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03-19-2014, 10:34 PM (This post was last modified: 03-19-2014, 11:27 PM by Ry Vor.)
Its been a year of enjoying Alamaze from our return from hiatus now as of March 27, 2014.
During this past year, we hope you agree we have set new industry standards for quality, value, dependability, community development, and innovation.
We have chosen to continue our practice of the lowest pricing and by far the best value in the industry, initiating modest changes to most service levels effective with subscription renewals March 27, 2014. The Scout Level Service remains at $19.95 per month, for about 7 turns a month, or about $2.85 per turn, less than half of almost any PBEM game.
Thanks for enjoying Alamaze, supporting the community, the game, and our continuing development, and please tell your friends where to find us.
See attached for details.
A note: Commander Level Service is the first at which Warlords can be tried, and a Stand-by slot becomes available. For Commander, Victor, and Imperator, the pricing table still assumes only single kingdom games (while Titan provides 6 kingdoms for 3 slots really), but the per turn column also assumes players will take advantage of 1 standby opportunity if at one of those service levels.
I don't think it is honest to assume all players will be able to take advantage of the standby position. I would assume that if someone is paying for 3 slots they are using 3 slots - so basing the chart off of that seems fair. At least add a another column for using stand by vs. not using it.
How often does a standby position even open up? I have been in the queue for 6 months and only had 1 standby game opportunity which lasted about 1 month. As far as the pricing goes it seems fair to me. My only issue with it is having the pricing change if you add a game that takes you up a level. I think some pro-rating needs to happen or some change in company policy. I think your cost per month should never change except on your subscription date. So of you add a game that takes your subscription level up then it will be reflected on next months bill. The same thing if you drop down a level. For players that jump up more than a level at a time could be charged mid month to reflect such a drastic change in subscription.
03-20-2014, 09:31 PM (This post was last modified: 03-20-2014, 09:43 PM by Ry Vor.)
Brogan was placed into a standby position in Game 120 months ago within a week or so of his request. Once you are placed, you are then out of the queue obviously, until you request again and you are eligible for another (such as at Victor level which provides 2 standbys).
The request for another column on my attachment providing notice on the prices without a standby position for higher service levels is already there - the third column, price per slot: it's just simple division excluding standby opportunities and multiple kingdoms in Warlords. How's that?
If instead we assumed a Commander and above was in one Warlords game and the rest Steel games instead of all Steel games, the price per turn would be less than what is shown on the price per turn for Commander, and much less for Victor and Imperator. Would that be more "honest"? (That really irks me, as someone whose career has been built over 35 years on his word.) Then a Commander would be $1.44 per turn instead of $1.66 as shown. Use $1.44 instead of $1.66 per turn for a more honest calculation of per turn fees at Commander. That's better.
Players have never been charged a full month's increase for joining a game above their service level mid-month. They get a mid-month adjustment, unless it is within a couple days of their last subscription renewal. And if its within a couple days of their next renewal, they don't get charged anything. So it is now $5 to increase a service level mid-month. I don't think I've even charged that in months, so I'm not sure what this complaint is based on. What is the "drastic" change referred to?
On that topic, players are not charged for an increase in service level for joining the queue for a new game, only when that game begins. So join a queue, and when the game starts, if needed, your service level will be increased.
Having not yet started a game, I can't comment on pricing or value. But I do have a question -- do many players sign up for the higher levels? It seems like the pace of people signing up for new game-slots is somewhat slow. If I were to sign on for the 3 game-slots (to take advantage of stand-by positions), would there even be 3 games for me to join?
Incidentally, I greatly admire this way of dealing with the drop-out problem inherent in PBM gaming!
I think I have adjust my service level more times than I would like to count in my short time here. Rick and team have been extremely reasonable and even gave me a break when it was up against my next months subscription. I hate to hear about pricing changes but find these fair especially with all the work involved getting these things running as smoothly as they do.
Presently it is almost 50-50 between Commander and above and those at Scout and Warrior.
The last couple games have started more slowly because I broke the queues up into new and experienced players and we also started four Warlords games recently (right after a comment about how not many Warlords games were starting).
We started more than 50 games in the year we have been operating in this new environment, including about 40% of them in Warlords and Titan formats.
There's no reason for a new player to start above Warrior. Once you are in your two games, then consider moving to Commander to have the possibility of gaining a Standby and also to participate in a Warlords game or your third Steel game.
FYI, I have invited a couple of my local neighborhood game-night buddies to join. Neither has ever played Alamaze, but they are both expert gamers in their own right. A modern professionally-run PBM game would be new for them, and so we'll see if they are tempted. If not, I will no doubt pepper them with emails describing my diplomatic machinations and military maneuvers in this first game, and perhaps tempt them to join in the future...
(03-20-2014, 10:05 PM)ixnay Wrote: 50 games is great!
FYI, I have invited a couple of my local neighborhood game-night buddies to join. Neither has ever played Alamaze, but they are both expert gamers in their own right. A modern professionally-run PBM game would be new for them, and so we'll see if they are tempted. If not, I will no doubt pepper them with emails describing my diplomatic machinations and military maneuvers in this first game, and perhaps tempt them to join in the future...
Hmmm, as of this minute, we just happen to have two remaining kingdoms in the game you are to join. Get your buds in this one and make everyone happy! You'll get 2 free weeks for two new referrals, or you can give them an extra week each. They will have to risk $19.95 each for a month.
Buddy/Ignore List
