New Year Logs!

[princec]

Let's check the Magic Logs!

                        Installed Failed Total Success Sales Conversion.
Linux ..................      260    181   441     59%     5      1.92%
Mac OS X...............      2591    473  3064     85%    22      0.85%
Windows 2000 ...........     1082    628  1710     63%    13 	  1.20%
Windows 2003 ...........       20     16    36     56%     0
Windows 95 .............        0      1     1      0%     0
Windows 98 .............      962   1072  2034     47%     3	  0.31%
Windows Me .............      317    345   662     48%     2	  0.63%
Windows NT .............        3     19    22     14%     0
Windows XP .............     5912   3163  9075     65%    67	  1.13%

Again, more fascinating stuff! Because I'm looking at the conversion ratio for successful installs where people actually play the game, it's actually showing a clear deliniation between gamers and non-gamers. The OSX market for example is usually assumed to be a lucrative one but in fact the conversion rate is 2/3rds of the XP rate. Linux users are actually the best converters!!! They see a game they want to support, they buy it!

Anyone still supporting 95? Hahaha!

And look, all those home users on 98 and ME! All things else being identical - same game, same price, same upsell - 98 and ME users were just too casual to buy my games.

My OSX success rate has taken a turn for the worse lately, which I suspect to be Webstart's fault. No matter, will fix that soon.

Once again, real life logs piss all over the myths!

Cas

[svero]

> The OSX market for example is usually assumed to be a lucrative one

Yeah but by you specifically. For instance, I never said that!

>but in fact the conversion rate is 2/3rds of the XP rate. Linux users are
>actually the best converters!!! They see a game they want to
>support, they buy it!

But are there enough linux users to warrant supporting the platform? I think that's really the main problem. Just not enough people using linux for games to make it worthwhile.

>And look, all those home users on 98 and ME! All things else being
>identical - same game, same price, same upsell - 98 and ME users were
>just too casual to buy my games.

Well perhaps. But I think it's just as likely that people with win98 and me don't have good video cards, have lousy setups etc.. and so the game generally doesnt run as good.

>Once again, real life logs piss all over the myths!

Which were those again? I don't see anything too surprising here except maybe the linux sales, which I thought would have been even poorer.

- Steve

[Ricardo C]

same game, same price, same upsell - 98 and ME users were just too casual to buy my games.

As Svero said, they might not have a potent enough system to run the game comfortably. Or don't have adequate Java support. My conclusion from reading your log would be more like "Win98-Me users have crap systems, stop worrying about them already"

Very interesting stats from the Linux users, though...

[svero]

As Svero said, they might not have a potent enough system to run the game comfortably. Or don't have adequate Java support.

Keep in mind that he said these logs are for people able to run the game. So we can assume they have the necessary drivers and software support.

[princec]

That's right. And you don't need any Java support at all on Windows to play any of the games.

The various myths that perhaps only I labour under are:

1. MacOS X is a super-lucrative goldmine. It's good, but seems to have a very different kind of player.

2. Support DOS-based Windows. I think not. Not that it matters to me because I don't have to worry about it so much.

3. Linux users are thieves and scoundrels who never pay for anything.

Cas

[Ricardo C]

Keep in mind that he said these logs are for people able to run the game. So we can assume they have the necessary drivers and software support.

You're right, I should have looked more closely.

[george]

conversion rates are pretty decent though... i think as long as you go with the tips i suggested (and others), your business will be more successful. how much? i don't know, but if we go by the numbers only, it looks pretty good...

i just had another thought:

* arcade/shareware gamers don't play web games much i think (a lot of them probably think of web games as simple card or puzzle games)

* web gamers don't play 3d-type/arcade games too much (a lot probably like simple card or puzzle games)

your web games might turn off arcade/shareare gamers because they think they are just simple java games. your web games might also turn off web gamers because they are expecting simple card/puzzle games.

this is another reason to conectrate more own downloadable games IMHO.

[FlySim]

Any idea why ~50% fail the installation?
If that could be improved you might generate many more sales.

We had problem with some AMD systems on our first release - fixed it and
noticed a decent sales improvement.

-J.R.

[SunAndGames]

Why so many failed installs? 11,147 successful, and 5,898 failed. 1% of your failed installs, is almost another 60 sales. It seems a shame to have a foot in the door (user downloads demo), and not even get a chance to make your sales pitch (user plays game).

[princec]

99.9% of failures appear to be caused simply by missing or broken OpenGL drivers. Not sure yet why OSX is faring badly right now.

Cas

[princec]

That's not quite true... I target games towards gamers, who have "reasonably" up-to-date systems. I'm not at all targeting the "portal crowd". If I only could figure out a good way I'd stop people from downloading the demo at all if they didn't have openGL drivers. Actually, I've figured out how to do that but I've not got the time to implement it just yet.

Cas

[george]

Why so many failed installs? 11,147 successful, and 5,898 failed. 1% of your failed installs, is almost another 60 sales. It seems a shame to have a foot in the door (user downloads demo), and not even get a chance to make your sales pitch (user plays game).

i think those failed installs are people who don't have good enough graphics cards, opengl/drivers, etc. ... and i think a lot of web gamers may have lower end systems and thats why they play web games because they are typically simpler and don't require the best computer...

another reason to concentrate on downloadable games. did you get my point yet princec? ;-)

[Gnatinator]

Very interesting.
Just wondering though. How could you get a "falied install" report back if everything is written in Java? Isnt the main problem with failing users just not having Java installed?

ie, If Java isnt installed how do you get your report back?

[george]

99.9% of failures appear to be caused simply by missing or broken OpenGL drivers. Not sure yet why OSX is faring badly right now.

Cas

so why don't you put a link on your website saying something like:

"if the game isn't working please downlod the latest opengl drivers"

and why don't you have a requirements section that tells the user what they need to play your games, with the links to download java and other necessary software???

WHY?????!!!!!!!!!!!!

[princec]

Java is installed with my games of course! It works basically flawlessly. The problem is all with GL drivers. Guess what! When the game fails with no GL drivers, it tells the user to contact us to tell them how to get some! And here's another thing: for every single such contact I've had (>100), I've never had a single sale. Conclusion: people without GL drivers are numpties who don't play the sort of games I write. So I can safely ignore them in future.

Analysis of my old website logs tells me that a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of visitors ever looked at the system specs. Those that know and care, already have updated systems. Those that don't have drivers, don't understand the system specs anyway. So we just got rid of them - they're a waste of time. It's just gotta work, and if it doesn't, give up. The demo is just an advert.

Cas

[princec]

See http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthr...18251#poststop
(Java is installed with my games).

george - no suprise I'm writing lots of applety games for the next few months

Cas

[george]

Analysis of my old website logs tells me that a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of visitors ever looked at the system specs. Those that know and care, already have updated systems. Those that don't have drivers, don't understand the system specs anyway. So we just got rid of them - they're a waste of time. It's just gotta work, and if it doesn't, give up. The demo is just an advert.

for god's sake tell the user what they need to run your games. every piece of software on the planet displays its system requirements! at the very least, it will save you bandwidth because users who don't meet the system requirements won't download the games...

have you guys ever seen a game that doesn't tell you the system requirements?

[princec]

Like I say, my system requirements are meaningless to 99% of my visitors. No-one has a CPU too slow, no-one doesn't have enough RAM. The complications are all in the graphics cards and they're so complicated even I don't know what does and doesn't work - and anyone who does, already has a system that runs it fine.

Cas

[arcadetown]

* arcade/shareware gamers don't play web games much i think
* web gamers don't play 3d-type/arcade games too much

You're probably basing this on the wrong type of sites. Our users are absolutely dying for great arcade/action/shooter games. Shoot I'm running out of breath saying this around here. Flipside is puzzlers get higher conversion rates so things somewhat equal out sales wise. Here's hits to each category page from a recent day. If was to look at game plays would be even more lopsided.

Shooter - 43657
Action - 35901
Arcade - 30005
Sports - 16079
Strategy - 14966
Adventure/RPG - 13036
Puzzle - 10141
Board - 8829