PBW Needs you!

[geoschmo]

ROFL!

[capnq]

< rant > It never ceases to amaze me how readily people suggest how other people should spend their money.

The total PBW user base is only a fraction of Shrapnel's sales of SE IV. Shrapnel has NO OBLIGATION to support PBW. It's nice that they do, but there's no reason that they HAVE to. < /rant >

[ September 09, 2002, 19:47: Message edited by: capnq ]

[Richard]

We actually considered integrating some of PBW into SE:IV Gold, but at the time we did not have the cash to support an extra server like this.

I think keeping PBW independent is a great thing and adds to the strength of the community. I know all of you have have played on the service have enjoyed many hours of fun, and to me that warrants supporting the server cost.

In fact I contributed awhile back myself.

[Puke]

Originally posted by Trajan:
This model is based not on the number of players, but on the number of turns played. If the cost structure where a graduated system where the more you play the less it costs per turn, then there is an incentive to play more.

i can imagine. people stacking up their build queue and research orders so they can survive a couple turns without actually playing them

I think the best plan yet is the small dollar ammount per year. perhaps premium service would be restricted to paying Users. for instance, you can play the stock game for free, but you have to pay to play with mods. or you have to pay to play with GOLD, or with patches

or you have to pay to play on the ladder, or in sponsored tourneys. PBW could host events, that are pay events. make some tourney games, with turn limits so they will end within 2 or 3 months, charge a buck a seat, kick 50% back to the winner. have a higher stakes game at $5 a seat.

combine this with the existing donation method, so that the people who want to give more than $5 a year for premium service and mods, still can.

when i measure the ammount of time i have been entertained by this game, and by the community, and the PBW service, and the quality of that entertainment compared to other games or other forms of amusement that i have paid for, and then compare the costs. even considering the copies of the game that i have bought for myself, and the copies that i have bought for others, and what i have given to PBW, im still coming out on top.

hell, having played this game for about 3 years now, im practically STEALING all the entertainment its given me.

[geoschmo]

I am not terribly keen on the idea of charging extra to use mods. It's hard enough as it is to get people to sign up for mod games.

What we are considering as a long term solution is to charge a yearly fee, along the lines of the 5 dollars you and others have suggested. The fee would not be mandatory to play however. We would start selling a limited amount of ad space on the website (Not popups. Yeech!) and by paying the 5 dollar yearly fee you would not have to see the ads. Of course this would be "grandfathered" so that anybody that has already made a donation would be paid up already. For those of you that made large donations you would be paid up for several years.

What do you all think about this?

Geoschmo

[TerranC]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
What we are considering as a long term solution is to charge a yearly fee, along the lines of the 5 dollars you and others have suggested. The fee would not be mandatory to play however. We would start selling a limited amount of ad space on the website (Not popups. Yeech!) and by paying the 5 dollar yearly fee you would not have to see the ads. Of course this would be "grandfathered" so that anybody that has already made a donation would be paid up already. For those of you that made large donations you would be paid up for several years.

I think you guys should have some "profit" to all this, to compensate for the money and time put into all this.

Also, the "profit" could be used to hold more contests , improve the server (lesser downs), but more money in the emergency coffers, improve the site, send some cheese or fruit baskets for those who contribute more than 50 dollars and other expenditures.

Monthly fees would generate too much revenue, and most of it will go to geo's grubby hands , and a yearly fee would generate not much to do this, although it would barely keep PBW alive, IMHO, and leave coffers bare in dire times.

So what I propose is bi-annualy, or quarter-annually (forget the Proper words for both) fees of about 3-5 American dollars, which should generate enough to not just keep it flying, but rather to keep it flying and attach another couple of rolls royce engines on it

[geoschmo]

If 300 people paid the 5 dollars a year that would totally cover the expenses plus leave enough to replace the motherboard or another critical part in the event of a failure.

If we go with the ads as well that will make up for anyone that doesn't contribute their five bucks. And they w1oiuld not be seen by those that do.

We of course would still accept larger donations if anyone feels so motivated, and those can be used for upgrades or additional sevices that seem like they might be a good idea.

Geoschmo