I've been thinking of doing a store concept, where if you donate you get access to some secondary things to go with Harem. Nothing critical or game affecting, but either additional content or easier access to existing content. It's not live at the moment, but what I'm really looking for in the next week or two is feedback.
Do you think that these things are enticing and fairly priced?
Is there any thing which you think I missed?
If you were on the fence about donating, will any of these incentives sway you?
1. 100% CG mode unlock. Fairly simple for me to create and maintain. Simply unlocks every scene available in current content for viewing the CG mode.
2. Unencrypted download for Harem. I usually use the standard encryption routine in VX when I release Harem, mostly just because I think that it's a cleaner way and that if I give direct access to the code it might tip my hand a bit early. But it could definitely be a donation item.
3. Non-canon scenes. I occasionally have ideas for scenes that don't really fit into the storyline, or the storyline moves away from them after I create them. Usually they just get left on the cutting room floor. You'll occasionally see evidence of them in the CG packs where there's pictures that don't correspond to any scene. I would maintain a separate, private download for Harem where those scenes exist through the CG mode.
4. CG packs. It feels odd to take something that's free and put it behind a donation wall, but the CG packs are kinda of a perfect example of something that could be donation only. Looking for feedback here, if you all would hate it, it won't happen.
5. Commission scenes - I'll write a scene for you, whatever you want. (Normal no loli, guro, scat rules would apply). Give me a plot line, as detailed or general as you want and within a few weeks I would have a new Harem package for you where that scene is accessible through the CG mode. Something which I think might also be very cool is that any commissioned scene gets put into the non-canon package, so anyone that commissions a scene or donates enough to get the non-canon scenes also gets access to everyone else's fantasy as well. Very much up to the buyer though.
What I would think of for a donation level would be something like
$10 - 100% CG
$20 - CG packs
$30 - Unencrypted download
$50 - Non-canon scenes
$100 - Commissioned scene
Please let me know what you think about the idea. The store is definitely not up yet and the non-canon/commissioned scenes may take a while to develop.
Beyond that, general news. With the holidays finally ending, work is starting to resume on Harem. The trip up the mountain is done in terms of plot/writing/scenes. Rescuing Terra is 90% done for light path for plot/writing/scenes. The dark path mirrors in this chapter so writing that will be fairly simple as well. Vanessa's arc is almost entirely plotted in my head, and Cecilia's arc is mostly figured out as well. I have a few ideas for some side-events, maybe even a quest or two in the Western Rata zone as well. Probably start testing in February/March but don't quote me on that.
And I suppose that I could do a few spoilers as well.
Happy New Year everyone!
Yup! I like 'em. I mean, lots of us will want to donate and not really care about what we get for it... but these items all look substantive enough.
ReplyDeleteI think my biggest concern is that these items don't take time up from your progress on the rest of the game :p
Other ideas I'm thinking of off the top of my head:
-Paying for you to extend a current sex scene. (Add oral to a scene w/o it, etc).
-A 'Harem Club Membership' which could have potential benefits eg get the next version a day early, beta-test, spoiler photos, etc.
- Simple one shot festive pictures (Terra in santa claus garb?..lol)
- Random small, game mods... Don't know how easy that'd be to implement... like an 'increased difficulty' mode, "you instant kill enemies instantly", or the little photos in menu of the charectors in your party change to nude ones?
- 3DCG files of your charectors. (Or would that be too much?)
Just thought I'd take a break from work and try to think of stuff...
Great work so far though ker, keep it up and happy new years!
We'll I've been working on some form of monetization with Harem for about 6 months now. That's why file-factory/rapidgator/etc are being used. But they don't work with paypal either (notice a trend here?). So instead of me trying to figure out which premium site still works through paypal/using webmoney in the US I'll be spending that time writing porn. Which is far more fun.
Delete-Interesting idea. Would probably take those on a case by case basis as the amount that would be fair to charge would be very variable.
-Nice idea. Kit's already done things like that for view counts and I have the mods for those scenes already.
-I'm reluctant to add in any more scripts to the game unless there's a huge payoff. Too many issues with 0.6a with them already.
-Fantastic idea. Might bundle that in the $30 line (start annoying music. "Create your own scenes with the raw code of Harem and the models used within!")
Thanks and ditto!
I think the commissioned scene should be more, or you set a limit to the amount of scenes. I could see you getting an overwhelming amount of requests at $100. While I love the idea of a non-canon mode with a lot more scenes, I wouldn't like them in leiu of general game progress.
ReplyDeleteIf I run into the situation where all my free time is being taken up by being paid to write porn I won't mind. Really, I won't :).
DeleteIf nothing else supply and demand will take care of that. If I get a huge backlog I'll simply increase the price until it has demand equal supply.
Hey, i would be interested in 100% CG packs (well i dont use walkthrough much and i might skip some) and the price is just right. I like the idea of scripted sex scene but to be honest 100$ seems to be as too much for me - i understand that it means a lot of work for you just for me its too much. Maybe if it would be a scene in the game itself ... but i can see the problem with keeping the game your swith your storyline :)
ReplyDeleteStill I am intrigued to possibility to have some footprint in the game so I have been thinking
- Adding minor character for a fee - lets say I wanna see GleebToo or Gleeb minor NPC character in the game / maybe with some small sex scene in more expensive option) not sure about the right cost for it and it would mean a lot to discuss between you and customer to fit the canon
- funding nice to have skipped scenes - in development there is usually something left behind maybe you could think about list of skipped things / interesting ideas and show it, price it and find a benefactor for it. Best would be with some customization options (so benefactor would get a footprint in the game)
There would be two reasons why I wouldn't want to sell access to scenes in the canon game
Delete1. Harem is free. There may be secondary side items that you can get through donations, but I don't want that to compromise the game itself.
2. It would actually create more work for me, as I have to code future events as if both the scene did and did not happen which can explode exponentially. Keeping them non-canon is easier.
A minor character would probably end up being more work for me than an non-canon scene. And again it inteferes with the game itself.
The price will ultimately settle itself, but considering I've already been told that it's too much and not enough, it might be just right.
Thanks for the feedback!
Ah I did not mean to sell access to scenes in the game itself I was thinking about way to donate the development :) with the reward for the donator would be some kind of minor customization (lets say you have NPC John in mind for some future content and you would allow donator to change the name - nothing else - so it would be NPC Gleeb in the game with the exactly or very very similar behavior / story / scenes etc you already planned) It does not actually have to be name it can be anything else allowing the donator to have some kind of footprint in the game which would not actually have any real impact on the story ...).
DeleteAnd yes it definitly means some added work but it would be paid so maybe in the end you could spend more time developing and progress faster :D
About the noncanon scenes I am afraid that this will let you to add content faster but not the main canon game :(
Interesting. I'm going to have to let that bounce around in the back of my head for a while.
DeleteAnd what I'm hoping is that the time I lose in writing non-canon scenes will be less than what I lose currently in trying to figure out the ppd market. So it'd end up being a net gain.
i'm probably gonna come off as rude, but i think paypals issue with you taking donations for your game is due to their aup actually, looking at it under aup section 2 sub-sections F and H note obscene and sexually oriented materials(respectively) as unacceptable use of paypal.
ReplyDeleteIt might be. They kinda through a laundry list at me and then said 'There are no appeals to this decision.' Which isn't a good way to do business imo. Do you know if google checkout would have a similar issue?
DeleteDid you consider flattr for donations?
ReplyDeleteThey forbid obscene material, which Harem definitely qualifies as.
DeleteGreat game Overall. I have run into a problem in the plains where I cannot go any further south because of the unpassable train tracks after capturing the merc twice.
ReplyDeleteThat's very odd. Are you sure that you're playing the 0.6a.3 version? It's been out for a few months now and I would of most certainly heard a lot more bug reports if that was the problem.
DeleteThere is no donation services websites that allow adult content. You will need to go with a payment system. IE https://www.zombaio.com/
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting site. More custom for the adult market than checkout for sure. The store wouldn't be going to live until roughly 0.6b at the earliest so I'll have to check that out.
DeleteThank you.
Damn you mate, you gotta do stuff like this when a man's down on his luck.
ReplyDelete(Cough I'm poor cough)
Aww, give ker a break :) There's lots of us who really want to give him a ten or a twenty just out of appreciation. He's said he won't charge for the game itself...
DeleteAnd really, after just finishing Elyisium... I appreciate Harem even more, seeing how it's twice as long, has waaaayy better sex scenes, and better combat to boot.
Hopefully the store will be up and running for a long time to come, so you'll be able to give when your luck has turned for the better :)
DeleteBut you'll be getting what you have for free before, the only thing that might get pulled is the CG packs which are kinda fluff anyways. The non-canon scenes would of never been part of the game, and atm I wouldn't take any request scenes. I've never released a 100% CG save nor an unencrypted version.
Elysium is a fantastic game. While there's definitely more sex in Harem, I'd consider the story in Elysium to be better and Seyser does things with global events/world dynamics that still impress me after coding in VX for over a year and a half now. It's a great game, I'd recommend that everyone play it, and I hope Seyser finds the time to continue it.
Tried Elysium before I tried Harem, mate.
DeleteTo be honest, while the beginning to Elysium is more cliched than Harem's, it pans out better, and the choices you make have more of a difference than in Harem.
However, as to which I enjoy more, I'd say Harem, as, even though a good story is nice, so is how each character is portrayed and expressed, which I personally feel is done better in Harem.
That's just me, though.
The fact that there are two characters that are route-restricted kind of makes me sad, though.
Gahhh, the completionist in me cries.
More specifically, the Rance player in me cries.
If you go this for this style of donation, how about giving the donater access to everything @ and below their donation amount? 100$ = all, 30$ = top 3 etc
ReplyDeleteBtw I don't see anything wrong with offering premium weapons/items or whatever. It's not like one players game will effect anothers :P
Also, for people that are interested in donating smaller amounts.. How about creating a list of popular ideas? That way 4 people could donate 25$ or whatever to get it done. :)
That was always the idea, but that should be clearly stated thank you. My current plan is that when you donate, you'd receive access to a website that would simply list the different download links for the accessible content. Every page would be updated for new releases and contain everything in the pages underneath.
DeletePremium weapons sounds too much like I'm punishing players who don't donate which isn't the idea here. But thanks.
So someone would pitch an idea for a scene and then you'd essentially have a kick-starter-esque link to get that scene funded? I doubt it would work. I'm not sure if someone would spend money for their own scene, but it'd be extremely rare to pay for someone elses.
And honestly, if you could get 4 people to say 'the scene is a great idea' I'd almost certainly right it, in non-canon is nothing else.
Mine could be the cheapskate opinion, but.... well, i dont think it would work. Its true that this kind of game is in a small niche section, with higher-than-average prices, and its true that harem by itself is a very interesting game but... come on, from 10 to 100$ for pictures or scenes-on-demand? The pc game market now its at its lowest price point, with relatively high quality games sold for -less- that a couple $ sometime. Yust this holydays i bought batman arkha city for 7$! Hentai games still have a much higher average prices, but we are talking about illusion-level, AAA titles. Very good, non-hentai rpgmaker titles go from 10/15 at their release to 3-5$ after 1+ years. While i would be glad to be wrong, i doubt you could get more than a couple hundreds $ with this market idea - and that if you are lucky, as i am not sure that many people would be actually paying for cgs of a relative low quality, no matter what they say. Words are cheap, especially if you encouragin an activity you like.
ReplyDeleteImho, the best way to monetize your work and what is an actually fun game would be to go legit: propose in a forum to create a full, commercial-quality rpgmaker game based on your storyline and look for competent assistents. Find an artist to draw pictures (as i assume the apparently poligonal ones you are using now are created trough some proprietary hentai game engine, which leaves open legal questions). Polish it as much as you can - gameplay is already ok, so its mostly bug hunting, graphical-sound improvement ecc; give it a reasonable price between 10-20$ and sell it. Thank god rpgmaker does not ask for a share, unlike UDK. With good advertising in literally all the hentai and anime websites and forums on the net, and a solid preview demo, you can realistically hope to sell copies in the thousands which, with a small development team, could means thousands of $ for all involved - especially you. But its gonna be a professional endeavour. Whatever path you choose anyway, best wishes =)
Thank you for the feedback, but I think you're misunderstanding the core concept. The entire store is just a vessel for donations. I've had a few people ask if there was a way to donate before, and I would like to take them. I'd much rather just stick a donate button on the side and not worry about it again. But since this is adult content, I can't accept donations, I have to sell a product.
DeleteWhy is the store as complex as it is? For the same reason that Harem exists at all. I like to take a concept, build and evolve it and see where it takes me. The prices are admittedly arbitrary which is why I'm asking for feedback on them. The only two that are set for a logical reason is the 100% unlock as donations under $10 are kinda silly and the commissioned scenes which would demand my time for a specific purpose.
As for the rest of it, frankly I already have a job. One I might call a career depending on the day. Harem is a hobby of mine, something I enjoy doing. What your describing would take way too much time and project management, neither of which I would enjoy.
I know that VX allows for commercial games, and considering the number of games that I've seen on dl-site using 3dcg for images I'd assume that's open as well.
But as I said, thanks for the feedback.
Yo.
ReplyDeleteI'mma be straight with you on multiple levels.
The first level is that I'm not a donator, so you can take what comes next with either a grain of salt or with complete disregard, at your own option.
But the next level is that when you say "I wish to accept donations, but I have to sell something to do it" and then you say "Hey, the lowest price for which I am selling a thing is $10.00", then the impression I get from you is that you're saying "Donate at least $10.00 or your donation isn't really worth my time to accept."
But is that how you want to put it?
If 100 cheapskates donate 1 dollar each, isn't that more for you than if 100 cheapskates don't donate jack shit?
I'm just sayin', bro.
Anyway, Harem's a pretty fun game.
There has to be a floor for donations. There are numerous transactional fees (some fixed, some percentage) with any kind of online store and a large part of a one dollar donation would go to the store, not to me. The $10 minimum is admittedly arbitrary but if I can think of something good for $5 I may put the floor there.
DeleteJust for example, google checkout charges 30c and 3% per transaction. There will probably be transactional fees from the payment method itself. So on a one dollar donation I'd be lucky if half of it goes to me. That is why a $1 donation seems silly to me because so little of it goes to the person you're actually trying to give it to.
Fair enough.
DeleteAs long as the floor is high enough to secure you an actual donation, and low enough not to come off as snobbish (odd though that seems when one considers the situation fully) I don't see a difficulty.
Good luck.
Hey ker i've been following your game ever since you put it on the LoK forums. I have to say that your game is awesome and that as soon as the store is up I will be donating at least 50$. Thanks for all of you hard work and I'll be impatiently waiting on 0.6b
ReplyDelete