Price?

[mariandavid]

I just bought it and am happy. Like others had an OMG initial attitude to the price. Justified it to myself (not my wife!) by not buying another Matrix game that I originally intended to. And in passing (with one minor glitch) am content with my purchase and will expand on it in another forum file.

[dsawan]

yeah, looks like I have to pass. Too much for my budget and the economic downturn.[:@]

[Fred98]

How come when you lot post amounts, I never see “USD” “GBP or EUR” in you’re posts ????

ORIGINAL: hgilmer3
if we compare a $20 increase to a $60 game and then compare exchange rates of the USD to the AUD from 2006 to present.......

There is no USD $20.00 increase.

Rather, in 2006, if Panther wanted AUD $100 from US customers he must charge USD $60.00

In 2010, if Panther wants AUD $100 from US customers he must charge USD $80.00
-

[MikeBrough]

ORIGINAL: eMonticello

Dave easily convinced me to purchase BFTB in 2002, after he introduced Airborne Assault: Red Devils over Arnhem. This is one of two games that I would buy sight unseen (the other would be MajorH's TacOps x.0).

To place the pricing in perspective... In 1984, Elite was introduced with the outrageous price of £15. Translate that into today's pounds (and dollars), that is roughly £60 (using average earnings) or $87.42 US. I have no doubt that I'll enjoy BFTB as much as I enjoyed the C64 version of Elite.

Just used an online inflation calculator to work out what £15 in 1984 would be worth now. It's actually around £37 using the retail price index or £54 using average earnings. Remember, that £15/£54 included VAT and a lovely printed manual. That same package for BftB is £74.

[Xornox]

I often buy games which cost around 20-40 euros just to try them even not knowing beforehand how good the game is and how much time I will use to it.

This price level is too high for that. I am definetly interested for this game and I believe that quality is exceptional. However, I do not know how much I would actually play the game - there may be reasons why other options would interest me more. I paid quite much for WITP AE - the game is excellent but little bit too complex to get in in short time moments I can allocate for gaming. In that sense, I have not got investment back from it.

I am fan of Matrix games and happy to support this kind of niche development. This time level of pricing is just too high - unfortunately.

[AdrianWerner]

ORIGINAL: Max 86
By not buying this title you are sending out a message that it is not in a company's interest to develop these high quality games because they are too expensive . [;)]

No. I think that by not buying this game the message I'm sending is that there are limits to how much you can exploit your fanbase. This price is just too much. I realize I'm not the target audience (I buy games from many different genres and play even more that I make my living as a journalist for gaming site), but at this price I just have to check out this time. With decision like this Panther loses any chances they had for any new customers and the existing fanbase will also be thinned out like crazy. So I just hope the extra money from each single copy will offset the lower volume of units sold. I will never buy a game at this price, but there are bound to be people who do and for them to see Panther Games go under would royally suck

[goodwoodrw]

I have a simple solution, refrain from buying your next 2 games then buy BFTB, you'll probably have twice as much fun and have a little money left over for the deposit on the next game you want to purchase. [:D] [:D]
Ron

[Greyhunterlp]

ORIGINAL: BASB

I have a simple solution, refrain from buying your next 2 games then buy BFTB, you'll probably have twice as much fun and have a little money left over for the deposit on the next game you want to purchase. [:D] [:D]
Ron

I always find posts like this insulting (although this is not a personal attack, but a comment on the type of post, not the poster), as there is no way of knowing how long a game will hold anyones attention until they play it, I've bought many a game that I thought I would get hours of entertainment out of, only to lose interest after a couple of hours. conversly, I've picked up throwaway games on an impluse and sank days into them. We pay our moneys, we takes our chances. Thats how it is with every form of entertainment, be it games, music or film.

But we're not talking two games here, we're talking at least 3, maybe even 4 if I shop around a bit - and I'm talking about new releases as well, not ones that have been out for a few months. If I pick some RPG/Strat titles in there, then I'm getting more bang for my buck, as I'm all but sure to like at least one of those three games.

[jmlima]

ORIGINAL: Dale H
... other than to say that if there was a short list of games worth $100 this Panther game/ battle sim would be high on that list (& has been).

Why?

ORIGINAL: Dale H
...
Is this the end of quality pc wargaming?

If the guys doing the games expect to get the same rates as they do for they gov work, then I think it might very well be.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

IMHO, people will surely appreciate the hard work that was put into BftB and understand that this was monumental undertaking that lasted for years!

Also, good war simulations (and I call BftB that and not "game") are best value for money because they last for years and years and give users countless hours of great entertainment and learning! [:)]

BTW, other Matrix releases that were more expensive (and that also took years to develop) were the ones that are loved the most and that are lasting the most - just look at WitP and WitP-AE (and upcoming WitE)! [;)]


Leo "Apollo11"


P.S.
Yes... there is no printed manual (although you can print it and bound / staple it yourself) but there are superb info / training videos! [:)]

[Rotherman]

I badly want this game, and GGWITE too. Unfortunately having lost my job in what remains of Britain's once great steel industry, I am short of cash. I had saved up to buy this game or GGWITE, whichever was released first. Instead I bought WW1 Gold which I do not regret, it is a great game. I have just been and spent money on my other err hobby, £14 on 40 bottles of the finest cheap premium French beer. So it means something must give, and I have decided to cut down on Food, and other non- essentials. I will live on Baked Beans on Toast for a month.

[DanOppenheim]

Hello!

I've been checking the forums every day for months looking for news on progress and release dates (so I thought I better get posting now it's out). I bought the game immediately after finding out it had been released. To be fair, the price did make me stop and think for a second, but there's no way I wasn't buying it, because I do believe that the previous games have almost perfectly filled a niche within the wargaming niche: operational and real-time, with detailed yet simple control systems and with excellent AI, both allied and adversary. For me, £65 really isn't that high a price to get a game that so closely meets what I'm looking for.

And that's the key for me; £65 isn't too much because I *know* I'll play this game for at least a hundred hours (27 scenarios @ ~5 hours each?). I'll enjoy it immensely, because in my head I've always thought I'd make quite the Major General, and it gives me the environment and the tools to play out that little fantasy. I'll probably create a battle in the scenario editor using a map of my local area, because that's sort of fun (hold the pub - it's, erm, tactically important!).

I can see three PS3 games over by the TV that cost £40 each and that I've not finished and can't imagine finishing, never mind going through and checking out the extras. I bet I've not played any of them for double-digit hours. For me, I probably paid over the odds when I compare the amount of enjoyment I gained from them compared to, say, COTA. But that's just me.

Anyway, I'm rambling, but one last thing: for me the consideration of the price was is *this* game worth the price they're asking for. It didn't take me long to say "Yes". Comparisons to other games, while interesting when discussing business practices, isn't, for me, of much point. Comparing WitP, which everyone seems to be doing, is pointless for me because I'm not really interested in grand strategy - I want an operational level wargame. If I was, and I thought WitP was an excellent fit for what I'm after that would provide me with years worth of gaming (as CotA has and BftB probably will), then I'd probably pay £65 for it.

That's my hat in the ring. Hello again.

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: DanO

Anyway, I'm rambling, but one last thing: for me the consideration of the price was is *this* game worth the price they're asking for. It didn't take me long to say "Yes".

I think there has only been one poster who has suggested that game isn't worth the price; and as he hasn't played any of the earlier games and doesn't really know what he's talking about he can be safely ignored.

However, even if something is 'worth' a particular price it doesn't mean people can or will pay it. In some cases they simply don't have the money at all. In others they can't justify it ahead of other things, particularly when they have families. I'm sure far more people think a Ferrari is 'worth' the money than who actually own one as well. Everybody's threshold is different. 'Worth' can only be considered in the context of 'worth it to me', and that depends on more things than the number of hours you might spend playing it, or otherwise. Those hundreds of hours can be spent playing other games, just as a Fiat Punto will get you to the shops just as well as that Ferrari (and have more room for the shopping!)

Enjoy it. Come Christmas 2011 or whatever, I'm sure I will be too. Hopefully WitE will fill a large part of the gap; I was/am expecting a 'bumper' price for that and have budgeted accordingly.

[DanOppenheim]

Sure, that was why I always said "for me". [:)]

For me it's worth it, but for others I can see why it isn't. I can also see that some people can't justify spending that amount of money on a game when they need to be spending it on bills. That's all well and good - I wouldn't have bought it if I'd be cutting into money for essentials. I can also see that some people would rather have two other games for the same price. For me there's not really two other games that I'd rather take in exchange.

I think this game is quality. I'm willing to pay for that quality. In addition, there's not really a replacement that I can get for cheaper that will in any way come close to scratching the same itch. It's as though the Fiat Punto doesn't even exist. [:)]

[decaro]

Has anyone else noticed all the new Matrix Recruits on this thread?

[DanOppenheim]

What do you think that means?

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Has anyone else noticed all the new Matrix Recruits on this thread?

Yeah, long-time lurkers who come out of their shells. [:)]

The alarming part (for Panther) is that the majority of them seem to have registered to express that the price tag took them by surprise.

I've never seen so many viewers in a single Matrix forum (like in here yesterday), and there was a ton of new nicknames. Well, I don't frequent the WitP/E forums, so that might be another forum with similar numbers on release.
Well, on the other hand, this discussion might have shaken up the 2 communities, lurkers and active members alike, so maybe the new bubs may get involved some more, who knows.

Still, it feels like the german saying "2 steps forward, 1 step back" to me, means releasing the estab editor was a big step forward, but the price tag may constrict the growth of the BFTB community to quite some extent.

We'll see.

[Hexagon]

Well, i see matrixrecruits in the two sides, the "i dont like the price is to high for me because i dont have the money or i am not crazy to pay this price" and "f**k yea!!! where i can burn my money??? the game is too cheap for me double the price!!! this is the best thing i see after the cap with 2 sodas!!!" [:D]

PD: have more post dont do opinions better than others [;)]

[hgilmer3]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

How come when you lot post amounts, I never see “USD” “GBP or EUR” in you’re posts ????

ORIGINAL: hgilmer3
if we compare a $20 increase to a $60 game and then compare exchange rates of the USD to the AUD from 2006 to present.......

There is no USD $20.00 increase.

Rather, in 2006, if Panther wanted AUD $100 from US customers he must charge USD $60.00

In 2010, if Panther wants AUD $100 from US customers he must charge USD $80.00
-

The price is obviously not tied exactly to the exchange rate so maybe you ought to drop your silly argument about the financial meltdown.

[DanOppenheim]

I think anyone who says the price didn't take them by surprise would be lying. [:)]