09-21-2016, 01:55 AM
I mis-typed: it should have said the conversion from XML (not html) to SQL.
When we find old time players that rediscover us, it is an adjustment for them to get used to two turns a week when they remember one turn every two weeks. But there is no time waiting for mail to arrive. So in Alamaze, the standard is nine turns a month (for $19.95 at the base level of one game at a time), instead of two turns a month for about the same price that many PBM charge.
There is a bit of a problem for younger players that are not familiar with PBM, that I'm sure all PBM companies have experienced: they are used to just clicking on something and seeing graphics and explosions and things moving around. But we do have some college students that joined in the last year that are completely engrossed, playing eight games at a time. As most PBM would also admit, there is a significant learning curve in our genre, but a long lasting reward where we have had players playing for decades, where most "video" games get played for a couple months and then put on the shelf.
It would be nice if PBM companies could form some sort of consortium to help spread the word, but previous efforts in that direction have not been successful so everyone is on their own.
When we find old time players that rediscover us, it is an adjustment for them to get used to two turns a week when they remember one turn every two weeks. But there is no time waiting for mail to arrive. So in Alamaze, the standard is nine turns a month (for $19.95 at the base level of one game at a time), instead of two turns a month for about the same price that many PBM charge.
There is a bit of a problem for younger players that are not familiar with PBM, that I'm sure all PBM companies have experienced: they are used to just clicking on something and seeing graphics and explosions and things moving around. But we do have some college students that joined in the last year that are completely engrossed, playing eight games at a time. As most PBM would also admit, there is a significant learning curve in our genre, but a long lasting reward where we have had players playing for decades, where most "video" games get played for a couple months and then put on the shelf.
It would be nice if PBM companies could form some sort of consortium to help spread the word, but previous efforts in that direction have not been successful so everyone is on their own.