Promoting SE4 Gold
 

Just an idea.
How about mailing the game magazines telling them that SE4 is increasing it sales due to the MOO3 release.
It must be unusual for a game to still sale at retail price this far behind it's orignal release date.

Maybe we can even get some mags to do a second review, or make a note of SE4 when they are talking about Moo3.

I'll mail the swedish game magazines this coming weeek.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">14. I ordered a copy on Thursday...

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

I think a discount for those with SE4, to upgrade to Gold, would be a real good idea. The only complaint I see about SE4 on the MOO3 forums - other than "heavy on micromanagement which I've tried to refute by pointing out "hey, SE4 has ministers too, and you can even turn them completely off :-)is from people upset that they bought SE4 and are being asked to pay too much (from their perspective) for Gold. Make them happy and you will get nothing but positive press which will help sales even more.

Just my opinion as a newcomer to SE.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

i got se4 gold a few weeks ago, because i couldn't wait anymore for moo3 and searched for another space strategy game to play while moo3 comes out... now i don't want moo3 anymore... se4 is more that i espected from moo3.

edit: the truth is that i found a demo of se3, and then like 4 days ago got se4...

[ March 09, 2003, 19:35: Message edited by: Krelian ]

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">14. I ordered a copy on Thursday...</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">15. I just didn't email you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

Heh sorry guys if i turn this into a "How did you get into SEIV Thread" but the Last post just made me think how i actually got into space empires

It was probably early Last year when i found a demo of SEII On a disc, i had tried to play it previously but i failed spectaculary and you always seemed to make first contact in the first couple of months, even on a large map

But i finally got the hang of it so after thrashing the computer on medium difficulty i searched the internet only to find their was a fourth Version (yeah i missed out entirely on space empires 3) So i downloaded the demo, i played on that for a while and loved it, then i found out about gold and downloaded that demo. I spent about 6 months saving up (buying other things as well) and playing on the demo, overwriting the stock ai with ships and wishing i had the full Version so i could play with the tylmai dreadnought, and finally i got it on christmas day and played it virtually everyday since http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

dosen't it warm your heart http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Anyway anymore atrocities recruits please post here and tell us you exist!

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So did Shrapnel, which is why they gave one for the first five or six months after Gold came out.

I personally don't think people who are still complaining about the price are ever going to be satisfied.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">There was a $15 rebate for like 6 months after Gold came out. If they preordered Gold, used the gift certificate you get in email for Christmas from Shrapnel Games, and then use the Rebate form, they could have paid only ~$25 for Gold (including S&H). But, the time for that is long since passed. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ March 09, 2003, 22:30: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

Good idea, I have received 13 emails stating that I was the reason for purchasing SEIV.

I hope it is true, and I hope to affect more positive sales for the game, but only Shrapnel knows for certain if sales have picked up or not.

And it would not be good to brag about it if indeed they have. Although, I would take full advantage of the MOO3 debacle, and push SEIV Gold.

Run a sale on all Shrapnel games for a couple of weeks or a month giving a small discount off on the price of the game or reduced shipping costs.

You can also have a game, everyone who buys a shrapnel game in month X has their name put into a drawing to get that game, or their next game for free.

Anything to drive up sales. The game sells itself, but word of mouth is the only way the game will get that chance.

As a fan of the game, I post about it on many forums, as do many others. I have seen a lot of good SEIV fan out there on other forums. I have gotten a lot of emails from Star Trek fans both complimenting me and bLasting me for my SEIV Star Trek sets. (The original ones, not the ones made up form other sources.)

So if I can get that kind of attention for this game, then I am certain other can get far more.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ March 09, 2003, 12:29: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

What are sales like for se4 gold? They have to be ok for them to still be charging the $40, at least within projections.

And I don't see any se4 gold on ebay, so there is another market to sell games through...

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

Actually, I'm a new convert, but sadly I can't say Atrocities had much to do with why. In a way, it was more of MOO3. I was really interested in MOO3 for some time, possibly due to the big hype it was getting from the strategy community. After reading much of the disappointment of MOO3, I realized that it's probably not the game I want. Not simply from the words but what the words were talking about. Even when the game was explained fully by those who defended it, it just didn't seem like the kind of Space empire strategy game I was looking for. The games I fell in love with always had your solid input about what gets made and a good bit of your direct input into matters of research and production. I don't think I'm looking for the MOO3 kind of macro-management. Not to mention, the lack of a consistant interface also turned me off. I'm familiar enough with strategy games to know that regardless of graphics, a solid, consistant, and quick enough utilitarian interface is super important when enjoying a game that gives you a certain level of control. Heck, even the ministers (automation) idea is new to me. And it seems like the setup on Space Empires is actually a nicer introduction to selective-automation.

But before I even mention about Space Empires. Let me stay on target here. I ended up just doing a web search for Best 4X strategy game as I wanted to get impressions from reviewers and more importantly strategy fans about current games in the genre. Guess what game turned up more than any other? Space Empires IV. I read a bunch of stuff about what people thought of the game and it convinced me to find the developer web page and download the demo. I wanted to see whether the game was too over my head as most people said that 4X games dont get much deeper or complex than this.

The demo tutorial made the game controls seem quite easy, and was quick to get me up to grips with how to get started (even though the tactics were left up to me to find out). So after my initial worry was quelched, I was convinced perhaps this is the game that is easy to jump into and with a complexity to make me feel I can do all the things I can imagine in Sci-fi and more. All the while, making it seem that I really don't have to do too much micromanagement of things on planets. The build and research queues are really nice, and I was delighted to see how cool building ships are, in this game. I've never seen anything where I can have such level of control on building ship designs before. And the interface on doing so is as simple and intuitive I couldn't think of better. Precisely what I'm looking for. So I placed my order.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

Well, I bought SE4 in January. I got to it through the Gold Demo printed in the Computer Games Magazine monthly demo CD. I got the reviews from the same magazine and from GamesDomain.com.uk.

And yeah, I was waiting for MOO3 too. Now I don't want to know about it. Don't need to.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

I've been posting some info about SE:IV at the trekbbs site to gather more interest about the game and the Star Trek mod, a few people have been interested so far...maybe they'll buy.

Atrocities:

Shrapnel has an affliate program, you can earn a few $'s from them for all the people you've turned on to the game http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif .

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shrapnel has said that SE IV Gold is consistently their best selling game. A few months ago, they announced that it had passed $500,000 in sales.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

I'm really thinking about getting Gold. I missed the boat in getting it for the discounted price...in chasing after MOO3, and that game is pure garbage! Well, i've been Banned from posting there under two different usernames by that NAZI Sencho...anyway...I diverge.

I didn't wanna pay for a upgrade to SEIV, but it's going to be over a year before the next game, and many of the 1.49 games at SEIV.PBW are getting few and far between. Anyway, It's a matter of principle in supporting the Malfador Guys for having the bext 4X game out on the market...hands down! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

To Aaron and crew, PLEASE don't go the route of Quarksilver...those clowns messed up one of the best games series I've ever played http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif . I'm trying to be cheap and wait for Starfury, but I'm feigning for great 4X..I'm so burnt on Xbox... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just one note: It was infogrames who ruined the game, not Quicksilver.

But nevertheless, welcome to SE4! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

HAHAHA!!!

I just got booted today, when did you get the boot? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif I kept asking for my money back and it annoyed the heck outta those clowns. SEIV rocks! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

This is a great community, and there's SO much customization that it'll seem overwhelming at times. I absolutely love this game, and was bummed by how bad a game MOO3 was, but more business for SEIV series.

Re: Promoting SE4 Gold
 

There is a related topic on Slashdot today...
http://slashdot.org/articles/03/03/1....shtml?tid=127

Someone with an account there could surely drum up some business for Shrapnel http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif