AFnord: There are plenty of games on that site that look very interesting. Just not interesting enough for me to pay that much for them. I'm not going to gamble that much money on a game that I might not like.
nijuu: Downside of niche games. Yeah some are a bit expensive. Distant Worlds + expansions apparently is one of the best 4 x games out there...$30 each though...i dont think ill be buying :/
This is not the first time this has been a topic on this, and here is my take on it:
The problem with Matrix games, and heck, the super complex turnbased strategy game market in general is that they are operating under the idea that "We are going to sell to the hardcore dedicated fans of our genre and ONLY the hardcore dedicated fans". They not only alienate people who like the games, but look at other games and realize that they are much cheaper (for roughly the same amount of entertainment) but they also fail to bring in new blood.
And this is not only apparent in their pricing, but also in how the games are made. Often featuring lackluster documentation and a general lack of user-friendliness, which make them needlessly hard to get into. Clean up the interface, give proper tutorial and manuals not only written for the already enlightened would be a good start.
Look at how Paradox have been doing it. They make deep & complex strategy games, but ever since they adapted to a more modern pricing system and made their games more user-friendly (and NOT dumbed down), they have attracted a lot more people to their games. I wish other companies would learn from them. Granted, I also think that they are doing some mistakes (like offering their games on 75% off sales too early, which has made me just wait for those, instead of buying them on earlier 50% off sales).
