A period from 18:00 Friday evening to 04:00 Saturday morning will be designated the Friday Night Speed Zone. Speed games will be open to players on free accounts during that time.
Background:
Over the years many, many people have suggested that we should allow freemiums a limited number of speed games, which would purportedly whet their appetite for more and get them to become premium. As a secondary benefit, it is suggested that allowing this would help fill speed games for premium players too, and lead to a more satisfying experience for them.
Several variations of this idea have been tried at one time or another, but with little success. The most basic problem is that giving introductory speed games to new accounts creates an incentive to abandon accounts once their games are used up and create new ones. The simplest variant (just giving 3 or 5 introductory speed games) predictably resulted in an epidemic of multis. The next thing that was tried was to give one free speed game each month, but this also had its problems. It was technically buggy (some freemies inexplicably got unlimited free games) and it also didn't really attract a great following (I'm guessing because one speed game a month just isn't enough to really get someone hooked on it.) Nowadays we have a third variant, where newbies are given enough introductory free credits to buy a speed game pack, but this isn't working either, for many reasons: many players either don't realize they have the introductory credits, or can't figure out how to navigate the Store and buy their speed game packs, and in the end it still is an incentive for abandoning accounts and creating multis.
I've spent some time thinking about a better way to do this, and I think I have an answer.
The Friday Night Speed Zone. During that time, speed games will be freely available to all accounts including freemies. This is not an introductory offer; it will be a long-term (one hesitates to say permanent, but at least indefinite) change in policy.
Advantages:
Unlike small speed game introductory offers which get used up before a player is truly hooked, this would allow a player to play as many speed games as he could handle for the whole evening and possibly become a true addict. The small but dedicated speed game community will attest that speed games are addictive, but there is an initial learning curve and 3 or 5 games are probably not enough to get 'over the hump'.
Unlike introductory offers, this does not set up an incentive to create multis. A freemium player who has been here ten years would be just as eligible as a brand new player. Being able to play unlimited games on that night (and not on any other night) would leave him no reason to start more accounts.
Friday and Saturday nights are the slowest nights on CC, so it makes sense to create a special night on one of those (for the same reasons that restaurants put their best specials on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, which are their slowest nights.) Of the two, I think Friday is far superior, because generally speaking people often indulge their hobbies on Friday, but on Saturday they're expected to be doing something with their friends or families.
Also because Friday is a slow night, this would put the speed games at a time of low server load and encounter fewer slowdowns/crashes.
By creating this limited window, it would also have the effect of concentrating what speed community we have left. It is a frequent complaint that there are too few speed players left and games don't fill. By creating a period of increased activity, it would tend to build a critical mass and result in games filling more quickly.
The revival of the speed community might take a while, but I think eventually it could build to the point where it might spill over to other days. At that point there would definitely be an incentive for some of the freemies to buy premium accounts.
Not all freemiums, obviously, would become excited enough to join, but I think a significant number would. Even if there was only a small number of membership sales resulting it would be helpful, but I think the increase in buzz and excitement would have benefits in all parts of the site (chat, forums, monthly challenges, etc.)
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” ― Voltaire
The only problem is that it directly interferes with Friday Night Fragfest. So all the good people on this site are probably playing Doom right at that time.
Duke, I always wanted to have a speed auto tournament made (draft is somehow ready in my file) and back in the day with BW agreement to set times for start, why not using a recurrent auto tournament and based on a weekly start? no needs to have several speed games created that may not get filled and perhaps all it needs is a tournament with small amount of entries such 18 for instance and see if this work?
Let me know what you think, I even have the banner ready
Mad777 wrote:Duke, I always wanted to have a speed auto tournament made (draft is somehow ready in my file) and back in the day with BW agreement to set times for start, why not using a recurrent auto tournament and based on a weekly start? no needs to have several speed games created that may not get filled and perhaps all it needs is a tournament with small amount of entries such 18 for instance and see if this work?
Let me know what you think, I even have the banner ready
Yeah, that would complement this nicely.
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” ― Voltaire
A period from 18:00 Friday evening to 04:00 Saturday morning will be designated the Friday Night Speed Zone. Speed games will be open to players on free accounts during that time.
Background:
Over the years many, many people have suggested that we should allow freemiums a limited number of speed games, which would purportedly whet their appetite for more and get them to become premium. As a secondary benefit, it is suggested that allowing this would help fill speed games for premium players too, and lead to a more satisfying experience for them.
Several variations of this idea have been tried at one time or another, but with little success. The most basic problem is that giving introductory speed games to new accounts creates an incentive to abandon accounts once their games are used up and create new ones. The simplest variant (just giving 3 or 5 introductory speed games) predictably resulted in an epidemic of multis. The next thing that was tried was to give one free speed game each month, but this also had its problems. It was technically buggy (some freemies inexplicably got unlimited free games) and it also didn't really attract a great following (I'm guessing because one speed game a month just isn't enough to really get someone hooked on it.) Nowadays we have a third variant, where newbies are given enough introductory free credits to buy a speed game pack, but this isn't working either, for many reasons: many players either don't realize they have the introductory credits, or can't figure out how to navigate the Store and buy their speed game packs, and in the end it still is an incentive for abandoning accounts and creating multis.
I've spent some time thinking about a better way to do this, and I think I have an answer.
The Friday Night Speed Zone. During that time, speed games will be freely available to all accounts including freemies. This is not an introductory offer; it will be a long-term (one hesitates to say permanent, but at least indefinite) change in policy.
Advantages:
Unlike small speed game introductory offers which get used up before a player is truly hooked, this would allow a player to play as many speed games as he could handle for the whole evening and possibly become a true addict. The small but dedicated speed game community will attest that speed games are addictive, but there is an initial learning curve and 3 or 5 games are probably not enough to get 'over the hump'.
Unlike introductory offers, this does not set up an incentive to create multis. A freemium player who has been here ten years would be just as eligible as a brand new player. Being able to play unlimited games on that night (and not on any other night) would leave him no reason to start more accounts.
Friday and Saturday nights are the slowest nights on CC, so it makes sense to create a special night on one of those (for the same reasons that restaurants put their best specials on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, which are their slowest nights.) Of the two, I think Friday is far superior, because generally speaking people often indulge their hobbies on Friday, but on Saturday they're expected to be doing something with their friends or families.
Also because Friday is a slow night, this would put the speed games at a time of low server load and encounter fewer slowdowns/crashes.
By creating this limited window, it would also have the effect of concentrating what speed community we have left. It is a frequent complaint that there are too few speed players left and games don't fill. By creating a period of increased activity, it would tend to build a critical mass and result in games filling more quickly.
The revival of the speed community might take a while, but I think eventually it could build to the point where it might spill over to other days. At that point there would definitely be an incentive for some of the freemies to buy premium accounts.
Not all freemiums, obviously, would become excited enough to join, but I think a significant number would. Even if there was only a small number of membership sales resulting it would be helpful, but I think the increase in buzz and excitement would have benefits in all parts of the site (chat, forums, monthly challenges, etc.)
Im not a speeder, But for those who are, I think this is a great pump up idea Duka!! Hope it happens for all you free speeders! ")>
Mad777 wrote:Duke, I always wanted to have a speed auto tournament made (draft is somehow ready in my file) and back in the day with BW agreement to set times for start, why not using a recurrent auto tournament and based on a weekly start? no needs to have several speed games created that may not get filled and perhaps all it needs is a tournament with small amount of entries such 18 for instance and see if this work?
Let me know what you think, I even have the banner ready
Just to h idea and from the speed expert here, do you guys think a 32 players speed tournament would fill within 2-3 days? Or does 16 players to be what I should expect to gather? (start day to be a Friday at X time).
{Auto-Tournament has been put together, awaiting final clearance from BW as far setting a start time, if not possible then we will have to rely on fairness from player joining it and understanding the comment to read prior to join)
Auto Tournament is still under fine tune, admin is fully engaged and seems to help starting somewhere about speed event. Can't speak about the full suggestion since what Duke suggested is more than just one auto tournament, but a start point, a bandage until possibly something get implemented. At least things are moving a bit but the most important contribution to come from CC members, it is you all who can show this type of stuff needs to reborn!
If admin found the flame of speed then chances are this suggestion could make more things coming up in the near future...
