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Future plans.. ?

kipanderson

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Hi,
May have missed this.. but cannot find any thread explaining the future plans for Command Ops.
Given your move to new publisher there will for sure be a Master plan.. ;).
All here I am sure are hardened to “it’s done when it’s done...” from you and other developers for very good reasons none would argue with.
But are we allowed to know the schedule.. if things go well.. order of possible releases and possible whens.. ? ;).
Looking forward to lots and lots more versions of Command Ops..
All the best,
Kip.
 

Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor

Panther Games Designer
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There's a master plan here somewhere. I'm sure of it. ;)

We are still debating with LNL some aspects. But basically the plan is to release Command Ops 2 followed by the Med, KOAD and Westwall packs. After that the sequence and options have not been set in stone. High on my list is an east front pack.
 

kipanderson

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Dave, hi,
“There's a master plan here somewhere. I'm sure of it.”
That made me laugh.. !
BTW.. when you say Command Ops 2.. is the first release not scheduled to be Eastern Front anyway?
Thanks..
All the best,
Kip.
 

kipanderson

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Dave, hi,
Thanks.. Crikey that is a new approach..
Will be fun.. looking forward to it..
All the best,
Kip.
 

luigi

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We're going to be separating out the engine from the data content. The data content will be released in their own modules. They will require the engine but not come with it.

Hi,

Could you elaborate a little?

I am not sure if I have understood correctly. As a user, with the new selling method,
1) I could buy the engine alone (not very useful by itself);
2) " " new scenario packs;
3) " " updates to the old scenario packs I already own (at a portion of the price).

Is this right?

Thanks
Luigi
 

john connor

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LOTB is Legends of the Blitzkrieg, which Dave hasn't mentioned - the platoon level iteration. Is that shelved, Dave?

I look forward to everything, of course. But top of my list would be an EF pack. The game - and a huge body of EF fans, I think - cries out for that.
 

Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor

Panther Games Designer
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Hi,

Could you elaborate a little?

I am not sure if I have understood correctly. As a user, with the new selling method,
1) I could buy the engine alone (not very useful by itself);
2) " " new scenario packs;
3) " " updates to the old scenario packs I already own (at a portion of the price).

Is this right?

Thanks
Luigi

Luigi,

What we are considering at the moment is providing the engine as a standalone product with three or four scenarios. These would basically be the tutorial plus a couple of samplers. In other words it would be enough to give you a taste. The modules (scenario packs) would have 12 to 15 scenarios each and cover some particular operation. These would be separate products but require the engine to run.

We are currently having a discussion about whether to release the engine for free. You would still have to register and get a serial number. You just wouldn't have to pay for it. We would make our money to cover development costs on the modules. If we update the engine to fix a few bugs or do something minor then there would be no charge to update the modules. However, if we provide a significant new feature then we would charge an upgrade fee for the modules. How much would depend on the effort that went into the feature development.

The advantage of this approach is that it would remove the huge development hurdle between the release of new modules - so more data. It also provides a lot of flexibility for releasing more updates more quickly. We would aim for one or two significant updates per year, with as many minor ones as needed. Another advantage is that by giving away the engine it effectively acts as our demo. So we don't need to maintain two separate products and it will always be up to date.

We are still discussing the pricing of the modules. As a rough rule of thumb, I am looking to charge $2 per scenario - smaller ones could be charged at $1 and larger ones at $3. The really huge ones in the KOAD pack would probably be charged at $4 each. This would see your average module work out at $25 to $30. Remember that this has to cover the cost of development for both the data and the engine. Upgrade pricing, as I mentioned, would depend on the amount of effort invested into the new features. It may vary from a few dollars per module to a more significant amount for something really big. We would not envisage this ever going above 50% of the normal price of a module. For those people who own multiple modules we could look at a bundle upgrade deal.

Please be aware that this is not official. We are still deliberating.
 

luigi

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Dear Dave,

thank so much for your reply.

For what is worth, I really like the way you are going to sell the game.

Best,

Lugii
 

Daz

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I think you should charge for the initial purchase of the engine, even if its an arbitrary amount.
This is because you have released the ability for people to make their own custom content, so what's to stop someone from getting the free game engine, then just playing user made content, without purchasing any of your scenarios?
I don't really see the need for a Demo, if you keep the initial purchase price reasonable.
Maybe make a video to show the latest features, and gameplay elements just to update the excellent tutorial ones you made for the last version.

I love the idea of the twice yearly new features, and will be more than happy to purchase these new modules as they are released.
 

kipanderson

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John,
“But top of my list would be an EF pack. The game - and a huge body of EF fans, I think - cries out for that.”
Something we agree 100% on.. :).
All the best,
Kip.
 

SSG D

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Dave,

I am new to the game and really appreciate the Macro approach. Will time spent learning Command Ops 1 be useful in Command Ops 2?
 
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