Comments on: Brief notes: IGE, Shanda, SmallWorlds http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/ Raph Koster's personal website: MMOs, gaming, writing, art, music, books Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:02:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Prokofy Nevahttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137731 Prokofy Neva Mon, 26 May 2008 21:51:23 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137731 OMG! I forgot to go back to Whirled! This is where it gets scary -- misplacing entiring worlds. Forgetting them. You had a character, an apartment, a life -- but you had so many, you lost them like a penny. Hey, that rhymes. OMG! I forgot to go back to Whirled!

This is where it gets scary — misplacing entiring worlds. Forgetting them.

You had a character, an apartment, a life — but you had so many, you lost them like a penny.

Hey, that rhymes.

]]> By: mehttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137646 me Thu, 22 May 2008 18:09:54 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137646 Only time will tell when an institution is able to "garnish" or "attach" wages and/or income in an online game. Wouldn't it be wild to login one day to recieve a notice from the credit card you defaulted and all your virtual items were sold? Only time will tell when an institution is able to “garnish” or “attach” wages and/or income in an online game.

Wouldn’t it be wild to login one day to recieve a notice from the credit card you defaulted and all your virtual items were sold?

]]> By: Ryan Henson Creightonhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137630 Ryan Henson Creighton Wed, 21 May 2008 23:18:59 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137630 Daniel - haven't you been across the pond long enough to avoid verbs like "beavering" ? Daniel – haven’t you been across the pond long enough to avoid verbs like “beavering” ?

]]> By: Daniel Jameshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137625 Daniel James Wed, 21 May 2008 19:44:17 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137625 A J-curve is every developer (and their investors) dream, the legendary 'Hockey Stick'. It could be a viral firestorm, or it could be a big paid advertising campaign. The question is when it tops out and goes south, which comes into retention and intrinsic virality. The S curve we imagine is starting slow with a small population then at some pointing cracking the code and going into a steep J... and then perhaps exhausting the dry firewood and topping out into a long plateau. Within that plateau you'll have users churning in and out, but if the game has good retention and strong sources of new players (viral or otherwise) it can maintain for a long time. Eventually you may move into a long decline. Puzzle Pirates is more or less at that plaeau, but we have recently found new ways to kick us back into growth again; so you can get SS curves! Ve hav wayz ov making you play! Andrew Chen writes a lot about this kind of thing and is much cleverer than me; http://andrewchen.typepad.com/ A J-curve is every developer (and their investors) dream, the legendary ‘Hockey Stick’. It could be a viral firestorm, or it could be a big paid advertising campaign. The question is when it tops out and goes south, which comes into retention and intrinsic virality.

The S curve we imagine is starting slow with a small population then at some pointing cracking the code and going into a steep J… and then perhaps exhausting the dry firewood and topping out into a long plateau. Within that plateau you’ll have users churning in and out, but if the game has good retention and strong sources of new players (viral or otherwise) it can maintain for a long time. Eventually you may move into a long decline.

Puzzle Pirates is more or less at that plaeau, but we have recently found new ways to kick us back into growth again; so you can get SS curves!

Ve hav wayz ov making you play!

Andrew Chen writes a lot about this kind of thing and is much cleverer than me;

http://andrewchen.typepad.com/

]]> By: Spazhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137624 Spaz Wed, 21 May 2008 19:31:29 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137624 Somebody tell me more about S-curves and J-curves. I mean, I know what that would look like on a graph. What I want to know is the reasons why user populations follow that track and how they came to be common knowledge. Somebody tell me more about S-curves and J-curves. I mean, I know what that would look like on a graph. What I want to know is the reasons why user populations follow that track and how they came to be common knowledge.

]]> By: Daniel Jameshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137623 Daniel James Wed, 21 May 2008 19:11:46 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137623 > “going viral” Go J-curve! > “going viral”

Go J-curve!

]]> By: Raphhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137622 Raph Wed, 21 May 2008 19:01:23 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137622 No, I can't either. When I look close at S curves, they tend to look like "open bigs" writ small, just sloping up really slowly, and then either switching to a J curve or not. I think a lot of "going viral" does amount to "cracking another market or audience or social group or whatever." So none of my comments are meant as negative, of course. No, I can’t either. When I look close at S curves, they tend to look like “open bigs” writ small, just sloping up really slowly, and then either switching to a J curve or not.

I think a lot of “going viral” does amount to “cracking another market or audience or social group or whatever.” So none of my comments are meant as negative, of course.

]]> By: Daniel Jameshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2008/05/21/brief-notes-ige-shanda-small-worlds/comment-page-1/#comment-137621 Daniel James Wed, 21 May 2008 18:55:43 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/?p=1745#comment-137621 > Using the “open big” estimation method Aye aye. We've very deliberately 'opened small' -- no PR, no ads, etc. We're still beavering away on so many things, not least tuning, games, API extensions, etc. Certainly we expect to grow on a very long S-curve, like Puzzle Pirates, not a 'go large and drop off'. I can't think of any successful pure online distribution story that's worked that way -- can you? > Using the “open big” estimation method

Aye aye. We’ve very deliberately ‘opened small’ — no PR, no ads, etc. We’re still beavering away on so many things, not least tuning, games, API extensions, etc. Certainly we expect to grow on a very long S-curve, like Puzzle Pirates, not a ‘go large and drop off’. I can’t think of any successful pure online distribution story that’s worked that way — can you?

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