ID:104263
 
Applies to:Website
Status: Open

Issue hasn't been assigned a status value.
I am advertising Regressia outside of BYOND, but I'm having trouble with the pricing. The $11 ($9.90 for members) that I'm currently charging is a price meant for BYOND. For other sites in general, I'd like to charge $9.99 as a base price. There are some sites I'd like to charge $5 or less, maybe even make it free for a couple days. Currently, there is no way for me to do this within the hub's automated subscription system. What I'm proposing is a system of user defined coupon codes, perhaps as part of the URL, like in this example:

https://secure.byond.com/ members/?command=subscription_payment&hub=IainPeregrine.Regr essia&redir=1&coupon=narshe

How it would work:
1. When editing a game's hub, the author would have the option of adding a coupon code in the subscription options area. The author would add a coupon, a price, and a time limit. In my example above, the code "Narshe" would correspond with a $5 life time subscription.
2. The author would then advertise his game, and the discounted price, to other sites, using a url with the coupon code. In my example, I would go to CavesOfNarshe.com and advertise my link.
3. Users who click the link would then be presented with that subscription option (in addition to the normal ones, in case they do want to pay more for a different subscription offer). Everyone else who visits the subscription page by a different link (without the coupon code) would not see the discounted options.

There are two other options that could be added to this feature. First, instead of, or in addition to, the URL parameter, there could also be a coupon input box for people who were given the code, but came to the page via a different link. So you could put "Narshe" into the box and hit enter, and the $5 lifetime subscription would pop up. Second, authors could have the option of making a coupon work only once per user. So one author might offer a one-time-only 1-month free trial to a certain site, while another author might give users of a certain site a $3 6-month subscription (normally $6) to be used as often as they want.
I would use this feature.
SuperAntx wrote:
I would use this feature.

Support.
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Supported
Magicbeast20 wrote:
SuperAntx wrote:
I would use this feature.


Yes
I've been wanting to request this as well with an emphasis on the free option. Essentially, I want Steam-like activation codes or another user-friendly variant. This would allow BYOND games to be offered as reviewer copies and/or bundle rewards. That offers publicity tools and ways to leverage back catalogs for both developers and BYOND itself.
In response to ACWraith
ACWraith wrote:
I've been wanting to request this as well with an emphasis on the free option. Essentially, I want Steam-like activation codes or another user-friendly variant. This would allow BYOND games to be offered as reviewer copies and/or bundle rewards. That offers publicity tools and ways to leverage back catalogs for both developers and BYOND itself.

You can easily do this without using BYOND systems.. or no existent system for this instance...
In response to A.T.H.K
A.T.H.K wrote:
You can easily do this without using BYOND systems.. or no existent system for this instance...

That might indeed be easy for a full-access, single-player download like Regressia. Files can be uploaded and downloaded from anywhere.

However, some of us have back catalogs of games built around BYOND's passport system which allow anyone to play for free and then unlock bonuses. Merely giving download access isn't an option. Short of rebuilding everything, we need a way to tie a BYOND subscription to an unknown or nonexistent key.

Meanwhile, BYOND will need new projects to use their subscription system and the current plan seems to focus on persistently hosted games. Developers who have to go around BYOND entirely might as well not use it.