SLUniverse Forums

Lucifer Baphomet · 08-03-2008, 04:01 PM

THE F-TYPE HAS LANDED..

Tonight! 4pm-8pm: F-Type Robot Launch Party @ Eclectic Randomness

Envoy Costagravas · 08-03-2008, 04:24 PM

Congratz, Winter! I gotta say, *everything* looks great, from your design and ideas all the way to the adverts. Really fine work, I hope it is great success for you!!

Winter Ventura · 08-03-2008, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tati

So... is it out yet?

Yes!

Winter Ventura · 08-04-2008, 01:06 AM

When I started this poll, I had in mind a price of 600-800. Most furs (an established, similar genre) seem to sell right around 900L$. You'll notice that the poll doesn't go below 600. This is because I had no intention of selling it for less. Avatars priced around 500 and less, have a "special use only" sense to them. "half price because you can't wear it every day". I wanted my avatar to feel more like something people COULD live in... and therefore I had to price myself in that zone.

In all honesty, the poll wasn't so much about helping me decide on a price point, as it was about making me feel more confident about the price point I was considering. While a few people complained that even 600 was too expensive, I was heartened by the fact that many many more people felt that more than 1000 would be reasonable.

This led me to my secondary idea, that being to "bust out" with a few more accessories, and rather than selling a "one-off package" (avatar, 2 hairs, and jetpack), instead packaging it up as a "system" of base avatar and accessories. This allowed me to sell the base avatar for an "Entry Level" price, and still make up the difference on accessory sales.

The Base Avatar costs 750 L$. Each accessory is a flat 100L each. I have found that anything less than 150, and people will buy on impulse (and generally they don't complain if they end up not liking it.. over 150 and they will). At the moment, there are 7 accessories available. (6 hairs, and the jetpack). A customer who is "in love" with the avatar, can spend 1450 on the entire set. Thus fulfilling the desire of many, to see me "make enough off this to do credit to all the work I put in" while at the same time, a cautious purchaser can sneak out having spent only L$ 750, fulfilling (for the most part) the desire that the package be accessable, and affordable enough to be popular.

I'm not selling individual works of art or a "limited edition". My goal is repeat business. Prior to the release of this avatar, it took roughly 3000 L$ to buy-out my store. That has now increased to 4500 or so. The design, and the modularity, means that I am likely to continue adding accessories to the series. There's been enough interest to justify making a male version as well. That kit will also sell for 750. My hope is to have enough accessories for the male to at least make a similar profit. But there's always going to be more opportunities for female accessories.

People's desires for difference, can be found in similar fashion to most furries, the avatar is completely moddable. Change the eye colour? no problem, change the accent colours? ssure. Competent builders will "trick out" theirs, while a wide range of accessories and some simple features (like the colour change system for the hair) will mean that even beginners can build their own bot.

Neko accessories are going to be the first new accessory kit I'm going to do. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I took a couple of good suggestions at the event tonight.

Why 750 and not 700?

No idea. I was bored. Actually, I felt that 700's double-zero would startle people. There's a weird psychology when it comes to 3-digit numbers. 399 feels WAY more accessable than 400, and strangely, 450 is also more comfortable for some than 400. In the end, it's just a number between 600 and 800. It was "Splitting the difference" between those who said 500, and those who said 1000.

Decadent · 08-04-2008, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter Ventura

I took a couple of good suggestions at the event tonight.

Does that mean we may be seeing a rocket bra like Ingrid (I think) suggested?

Winter Ventura · 08-04-2008, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decadent

Does that mean we may be seeing a rocket bra like Ingrid (I think) suggested?

yes, that's what it means.. but new accessories are a few slots down on my to-do list.

Decadent · 08-04-2008, 01:29 AM

Beezle Warburton · 08-04-2008, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter Ventura

When I started this poll, I had in mind a price of 600-800. Most furs (an established, similar genre) seem to sell right around 900L$. You'll notice that the poll doesn't go below 600. This is because I had no intention of selling it for less. Avatars priced around 500 and less, have a "special use only" sense to them. "half price because you can't wear it every day". I wanted my avatar to feel more like something people COULD live in... and therefore I had to price myself in that zone.

In all honesty, the poll wasn't so much about helping me decide on a price point, as it was about making me feel more confident about the price point I was considering. While a few people complained that even 600 was too expensive, I was heartened by the fact that many many more people felt that more than 1000 would be reasonable.

This led me to my secondary idea, that being to "bust out" with a few more accessories, and rather than selling a "one-off package" (avatar, 2 hairs, and jetpack), instead packaging it up as a "system" of base avatar and accessories. This allowed me to sell the base avatar for an "Entry Level" price, and still make up the difference on accessory sales.

The Base Avatar costs 750 L$. Each accessory is a flat 100L each. I have found that anything less than 150, and people will buy on impulse (and generally they don't complain if they end up not liking it.. over 150 and they will). At the moment, there are 7 accessories available. (6 hairs, and the jetpack). A customer who is "in love" with the avatar, can spend 1450 on the entire set. Thus fulfilling the desire of many, to see me "make enough off this to do credit to all the work I put in" while at the same time, a cautious purchaser can sneak out having spent only L$ 750, fulfilling (for the most part) the desire that the package be accessable, and affordable enough to be popular.

I'm not selling individual works of art or a "limited edition". My goal is repeat business. Prior to the release of this avatar, it took roughly 3000 L$ to buy-out my store. That has now increased to 4500 or so. The design, and the modularity, means that I am likely to continue adding accessories to the series. There's been enough interest to justify making a male version as well. That kit will also sell for 750. My hope is to have enough accessories for the male to at least make a similar profit. But there's always going to be more opportunities for female accessories.

People's desires for difference, can be found in similar fashion to most furries, the avatar is completely moddable. Change the eye colour? no problem, change the accent colours? ssure. Competent builders will "trick out" theirs, while a wide range of accessories and some simple features (like the colour change system for the hair) will mean that even beginners can build their own bot.

Neko accessories are going to be the first new accessory kit I'm going to do. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I took a couple of good suggestions at the event tonight.

Why 750 and not 700?

No idea. I was bored. Actually, I felt that 700's double-zero would startle people. There's a weird psychology when it comes to 3-digit numbers. 399 feels WAY more accessable than 400, and strangely, 450 is also more comfortable for some than 400. In the end, it's just a number between 600 and 800. It was "Splitting the difference" between those who said 500, and those who said 1000.

I like it. "Hey, it's only 750 . . . ooo, look hair" is an exellent way to get people to spend money.

Ann Launay · 08-04-2008, 11:43 PM

I can haz Neko bits plz?

Winter Ventura · 08-05-2008, 02:40 AM

Thanks for the photo Ann... Looks GREAT in that colour! I've now confirmed that the shoulder glitch is happening more frequently than I thought.

I swear I knocked that glitch down ages ago. I think I accidentally deleted the fixed upperarms at some point, and the fix got lost in the shuffle. What with all the drama of the move, and the flight assist problems, and all that...

Anyways, I punked-up the invisiprims on the shoulders. I've sent replacement parts out to all current owners, and integrated the fix into the package in the vendor.

Tyche Shepherd · 08-07-2008, 12:38 PM

My Surveying Alt wore your Fembot Avi to do her 1000 sim survey today - Got some nice comments as I TP'd around the grid - Gave out a few LMs to those who wanted them .

It was when SL crashed and I ended up in a welcome area with 60 others that I realised how small the avatar is - very appropriate - My surveying Alt's name is Virtual Littlething

Winter Ventura · 08-07-2008, 01:09 PM

Well she's small, because she's meant to be a "toy" robot.

The original project was to build an avatar based loosely on a "Medabot". Medabots, for those who don't know, was "yet another pocket monsters (Pokemon) show." But the series was made as a PARODY of it's own genre. Kids who have robots, battlling other for supremacy.. with utterly ridiculous villains, and a magical referee who seems to be able to appear INSTANTLY whenever ANY challenge is declared, and everything.

Anyways, they're sold in toy stores, and are basically "Collectable fighting dolls" with AI's and interchangable (tradable) parts.

Even though the F-Type isn't a medabot, a lot of my marketing actually reflects that idea.. selling "parts" and a "base robot kit". Clearly though, the F-Type has evolved beyond the likes of Metabee, Peppercat, and NeutraNurse. The Rubber-Robo Gang wouldn't stand a chance against her.

The fact that so many people are modding her right out of the box... well it makes me smile.

Mecha Dinosaur · 08-08-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexxi Gynoid

Great looking avatar! A note - put Hi Rop (gah I hope that is correct) into search. Go to the store in the Sim that sounds Japanish (Tokyo I think it might be, maybe Japan). Look for a giant building with an open top. It should have Japanese comics up, clothing, avatars, etc. There is a full avatar there that looks close to the one in these pictures. Close, of course, is relative. It is also a bot, but a cyborg (skin shows, etc) that "transforms" into a motorcycle (I'm not describing this correctly and I wish I had pictures of it). I haven't seen yours, and I do not have a picture of the one I'm thinking of, so maybe they do not look anything a like (I know that they are significant differences, but it has similar looking parts (legs, etc.)). Figured a check to see what that one costs might be helpful.

Well except for the prim cube this is what it looks like (I was making a vehicle so people could ride me).

YouTube - Havok 4 Glitch with vehicles

If you never plan to make add-ons, then do a 1k - 2k range for price. If you do plan to make add-ons; so that the non-creative types won't all look the same, price it under 1k. People will be more prone to buy more add-ons with a low budget if the base avatar won't destroy their budget.

Winter Ventura · 08-08-2008, 01:40 PM

I'm guessing you haven't been keeping up on the thread.

750 - base avatar "kit" (includes 2 hairs)
100 - Hair (currently 6 options to choose from)
100 - Jetpack & Flight Assist HUD

My goal is to offer more accessories, upgrade kits, etc... Each for L$100. I had hoped that this would be a wise business move, and the last week has proven that it was. Almost without fail, when someone comes into my shop to buy the avatar, they buy the base kit (750) the MIS-T Hair (100) and a jetpack (100) for a total of L$950

New accessories, I hope, will be available for 100L, although I am considering selling some "upgrade kits" for 300-450 or so, which would involve sets of multiple accessories (if a set included a new chest, forearms, etc) An example I can think of is a "Combat Upgrade" but I'm not really sure how practical that idea might be..

View Poll Results: What is a reasonable, realistic price?
L$600 to L$699	7	10.45%
L$700 to L$799	12	17.91%
L$800 to L$899	14	20.90%
L$900 to L$999	19	28.36%
L$1000 & up (please specify in a post)	24	35.82%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 67. You may not vote on this poll

08-03-2008, 04:01 PM	#176 (permalink)
Lucifer Baphomet Pampers Io Zenophile Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Darkmere Posts: 4,741 Business: Radio Free Darkmere My Mood:	THE F-TYPE HAS LANDED.. Tonight! 4pm-8pm: F-Type Robot Launch Party @ Eclectic Randomness __________________

08-03-2008, 04:24 PM	#177 (permalink)
Envoy Costagravas Undetectable Those aren't blanks... Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: On diplomatic assignment, somewhere... Posts: 2,032 My Mood:	Congratz, Winter! I gotta say, everything looks great, from your design and ideas all the way to the adverts. Really fine work, I hope it is great success for you!! __________________ "If you wou'd not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." ~ Benjamin Franklin

08-04-2008, 11:43 PM	#184 (permalink)
Ann Launay Neko-licious™ Likes Spoons Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 2,084 SL Join Date: 8/8/06 My Mood:	I can haz Neko bits plz? __________________ ~Now Trout Re-Re-Certified!~ "I'm bumping you to a 7.3. You are now beyond girl-next-door-hot and into dream-girl-steamy-fantasy hot. I approve. Shame on you and congratulations! You are borderline slutty." Obligatory Flickr Stuffies

08-07-2008, 12:38 PM	#186 (permalink)
Tyche Shepherd Fortuna vitrea est Lightly Seared on the Reality Grill Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: UK Posts: 3,368 SL Join Date: 26th April 2007 My Mood:	My Surveying Alt wore your Fembot Avi to do her 1000 sim survey today - Got some nice comments as I TP'd around the grid - Gave out a few LMs to those who wanted them . It was when SL crashed and I ended up in a welcome area with 60 others that I realised how small the avatar is - very appropriate - My surveying Alt's name is Virtual Littlething __________________ Vanguard of the LolCatz Revolution This Post was financed by The National LolCatz Archives Clancy Sullivan :Yeah. YEAH! The sultry seamstress of mirth is definitely in charge now. Certified 7.8 on the Official Non-Arbitrary Trout Algorithmic Slut scale

08-04-2008, 01:06 AM	#179 (permalink)
Winter Ventura Pixel Perfect Linking prims since 2006 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 450 SL Join Date: 7/13/2006 Business: Eclectic Randomness My Mood:	When I started this poll, I had in mind a price of 600-800. Most furs (an established, similar genre) seem to sell right around 900L$. You'll notice that the poll doesn't go below 600. This is because I had no intention of selling it for less. Avatars priced around 500 and less, have a "special use only" sense to them. "half price because you can't wear it every day". I wanted my avatar to feel more like something people COULD live in... and therefore I had to price myself in that zone. In all honesty, the poll wasn't so much about helping me decide on a price point, as it was about making me feel more confident about the price point I was considering. While a few people complained that even 600 was too expensive, I was heartened by the fact that many many more people felt that more than 1000 would be reasonable. This led me to my secondary idea, that being to "bust out" with a few more accessories, and rather than selling a "one-off package" (avatar, 2 hairs, and jetpack), instead packaging it up as a "system" of base avatar and accessories. This allowed me to sell the base avatar for an "Entry Level" price, and still make up the difference on accessory sales. The Base Avatar costs 750 L$. Each accessory is a flat 100L each. I have found that anything less than 150, and people will buy on impulse (and generally they don't complain if they end up not liking it.. over 150 and they will). At the moment, there are 7 accessories available. (6 hairs, and the jetpack). A customer who is "in love" with the avatar, can spend 1450 on the entire set. Thus fulfilling the desire of many, to see me "make enough off this to do credit to all the work I put in" while at the same time, a cautious purchaser can sneak out having spent only L$ 750, fulfilling (for the most part) the desire that the package be accessable, and affordable enough to be popular. I'm not selling individual works of art or a "limited edition". My goal is repeat business. Prior to the release of this avatar, it took roughly 3000 L$ to buy-out my store. That has now increased to 4500 or so. The design, and the modularity, means that I am likely to continue adding accessories to the series. There's been enough interest to justify making a male version as well. That kit will also sell for 750. My hope is to have enough accessories for the male to at least make a similar profit. But there's always going to be more opportunities for female accessories. People's desires for difference, can be found in similar fashion to most furries, the avatar is completely moddable. Change the eye colour? no problem, change the accent colours? ssure. Competent builders will "trick out" theirs, while a wide range of accessories and some simple features (like the colour change system for the hair) will mean that even beginners can build their own bot. Neko accessories are going to be the first new accessory kit I'm going to do. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I took a couple of good suggestions at the event tonight. Why 750 and not 700? No idea. I was bored. Actually, I felt that 700's double-zero would startle people. There's a weird psychology when it comes to 3-digit numbers. 399 feels WAY more accessable than 400, and strangely, 450 is also more comfortable for some than 400. In the end, it's just a number between 600 and 800. It was "Splitting the difference" between those who said 500, and those who said 1000.

08-04-2008, 01:29 AM	#182 (permalink)
Decadent is tasty. Nomnom. Intellectual terrorist! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dallas / Dublin. Posts: 2,767 SL Join Date: '04 '06. My Mood:

08-07-2008, 01:09 PM	#187 (permalink)
Winter Ventura Pixel Perfect Linking prims since 2006 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 450 SL Join Date: 7/13/2006 Business: Eclectic Randomness My Mood:	Well she's small, because she's meant to be a "toy" robot. The original project was to build an avatar based loosely on a "Medabot". Medabots, for those who don't know, was "yet another pocket monsters (Pokemon) show." But the series was made as a PARODY of it's own genre. Kids who have robots, battlling other for supremacy.. with utterly ridiculous villains, and a magical referee who seems to be able to appear INSTANTLY whenever ANY challenge is declared, and everything. Anyways, they're sold in toy stores, and are basically "Collectable fighting dolls" with AI's and interchangable (tradable) parts. Even though the F-Type isn't a medabot, a lot of my marketing actually reflects that idea.. selling "parts" and a "base robot kit". Clearly though, the F-Type has evolved beyond the likes of Metabee, Peppercat, and NeutraNurse. The Rubber-Robo Gang wouldn't stand a chance against her. The fact that so many people are modding her right out of the box... well it makes me smile.

08-08-2008, 01:40 PM	#189 (permalink)
Winter Ventura Pixel Perfect Linking prims since 2006 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 450 SL Join Date: 7/13/2006 Business: Eclectic Randomness My Mood:	I'm guessing you haven't been keeping up on the thread. 750 - base avatar "kit" (includes 2 hairs) 100 - Hair (currently 6 options to choose from) 100 - Jetpack & Flight Assist HUD My goal is to offer more accessories, upgrade kits, etc... Each for L$100. I had hoped that this would be a wise business move, and the last week has proven that it was. Almost without fail, when someone comes into my shop to buy the avatar, they buy the base kit (750) the MIS-T Hair (100) and a jetpack (100) for a total of L$950 New accessories, I hope, will be available for 100L, although I am considering selling some "upgrade kits" for 300-450 or so, which would involve sets of multiple accessories (if a set included a new chest, forearms, etc) An example I can think of is a "Combat Upgrade" but I'm not really sure how practical that idea might be..

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode