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Feature Request: Promo Codes

SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
in ODK (OUYA Developer Kit)
I've been thinking it'd be cool to have promo codes to give out to game reviewers or as prizes for competitions etc. As in be able to just stick an extra int parameter into requestPurchase() to represent a code, and if the code has not been used for that Purchasable before (globally / across all users), the purchase succeeds

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  • DelpeeDelpee Posts: 120Member
    Was thinking about this yesterday. It's almost necessary I think. It would also lay the groundworks for a gift system, like Steam has. Would be a nice feature to have!
    ~ Yuri van Geffen (Portfolio)
  • BalbiBalbi Posts: 198Member
    A while back i talked to them and they said promo codes will have to be purchased by developers at the price of the boxer8 30% amount. Not sure if this changed, but honestly you're better off just giving out DRM copies with watermarks or something as there is no rule against that i can find and its free.
    Lead Developer of Leroux
  • mjoynermjoyner Posts: 168Member
    not, "int", but a hash "string", w/ embedded checksum
  • mjoynermjoyner Posts: 168Member
    the 30% makes sense to me.


  • DelpeeDelpee Posts: 120Member
    Balbi said:

    A while back i talked to them and they said promo codes will have to be purchased by developers at the price of the boxer8 30% amount. Not sure if this changed, but honest you're better off just giving out DRM copies with watermarks or something as there is no rule against that i can find and its free.

    I'm not sure if that's a good idea, as it would most likely ruin the experience (unless you make a small watermark, which doesn't serve purpose). It will also come over unprofessional if a reviewer needs to poke around the OUYA in a non-standard way to install your application.
    Just my two pennies ;).
    ~ Yuri van Geffen (Portfolio)
  • noctnoct Posts: 122Member
    edited January 2013
    Balbi said:
    A while back i talked to them and they said promo codes will have to be purchased by developers at the price of the boxer8 30% amount. Not sure if this changed, but honestly you're better off just giving out DRM copies with watermarks or something as there is no rule against that i can find and its free.
    I hope this isn't the case anymore. Apple provides 50 promo codes per app version (yes, version), and it's really a fantastic way to encourage developers to go out and promote their games, and generate greater overall sales.

    Granted 30% isn't a huge deal, but for a $5 indie game, it would cost $75 to send out 50 codes. For a company the amount is trivial, but for a small indie that's almost the cost of the console itself, and across multiple games it starts to stack up.
    Post edited by noct on
  • DelpeeDelpee Posts: 120Member
    It would be fair to be able to give away some promo copies, as it is YOUR game. Being able to do so will also increase OUYAs revenue, as smaller games could be promoted a lot easier! Even 30 free giveaways could be enough on a small project, altough more would be nice!
    ~ Yuri van Geffen (Portfolio)
  • noctnoct Posts: 122Member
    Especially since as Balbi mentioned, you can get around it by giving out an APK to sideload.
  • DelpeeDelpee Posts: 120Member
    I personally wouldn't like to have to hand out APKs, but that might just be me.
    ~ Yuri van Geffen (Portfolio)
  • SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
    I think you're all stuck in the Apple mindset of what "Promo Code" means, which is limiting your imagination.

    Say I make a simple RPG with IAP for potions, swords etc. I decide to make a "limited edition" sword as an Entitlement Purchasable (as per Ouya IAP system) costing $0.

    What I would then like to do is create 200 unique codes, and associate them with the sword. The first person to use any one particular code and pay $0 gets that sword. The code is then used up, and if someone tries to enter the code again, their purchase fails

    I then run a competition where I draw 200 names out of a hat and give each person one of the unique codes

    If the system works on an AND basis (i.e. code has to be correct AND normal IAPayment is made), then I can easily make "Sale: 30% off!" codes. Ouya will still get 30% of the remaining 70%

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  • LaboratoryLaboratory Posts: 24Member
    I think requiring developers to shell out to promote their own titles is a poor choice.
  • WillzZzWillzZz Posts: 26Member
    This sounds more like a developer's prerogative rather than Ouya's. @SpoonThumb has the right of it, and I'm developing my product and account systems with a similar mindset.
  • BalbiBalbi Posts: 198Member
    Laboratory said:

    I think requiring developers to shell out to promote their own titles is a poor choice.

    Nobody is forcing us developers to do anything. If we want to give out official Ouya store copies to people then we have to buy them. Any Developer talented enough to launch a game should be smart enough to distribute a build without the Ouya store.
    Lead Developer of Leroux
  • Killa_MaakiKilla_Maaki Posts: 504Member
    Hey, I'm happy as long as there's a promo system. I don't care if I have to shell out or not.
    You didn't remember the plot of the Doctor Who movie because there was none; Just a bunch of plot holes strung together.
  • BalbiBalbi Posts: 198Member
    Killa_Maaki said:

    Hey, I'm happy as long as there's a promo system. I don't care if I have to shell out or not.

    I agree. I have no problem making water marked or DRM builds for reviewers that i distribute myself.
    Lead Developer of Leroux
  • GodlyPerfectionGodlyPerfection Posts: 140Member
    Unless it is against a TOS then it wouldn't be to difficult to include your own promo system for your game. For example, my game uses a credit system... it is easy enough just to hand out credits since I'd already be able to do it in-game for other tasks. The definition of a promo can also differ on a per game basis. While it would be convenient to have codes for specific IAP products, it is exactly that. Convenience...
    Aggro Tactics - A tactical strategy virtual board game built with Unity3D 4.0, designed around the concept of Threat/Aggro inspired by the mechanics of chess and a customizable party like in table top games.

    Founder of ReachingPerfection.com
  • ThinksquirrelThinksquirrel Posts: 20Member
    As stated above, it would be fairly simple to create your own promo code system. Since every OUYA title is free to download, everyone would already have your apk.

    Say you have an item that you'd like to give away either free or 30% off.

    1) Have your game communicate with a server to validate promo codes.
    2) For a free promotion, you can just give the item on validation - for the 30% off, you would have an entitlement or consumable that you only offer once a code has been validated. Granted, it would be convenient if boxer8 handled the codes themselves, but it's definitely not necessary. It would help keep things standard, though.
  • Killa_MaakiKilla_Maaki Posts: 504Member
    Yep, real simple stuff here:

    Have a MySQL or some other database with a table for promo code entries. You might have, say, 30 promo codes in this database table (perhaps give these away to press/bloggers/etc to review your game).
    Have a PHP script which allows you to validate a promo code. If it's invalid, the script returns failure and the game will alert the user. If it's valid, the promo code is removed from the table (so only one person can use a single code) and the script returns success (and the game awards the entitlement to the player)
    You didn't remember the plot of the Doctor Who movie because there was none; Just a bunch of plot holes strung together.
  • BalbiBalbi Posts: 198Member
    Shouldn't ever remove data only invalidate it. Use a bit mask for the state of the code, used, unused, etc. But now we're getting into too much detail :). I'm just going to watermark my builds and have people be responsible :P
    Lead Developer of Leroux
  • SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
    Yep, you could do it yourself, but then you have to have your own servers, which is an extra cost, as well as time/effort to write networking code and a security module, both of which I don't know the first thing about. Which is why it'd be nice if it was bundled in with the ODK
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  • DelpeeDelpee Posts: 120Member
    Wouldn't it suck to watermark your game? If you make a big watermark the experience will suck for reviewers or critics, and if you make it small people won't care and just play the watermarked version of your game. If you have IAPs it doesn't matter, but if you plan on releasing your game whole for a single price, this would be prone to piracy or bad reviews I think.
    ~ Yuri van Geffen (Portfolio)
  • Jack_McslayJack_Mcslay Posts: 100Member

    SpoonThumb said:
    Yep, you could do it yourself, but then you have to have your own servers, which is an extra cost, as well as time/effort to write networking code and a security module, both of which I don't know the first thing about. Which is why it'd be nice if it was bundled in with the ODK
    I suppose most people developing a game on the Ouya will eventually have an website for it? anyone can easily use the same host as the ones used to host their websites to provide key authentication.
  • SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
    It's more a case of why have many game developers spending time each writing their own networking and security code instead of concentrating on making games, when that stuff already exists for the OUYA IAP and could be re-purposed?
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  • BalbiBalbi Posts: 198Member
    Delpee said:

    Wouldn't it suck to watermark your game? If you make a big watermark the experience will suck for reviewers or critics, and if you make it small people won't care and just play the watermarked version of your game. If you have IAPs it doesn't matter, but if you plan on releasing your game whole for a single price, this would be prone to piracy or bad reviews I think.

    Watermarks don't have to be visible. Its not uncommon to give reviewers a copy of your game that can easily be identified when it shows up on a piracy website.
    Lead Developer of Leroux
  • bluecollarartbluecollarart Posts: 75Member
    Speaking purely as a consumer, if I knew I could play the games for PC and Android that I've already purchase, instead of having to re-purchase them all, it would be a big motivator for me to buy an OUYA. This is something any other Android device that includes Google Play has over OUYA. I have a pretty massive library of Android and PC games that I'm not looking forward to buying for a second time.

    It's going to make it really hard to move from Google Play to OUYA if you have to rebuy every single game that you've already bought. I know this is likely going to be the case, but it's still going to be a bad experience and one reason not to buy an OUYA. (I also know that the vast majority of the best upcoming OUYA games are not yet released on Android, but it's still an issue)

    Perhaps there could be a grace period of a month or two from the OUYA's launch where developers would be able to give our promo codes for free, in order to reward and encourage early adoption among consumers. I don't know, just throwing out ideas.

    (though, I've already ordered an OUYA through Kickstarter anyway ;)
  • Miniboss1232Miniboss1232 Posts: 45Member
    @bluecollarart: Personally, any game I release on OUYA is 99% not going to come to Android as I just don't care to support 4 billion different devices. I view this as a console that happens to run on Android, not an Android device mimicking a console. If you want that, then there's loads of better ways to do it.

  • Jack_McslayJack_Mcslay Posts: 100Member
    How many (good) tablet/smartphone games will work well on Ouya anyways? Anything that's not turn-based will not work well on the touchpad because it's a very un-agile input method.
  • LaboratoryLaboratory Posts: 24Member
    It's certainly within their rights to ask for it, and far from absurd. But a company founded on feel good messages and charity strikes me as slightly hypocritical to charge their cash cows for the luxury of validating a restricted number of codes through their API, as other well known industry players do. They're losing more money to bandwidth by my visiting this webpage.

    It's more a matter of mentality than money.

    -Clayton Grey
  • arcticdogarcticdog Posts: 235Member
    If OUYA came up with an IAP item with an "inventory Quantity" parameter, this could be done fairly easily (purchases subtract from inventory, and once it's at zero, it can no longer be purchased).  You could make a limited quantity release of the same IAP item that unlocked the game, or individual items of quantity of 1 that each unlocked the game and distribute codes that would trigger the purchase.

    This could extend into game play elements as well.

    Suppose there's an ultra-powerful sword in an RPG that costs $100.  The fact that only 1 or 2 players ever could get that sword would be a pretty interesting element to the game.
  • arcticdogarcticdog Posts: 235Member
    Jack_Mcslay said:
    How many (good) tablet/smartphone games will work well on Ouya anyways? Anything that's not turn-based will not work well on the touchpad because it's a very un-agile input method.
    Agreed.  But I think OUYA is going to disrupt the mobile market in that way.  I suspect we'll see a lot of push for controllers on tablets after OUYA releases and gains momentum.  They will end up being as common of a peripheral on a tablet as mice are on PCs.
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