4 ms·
Our http://darkmists.org http://darkmists.org MUD has a similar position to this, especially with our niche -- fewer people want to play an online RPG for the R
by Xurinos 17y ago
Our http://darkmists.org http://darkmists.org MUD has a similar position to this, especially with our niche -- fewer people want to play an online RPG for the RP than for the PK aspects. The topic has often come up about making money from this game, at least to pay the server bills. There is some concern that once we start accepting money, we lose some of the freedom to manage rule-breaking or to involve people's characters in various RP events that may or may not be to their personal enjoyment. We can come up with ways to make the money, such as selling virtual items, but there is a certain responsibility to ensure people derive sufficient value from what they buy, such as equipment that sticks with their characters and is not easily stolen by the neighborhood thief or taken by their next killer. Still, we have enjoyed this for about 13 years without making the money; would involving money ruin that experience for us and our playerbase?
- MicahWedemeyer 17y agoI always suggest avoiding the "pay the bills" mentality. For most of us, running a site costs less than cable tv. If you want enough money to pay the hosting bills, just work an extra hour at your regular job each month. Enjoy the site as a hobby and forget about money. There's nothing wrong with that. Only try to monetize if you really want to make serious money. Otherwise, it's just not worth the hassle. As to your specific points, I try not to let people lord it over me that they're paying money. You have to assume that they knew what they were signing up for when they click the "pay now" button. A paying user complaining about something isn't much different from a non-paying user. Plus, we've found that paying users tend to complain much, much less than free ones. They tend to be fanatical supporters who also understand that I'm not going to cater to their every whim. So, don't let paying users pull you away from your vision any more than freebies. If they get too angry just refund their money and move on. The heartache (and time) isn't worth the price of 1 subscription. Plus, this is rare. I've only come close to doing it once in almost 2 years of charging subs. I was about to do it when the guy shut up and stopped complaining. He didn't stop paying, though ;)
- MicahWedemeyer 17y agoI did a writeup of this line of thinking here: http://blog.aisleten.com/2010/02/25/dont-monetize-to-cover-costs/ http://blog.aisleten.com/2010/02/25/dont-monetize-to-cover-c...