the 200 pictures enabled, so people without paypal can buy it, or people that does not trust me/paypal enough can have the full version. Of course, if there is a full version out there, the full version can be pirated...

What about a "lite" version with 5 or 10 pictures enabled, and InApp purchases for 50, 100 and 200 pictures? Are demos/lite not worth the effort? Somewhere I read that lite versions only work for people not buying the full version; if there is a full version, some people will just bought it, and perhaps they do not like it a lot, but ->it is a sale!<-

Another idea could be to release the full game and the demo/lite a few months later, when start sales drop. Glowing Sky was on sale 3 months on WebOS until the free app was released. It only sold 15 copies during this 3 months and +100 sales when the demo was out. Anyway, I think it was because a flame war was on the comments (it was set as Pixi compatible and it was not working), so this flame war/1star/5stars/ManyComments just upped the app in the Market sales list. Yes, if you hit the "hot" list your app will sell.

More ideas are wellcomed.

[Crivens]

I would say have in-app purchases for bulk buy. eg. 10-50 pictures in one purchase.

For Android and WebOS I would go with a free lite version and a plus version with all the pictures. No mucking about with Paypal plus you can also test the waters of a different tactic.

Cheers

[ampos]

Yes, on iOS I was planing to release it with 50 pictures at 0.99$, and 3 packages of 50 pictures each at 0.99$, and a 4th package with the 150 extra pictures for 1.98$ (2x3 sale!)

Perhaps in WebOS and Android I ended releasing "normal" version, 50 pictures and 1$, and PLUS version, 200 pictures and $3 or 2'5$. On the normal app description just a note about this PLUS version...

When do you think it is better to release the free? At the same time or later?

[Crivens]

I'm not going to do a free version of my next app (based on Tiny Wings - for the sales technique not the game itself) for quite a while. Maybe 6 months or a year perhaps.

But then my game doesn't really lend itself to in-app purchases, and if I was going for that route then I would make the game totally free on iOS with only about 2 or 3 levels. Then do in-app for bundles of say 20-50 levels. Perhaps you could do it wisely and have a set price for each set of 20 levels, but then have bigger bundles that work out cheaper for 50-100 levels. Only question really is how addictive the game is and replayable the levels are. I mean if you do it for free and give 3 levels will they want to buy more levels or is 3 enough? I definitely wouldn't include more than say 3 levels if doing it for free, and probably no more than 10-20 if $0.99.

You have to ask yourself honestly if your game has the lasting appeal for people to want to buy more packs after 50 levels. If so then raise the initial "free" amount of levels, but if not then I would keep the amount of "free" levels low and the packs smaller.

Cheers

[Nathan]

Not quite related to this discussion, but a very interesting article regarding indie game development ...

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39653/Money_and_the_App_Store_A_few_figures_that_might_help_an_indie_developer.php

[Crivens]

Very good article that. Good find.

Ampos, also if using the idea of totally free app with inapp for more levels, then not only would I limit the free levels to 2 or 3 but I would also make them "tutorial" levels. ie. really really simple ones with help text to get the player through. And maybe one or two normal levels (but still quite easy). Makes them then want to buy more levels.

Hard to balance though all this. I mean give them too much or too hard levels and they might not care about buying more. Give too little or too easy and they may ditch the game entirely. Reminds me of a demo of Conqueror on the Atari ST years ago. Came on a magazine. I played that demo as much as any game I've ever bought. Did I buy the game? No. The demo was so good there was no need to pay anything for the more advanced stuff. Then again maybe it was because I was more interested in the arcade side of things at the time rather than the more advanced campaign elements the full version came with. Difficult stuff to judge...

Cheers

[msx]

@ampos

Paypal lets you pay by card without having an account on it.