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Suko
April 30, 2009, 02:12:29 PM - ORIGINAL POST -
This thread is something for me to think about, and for me to get the opinions of the players within our community. It's complete speculation at this point.

If I were to open an arcade north of Seattle (i.e. somewhere NORTH of the UW campus), where would you think the best place for it would be? Either side of Lake Washington is fine for suggestion.

Obviously, since I'm posting it here, it would have Bemani games. I imagine it will have ITG 2 and DDR Extreme, but I was wondering what other music games would be good? I know everyone wants the hottest and newest titles, but how well would something like a Beatmania (not IIDX) cabinet do? How about Dance Freaks? I know Acme had a Beatmania for a while, but removed it. This makes me question the vitality of some of these other music genres. I personally love Taiko, but I want to know what you all would want at an arcade, but more importantly, what games would you all be willing to PAY to play in an arcade?

Also on the topic of games - what other games would you like to see at a mid-sized arcade? I was thinking of some classics like NEO-GEO multicart cabs and Bubble Bobble. Of course, you gotta have the Marvel vs. Capcom and Soul Caliber in there too. So, same question as above. What games would you like to see at an arcade that you'd be willing to pay to play on a regular or semi-regular basis?

That's all for now. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 02:19:44 PM by Suko »
 
BLueSS
Read May 08, 2009, 06:54:41 PM #26
...I'd play either. Tongue
 
Keby
Read May 09, 2009, 10:35:00 PM #27
Quote from: BLueSS on May 08, 2009, 06:54:41 PM
...I'd play either. Tongue

I love VO.....it was the only reason I went to this arcade back in colorado for the longest time. There was an Extreme machine at this arcade, but I never played it because I thought it "girly". Then I tried it once...........and here I am.......

but if you could find a VO machine, that would be very epic.
 
ChilliumBromide
Read May 09, 2009, 11:32:50 PM #28
I just looked up Virtual On; the concept sounds interesting and it sounds like the control style is really unique.  I'll have to check it out some time if I can find it.
 
Limewirelord
  • Male
Read May 10, 2009, 04:47:17 PM #29
Oh my god, I haven't played Virtual-On since they got rid of it at the Wunderland near Cedar Hills Crossing/Beaverton Mall a few years ago.
 
Laura
Read May 10, 2009, 04:57:46 PM #30
An old friend of mine actually used to have a Virtual On "community" of sorts that he hung out with. I'm no longer in contact with that guy, but I do know that, if a machine were to pop up, the hardcore players would probably fly out of the woodworks to play. Smiley I think he specifically favored one of the versions of the game though...


 
Iori241
  • BANNED
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  • Male
Read May 10, 2009, 05:04:33 PM #31
I dunno I was really enamored with the game when I was younger but something happened when I played it a few weeks ago. Having to Jump-Cancel all the time just to change views is annoying. High Level play would be near impossible at home due to people having regular pads, VOOT DC sticks, or setups like this. On none of the above I'd try to even bother learning rowing (which is a staple at a competitive level) because I'd be afraid to break my setup.
As for VOOT? It's just too fucking turtle friendly. Every single match you will ever see for this game played at anywhere near a competitive level results in time out. The lock on isn't "sticky" enough.
 
Suko
Read May 21, 2009, 03:53:38 PM #32
Sorry to semi-resurrect a topic, but I had another arcade idea I wanted opinions on.

What are your thoughts on an arcade with an entry fee (say anywhere from $5 to $15, that would let you play any games for a set period or unlimited time?

I was also reading about an arcade that has an all-you-can-play area, but they also have a "token zone" where Pinball and redemption games are that cost money above and beyond the initial entry fee.

In Cali, where I used to live years back, they had Nickle Arcade. It charged $7 to get it, then most games used nickles to play instead of quarters. So, DDR took 4 or 6 nickles IIRC. Most games were old and took less than 2. I just remembered that it was arguably the epicenter of DDR players 5 years back because people could play all day for pretty cheap.
 
zecro
  • 34 Male Redmond/UW
Read May 21, 2009, 04:44:49 PM #33
that is kind of like what Gameworks had, they had unlimited play cards for a certain time which didn't work for prize games and the like but could play everything else, including the big tower-thing game they had at one point (it was several $ to play once).

I think it's an interesting idea, but since it came with an entry fee, it wouldn't be a place where someone just stops by. A trip to a arcade with an entry fee would be a lot more involved than just a trip to a per-game arcade. Anyone who visits a place regularly would love it (they feel like they are getting a great deal), there wouldn't be anyone who would come by to just mess around for a few dollars. Of course it's going to end up being a great hangout for regular players.

From a business perspective it comes down to this: if patrons*average_ammt_spent < patrons*entry fee then it's a viable business model.
 
ChilliumBromide
Read May 21, 2009, 10:33:18 PM #34
I have actually thought a lot about that, and it sounds like gameworks had the right idea.  A card system gives you a lot of flexibility.  I would pay 10 or 20 dollars to spend a day with 12 to 15 chill people and not have to worry about tokens, even if I only got 7 or 8 games of ddr or itg out of it.  Just make sure to drop the price for a day ticket 4 or 5 hours before closing or the place will just die for a few hours.
 
zecro
  • 34 Male Redmond/UW
Read May 21, 2009, 11:37:34 PM #35
If you're going with an entry fee, you'll probably get less "oh what is this thing here" patrons, which might allow you to put in some console games i.e. Guitar Hero, Halo... Playing with people over the internet is fun and convenient, but it's more fun when you can physically see them.
 
Suko
Read May 22, 2009, 08:26:28 AM #36
Quote from: DancingTofu on May 21, 2009, 10:33:18 PM
Just make sure to drop the price for a day ticket 4 or 5 hours before closing or the place will just die for a few hours.

Good point.

Quote from: zecro on May 21, 2009, 11:37:34 PM
If you're going with an entry fee, you'll probably get less "oh what is this thing here" patrons, which might allow you to put in some console games i.e. Guitar Hero, Halo... Playing with people over the internet is fun and convenient, but it's more fun when you can physically see them.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of this, but I like the idea!


So it sounds like you two would prefer an upfront entry fee for unlimited play model as opposed to the lower entry fee + additional money per game model?

Acutally, why don't I just make it simpler. Which arcade business model would you prefer seeing? Please list your preferences in order of favorite to least favorite:

A) Moderate to High entry fee with unlimited gaming for an unlimited time.
B) Moderate entry fee with unlimited gaming for a set amount of time. (i.e. +/-3 hours)
C) Moderate to Low entry fee where you pay additional cash to play games. (i.e. .25 cents to play DDR)
D) Traditional arcade business model of pay as you play.

« Last Edit: May 22, 2009, 08:36:59 AM by Suko »
 
BLueSS
Read May 22, 2009, 11:40:46 AM #37
If this arcade was a destination place that I'd go to and hang out at for a couple hours:
C  -  Paying per game allows you to see which games are getting used most
D  -  And, if I'm hanging out, I'm probably not playing games the whole time
B  -  Thus, if I'm paying but not playing, I'd feel like my money is being wasted.
A
 
ancsik
Read May 22, 2009, 01:02:17 PM #38
C - has its advantages, you still get to see what's drawing people in, and it encourages people to stay a long time without playing essentially for free
D - traditional for a reason, no penalty to me if I feel like stopping by for 2 sets, no loss to you if I play for hours and hours
B - I never went to IZ when they were busy because a 3 hour card on a Saturday morning was more cost effective than any setup during a busy time.  Will encourage people to come at unusual times, but definitely gives you a feeling of wasting your money if the place is busy.
A - punishes people who can't stay long or come in at the later, cheaper time.
 
zecro
  • 34 Male Redmond/UW
Read May 22, 2009, 02:38:27 PM #39
What Jon and ancsik said.
 
ChilliumBromide
Read May 22, 2009, 02:52:34 PM #40
A - reasoning already stated.
C - I'd love it if an arcade were like Avalon used to be.
D - I still love Ground Kontrol, you know. ;P
B - Would be too unnerving.  I'd get caught up in the time and the numbers.

Honestly though, C wouldn't accurately show what's actually making money.  DDR made money at Avalon and Milwaukie Tri-Cin by getting people to come to the arcades who otherwise wouldn't.  I put just as many nickels into the TC4, TD2, Panic Park, DMX, and the Ultracade at Avalon as I did the DDR, but getting rid of that machine has netted them a significant loss of my patronage.  Their DMX machine would make a lot more money off of me if they still had a DDR machine to get me to come inside.
 
BLueSS
Read May 22, 2009, 05:05:56 PM #41
Quote from: DancingTofu link=topic=738.msg17151#msg17151
I put just as many nickels into the TC4, TD2, Panic Park, DMX, and the Ultracade at Avalon as I did the DDR, but getting rid of that machine has netted them a significant loss of my patronage.
But in terms of which machines get used more, having some sort of coins helps so you can easily see "this machine gets $2 of nickles a day, while this one gets $0.20" and divide up the repair funds according to the machines that make more. Yes some games will draw people in, definitely, but for repair, if DMX and TC4 weren't getting business, they might not get repaired as much if they weren't getting money, because you could look and see how much people cared about playing it.
None of the ways above will be able to tell you "they're only really coming for DDR".
 
Davyn
  • custom title
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  • 38 Male Hilo, Hawaii
Read May 22, 2009, 05:35:25 PM #42
if you keep records you can just use the credit counter in the machines to see how many games have been played.
 
BLueSS
Read May 22, 2009, 05:43:06 PM #43
Does that work for every machine, and is that easier than just taking the coins out at the end of the week and say "oh, about this many"?
 
ChilliumBromide
Read May 22, 2009, 11:54:38 PM #44
Just weigh them lol.
 
Davyn
  • custom title
    •
  • 38 Male Hilo, Hawaii
Read May 22, 2009, 11:56:22 PM #45
Most machines have it, might depend on the coin mech as well. Yeah counting the coins would probably be easier too, I'm just saying it's not impossible to keep track of games if you have an entry fee instead of per-game pricing mister smarty pants.
 
BLueSS
Read May 23, 2009, 12:37:41 AM #46
ah. Smiley  When's the next time you're coming back here anyway?  I'm sure the waterfront arcade misses you terribly!
 
KevinDDR
Read May 23, 2009, 08:24:29 AM #47
That's actually the only reason we don't have NX Absolute at the Waterfront. After Davyn left I think the income dropped to about 5% of its former self.
 
Suko
Read May 26, 2009, 03:23:12 PM #48
Assuming really expensive new games like Street Fighter IV or KoF XIII aren't available, what games would you like to see on a replica Japanese candy cab like this:
http://coinopexpress.com/products/machines/cabinets_only/LCD_Metal_Cabinet_32_Inch_7837.html
 
Laura
Read May 26, 2009, 03:54:00 PM #49
Personally speaking, I always spend more money on things like Tetris and Puzzle Bobble than on anything new and fancy. I think it's because they're usually cheaper and quicker so I don't realize that I just blew 20 bucks.
 
KevinDDR
Read May 26, 2009, 05:03:34 PM #50
Don't buy one of those knockoffs. They're horrible. Just pick up Astro City, Blast City, and Aero City candy cabs and enjoy how much money you just saved yourself.
 
 
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