I know some of this has been discussed (at length) before, but please hear me out.

I have some new ideas for how to improve my game (which was approved on Feb 7).  Not bug fixes, but rather gameplay and graphics improvements.  It was sort of a "light bulb over the head" moment a few days after my game was approved.

I know (based on reading some other threads) that we are strongly discouraged from submitting a new version of a game for these reasons.  Only updates to fix bugs, etc. are allowed/encouraged.  And, even if I did update the content of my game, my game would still essentially be buried since it would not show up on the new release list after an update.

So, what is my best option?

1.  Make the changes anyway.  Probably a very, very bad idea since it would anger other community members
(rightfully so).  Also, no one that bought the game would know about the update.  On top of that, my game would still be buried and the new improvements wouldn't generate any new sales.

2.  Make a sequel ("Version 2.0") game that is treated like an entirely different community game.  The drawback to this is that those who bought the original game would have to pay for the 2.0 version -- doesn't seem very fair to them.  And, other community members might be annoyed with this -- especially if everyone started doing this (making pseudo-sequels just to put in some new features to an existing game).

3.  Request that the rules be changed and/or a new section for 'Community Game Updates' be created on the Xbox game marketplace.  Would it make sense for Microsoft to create another area within the community games marketplace for 'Newest Updates' or something to that effect?  Maybe the 40 or so most recent updates (either for features and/or bug fixes) could be shown?  Alternatively, maybe all updates within the last 30 days could be shown.  Another good result of this would be that customers could look at that list periodically if they want to see if their favorite game has a free update since there is no mechanism for that today.

4.  Do nothing.  Forget about adding features, improving the gameplay and graphics of my game.


Honest feedback is welcome.  Thanks.

in my opinion you should patch as often as you feel the need to. gamers like patches that improve gameplay. apparently MS is working on a system that will let users know a community game has been updated. no ETA though as far as I know.

I would say avoid #2 as it will really annoy the people who bought the original game.

I would do #1 if you must, though I recommend #4 for the time being. We don't really know what they are going to do about updates and they may not even know either. If it doesn't contain bug fixes then it really doesn't matter as no one will ever know you changed it anyways. It is important to note that this is a one shot deal. If you mess up the initial release you don't get a second chance. Fixing it may help you feel better but it is work for no pay. You would be better off putting the time into Charity work, at least someone would appreciate it. Chalk it up as a learning experience and put the energy into a new game that may sell better.

Right now the only benefit we get from Digital Distribution is its low cost. Maybe in the future Microsoft will be able to give us some of the other benefits that Digital Distribution normally offers.

Patrick

Star Gaming Network:

I would say avoid #2 as it will really annoy the people who bought the original game.

I would do #1 if you must, though I recommend #4 for the time being. We don't really know what they are going to do about updates and they may not even know either. If it doesn't contain bug fixes then it really doesn't matter as no one will ever know you changed it anyways. It is important to note that this is a one shot deal. If you mess up the initial release you don't get a second chance. Fixing it may help you feel better but it is work for no pay. You would be better off putting the time into Charity work, at least someone would appreciate it. Chalk it up as a learning experience and put the energy into a new game that may sell better.

Right now the only benefit we get from Digital Distribution is its low cost. Maybe in the future Microsoft will be able to give us some of the other benefits that Digital Distribution normally offers.

Patrick

I think that kind of attitude is a slight against your paying customers. If I bought your title and you took that kind of attitude I probably wouldn't buy anymore titles from you.. ever. Developers need to show passion for their titles. That in turn can create buzz & good word of mouth. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a fine line between adding significant new features and a sequel. But if you don't already have a lot of sales and it's not real hard to add them, then I say add them. However, don't just sit back and hope the sales come rolling in. You've got to actively advertise that it's been updated. Use Twitter, Facebook or whatever. Get the word out!! Once Microsoft implements the update system things will be a little easier, but never think that you've done enough for your paying customers. Also, don't think you've ever done enough marketing & advertising either.

Tommy McClain

I asked the team about the 'update' feature in 3.1

"When you start the game you've downloaded previously, we'll check the LIVE service for an update and if it's there, we'll let you know about it. You can choose to download it which will then add the updated version to your download queue and delete the current version. If you choose not to download it, you can play the existing version but you'll be prompted the next time you start the game."

Right now thats all the details we are getting so asking questions isn't going to get any answers - more will be explained in the next few weeks.

The ZMan:

"When you start the game you've downloaded previously, we'll check the LIVE service for an update and if it's there, we'll let you know about it. You can choose to download it which will then add the updated version to your download queue and delete the current version. If you choose not to download it, you can play the existing version but you'll be prompted the next time you start the game."

That's fantastic news!  Exactly what I think a lot of us were hoping for.

Wow; I didn't know they had any details on that feature. Last I heard, they still hadn't decided exactly what it was going to be like. Auto-updates FTW!

excellent news!

Rainault:

Wow; I didn't know they had any details on that feature. Last I heard, they still hadn't decided exactly what it was going to be like. Auto-updates FTW!

It's not quite auto-updates. You still have to choose to download the updated version and you can still play without updating. But it's certainly vastly better than the situation today.

Nick Gravelyn:

It's not quite auto-updates. You still have to choose to download the updated version and you can still play without updating. But it's certainly vastly better than the situation today.

For all intents and purposes, it's close enough. Up until that happens we still have no easy way to let 100% of our users know there is an update. This fixes that.
Besides, it sounds pretty similar like when a retail game checks for updates. You can choose not to update with them.

But yes, that's great news!

The ZMan:

I asked the team about the 'update' feature in 3.1

"When you start the game you've downloaded previously, we'll check the LIVE service for an update and if it's there, we'll let you know about it. You can choose to download it which will then add the updated version to your download queue and delete the current version. If you choose not to download it, you can play the existing version but you'll be prompted the next time you start the game."

Right now thats all the details we are getting so asking questions isn't going to get any answers - more will be explained in the next few weeks.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in.

At this point I think it makes the most sense for me to wait for the official update service, then evaluate my options at that point.