Designing from a personal pool of mechanism

You need a system that keeps the players coming back for more and with paid extras that increase the odds of getting more specialized or better content.

I personally don't like Freemium games ... But sadly they do make money. Give you one example: Pocket Pokémon. I play for free ... But at some point in time, I spent $5.00 CAD of real money to get an extra booster pack quicker because I wanted to do so... And had the option of spending $5.00 CAD to get it... And so I did PAY.

But I'm not like this addict that has to get all the cards and pay for all the "extras" like specialized coins, binders, mats, etc. Which some are exclusive to players who PAY to play.

However I am very aware of the CONCEPT ... It's just that I've never ever had the chance or even INTEREST in making such a game. The only game that ever came close to this was "Galactic Frontier" a Star Wars MMORTS which I had developed with the help of another guy who was heavy into playtesting Video Games. We knew nobody in Marketing or Sales ... So the project never went further than to say "No Unsolicited Material" at Lucas Art Games.

So yeah... That's not my niche (making video games mobile or otherwise).

Note #1: Also with regards to the Star Wars MMORTS ... That was just an Introductory Analysis Document which layed out some fundamental blocks in HOW(?) the game could be designed and how the Ladder Rankings would work in a "Soldier" Environment where there would be a ranking officer who would oversee smaller battalions of other "Soldiers".

It was a very COOL concept... But the project never got anywhere because there was nobody to "Champion" the idea (or at least someone who had sufficient connections to make it happen). That's usually what I see ... Is either you need a SMALL TEAM (Programmer, Graphic Artist, Videographer, 3D Modeler, etc.) and a LEADER (CEO/CFO) to help with the raising of funds to make the project a reality (with investment rounds into the product) and some kind of profit sharing scheme or investment ROI...

That is NOT true. I've told you that "Quest Adventure Cards(tm)" the Reboot is for SALE NOW on "The Game Crafter" (TGC). But the cost is just too high and so no buyers. Plus there is so much competition... My game is on Page 500 of the Card Games Catalog.

And just because I don't have the rulebooks at 100% doesn't mean that the game is NOT complete (from my stand-point of view). Yes it will require more time.

But Quest_AC is DONE 100%. The rulebook can be downloaded from my website.

So naturally I am VERY interested in bringing that game to the market. And don't you think once you've made the game, the NEXT LOGICAL step is marketing and selling the game?! I'm not a guy that designs a bunch of games and hordes them in my basement... No I naturally want to SELL my games so that other people can enjoy my products.

I have no interest in publishing OTHER people games. I don't have the finances for that and I'm not a EPIC Graphic Designer who can take other people products and transform them into an amazing end-result. I can do it for my own games BECAUSE I am passionate about MY games. And so I'm willing to spend countless hours playtesting, refining and designing my games.

Just because I am talking about SALES and MAKING MONEY doesn't mean that my SOLE focus in Game Designing is that. But I do hope to SELL some of my games and that I believe the difference between YOU and I: the way I see it ... You get a bunch of ideas and make prototypes and some work other don't. I on the other hand get a handful of ideas and I DEVELOP them to the point that they can be SOLD. That includes not only prototypes but paying for ART too. I've got like about 6 products that are ALMOST ready for market.

We see things a bit differently and that's fine. For you it's only a hobby for me I want it to be a source of revenue (in-so-far that I can make and SELL my games...)

That's fine... I'm sure we can both CO-EXIST in this World!

If they pay like $210 @ 60% = $125 per box is their price. Obviously they PAID for the ENTIRE BOX. So YEAH they only start making any MONEY once they REACHED the 60% marker and the remaining Boosters are 100% pure profit. But like "Le Valet" told me... What happens when a Box doesn't sell??? It's a LOSS and in the meanwhile they are promoting and selling but at no profit until they reach the break-even point.

This is TRUE too! I don't get ANY offers for Ads anymore. I get sh!t like "Guest Posts" where they want to write an article and provide LINKS/URLs in message... That's a waste of my time. I don't need BULLSH!T articles. I have BANNERS... You want to ADVERTISE buy a BANNER for $40/mth.

People are weird nowadays. They want it their way and they don't READ what is being OFFERED to them. I used to REPLY to some of those "Guest Post" people and say: "If you want to advertise... We have BANNERS." But never once had I got someone say: "Ok we'll buy a banner instead..."

SEO sh!t of today I guess...

Just because I am discussing or even MENTIONING SALES and what that whole process is about ... Doesn't mean it's my FOCUS. Like I said I've got about a dozen or so games in different states of completion.

I very much enjoy the "Design Process" (Or my own version of it) and it keeps my mind rather pre-occupied and that to me is a good thing. I'm NOT an "Idea Magnet" like you are... Sure sure I get ideas but most I know that I could NOT DEVELOP them the way that I would like... So I TRY to focus on the GAMES that I see have more "potential".

If my responsibilities ENDED on making a GOOD/GREAT Design... That would be 100% fantastic to me. If I had someone else who could take the Baton and go from there ... Like some people who developed software and had a "salesperson" do the actual SELLING of the software (was a neighbor of mine when I was younger like 25-Years ago). So it's natural to have people focusing on different aspects.

Since I don't have someone... My only option ATM is to do it myself. It's not that I can't suit-up and give a more professional look when I am talking with people who may want to BUY or carry my product(s). But I still look like I'm 25 and not 50. Good and bad with that.

So no worries if I talk about $$$ and how to make some. What are the roadblocks that I get/experience and what I try to get around those obstacles... It's still a part of "Game Design" if you want to be a Successfully Published Designer. I'm more "Indie" and do mostly everything myself. And since I don't have hundreds of games to sell... Hiring a salesperson is not of real value. I would only like make $5 CAD per copy of Quest_AC... I'm not going to make millions of dollars. Maybe RE-COUP my $5k art investment... That would be a GOOD starting point...

See what I mean??? It costs money to make games. Unless you are very fortunate and can do EVERYTHING (I mean EVERYTHING: Design, Art, Illustrations, Graphic Design, Video Editing, Sound Engineering, etc. etc.) well then somewhere along the way you'll be needing HELP and that help comes at a price. Or an investment if you look at it my way...

Cheers @larienna.