Making the Game Profitable for the Developer

[hookoa]

Disclaimer: I haven't played for a while, so I don't know if station designs have changed much, etc.
Also, I'm not suggesting that the main storyline should be anything but free.

1. Maybe corporate stations can occasionally display real ads. I know people don't like ad banners in games, but I wouldn't care so much if a laptop ad or a drink powerade ad appeared on a corporate outpost billboard.

2. Maybe in Eridani, where the Domina station used to be (way out in the outer belt, around the blue giant), put a star gate to a system with a bunch of floating billboards thanking paid sponsors, and have a small, non-game breaking incentive to visit. Say 2k credits, or a free system map, a dozen fuel rods, a basic auton, or any small trinket.

3. A 99cent mobile app game that serves the quad purpose of income for the developer, more Transcendence for us, a way to expand the backstory of the universe, and to lure more people to the canon storyline, which means more chances to sell cc and other upgrades.

There used to be a game called ArchSpace or MagellanWars as different companies owned it. You built and outfitted fleets, designed defensive formations, or attack formations, gave orders to your fleets, and then tasked your armada to attack another player. Once you clicked go, your fleets would engage the enemy to the best of the commanders' abilities, crew morale, and ship abilities. Something like this might be very possible with shrunken sprites and done on the ship and fleet level (not fleet and armada). It could give players more insight to the commonwealth/Ares war. The following youtube video shows combat in the ArchSpace battle viewer (a java app in a browser). I know I'd pay for this game. Also if this were ever made, and the app sent you a code that adjusted your transcendence run through based on your cw fleet vs ares battles, I'm pretty certain most of us would happily buy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH4BOs6crDs

Again, we all appreciate the free main story arc. I just wanted to brainstorm with y'all on ways to make it easier for George to spend more time building the game we love.

If anyone else has ideas, definitely post them below.

[george moromisato]

Anacreon is something like what you describe of ArchSpace (at least the combat portion). Plus Anacreon is built from the ground up to be massively-multiplayer. I think it needs a lot of work (I've only been at it for a year, compared to 10 years for Transcendence) but I think it has potential.

In the past we've talked about adapting the Transcendence engine for an RTS game. I don't think it would be that hard to do that. Then we could have a whole series of large battle scenarios (Fleet vs. Ares, etc.)

Also, I've always wanted to do a CSC scenario in which you control a carrier and give orders to your ships (via RTS mechanics). However, the Fleet being what it is, there is risk that your pilots will disobey, depending on what you order (maybe they don't like attacking civilians, or maybe they like it when they can loot their kills--it depends). You, of course, receive orders from Admiral Decker, and he might sometimes ask you to sacrifice for the greater good of the Fleet, in which case you may have to decide whether to follow his orders.

Lastly, I still think a self-contained Battle Arena game would be cool.

[RPC]

Also, I've always wanted to do a CSC scenario in which you control a carrier and give orders to your ships (via RTS mechanics). However, the Fleet being what it is, there is risk that your pilots will disobey, depending on what you order (maybe they don't like attacking civilians, or maybe they like it when they can loot their kills--it depends). You, of course, receive orders from Admiral Decker, and he might sometimes ask you to sacrifice for the greater good of the Fleet, in which case you may have to decide whether to follow his orders.

Can this be the next paid DLC? >:D