Somewhere around the fifth or sixth year of CoH, they got the bright idea that they could sell the in-game billboards to real companies as advertisements. For many reasons, this didn't work out too well. The other option was to leave them with the same static images all the time, which got boring. Better than being advertised at, but still boring.
I'd like to suggest a better use of those resources. Any good game puts out a newsletter that announces improvements and changes, and most of us just ignore the newsletter because we'd rather be playing the game. Make the billboards display short summaries of the newsletter content, with instructions on how to find the full text if it's something that interests them. You could also advertise things like new classes, powersets, expansions, etc. there.
Second, you could allow players to spend in-game money (maybe even having an auction for slots) in order to advertise their events. Costume contests, PvP matches, Supergroups looking for members, etc could all advertise on these boards instead of yelling their information on the common channels. You would need some type of review process of ads to avoid scams, porn, and undesirables, possibly community based.
This should make the billboard information actually interesting to your average player instead of annoying, provide improved communication between the developers and the community, and reduce the most annoying spam traffic on the common channels.
Mythological Beast
Triumverate, Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow (Infinity)
Or they should just use the newspaper and make 1 of the options (non clickable) just for advertisements)
I think ads would be great actually. I would pay a fair amount to advertise my website in-game absolutely!
In game and game related adds would be fantastic. I'm sure the community won't be short on people willing to design and proudly throw up their flashy designs and really make the city look alive. If we had a read-able community newspaper think of the things we could do with that, villains could put in secret codes for others to figure out, it could give a rundown of any dev news that week, and it would be that little extra immersion.
Now I know I'm probably a minority on this one but I actually don't mind company advertising if the game ever attracted that kind of attention. I don't want the city saturated in it but a little extra money to the game just to see an actual coca-cola sign every now and then wouldn't kill me. This is a city after all, no city exists without companies advertising products... unless its like Praetoria. I would hope to see some flashy fancy signs and LED displays when I'm downtown surrounded by shops and malls.
You could let companies advertise the same way they do in real life, a building named after them, some signs downtown, a banner behind a plane
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CoH actually had an in-game newspaper, but you had to go find the newspaper vendor in order to read it. Also (if I remember right) it didn't have game information, just plot line clues. The problem was that there was never a newspaper vendor around when you had time to look at the paper. I'm looking for a medium where you would just happen to notice information (like upcoming Halloween events) while bouncing around the city between missions.
Mythological Beast
Triumverate, Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow (Infinity)
o.O There was an in game newspaper and vendor?
Thing is though that if players are allowed to be ad space, there will need to be some really good rules and restrictions set up for that. You don't want something advertised that could be offensive, or negative, or harmful. Rather then it advertising for websites it should be advertising for SGs and who to contact for enrollment. I don't think it should even let you place the address of a website because you don't know if that site itself might have something harmful or lead you to some place harmful in any way. The in game ads around the city for like a lawyer and such, ya know in game world stuff, should switch out occasionally so that I don't see the exact same billboard ALL the time. They should also be used to advertise up coming seasonal or holiday events but only certain ones. Like you would have a billboard talking about how the city (not the game) will be hosting some kind of say halloween party at the square right. But you wouldn't have an ad for like the alien invasion that's going to happen. I feel the billboards and ads should have at least some kind of immersion element and not pull you out of it ya know. I think they should all be in character and not out of character. Billboards that have space bought by players should have some kind of time limit on them so that they aren't up there for all eternity. As for real world companies like Coke. I'm okay with seeing them around the game. Just long as its not on every billboard or street corner. Or Like it's been suggested, make a building that is the Coke Cola building. Heck could even have some mishys in there. There some fun advertising for them and a place to make some nice monies. Especially if the building is going to stay there. That's a nice chunk of advertising for them since we'd always see that building there.
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Owner and Big Sister of the Justice Girls -Champions Online-City of Titans-
Forum Breaker
Leader of the Ellysyn Dark Ensemble
I bet PvP players would love to see top 10 Players avatars plastered on a billboard. ;)
For newspapers I'd imagine like a little box next to bus-stops and such you would find around the city that you can just click on and it gives you the item of "This weeks paper", you could even have multiple papers and choose which you pick up if you want them at all, then if you're waiting for a task force style event to begin you can just be like "Whats new today?" Also you reminded me of those info boxes they had around that never updated but were suppose to tell you who has arrested most X today/week/month...Why were those never really addressed again?
I'm ok with in-game ads as long as we're not buried with them. Ad money means more game for the players IMHO. I'd put some sort of limit of ad space per block or whatever but that's a Dev call. I also wouldn't ask the advertisers to change their names like CoH did. We all knew what the In Front Steakhouse was advertising. I especially don't mind smaller signs like Coke machines on street corners or wherever. In many ways it ads immersion.
I really like the idea of an in-game newspaper with actual content but I don't know if the Devs will have the resources to run such a thing at first. If it were player-run with a supervisor to screen for offensive stuff then that might work. I don't like the idea of pending real cash for ads for your stuff but it could be a good money sink in-game. Best of all is that there doesn't have to be a limit on pages. If fifty SGs all want to take out full-page ads then fine...it doesn't have to be printed or anything so it can be as long as we want.
Such a thing could be a great place for players to show off their art. Pictures of their toons (with a bio maybe), ads for SGs or upcoming events (Hey gang! We're hosting a Halloween party this Thursday at Jack's bar on Escher Street, under the big blimp! C'mon down and join us!) or whatever.
A player-run paper could be fun and take a lot of work off the Devs and make the community feel like they're contributing.
I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...
I see what you did there.
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I find it hard to imagine that it would cost real money to get input on the paper. I was imagining using one of the available in game currencies (Supergroups have to spend 'prestige', players 'influence') depending on what we have and if there are even more than one currency forms in the game. If you base it off of in game currency lower level players won't likely come across the means to spam the paper and it will be something that players grow into, first seeing in game and as they get access to more funds they can look into contributing. I'm all ears for a better system though, as this cuts into stuff like saving up for builds or items or what ever else we'd spend currency on.
I remember the Billboard creation art contest and the results. 'Zom-B-Care' was a favorite. Actual in-game advertising would be nifty. However, it should not be Static, real billboards change ads regularly.
Newspapers, like the one that was run by players on the CoH forums, could be viewed in a reading-pane, but actual patch-note data and suchlike should go to the hero's 'PDA', like virtual SMS.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Having personal cellphones/a smart phone style device as an ingame tool would be so cool! They could be a catch all to update you on certain friends, mission progress, technical data of the game (Like the patch notes) ect.
I wonder how hard it would be to code billboards that are dynamic, like the ones that have two separate ads they flip between. Just a curiousity.
See I would like them to change. I would like to feel the city itself also moving. Remember the movie theater? They had a contest and someone one and they finally changed its title and star. But that was it. The game was around for a few years and the theater only showed 2 movies. o.o like really. Or does anyone remember the banners for some like broadway show that was going to be playing. Those banners were up for years and the show still hadn't happened. I would like the city to have some kind of progression.
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Owner and Big Sister of the Justice Girls -Champions Online-City of Titans-
Forum Breaker
Leader of the Ellysyn Dark Ensemble
I wasn't sure anyone would notice!
I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...
Someone mentioned they wanted to add a Newspaper with player Ad's or CoT Anouncements to it. The CoT Hero Designer or whatever standalone app, can have the CoT Newspaper added somewhere in there. Heh... thats probably One way to get the readership UPPPPPP! ;D
What about people like me who don't really use smartphones :/
I'm thinking we will have lots of routes to access the Newspaper content. I doubt it will be limited to just smartphones. Someday, we might even see Facebook Flash (or other types) applets. :)
In absolute all seriousness a mobile app that could update you on the game info and maybe some in-game stuff specific to your toons would be fantastic (If at all possible) for those that can use it, but I feel that is getting away from the topic here.
Just to bring it back to in-game advertising, what about the city's actual brands? I'm sure Titan City has some brands that don't exist for us. Maybe the community could hold a contest to see who can create the best virtual brands/products to include in the city and give it its own flavour. Its own types of cars/car companies, grocery stuff, clothing ads and such. I remember CoX had a couple (Hero O's) but most of them were uh...kind of generic and corny. Not that corny is all bad but it can't be everything. This is also just to have a fun little community contest we can hold while the game is still in development.
As much as I like the idea, there's two things you might want to keep in mind. One of the devs had said they wanted to do player advertising but couldn't for various unstated reasons. I'll see if I can eventually track down who said it and the quote. No luck yet.
I'd also keep in mind the mindset of the early adapters and kickstarters isn't likely to reflect the opinions of the hopefully much larger player base once the game goes live and becomes a commercial success. I don't know if the players who join later on once its playable will be as magnanimous or generous about advertisements as people eager to support the game and see it thrive.
"Make the billboard actually interesting?" I'm pretty sure the goal of any billboard is to make it actually interesting. *Shrugs* If you just mean 'make the board animated,' that seems more resource intensive - and it can just as easily be more annoying as 'more interesting.'
Do you still think seeing ads should be optional?
Longtime City of Heroes player, longtime writer. :) Working in Nebraska.
COT: Mission tips writer, studying Cinema 4D animation program
I was thinking that, rather than a 'Newspaper' or a 'Police Radio', characters would have some sort of universal communication device that allowed them to collect, store, and access in-game information and alerts. This also acts as a 'cell-phone' to call Contacts and whatever else is needed.
I'm aware that there are some people who are addicted to their RL phones and want to be able to do in-game things while waiting in line at Starbucks. My suggestion has nothing to do with that.
Be Well!
Fireheart
I'm with Vienna about in-game advertizing. While the devs might want to add RL products some time in the future, I don't know, but lets start coming up with products that exist only in the world of City of Titans. Billboards, newspaper ads, news alerts, neon signs, posters, warnings, city notices, scrolling marques, Jumbo-trons, just to name a few. No characters, and try to keep it serious; think of this as a [i]real[/i] city!
Just stuff that the devs can look through and perhaps say, Hey, I didn't think of that!
You think we ought to start a separate thread?
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Warcabbit
It's probably a good idea to start anther thread. In-world products and services featured on the billboards of Titan city is more about the world and its setting, where in-game advertising is about monitization of the game.
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I'd rather not see billboards for Pepsi littering the City of Titans landscape -- and I *like* Pepsi! Instead, it would feel more "natural" if there were soda vending machines at various gathering places, with the Pepsi logo skinned on the front (or whatever other beverage outfit is paying the ad). Take another step: make that machine interactive, have it sell some kind of buff. If you're taking the time to interact with that machine, you're gonna see the advert. ;)
I'm assuming there will be vendors and auction houses and maybe even tailors. So place flat-screen monitors freely in those rooms and areas, and have them cycle through various ads. Again, if you're standing around in one spot, you're likely to see the ads. And again, maybe those monitor objects can be interactive: click on one when it's displaying an ad, and it can deliver more detail concerning it's content, if such detail exists.
Storefronts! In CoH, the generic storefront windows were ubiquitous, and usually fairly, well, generic. So, you can "paper" those windows with posters, and they're all over town. If you're running around the streets beating up mobsters, you're likely to see those posters.
My main objection to CoH's billboard plan eventually boiled down to the default setting. They went with "opt-out", meaning the adverts were turned "on" by default. Spammers use "opt-out" by adding you to their spam lists and saying "you can unsubscribe!" When legit outfits try that same approach, they're no better. But if CoT is going to offer a Free-to-Play tier, my suggestion would be this: make it so that those players do not get the option to toggle the RL adverts off. For paying players, enable that toggle, and make the default to be *no* RL adverts. But, display that toggle on the login screen, make it visible but not annoyingly so, allow the player to opt-IN at that point, or within their settings in-game. To encourage people to opt-in, you could offer incentives and bonuses.
That's all I got for now. ^.^;
-S
i would be all for allowing people to buy ads to be displayed on billboards and other relevant places. Depending on how easy it could be implemented i like the idea of billboards with the ads cycling periodically just like many of the billboards i see day to day. An opt out for players who find such things immersion-breaking would be fine, but then i would suggest that the billboards cycle through a series of panels with just one large word (OBEY, CONSUME, etc...) Of course for those who opt in the billboards should show everyone the same ad at the same time and not be like Propel where everyone saw something different. <.<
In theory there's no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.
On the CoH forums at the end i went by the name Schismatrix.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc.
I remember Tabula Rasa having a product placement in there.
Dell PC's in the AFS bases, well at least it made *some* form of sense... although I am still not sure how they got so many out there to other planets.
I) Making it opt-out was the only thing giving it a real chance of success.
II) You're comparing having opt OUT as the option instead of having opt in at the option.. but you don't want an opt out option?
III) Anyway from what I've read, it doesn't sound like they'll be offering a way to play without at least purchasing the game first. Although it also doesn't sound like you'll need an active subscription to keep playing. I really need to look and see if they've done an update explaining it yet.
IV) Back to the first point: there's a big difference between opt-out in a game, where you only get it if you buy the game, and unsolicited, untrustworthy email. I wish they'd made 'being able to chat with people in the other faction' an opt-out when City of Villains came out though.
V) J
Longtime City of Heroes player, longtime writer. :) Working in Nebraska.
COT: Mission tips writer, studying Cinema 4D animation program
I'd buy ad-space in game for my album to reach a smaller-dedicated audience. I've done the same for blogs etc. I have clients with digital products who would likely do the same if it's reasonably priced.
Jussay'n
Crowd Control Enthusiast
I would be fine with as well if it would mean it keeps the cost of playing the game down for the players.
And as long as the advertising tail doesn't wag the game dog.
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
good addition
So, the game should support itself and the advertising should be 'extra'.
Be Well!
Fireheart
More like the advertising shouldn't be dictating the development and content.
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
Right, the Advertising doesn't drive the Game. The Advertising just pays for non-essentials.
Be Well!
Fireheart
How about a time square like TV display that cycles between News broadcasts that talk about in game events and provide leads and commercials? Some of the commercials could be made up for the stores in game and others could be RL.
TV Ad: "I, Lord Recluse, will cover this world in DARKNE-"
{Experiencing Technical Difficulties}
NCSoft News: "-nd in other news, Lord Recluse was fired from his position as Lead Villain by his financial backers today mere moments before the world was covered in darkness, just as he'd promised."
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In other news, floodlight sales have skyrocketed around the world.
A View From The Blimp...
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
Can't use Recluse but any shadowy figure with glowing eyes and nebulous stuff waving in the background would do. I like the blimp idea as well as the Phoenix Square jumbotron ideas. I have no problem with ads if they bring us more/better content and are not too obnoxious.
I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...