pricing poll...

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » 14 Mar 2006, 16:13

big discussion on Steel Beasts Pro PE. as you all know it is priced at $125. i would like to know how many of you would buy it and at what price point...without any pricing reservations. please be serious, and do some research if you do not know anything about it. everyone's opinion would be nice...even if you are a visitor here. keep in mind this is about pricing the sim, if you are not normally into these type of games/simulations pretend it if for the just-about-ultimate game of your favorite genre.

http://www.steelbeasts.com

http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... 000732;p=1

http://www.tanksim.com/reviews/steel_beasts_pro.htm

remember that a "normal" PC Game goes from $40-50 nowadays...

Gator · Post by **Gator** » 14 Mar 2006, 16:47

I put down 80-100 ... i figure a game like GR (the original) was like $40 plus we all got the expansions at $20 each and that totals $80. So, if you had a game that was of that level of playability and replayability (heck, how long have we been playing falcon and OFP), I would invest that level of money.

Grifter · Post by **Grifter** » 14 Mar 2006, 17:47

I put 60 to 70. I hear what Gator is saying, but still I wouldn't want to invest that much money up front. what if I have a problem with the game etc. No 70 bucks is really the limit. Anything more, I'd hesitate to buy it ( probably would, but not without some reservations). I would never buy it for 125. First of all, I'm a flight sim guy. Second of all, that price is just outrageous and I wouldn't want to set a precedent for the company or other companies.,

KODIAK · Post by **KODIAK** » 15 Mar 2006, 09:08

As a one-off I am likely to pay that sort of money, given the origins of the software, and hence it's 'apparent' pedigree. In comparison to the standard PC game/simulation available though, I would then expect a very good level of support for the product. Free patching, and, to a point, free upgrading too. Although I DO understand that I won't see something for nothing!
Grifter's point of 'setting a precedence for pricing of future products' is definitely a valid one. And needs careful consideration in conjunction with what I have mentioned above.

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » 15 Mar 2006, 10:55

updated my request a bit...

Softball · Post by **Softball** » 15 Mar 2006, 11:03

I chose $125, well frankly, because that's what I paid for it. My reasons are as follows.... I look at it this way, the average game today is $40-$60 depending on what version/platform you buy it on. $125 is the cost of (2) games(Whether they are crap or not), you are supporting further development of the sim, and they will be giving us free updates/additions to SB Pro PE as the sim progresses (So they say). You are also paying for a proven SIM, that nearly replicates exactly what it would be like in a RL tank, minus the heat, noise, long hours, boredom, etc... .

If I were on a limited budget and could not afford to buy games/sims like I do, then I would have to reconsider. If a game or piece of hardware is worth the cost(Good sim, going to be playing it with friends, etc), then I would just save up the money over a few months time and get it when I could afford it. It also depends on the person that buys the sim. They would obviously have to like that type of sim, as Grifter said, he's a Flight sim type person and may not like being a tanker. Myself, I am a ground pounder for life and like almost all ground combat type games. I loved SB1 and I love SBPPE just as much if not more. SBPPE is not your jump in the seat and instantly master the tank type of sim, it takes lots practice and good tactics to succeed.

It's funny how we can debate over the cost of a $125 "sim", when nobody hardly flinches at running out and buying a $300+ video card, CPU/MB, etc.. that will last but a couple of years and become obsolete with todays technology. The best $40-$50 I ever spent on a game/sim was when I bought OFP. That game is nearly 5 years old (still going strong) and I still play it to this day. That's $10 a year, NOTHING can beat that for entertainment value.

Is SBPPE worth the $125 price tag? To me, yes. SBPPE is a perfect example of what a $125 sim should be. It has unlimited replayability, it's a hardcore sim, it has decent graphics, it has MP COOP (In the same vehicle! ) and you get to blow sh*t up!!

PanzerMeyer · Post by **PanzerMeyer** » 15 Mar 2006, 11:05

I'd buy it at $60-$70. No more.

If the high price ends up hurting sales then maybe the next game should be made by an Eastern European or Russian developer to cut down costs.

Jedi Master · Post by **Jedi Master** » 15 Mar 2006, 13:00

Same here, $60-$70.

That's more because while I enjoy doing it in OFP, tanking isn't THAT important to me. So ANY ground sim or FPS I would hesitate to pay over $70.

For a flight sim, if it had everything I wanted, I could see going to $100, but that's my max. I just doubt that a game costing that much is going to be twice as good, or that I would necessarily play it twice as long.

KODIAK · Post by **KODIAK** » 15 Mar 2006, 13:00

Agreed! I'm now looking more for something that will do as advertised. It claims to be a hi-fidelity simulation. I, by way of purchasing the item, am looking for something that simulates to a high degree of accuracy. Take for example, GR - go play sniper. You'd like to indulge all the theory you know about ballistics of the weapon (round type, charge etc.,) and your environment (windy strength & direction, precipitation etc.,) i.e. hit probability of that particular shot. Now take the shot! Now it's time to melt away before you location is discovered - ever wonder why snipers only take one or two shots before re-locating? I want the sim to demonstrate that sort of behaviour, because in general it is accurate. The next "Falcon4"? Say perhaps FO delivers, I am looking for it to surpass Falcon4's levels of accurate simulation of flight modelling, weapon modelling and behaviour, and it would also be nice to see the accurate behaviour of AI and their own equipment. Yes, agreed that it can all be a shade overwhelming at times. But if you're looking for it to be easy, then you ain't simming, you're gaming!!
I have had a difficult time dealing with Dangerous Waters, and had to simply put it down for a while. Thing is that I know I want to learn to p-lay it better. And in good time, I will get back to it. And probably AFTER I've re-read the manual and watched the demo for the sonar a million more times. :lol:

PanzerMeyer · Post by **PanzerMeyer** » 15 Mar 2006, 13:40

Kodiak, the best way to learn Dangerous Waters is simply to sit down in front of your PC and actually play it! Jedi and I should be doing some Dangerous Waters tomorrow night and you are more than welcome to join us.

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » 15 Mar 2006, 14:38

i agree about OFP! i think to some degree SBPPE falls into the same category. folks that bought SB1 are/were still playing it until release of SBPPE if they are buying it. the cost - if you want to look at it that way - just came down a lot on SBPPE. not a lot of games/sims have that kind of replay value. how much do all of us spend on individual games in a year? SB1 was released in 2002...and was pretty much active for 4 years (3.5 is more accurate). if SBPPE is active for 2 years, then $62.50 a year is not bad.

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » 15 Mar 2006, 14:39

hmmm...i would like to see some ELH folks give their opinion as well!

KODIAK · Post by **KODIAK** » 16 Mar 2006, 14:23

Kodiak, the best way to learn Dangerous Waters is simply to sit down in front of your PC and actually play it!

. . .well, sitting down infront of the PC has never been my problem. Keeping my head off the keyboard, now that is proving to be difficult right now. :lol:

Tach Deneva · Post by **Tach Deneva** » 16 Mar 2006, 14:59

I pretended it was the just about ultimate game for my favorite genre - and still voted for the minimum amount. I'd happily pay more later (expansions, online fees, or whatever) IF the game turned out to actually be good and mostly bug-free. I don't trust game developers/publishers anymore. Been burned too many times with too many games that are unfinished, bug-ridden pieces of crap.

TD

Mooseman · Post by **Mooseman** » 22 Mar 2006, 16:54

Voted for the $60-$70 bracket. Seems like a fair price for a game with a lot of content, but like has already been mentioned, it's a lot to invest up front in one piece of software. SB's point about comparing software and hardware prices is a good one, but the way i see it (and please feel free to shoot me down if you disagree

) is that ok $300 is a lot to pay for a gfx card that will be in all likelihood be replaced in 2 years time, but it is the going rate. $125 for a game, to me at least, is off putting due to how far away it is from the pricing of other gaming software.

KODIAK · Post by **KODIAK** » 24 Mar 2006, 13:07

I certainly wouldn't like to see that price being set as a precedent myself. What I am saying is, I am prepared in certain circumstances to fork out extra cash for the right product. The product must reach higher standards though to be worthy of that privilege. SBProPE claims to reach those standards. The same could be said of FighterOps potentially - the team putting that together claim it will be the mother of all sims to date. In that respect, should it attain those standards, I may be prepared to shell out more money that normal in order to have my slice of the pie.

KODIAK · Post by **KODIAK** » 02 Apr 2006, 01:41

At that price I expect to see decent support, and a fair amount of patches and the odd add-on thrown-in for good measure sometime in the relative future from release. Time will tell as always.

Buffalo Six · Post by **Buffalo Six** » 04 Apr 2006, 15:10

I dont remember what I pickd price wise (I was the 3rd vote) but I think it was the mid-range price 60-70ish.

After being burned by shitty software for MW4, MC2, CFS2, CFS3, IL2, IL2FB, IL2FB+AEP, and that damned IL2FB+AEP+PF, Raven Sheild, RS:AS, SH3...and the list goes on and on........I am not very impressed with high dollar games with crappy support as I once was. I mean look at it this way, MS Flight Sim 9 (the current version....FS-X is due out later this year or so) cost about $49.99 or $59.99 if you got the collectors box. MSFS is about the best fight sim experence out there short of actual real flight and real, full motion sim time. By the time you add all the free content/planes ect and the payware stuff, it is outstanding.

This thing might be techincally (ballistics etc) brilliant but the graphics look like mid 90's M1 Platoon Commander stuff. Hell the game might be excellant for team play, but you know there will be fights for the gunner seat and the TC....who wants to get stuck as the driver?

Now to put it in modern terms....thats 125 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers or 125 KFC Bufflao Chicken Snackers....or for my current time and money wasting hobby.....a complete bolt/bolt carrier group.....2/3s of a complete lower recevier......several hundred handloads.....10 gal. of unleaded (ok that was a streach)

But if enough people decide to get it and find it a good bug free game, I will consider it, because I enjoy playing with the guys here.

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » 04 Apr 2006, 16:09

Buff,
the graphics are much better than M1 Tank Platoon. You must be looking at SB 1 screen shots. they are not top nothc compared to newly released sims, but they are definitely more than adequate.

not really any bugs to speak of that i have seen save one that Softball encountered (a few others as well) - the cd could not be read in some drives. there are workarounds however.

here is the support forum:

http://www.steelbeasts.com/index.php?na ... c2c5cf0552

most are probably user related.

i can highly recommend the game/sim. 3 of us have it now, so far.

Softball · Post by **Softball** » 05 Apr 2006, 01:13

I will be posting some screenshots and a video from tonights mission. Check the Misc. Ground Forum to see them. There are some objects that could look better (Troops, water), but for the most part the graphics are not bad at all. Almost realistic looking in some areas.

There will likely not be a fight for the gunners position, as most missions have multiple platoons of vehicles. You can jump from vehicle to vehicle, at will, in any mission(There is a catch, see exception below). Say you are on an overwatch position and there is no action in your sector, you can jump to a platoon that has some action and jump right into the fight. If another human is in the vehicle, you will not be able to operate whatever position they are in.

There is one exception to vehicle switching, there is a chance that the mission designer will not allow ALL vehicles to be controllable. Thus you would be able to switch to the vehicle, just not control it.

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pricing poll...

At what price would you purchase SB Pro PE?

pricing poll...