My 2 cents:
1) I am going to use my wife's Paypal account to donate to PBW. I should be ashamed of myself, but she makes so much on E-bay selling excess junk that a little of that money ought to go to support my internet sites.
2) We are at the mercy of Geoschmo and the PBW admins. I appreciate them eliciting our opinions, but the real future for the PBW site is up to them. I don't even have a problem with them getting filthy rich off me for 2 reasons: this is America, and it just ain't gonna happen, the playership is so small.
3) Feeding PBW off of contributions is simple and probably sufficient if they are happy as starving artists. The boys do a good job and I respect them for adding to a great game. But for the 800 or so Users, where will we be when Geoschmo gets tired of carrying the responsibility and costs of running the server? Back to solo games against a decidely less than optimal AI? PBEM also sucks in comparison to the automated PBW service.
4) If PBW administrators want to be paid for their work (not unreasonable) and the Users want a reliable PBW service, Users should be expected to pay a fee. It's up to the PBW admin's to determine what the market will bear.
5) I would encourage PBW administrators to approach MM about supporting the PBW site even further. SEIV is MM's most successful game. But why is PBW participation so low? The PBW system is so easy to use and if there are thousands of SEIV owners out there, there should be thousands of PBW Users. I suspect this is a marketing issue. Properly marketed, PBW and MM should both be able to fuel further sales for each other's services. For example, I was introduced to this Intel Forum by the PBW site. This has raised my awareness of other game titles. I just might purchase Space Horse to play with my 12 year old. I don't propose MM fully funding PBW, just enhancing the relationship. This does not always mean cash, but cash is helpful. Both parties stand to benefit.
Re: PBW Needs you!
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