How much will No Man's Sky cost?
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The Wheel of Fortune
Member
What some users (on this thread and the one about The Witness' price) don't understand is that thinking The Witness is not worth $40 is not the same as thinking indie games cannot cost more than $20 bucks. It's really funny how some of them even get mad because of it, how dare people like me to devalue indie developers like that!
Evolution of Metal
Member
There are tiers of movies/books. You get straight to dvd films, like DC animated movies. Those animated movies stand no chance in cinema, they know that. You will also find cheaper books that aren't carrying the same price tag as 50 Shades of Grey or Song of Fire and Ice.
If NMS wants to be one of the first games to challenge gamers' perception, they have every right to do so. However, I would bet that way more people would be interested in this game if it wasn't competing with GTA and Star Citizen.
Helldivers is an amazing game, but developers know that they cannot compete with Black Ops or the Witcher. NMS also cannot compete with those games on production values, we don't even know how repetitive the gameplay is. Outside of artistic colors, it has pretty basic models and textures. The idea is great, but so far there are way too many questions about the execution.
The game could end up being the game of the year, or it could end up being a procedural planet-hopping walking simulator. So far, I am not even convinced that this game is worth $40.
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
It's a 60 dollar game. There is literally more than a galaxies worth of Content.
I hope it becomes VR exclusive thereby raising the price several hundred bucks just to spite this thread.
The game took a lot of work to make, no reason it should be sold for less than others.
I hope it becomes VR exclusive thereby raising the price several hundred bucks just to spite this thread.
The game took a lot of work to make, no reason it should be sold for less than others.
solidsnakeiv
Banned
What is this game really offering?
well, so does minecraft
Pestilence11
Member
I think since they haven't announced a price, $60 is a safe bet. Anything less is of course welcome.
joecanada
Member
Actually this is somewhat true but when it all comes down to brass tacks it's business. A game price should be based on a predetermined budget and return so yes in some cases an indie title may cost less to make and let's say the developers want 20 $ profit per game perhaps they could afford to go 40$ but this is by no means automatic. An indie game could actually cost more to make.
In music all cds were 20 back in the day but each party would take a cut based on that 20 and they hoped higher production value results in higher sales. So a band may only make 1$ per copy but if they sell 10 million that still works out okay if they put in a lot of time and resources.
What some posters don't seem to get is that you have a budget a business plan and an expected return. It's not just " Oh let's just make the game 60 because why not "
If consumers pay then great, if the game is priced too high it drops in price quickly as correction. Or the developer goes belly up.
Lord of Ostia
Member
Yes but the production values of this game are much larger than those in minecraft, not to mention Minecraft was $30 for a long time.
eh, both games have been made by small indie developers. NMS & Minecraft are very comparable I feel.
Lord of Ostia
Member
I'm not talking about the size of the teams, I'm talking about the visuals and size of the worlds. In that regard they are not comparable.
Icyflamez96
Member
I'm probably one of the biggest NMS supporters here and I'm getting tired of hearing these types of comments.
Yeah, the game generates a practically infinite amount of space to run around in. So what? So do a lot of other games. The pure selling point of "we generate a universe!" isn't going to automatically get a lot of people to think something is worth $60, or even worth playing at all, and that's very reasonable. Infinite playspace doesn't mean there are infinite amounts of things to do or see, and that's the content that really matters.
That's ONE of the possible gameplay loops.
If you're trying to get to the center, it's really more like "find a way to get money to pay for fuel -- warp to next system -- eventually try to make enough money to buy a better ship or better equipment to survive more dangerous planets -- repeat."
That "find a way to get money" part can unfold in multiple ways going by what Hello Games has said about NMS and if Elite is anything to go by. Exploring and researching is one way. Another way is to buy and sell goods between star systems -- Hello Games said a lot of people in play testing ended up playing this way, never even landing on a planet. Another way is to blow up and loot other ships which might get you in trouble with the space police, make you an enemy of one faction, make you a friend of another faction, or get you paid from bounties.
But I agree that the gameplay systems at the base of NMS are probably a lot simpler and more matter-of-fact than something like GTA or Elder Scrolls. NMS is going to have a much softer structure compared to what most people playing console games are used to. The whole idea is to toss players into a sandbox and simply say "go," expecting emergent gameplay to arise from the interplay of the game's systems. That's why Sean Murray compares NMS to Minecraft more than to any AAA game.
This is really what it's all about. People in this thread are caught up in how much "content" a game has and how that should determine the cost. That makes sense from the consumer standpoint, but from the point of view of the developer, it's not about whether a game is "indie" or whether it's even getting a retail release. It's all about risk. Risk to the seller and risk to the buyer.
I said this already, but indie games are priced lower not only because fewer man hours are put into them, but because they are often perceived as being a greater risk to consumers. They aren't backed by big marketing campaigns or brand names, and often feature very unconventional gameplay. Most start out with zero reputation, so they have to lower the perceived risk to the consumer, usually with lower prices. It's why indie games have demos much more often than AAA games these days. The Order didn't need a demo and could launch at $60 despite being a six-hour game because Sony knew it had people locked in and pre-ordering the game weeks and months in advance with a slick marketing campaign and presentations at E3. So many indie games have public alpha demos just as a way of proving to people that the developer is actually competent.
No Man's Sky is still a huge unknown to a lot of people, but Sony has helped it get a ton of buzz. It's hard to say how risky it actually is at this point. A good a mount of people know about it, but not many really know what it is.
blame space
Banned
$79.99
Minecraft was made really by one guy who help later basically after he got the funds and it was made on Adobe dude.
I dont care about indie or retail / triple A (whatever you want to call it), I care about what I get (or at least what I assume I will get) out of the game, and that determines its value for me. And yes, hour count is one of the factors (a pretty big one for me).
I actually love the Call of Duty campaigns, but I dont play multiplayer, so a CoD game for me is not worth $60 because im only getting like 4-5 hours out of it, hence I always wait for 50% off at least. A person that plays multiplayer probably gets a lot more out of it than I do, and its probably worth the $60 for those people. A person that absolutely hates first person shooters probably thinks CoD games have zero value at any price.
I don't think The Witness isn't worth $40 because it's indie, I think its not worth $40 because its a line puzzle game and I dont like line puzzles (or really, puzzle games in general), even if the design of said puzzles is amazing (and I believe you if you say it is). How much would I pay for the witness you ask me? I dont know honestly, Ill probably only buy it at a 66%-75% off sale so around $10-$15 just to see what the fuss was about maybe?
But then again, I wouldn't even buy it day 1 if it was $15 so /shrug. It would at least make it easier to maybe impulse buy just to see what the fuss is about, which the $40 mark most certainly impedes
But to be fair, most of these $60 games on pc we buy these days we dont actually pay $60 for, as most people use GMG or similar sites and get them for 25% off day 1, which makes the price difference even murkier.
I actually love the Call of Duty campaigns, but I dont play multiplayer, so a CoD game for me is not worth $60 because im only getting like 4-5 hours out of it, hence I always wait for 50% off at least. A person that plays multiplayer probably gets a lot more out of it than I do, and its probably worth the $60 for those people. A person that absolutely hates first person shooters probably thinks CoD games have zero value at any price.
I don't think The Witness isn't worth $40 because it's indie, I think its not worth $40 because its a line puzzle game and I dont like line puzzles (or really, puzzle games in general), even if the design of said puzzles is amazing (and I believe you if you say it is). How much would I pay for the witness you ask me? I dont know honestly, Ill probably only buy it at a 66%-75% off sale so around $10-$15 just to see what the fuss was about maybe?
But then again, I wouldn't even buy it day 1 if it was $15 so /shrug. It would at least make it easier to maybe impulse buy just to see what the fuss is about, which the $40 mark most certainly impedes
But to be fair, most of these $60 games on pc we buy these days we dont actually pay $60 for, as most people use GMG or similar sites and get them for 25% off day 1, which makes the price difference even murkier.
Icyflamez96
Member
Here's a bro that knows his shit
That's a key reason why I think NMS is worth being priced on the higher end. (That combined with other facts we have on the game)
Muchi Muchi Pink
Member
Doesn't look low budget to me.
HanzSnubSnub
Member
I'm in the same camp as others, I didn't think it would be a full $60 game.
Saying it has a galaxies worth of content doesn't necessarily mean it is quality content. It's all generated by algorithms, so who knows how fun it will be. Maybe it's just a grindfest, maybe it's varied and detailed.
Also Minecraft is pretty much a game with infinite content, and it's a $20 game (that sold incredibly well at that price). Which is why I don't understand how many of you think it's a guaranteed full price title.
Saying it has a galaxies worth of content doesn't necessarily mean it is quality content. It's all generated by algorithms, so who knows how fun it will be. Maybe it's just a grindfest, maybe it's varied and detailed.
Also Minecraft is pretty much a game with infinite content, and it's a $20 game (that sold incredibly well at that price). Which is why I don't understand how many of you think it's a guaranteed full price title.
jetsetnickradio
Member
It's gonna be $60 and that's okay.
If you don't want to pay $60, that's also okay. It will go on sale eventually.
If you don't want to pay $60, that's also okay. It will go on sale eventually.
Yes and the production value of a AAA game is considerably more than this game.
As someone who is very much on the outside looking in on the No Mans Sky project, I simply see myself as holding different values compared to some of those expressed in this thread. I value handcrafted art and intentionally thought provoking interactions e.g. The Witcher 3, a game I paid $170USD for between the collector's edition and DLC and have over 35 days of playtime in. That's not to say that I don't find intrigue in the the prospect of what NMS presents as a game, mathematically complex undertaking by the development team, or otherwise. I am simply saying that from what little I have seen, the procedural generation produced by the algorithm lacks the precision, eloquence, and personal type of experience I love.
With that said I warmly welcome the proposition that the pricing of NMS begins at $60. I don't intend to buy the game day one and I understand that the market price will eventually lower itself to a value I find more applicable to my tastes. For the time being I await that day.
Why should my ideals determine the maximum potential value of the game when there are those that see value in its depth despite the lack of breadth? Furthermore, the market shall adjust in due time just as it did for those that did not value The Witcher 3 as much as I. The idea that any piece of art can only be held up to a specific potential evaluation based on labeling is absurd to me. I feel for those that pour their heart into something only to have a massively preconceived view limit their potential gains or, as the case with The Witness, actively damage them.
Let those that love a product or concept support it to their full abilities.
With that said I warmly welcome the proposition that the pricing of NMS begins at $60. I don't intend to buy the game day one and I understand that the market price will eventually lower itself to a value I find more applicable to my tastes. For the time being I await that day.
Why should my ideals determine the maximum potential value of the game when there are those that see value in its depth despite the lack of breadth? Furthermore, the market shall adjust in due time just as it did for those that did not value The Witcher 3 as much as I. The idea that any piece of art can only be held up to a specific potential evaluation based on labeling is absurd to me. I feel for those that pour their heart into something only to have a massively preconceived view limit their potential gains or, as the case with The Witness, actively damage them.
Let those that love a product or concept support it to their full abilities.
with sony backing it as much as they have been it will no doubt be at least $40 likely $60.
I also can't comprehend why team size or even budget should play a role into how much a game should charge. It should merely be about the quality of the title.
I mean if two different teams both made the exact same game (lets call it... Halo 5.) they were identical down to every single detail, but one team was 5 people that did it for 100k because they just covered their own living expenses and did it all in house, and the other team had 500 people and a 100 million budget getting backed by a publisher should the first team really have to charge less because it was made by a small indie team? (extreme example as halo 5 likely couldn't be made by merely 5 people but you get what I am saying)
It should just come down to the content of the game whether you feel it is worth $60 or not. Whether it was made by 1 person or 1 million, whether the game cost $1 to make or 1 billion that really shouldn't be a factor in deciding if the final product is worth your money.
The only real time I could see it mattering is if you were hoping for a lot of post release DLC in a timely manner, but that isn't a major thing for most games.
Alas this is a hurdle that indie games will have to get through now that the quality of the indie games are getting better and better. the higher end ones have clearly moved into A game releases (alternatively budget retail release) territory, but so many people still see them as merely cheap quick made games holding onto retro design, and the indie games that get accepted as bigger projects tend to just lose the indie tag when people talk about them (really something that should be gone in general. It doesn't matter if a big company backed a game or not, a game is a game.) I sadly know a number of people who see indie as merely a different word for inferior.
anyways, no mans sky is a game I will have to wait and see how it turns out before I remotely care about the price. if it does everything promised I will likely jump in right away. if it is more like starbound where technically the worlds are different and the enemies are different but that is mostly just random color and attacks and what not and really don't feel different then it will likely be a budget buy for me.
I also can't comprehend why team size or even budget should play a role into how much a game should charge. It should merely be about the quality of the title.
I mean if two different teams both made the exact same game (lets call it... Halo 5.) they were identical down to every single detail, but one team was 5 people that did it for 100k because they just covered their own living expenses and did it all in house, and the other team had 500 people and a 100 million budget getting backed by a publisher should the first team really have to charge less because it was made by a small indie team? (extreme example as halo 5 likely couldn't be made by merely 5 people but you get what I am saying)
It should just come down to the content of the game whether you feel it is worth $60 or not. Whether it was made by 1 person or 1 million, whether the game cost $1 to make or 1 billion that really shouldn't be a factor in deciding if the final product is worth your money.
The only real time I could see it mattering is if you were hoping for a lot of post release DLC in a timely manner, but that isn't a major thing for most games.
Alas this is a hurdle that indie games will have to get through now that the quality of the indie games are getting better and better. the higher end ones have clearly moved into A game releases (alternatively budget retail release) territory, but so many people still see them as merely cheap quick made games holding onto retro design, and the indie games that get accepted as bigger projects tend to just lose the indie tag when people talk about them (really something that should be gone in general. It doesn't matter if a big company backed a game or not, a game is a game.) I sadly know a number of people who see indie as merely a different word for inferior.
anyways, no mans sky is a game I will have to wait and see how it turns out before I remotely care about the price. if it does everything promised I will likely jump in right away. if it is more like starbound where technically the worlds are different and the enemies are different but that is mostly just random color and attacks and what not and really don't feel different then it will likely be a budget buy for me.
Unsure why the OP devalues games due to being created by indie studios.
Well, stop being skeptical, that's pretty much what the multiplayer in this game has been described as for a long time now. Exactly that. This is not a multiplayer focused game. Sean has been pretty clear about that.
Whoa, whoa there. I'm not sure you're allowed to be reasonable and logical in these kinds of topics...
Mass Effect
Member
damn Canadian dollar
aygomyownroad
Member
I need to see how impressions are from other forum users. I may bite at full price but think I will wait until its £30. I have a strict limit for games each month as part of a new years resolution.
As you say, I'm not serious. But I genuinely do hope a bunch of high profile indies come out at higher prices, to break this ridiculous spell over a certain band of gamers who think that if you're indie, you better be giving them bottom barrel prices.
Witness is content PACKED. There's so much to do it's actually overwhelming. Easily over 50 hours of content at least. The gameplay is transcendent, better than 99% of all other games that came out last year for my money. It looks visually stunning. And yet, because it's indie, it doesn't matter Blow spent a zillion years making it and that it is worth every goddamned cent as much as the latest checklist AAA disaster.
No Man's Sky gives us the entire UNIVERSE to explore, looks great, sounds great, has enough content to last you 500 million years of lives. But, no, no... should be $19.99 or ELSE! Seriously, I consider myself a gamer and a geek/nerd. But gamers who think this need to get over themselves and quick. That's not how value fucking works.
Japanmanx3
Member
Huh?
It prolly is going to be$60 and that a-ok. Indie doesn't have to mean cheap.
It prolly is going to be$60 and that a-ok. Indie doesn't have to mean cheap.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
$40, like The Witness (which was absolutely worth that much). I think they might have a hard time if they go for $60.
OrbitalBeard
Member
I hate the premise of this thread so, so much.
The Witness is better than every $60 game I've played in the last decade, save for a few titles.
The Witness is better than every $60 game I've played in the last decade, save for a few titles.
Captain Tuttle
Member
Bingo, people are constantly moaning there's no middle ground in pricing anymore. Then we get games coming in at 30/40 and people moan because "indie games shouldn't cost that much."
But shit like Killzone should be 60 because it looks pretty? Or Ryse? Or The Order?
In fairness I'm glad threads like this exist so I know who to ignore going forward.
$60 will be too much based on the fact that it doesn't look like a very good game.
$40 is a bargain for The Witness considering how great it is.
Whether a game is "indie" or "AAA" should have zero impact on how much it is worth. I wouldn't play an Assassin's Creed game if they gave it away for free, while I would probably pay $100 for Dark Souls 3.
This game can launch at 60 dollars all it wants, but I doubt people will pay that for something that, from my understanding, is just a souped up random number generator.
lol
lol
Transistor
Banned
And the fact that NMS wasn't built in broken-ass Java