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May 22, 1999
Brian,
When Sid released Civ1, it changed the computer gaming world forever. Now, 2.5 million fans later, the fate of this legacy rests in your hands. But if one thing has become clear to me after pouring over hundreds of posts for the Civ3 list, it is that these 2.5 million fans don’t want Civ2+. They want a new era to dawn on this game.
I’d like to share an idea that I am convinced will take Civ to a higher level and ensure its future:
A PUBLIC ALPHA/BETA.
The advantages to this strategy are numerous and profound:
** AN HONEST VIEW OF YOUR PRODUCT:
If I may be so bold, I believe the reason that you and your team were so surprised at people’s criticism of SMAC’s graphics and theme is that SMAC was primarily an in-house product. Simply, you and your team became used to your own ideas. You became so comfortable with the graphics and technology that you could no longer see the game as an average gamer would. A public alpha ensures this won’t happen again. By putting a Civ3 alpha into gamers’ hands, the relevance and the timeliness of the feedback loop skyrockets exponentially, and there are no surprises for anybody.
** QUALITY ASSURANCE:
This point cannot be stressed enough. This point on its own merits should form the basis of a winning public relations campaign. SMAC had problems. Some of them embarrassing. A public alpha/beta program puts the game on machines very early, at a time when crashes and major bugs are to be expected. This system would allow you to test the wild world of system configurations on a much larger scale than you could ever hope to do at your headquarters. And, I must remind you, Jeff’s insistence that SMAC’s problems were often due to system configurations and not the program itself has, to this day, left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths. No matter how true his statements are, a public alpha/beta would virtually eliminate this need to make excuses.
** GENERATING FAN INTEREST:
You should not rest on Civ’s laurels. As I have said, fans are growing tired of the current Civ formula. As I’m sure you are aware, a number of people simply no longer have faith that any company is capable of taking the risks it will take to move this game to the next level. A few fans are writing their own version as we speak. A public alpha/beta will help squash the counter-momentum. It will give all fans tangible proof that Firaxis doesn’t want to publish ITS game but the GAMERS’ game. The positive hype this will generate among fans is hard to overestimate.
** A SHOW OF COMPETENCE AND DARING:
Few companies have the stomach to put their work out in such an early stage. This is, essentially, vanity and/or a lack of faith. It’s akin to an artist refusing to show his early sketches to the patron. True, if the finished piece is accepted, he’s a hero. If it’s not, he’s looking for work somewhere else. Firaxis is a young company and should set a new paradigm in this industry. Putting your work out early into gamers’ hands shows immeasurable confidence in your own ability to take suggestions. It also shows Firaxis’ commitment to making games for gamers. You simply have no better way of demonstrating these qualities than through a public alpha/beta program. Perhaps "Furby's Mad World of Lawn Bowling" doesn't have fans who care enough to work through rough versions of the game. But Civ, we must admit, is no Furby.
** THIS WILL MAKE MONEY:
Finally, a public alpha/beta program will make you a great deal of money. First, each applicant for the alpha program will pay $10 for the disk (plus shipping and handling). The same for the beta stage. People who participated in the alpha and beta stages qualify to buy the finished game for $10. TOTAL SPENT ON CIV3: $30—a fair price, and you don’t have to wait months to collect it. People who participate in only the alpha or beta stage qualify to buy the finished game for $20. TOTAL SPENT ON CIV3: $30. Again, you get this money without having to wait weeks for these gamers to maybe buy the game. You also get the money from the alpha and beta stages without having to go through the very expensive process of publishing the game. Those who do not participate, of course, pay the full $50 price or wait for the price to naturally fall. But the momentum and positive buzz of the alpha/beta program will no doubt be so positive, and so many “Well, I doubt Firaxis can do this right” questions will have been laid to rest, that the average Civ fan will rush to buy the game, confident that gamer input and quality assurance have been your priority from day one.
I would suggest opening a password-access web site just for those who participate in the public alpha/beta program. A List room should be set up—similar to the one I’m running on Apolyton but limited to people participating in the program. The feedback on the Alpha becomes the roadmap for the Beta. The feedback on the Beta becomes the roadmap for the final version. The final version becomes the killer game that takes Firaxis and Civ to a whole new level of expertise and admiration.
Of course, you can do this in-house and risk putting all your eggs in one basket. Or you can put this for the most part into the gamers’ hands—and watch the money and guaranteed success come in.
I recently read an article in Business Week in which Bill Gates’ right-hand man—I can’t recall his name—talked about the most important thing he learned as he tries to restructure Microsoft and free it from its bureaucracy and bad public image. He said:
“I have become a leader of leaders.”
He has learned to let go enough so that his clenched fist becomes an open hand. The people below him are now empowered to make decisions and contribute. Brian, I encourage you to do the same.
Please let me know your thoughts on this,
Yin
(K. McLaughlin)
------------------
CIV3 DEVELOPMENT LIST COORDINATOR
**(un)Officially Making Lists for Firaxis Since SMAC Enhancement 3!**
[This message has been edited by yin26 (edited May 22, 1999).]
Brian,
When Sid released Civ1, it changed the computer gaming world forever. Now, 2.5 million fans later, the fate of this legacy rests in your hands. But if one thing has become clear to me after pouring over hundreds of posts for the Civ3 list, it is that these 2.5 million fans don’t want Civ2+. They want a new era to dawn on this game.
I’d like to share an idea that I am convinced will take Civ to a higher level and ensure its future:
A PUBLIC ALPHA/BETA.
The advantages to this strategy are numerous and profound:
** AN HONEST VIEW OF YOUR PRODUCT:
If I may be so bold, I believe the reason that you and your team were so surprised at people’s criticism of SMAC’s graphics and theme is that SMAC was primarily an in-house product. Simply, you and your team became used to your own ideas. You became so comfortable with the graphics and technology that you could no longer see the game as an average gamer would. A public alpha ensures this won’t happen again. By putting a Civ3 alpha into gamers’ hands, the relevance and the timeliness of the feedback loop skyrockets exponentially, and there are no surprises for anybody.
** QUALITY ASSURANCE:
This point cannot be stressed enough. This point on its own merits should form the basis of a winning public relations campaign. SMAC had problems. Some of them embarrassing. A public alpha/beta program puts the game on machines very early, at a time when crashes and major bugs are to be expected. This system would allow you to test the wild world of system configurations on a much larger scale than you could ever hope to do at your headquarters. And, I must remind you, Jeff’s insistence that SMAC’s problems were often due to system configurations and not the program itself has, to this day, left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths. No matter how true his statements are, a public alpha/beta would virtually eliminate this need to make excuses.
** GENERATING FAN INTEREST:
You should not rest on Civ’s laurels. As I have said, fans are growing tired of the current Civ formula. As I’m sure you are aware, a number of people simply no longer have faith that any company is capable of taking the risks it will take to move this game to the next level. A few fans are writing their own version as we speak. A public alpha/beta will help squash the counter-momentum. It will give all fans tangible proof that Firaxis doesn’t want to publish ITS game but the GAMERS’ game. The positive hype this will generate among fans is hard to overestimate.
** A SHOW OF COMPETENCE AND DARING:
Few companies have the stomach to put their work out in such an early stage. This is, essentially, vanity and/or a lack of faith. It’s akin to an artist refusing to show his early sketches to the patron. True, if the finished piece is accepted, he’s a hero. If it’s not, he’s looking for work somewhere else. Firaxis is a young company and should set a new paradigm in this industry. Putting your work out early into gamers’ hands shows immeasurable confidence in your own ability to take suggestions. It also shows Firaxis’ commitment to making games for gamers. You simply have no better way of demonstrating these qualities than through a public alpha/beta program. Perhaps "Furby's Mad World of Lawn Bowling" doesn't have fans who care enough to work through rough versions of the game. But Civ, we must admit, is no Furby.
** THIS WILL MAKE MONEY:
Finally, a public alpha/beta program will make you a great deal of money. First, each applicant for the alpha program will pay $10 for the disk (plus shipping and handling). The same for the beta stage. People who participated in the alpha and beta stages qualify to buy the finished game for $10. TOTAL SPENT ON CIV3: $30—a fair price, and you don’t have to wait months to collect it. People who participate in only the alpha or beta stage qualify to buy the finished game for $20. TOTAL SPENT ON CIV3: $30. Again, you get this money without having to wait weeks for these gamers to maybe buy the game. You also get the money from the alpha and beta stages without having to go through the very expensive process of publishing the game. Those who do not participate, of course, pay the full $50 price or wait for the price to naturally fall. But the momentum and positive buzz of the alpha/beta program will no doubt be so positive, and so many “Well, I doubt Firaxis can do this right” questions will have been laid to rest, that the average Civ fan will rush to buy the game, confident that gamer input and quality assurance have been your priority from day one.
I would suggest opening a password-access web site just for those who participate in the public alpha/beta program. A List room should be set up—similar to the one I’m running on Apolyton but limited to people participating in the program. The feedback on the Alpha becomes the roadmap for the Beta. The feedback on the Beta becomes the roadmap for the final version. The final version becomes the killer game that takes Firaxis and Civ to a whole new level of expertise and admiration.
Of course, you can do this in-house and risk putting all your eggs in one basket. Or you can put this for the most part into the gamers’ hands—and watch the money and guaranteed success come in.
I recently read an article in Business Week in which Bill Gates’ right-hand man—I can’t recall his name—talked about the most important thing he learned as he tries to restructure Microsoft and free it from its bureaucracy and bad public image. He said:
“I have become a leader of leaders.”
He has learned to let go enough so that his clenched fist becomes an open hand. The people below him are now empowered to make decisions and contribute. Brian, I encourage you to do the same.
Please let me know your thoughts on this,
Yin
(K. McLaughlin)
------------------
CIV3 DEVELOPMENT LIST COORDINATOR
**(un)Officially Making Lists for Firaxis Since SMAC Enhancement 3!**
[This message has been edited by yin26 (edited May 22, 1999).]
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