Hits vs downloads, customers locations, download.com, downloads falls

[Pogacha]

Hello,
With the time I have accumulated some questions but I'm not sure to open 4 threads at the time ... so here they are packed in a single post:

My first game Dylo's Adventure (http://www.southwindsgames.com/site/games.php?brief=da), had a very soft release.
I first presented it in spain (in the stratos forum) to test it.
Two weeks later here.
Then in some download sites.
The 29-6-6 mac.com add a link to us in its download section.
The 8-7-6 Terin sent press releases.
The 13-7-6 I submitted the game to download sites.

We were having an interesting numbers of downloads (more than I was expecting) but a really low convertion rate.
-Ok, I though ... -it's a platform game and it's the best it can do.

It's really a hard work to have downloads, my traffic is continuously growing but it takes to much work to maintain downloads :mad: .

1st question:
Two days ago I finally had access to the servers logs, and I found that only the 60% of downloads were completed :eek:
This means that the conversion rate is average, so I'm happy with this, but I'm really disappointed with the low number of downloads :( .

What does it means that only the 60% of the downloads were completed?
Is this normal?
Or It's a server problem maybe? I had a 1Mbit connection and it always download fine for me.


2nd question:
I've read that most customers (75%) are from USA. But I only have 33% from North America, most are form Europe, Oceania and South America. I didn't expected to sell in South America :eek: .
Why most of my customers are not from USA?
Does anybody had the same experience?
Could be something referred to my language skills?

3rd question:
I'm afraid of download.com, 99$ is money in my country and I cannot go for it if I'm not sure about that at least I'm going to have 5 sales from it.

How many downloads you can reach (or do you think I can reach) from a platform game in Download.com?

4th question:
The game is selling well ... or bad, mmmh I don't know, if these two month sales maintains their number for a year it would be perfect ... if sales stop now I'm broken!

So, If you suddenly stop promoting your game, you just sit and see how downloads start falling (beacuse you can't do anymore or any other reason). How does downloads fall?
Sales stop slowly or faster?
There is half life value? (the math term don't name me a valve's thing)
The number of sales and downloads I have doesn't let me extrapolate to find it. And I don't want to try myself, the question is: If I sell well in the first month, should I expect more?
If someone has a math figure to share it would be great!

Thanks!

[soniCron]

What does it means that only the 60% of the downloads were completed?
Is this normal?
Or It's a server problem maybe? I had a 1Mbit connection and it always download fine for me. That's about average for me, as well. Most of my canceled downloads are from dial-up connections. Around 92% of the broadband downloads are completed, but I estimate about 75% of those ever get installed and run.

[Jack Norton]

Some quick replies:

1) Dialup users can use download manager so they split the file in smaller pieces. Doesn't mean that the download wasn't completed. Without a tracking system is IMPOSSIBLE to know exact numbers.
2) With the USD worth just little more than zloti, european customers can buy for cheaper prices, and so buy more
3) you can submit for free
4) the release's month is normal to sell from 2x to 5x times what will be in the subsequent months (hope this doesn't discourage you too much)

Some games just stop completely selling after a short period of time, other keep selling for years :D

[LilGames]

I just checked out your website, and there's something seriously wrong with your web hosting. First, your page formatting didn't appear, and all but a few of your images didn't show up (broken image link icons instead). I hit reload and your page appeared MORE normal the second time, but still missing some images.

Now, if your hosting / server is so poor that just viewing your web page has problems, I would imagine that many attempts to download the demo would fail too. That should explain your 60% stats there. So solution: Find a solid web host.

As for Download.com, they are FREE. You don't HAVE to pay for their $99 service in order to get listed.

[stiill]

I just checked out your website, and there's something seriously wrong with your web hosting. First, your page formatting didn't appear, and all but a few of your images didn't show up (broken image link icons instead). I hit reload and your page appeared MORE normal the second time, but still missing some images.

Hmm, it's working fine for me, so it looks like the problem's intermittent.

Anyone have a decent script for repeatedly testing time to download a page, and logging the results? That'd be a great way for people to keep an eye on their hosts.

[soniCron]

Anyone have a decent script for repeatedly testing time to download a page, and logging the results? That'd be a great way for people to keep an eye on their hosts. http://www.pingdom.com/

[Nexic]

60% is pretty standard.

When you release a game you will find a lot of non US sites linking to you, but as far as actual sales are concerned you will probably find most do come from North America since people from there convert much better.

As someone else pointed out, you can submit for free.

Your sales and downloads will drop as your will find yourself falling down the lists on download sites and portals. How much by is a hard one, my early games saw a fair number of sales in the first month then almost none in the later ones. This was because my site didn't have much of it's own traffic, so the release exposure made up almost all of it. These days the first month only has a bit more sales than later ones.

So I can't really say much other than, see what happens. Because you can't predict anything in this biz!

[Pogacha]

The location of customers is not really a problem for me, but the VAT thing is pain in the ... , and when more than the half of them have to pay for it :(

About the site ... I'm going to make more tests but there is not too much to do. I would believe that the 60% download/hit is a common thing.

I'm already waiting to be listened in download.com.

And all the cost of the game were covered, but I need 4x sales than what I have right now in total to pay my work time. I guess that I have to do my best and wait to see what happens.

Thanks to everyone.

[tewe76]

but the VAT thing is pain in the ...
I'm not sure about this, but when i set up my game on Plimus, i asked support regarding check or uncheck "Electronic Delivery Only", and they told me literally: "If you are going to offer a physical CD DO NOT check "electronic delivery only". And, if you are not selling an "Electronic Delivery Only" product, then you don't need to collect VAT.
Really not sure about this (in fact it sounds strange), but that's what i've understood.
I know you're using Plimus, and i think you are not offering CD. I think you should.

[jwc]

Be prepared to explain it well also to the taxmen.
You don't need to collect vat on a CD, because usually get taxed when arrives in the state (at customs).
You can simply add the VAT to the product price. Everyone is doing it now.

[Olivier]

Did I read VAT (http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l31044.htm)?