I’m having a bit of a pricing experiment too. The new race is $5.99, just like the last ones were. However, there is the option to get it at a discounted rate, if you are in certain circumstances, which I’m letting you decide for yourself. There are more details on the buy page, together with stats to show who took the discount (not by name, just by percentage).
The details are here: positech.co.uk/gratuitousspa … nomads.php
I think this is quite an interesting experiment in terms of games pricing. If you agree, please feel free to digg, tweet, slashdot submit, facebook like, or otherwise mention it to people. Every such mention helps, and is appreciated. Also feel free to leave feedback on the new ships.
Note that the Nomads don’t come with new scenarios, just the new ships (and a few new module variants). I figured that the real meat-and-potatoes of a new race was the ships, not a new backdrop and a new enemy fleet.
I just bought the discounted version, as I am currently in the red but couldn’t wait to test the new race. I feel like a cheap ass, but eh! At least the fact that I bought GSB twice (through BMT and through Impulse) alleviates my greed I hope.
It’s usually submitted to steam a few days after positech release, but when it appears on steam can take longer. It’s usually 1-2 weeks unless there’s some major event.
EDIT: there’s a typo in the “what the nomads expansion pack contains” section. "These ships ahve been travelling ".
Should I feel bad for wanting to go the discount route primarily because I’m unemployed? And for being able to justify it to myself because I bought all the other DLC the instant it was available for the $6 price?
Is the target painter supposed to look like a federation plasma launcher in the battles? Is this somehow related to the tribe target painter looking like a federation beam laser?
Well I purchased it at the discount price. I am on a disability currently so do not have a huge amount of disposable income and I have just taken in one (or two) abandoned cats and trying to save up $$ for nuetering/spaying.
Also I am not jumping to buy new DLC, I really prefer to play the Rebels - but I want to be able to play all the challenges. I know some who do not have DLC have that problem.
And on another note - could there not be a way that all DLC is “included” in the base game and just needs to be unlocked instead of purchasing each one and downloading it as an installer? My thoughts is that in the base game you can only pay the DLC you have paid to unlock but you still can then play AGAINST all the other DLC.
This will mean people with the base game are not restricted to challenges they can fight.
Don’t hold your breath for this one… the way the game currently works, there would be no effective way to keep the content locked; anyone who can read the Modding section of the forum and has two minutes to spare could unlock it without paying.
I’ll definitely be picking it up as soon as it shows up on Steam.
I know, I know, Steam…
Without Steam I’m sure I’d lose the game, registration key, or something like that. I’m incredibly disorganized. Steam at least lets me keep all of my games in the same place so I can’t lose them. Just one login and its all there, no matter where I am.
Don’t feel bad. And when you are employed again, maybe you can afford to pay full price for the Gratuitous Campaign or something.
The difference between the discount version and the standard version is only $3, so for 99% of everyone the standard version is still affordable. I mean, that’s less than a cup of coffee, if you drink good coffee. Or half a pack of smokes. Or a gallon of gasoline (depending on where you live). And it will last you longer and be more enjoyable than all of those things. But if you are in the 1% where that $3 makes a difference to you, go ahead and get the discount version, that’s what it is there for.
I’m absolutely in love with GSB. I’ve purchased it a number of times (some unintended, unfortunately, when I bought one of the last expansions I had a very strange sense of deja vu and believe I ordered it twice, but, oh well!)
The big question is, I know it’s just a set of data files, but, if I purchase directly, will I still get the advantage of being able to download/install it from steam when it hits steam later on? It’s more of a curiousity than anything, I doubt I can wait two weeks for it to show up there, and likely will buy it a little later on today, and then later when it hits steam. so you’ll get 5.99 and then 5.99 - whatever steam’s cut is from me. and then further purchases as I buy it for a few friends who I harass with GSB xD.
Just realised the poster above me asked the same question, oh well count it as that question + 1.
The Steam price is usually the same as the website price. The expansion will work fine with GSB on steam, I’m running it right now and have also bought the last two DLC from positech, while buying the Tribe and GSB from steam. Steam will not notice it, but it works fine.
It’s still pretty early in the process, but things don’t look good for this pricing experiment. As of this writing, more than a third of the purchasers have taken the discount… this doesn’t seem very fair to Cliff/Positech. Come on, people! Either you can afford to pay $6 for the expansion (it’s worth it, by the way… very interesting ships, and pretty too) or you can’t and you don’t buy it at all, probably. The number of people who should be buying the $3 version is very, very small.
Sure, there are people who are unemployed, on a fixed income, or with medical problems etc. which justify taking the discount. But unless you have a solid reason like that, you should be paying the standard rate. That way Cliff gets to keep on working on GSB for a while longer, and it means that future software can be distributed this way for people who are genuinely unable to pay the full price. If too many people take the discount this time, people who need the discount won’t have that option next time.
Anybody who wants a given new feature added to the game or wants something patched that may take considerable effort would do well to keep that in mind when deciding which price level to pay. The sooner Cliffski has to move on to creating a new game in order to keep himself in business and fed, the sooner that GSB stagnates. The two are most definitely linked; perhaps closer than casual fans realize. No, it’s not emotional blackmail; it’s reality.
I’m actually surprised that many people paid full price. Myself, I’m torn between supporting GSB and being frugal. The amazing steam deal was the only reason I got this game in the first place, after all!
To put it a bit bluntly, i don’t have too much reason to buy it at the $6 level. I know Cliff could use the money, but I’m pretty tight in my budget so if i were to buy it (haven’t bought yet, saving up for the Campaign maybe), I’d get it at the 3 dollar version. I suggest you read this article by Joel Spolsky, which points out that Cliff may not be losing money by this, just because a third of his sales are discount versions doesn’t mean that he’s not moving more to compensate.
Yea, I only bought GSB because I got it super cheap through Steam; I’m saving my few discretionary dollars for FFXIV when it comes out. That being said, I was incredibly suprised at the level of quality in GSB, and I have been enjoying the hell out of it. I’m digging through my budget to see if I can pull the $6 from somewhere; if not, I’ll just wait until my next pay check and buy it full price then.
Cliff, your game is one of the funnest space battle games I’ve played and I’m happy to support it.
count it as that question + 1.
The amazing steam deal was the only reason I got this game in the first place, after all!
I’m digging through my budget to see if I can pull the $6 from somewhere; if not, I’ll just wait until my next pay check and buy it full price then.