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[Notch]

Congrats on the big success Notch!

Any plans to write up how you promoted minecraft and got to this spot?

Thank you!

And I didn't! I posted a thread about it on this forum and on javagaming.org, and that's about it..

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

what about the free weekend, the coupon to let friends buy it at a lower price, and stuff like that? that's still promotion of sorts. i don't think it's an accident that a large boost of sales followed the free weekend, for example

[Vino]

Also he has a blog, a twitter, is involved with all of his community, and updates (or tries to) every friday. Those are all different forms of marketing. Ultimately though it's having a product that people want to tell their friends about and share that got him where he is. It's not hard to go through those threads without seeing screenshots of people's stuff.

But he doesn't reply to my emails! (Not that I blame him)

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

yeah i think the 'i made this' is a big factor: a lot of people play the game just for the stuff they can make and show to others, which gets others wanting to make stuff in it too

[gambrinous]

Also when did you decide to start charging? I think this was an important step (that say Dwarf Fortress could have done)

[Eraser]

what about the free weekend, the coupon to let friends buy it at a lower price, and stuff like that? that's still promotion of sorts. i don't think it's an accident that a large boost of sales followed the free weekend, for example

I completely agree with this. I played classic and was never really interested in Minecraft until I discovered just how much there was to do in the latest version (via the free weekend). This caused me to immediately buy the game when the server came back online.

Also, maybe make or find a new video for the homepage? "Wee rollercoaster..." doesn't say much about the game.

[moi]

i think you guys also overestimate how long it takes to post a forum post; let's say i post 10 posts a day on average (it's a bit less), and each one takes 2 minutes to write: that's only 20 minutes a day spent on the forums

Paul just admitted he doesn't read other peoples' posts.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

it takes a few seconds to read a post (i speed read and can read a 1000 page book in a few hours), so that part of it is negligible by comparison to the type it takes to type out a reply -- but let's say reading them adds on another 10 minutes a day. half an hour a day is not a big sacrifice if it means keeping in contact with other indie developers

[fish]

hey look!
paul somehow made this thread about himself!

notch created a monster hit, but paul can read a 1000 page book in a few hours!

AWESOME, PAUL!

[s0]

I like Minecraft.

[deathtotheweird]

hey look!
paul somehow made this thread about himself!

notch created a monster hit, but paul can read a 1000 page book in a few hours!

AWESOME, PAUL!

this is a very mature post.

[Notch]

Is this thread derailing?


.. it's derailing, isn't it?

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

fish is right, i shouldn't have replied to moi, was just a bit defensive there against his teasing.

tho i think everything that has to be said about this subject has been said, so it'll naturally veer into other subjects. what else is to be said about the topic? i'll suggest a few more variants on the main topic:

1. is preselling during alpha with access to the game always a good idea? i'm not sure it works for all games, since a lot of games just aren't fun until a certain point, and because a lot of games are meant to be played once through rather than over and over.

2. was minecraft's price too low/high? would it have sold better at $20 instead of $10, or at $5? considering the number of people who bought it minor price differences would make a big difference.

[Hangedman]

For such an emergent game, with new ideas emerging not only in random generation but also in development and also from the fanbase, alpha access makes perfect sense. The game isn't done, but this was a game that will have always been and will always be (excepting game-breaking bugs) entirely playable, and continuously playable. A game that is visibly limited because it is not done yet would foster resentment or impatience, and a game that didn't have much replayability would just make people wonder what the point of early access is.

As for the price, well, I think 5€ may have sold more copies but probably not more than twice as many, and any higher amount would likely have brought not necessarily scorn (as in VVVVVV's original price) but sheer indifference: people wouldn't be as receptive to suggestions about the game's quality if it appeared to cost more.

Also, €10 is a nice round number. 

[Christian Knudsen]

Games where the engine itself is somehow interesting or impressive are probably good candidates for alpha presales as well (and alpha downloads, since you can presell a game without offering anything to download). Overgrowth seems to do well with its presales because it's a new 3D engine (actually, are there any numbers on Overgrowth's sales? The Indie Bundle sold gangbusters, but I wonder how much they make from preorders of Overgrowth itself...).

[KM]

Is this thread derailing?


.. it's derailing, isn't it?

Let's hope it doesn't derail, fall off a bridge and land on a bunch of cute baby seals at a zoo. Also you can say thanks to me for helping to derail the thread with even more off topic comments. :D

[Christian Knudsen]

Also, €10 is a nice round number. 

If you pre-purchase now during alpha, you pay just €9.95!

[KM]

Why can I never purchase anything for $10.01?

[phubans]

A Cute Indie Love Story 

(I'm the red PAUL, btw, Eres is blue)

PAUL says:
 what would you do if phil fish finally revealed that he was really just secretly attracted to you this whole time?
Paul says:
 nothin
 i don't think he knows me enuff to be attracted to me anyway
PAUL says:
 don't be so modest.. maybe you drive him crazy with your online persona
Paul says:
 o
PAUL says:
 haha, am i making you blush XD
Paul says:
 o
PAUL says:
 it's okay.. i think you and fish should pursue this
 put the past behind you, and embrace your true selves

Wouldn't that be a cute ending to this conflict? 

[KM]

o