Question on the price

[DarenDF]

I was wondering if anybody knew if the game might drop in price soon or go on sale? Its been out since 2009, and while it looks like a really fun game $80 is a lot for one game.

[Shellshock]

Yes...$80.00 is a lot for one game, and I haven't heard if there is a price drop in the works.

But some people have been playing this one game to the exclusion of all else since it's release, so they could argue it's saved them money. [:D]

[Bill Durrant]

It will be the best $80 you've ever spent gaming. I owned a game once (can't remember what) which had a small program attached and you put in how much you'd paid for it and the program told you how many hours you'd spent playing and what the cost per hour had been until that time. I would guess most people are a lot less than 1 cent per hour and dropping rapidly with WitpAE

[USS Henrico]

Logically, the game keeps selling reasonably well at the current price or they would drop it. Based on observation, games get price reductions when the activity in their respective forums dry up...not the case with this game so far.

Also, there seems to be relatively little competition for a Pacific War game on this particular scale and level of detail, at least that I'm aware of. Whereas there have been many attempts to do the European Theater or Russian Front on the division/corps or even army level by various publishers, leading to lots of eventual lower prices for those games.

Though if this game were going to go on sale, it is unlikely that anyone who knows would say in advance. Wouldn't be good business practice.

[cmdrsam]

Do not be scared of the price. I too questioned the price before I purchased the game. Be forewarned. It does have a very steep learning curve. But if you have questions this forum is the nicest I have ever been part of. And I do not regret buying the game.

[wdolson]

Most game companies release their games with an inflated price, support it for a short time, then relegate them to the bargain bin while the game maker goes on to something else.  Matrix supports their games longer, basically until interest begins to wane.

This is also a different market niche from the mass market game releases.  Back when Hasbro bought Avalon Hill, I read an article about why the wargame industry was different from the mass market game industry.  The wargame industry is more of a hobby industry.  Mass market games are a failure if someone of average intelligence can't learn the basics in a few minutes.  A board wargame could take days just to read the rulebook.  With a computer wargame, you might spend less time with the rulebook, but it could still take weeks to figure out all the controls and develop something resembling a moderately successful strategy.

This is a limiting factor on the market.  Most gamers aren't willing to spend the time to figure out the rules.  When one of the big game companies like Microsoft or Hasbro releases a game, it's a pretty much a failure if the sales don't get up in the millions within weeks of launch.  A game that sells 100,000 is considered barely breaking even.

For a wargame, an all time best seller nets about 10,000 sales over a period of years on the market.  The high price pays for a game that you'll just begin to feel like you're beginning to master about the time you would delete another game from your hard drive and never play again because you've played every variation and there are no secrets left.  Once you feel like you have some mastery of the game, you will still find new things all the time.  There are people who have been playing this game every day since it's release who are still finding new things.  The game also still has active support and development going on.  There is an active beta release up on Matrix's support site right now.  no other game company I know of continues to support any computer game like that 2 years after initial release.

AE is a different kind of game from a different kind of game company.

Bill

[Kitakami]

ORIGINAL: Bill Durrant

It will be the best $80 you've ever spent gaming. I owned a game once (can't remember what) which had a small program attached and you put in how much you'd paid for it and the program told you how many hours you'd spent playing and what the cost per hour had been until that time. I would guess most people are a lot less than 1 cent per hour and dropping rapidly with WitpAE

Agree most wholeheartedly!

[jwilkerson]

Matrix does have sales from time to time ... if I had to pick a pattern ... I would say around Christmas ... but other than that ... most of the main stream Matrix games seem to start with a price and stick with that price ... so I certainly wouldn't wait for a perm. price drop!

[Cribtop]

SOO worth it and as others have said the price per gaming hour is virtually nil. Of course, the price of a divorce lawyer once you get thoroughly hooked isn't factored into those numbers. [:D]

[topeverest]

Most fun you've had with your pants on.

[Rainer]

The ongoing support - not only bug fixes but new features and many improvements - alone is worth much more than the initial price.
As wdolson rightly said, this is a very special game from a very special team.

[Shark7]

The only thing I can tell you is that other than WiTP-AE and Distant Worlds: ROTS, I have not bought a new computer game in over two years. Both of these games found right here at Matrix keep my entertained and not finding a need for new PC games. Best money on computer games I think I've spent, even at full price for both.

[DarenDF]

Thanks for all the replies, I will look into picking it up in the next couple of weeks then. ^_^ it really does look like fun even if I will have to learn to be good at it. I also like supporting devs who continue to support the game long after release.

[Mac Linehan]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

Most game companies release their games with an inflated price, support it for a short time, then relegate them to the bargain bin while the game maker goes on to something else.  Matrix supports their games longer, basically until interest begins to wane.

This is also a different market niche from the mass market game releases.  Back when Hasbro bought Avalon Hill, I read an article about why the wargame industry was different from the mass market game industry.  The wargame industry is more of a hobby industry.  Mass market games are a failure if someone of average intelligence can't learn the basics in a few minutes.  A board wargame could take days just to read the rulebook.  With a computer wargame, you might spend less time with the rulebook, but it could still take weeks to figure out all the controls and develop something resembling a moderately successful strategy.

This is a limiting factor on the market.  Most gamers aren't willing to spend the time to figure out the rules.  When one of the big game companies like Microsoft or Hasbro releases a game, it's a pretty much a failure if the sales don't get up in the millions within weeks of launch.  A game that sells 100,000 is considered barely breaking even.

For a wargame, an all time best seller nets about 10,000 sales over a period of years on the market.  The high price pays for a game that you'll just begin to feel like you're beginning to master about the time you would delete another game from your hard drive and never play again because you've played every variation and there are no secrets left.  Once you feel like you have some mastery of the game, you will still find new things all the time.  There are people who have been playing this game every day since it's release who are still finding new things.  The game also still has active support and development going on.  There is an active beta release up on Matrix's support site right now.  no other game company I know of continues to support any computer game like that 2 years after initial release.

AE is a different kind of game from a different kind of game company.

Bill

wdolson -

Very well and accurately said, AE stands head and shoulders above the rest.

DarrenDF - you will not be disappointed; please take the time to go over the AE forums, that alone will be testimony enough. Hope that you will join us!

Mac

[crsutton]

Yep, I am willing to give Matrix another $80 if they will only get me my life back...[;)]

[chesmart]

+1

[Bill Durrant]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

SOO worth it and as others have said the price per gaming hour is virtually nil. Of course, the price of a divorce lawyer once you get thoroughly hooked isn't factored into those numbers. [:D]

Actually Witp AE hasn't cost me a penny in divorce lawyers - that was all wrapped up by the original WitP leaving me lots of time to enjoy WitP AE alone and unhindered [:D]

[d0mbo]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Most fun you've had with your pants on.

Nothing like a cold shower in the morning, ey?

[:D]

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Yep, I am willing to give Matrix another $80 if they will only get me my life back...[;)]

+1....[:D]

[dr.hal]

If you think about the fact that going to a movie for two hours costs about $12-15, and the fact that you will spend HUNDREDS of hours at this game, tells me that it is about the cheapest entertainment you will find anywhere! So lay out the cash and enjoy the ride.... Hal