username_ds Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Hi! I've posted a little before ^^; I have a site for visual novel buying (downloads only) that admittingly the work on it went to a trickle since the semester started (senior capstone and other classes wooh xD). Some people suggested having free downloads on the site, but I can't financially justify that if they are only free right now. I was thinking of trying something for a little bit and see how it goes, where people can pay what they want for otherwise free visual novels. So they can still get them free, but if they want to support the creators they can put a price on it for what they want. If any of you have read Freakonomics, you might be familiar with this kind of model. Would you, as an individual, pay anything extra if you had the option to pay as you want for a visual novel? Don't take into account anyone else, or how you feel others would act, just you as an individual honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadeotic Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I don't know about anyone else, but I appreciate the games that come out of itch.io, and I have donated conciderable amounts to the free indie titles they have there and the different programs. However, this is rather rare for me at least The system that itch.io uses is brilliant, and I love it I'd love to pay some amount for the VNs I love if that helps the developer Makudomi and username_ds 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makudomi Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 As @Arcadeotic says, itch.io's system is brilliant and how I intend to release my own visual novel when the time comes. Regarding others' games, yes, I would absolutely pay extra for the creators' sake. When I download One Thousand Lies on Windows later today, I'll be doing just that. username_ds and Keinart 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keinart Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I've put my novel in itch.io and it's pretty simple and easy to use. People can pay what they want for it and I receive the money directly to my paypal account, then you can decide how much itch.io takes. The default is 10% but you can even set it to 0% (but don't do that, they deserve some money too!). It works pretty nicely and as people say, it's pretty simple. You can also create a widget to put in your website or anywhere else. arakura and username_ds 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred the Barber Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Whenever anything that I want has a pay what you want model, I pay for it. Usually I try to find a comparable good and pay the cost of that - e.g., I think I paid $10 when I bought Radiohead's "In Rainbows" way back when, since that's around what CDs cost then. But I'm pretty weird in terms of spending habits in this particular market... username_ds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronIsCrunchy Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 So it basically works how Bandcamp works with name-your-price releases? While I have no experience of this (yet, but I will check it out), if it works anything like Bandcamp does it's a fantastic idea, particularly for budding developers trying to make a name for themselves. Sounds awesome! username_ds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanahtlig Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 You should consider Patreon as an alternative / supplement. Using Kickstarter as a successful model, we see that "pay what you want" works best when you establish a connection with your audience, and when you motivate pledges with small incentives. If you just put a donate button up and offer free downloads, expect to see very few contributions. Generating revenue (via any model) is as much about the quality of your marketing--your ability to connect with users--as it is about your product. username_ds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arakura Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I really like this kind of model, and I don't think I'd ever not pay something. For example, if a game would be priced at ten, but I didn't want it that much, I wouldn't buy it. But I'd feel bad not paying a little if it was under a pay-what-you-want model, so I'd pay what I value it at. I'm not sure how it works on the whole, but I think most people would be like me, esp with something niche like visual novels. First-time vn readers might not be the most generous, though, but there is value in bringing more people into the fold, even if they don't pay up right away. username_ds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username_ds Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 I very much appreciate your feedback so much. <3 <3 <3 Is there anyone who is interested in piloting this? I really do want to try this. Also on the site I was thinking of having a 'tools' section with download links for where people can download what they need to make visual novels (ren'py, audacity, GIMP, etc). What do you all think about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadeotic Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 It's always good to spread help to make everyone's lives easier Seems good, go for it username_ds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username_ds Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Wooh! I did it! :3 Well I have two of those up anyways. This is exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valmore Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Generally speaking, I feel guilty downloading stuff for free when donations are asked for, so in that respect I'll either pay something if it interests me enough or I'll move on. But then, I'm weird that way and not everyone is wired like me. Also, why didn't you post any sort of link so people here could investigate your work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username_ds Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 Ah I remembered that I think it was ok to post it before but I was thinking it might not be ok. If it still is, the link is www.demistory.com. I've had the busiest semester I've ever had so I had to put development down to a trickle since then, and I have to basically stop until my finals are over about 2 weeks from now. There is the site though. There should be another visual novel that should be going up somewhat soon-ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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