Why so much money?

[Tulsa]

Why does it cost so much to play Baseball Mogul Online? I want a custom team, and in order to do that, it would cost me $15 a month. OOTP doesn't charge anything(some of the leagues do, but not OOTP), and they are exposing their product more. I could understand maybe $20, but monthly is just ridiculos. By making it cheaper, or free, you would be exposing your product more and making more money in the long run. I am not saying to make it free, I just think that monthly payments are ridiculos.

[takaplan]

Tulsa,
I don't think you understand what Baseball Mogul Online actually is. It has nothing to do with the CD game! OOTP does not offer an online multiplayer simulator like we do.

In Baseball Mogul Online, you do not need to own the CD to play. You can play in leagues that simulate at different speeds at set intervals (10-60 games per day). You own one team, and can sign free agents, make trades, etc. However, unlike the CD, the game is played against 29 other human managers. Prices range from $4.95 for 1 team to $14.95 for 10 teams and the ability to be a commissioner of 3 leagues. This is a completely different game, and is totally independent of the CD.

You might want to check out the Baseball Mogul Online FAQ at http://www.sportsmogul.com/baseballonline/onlinefaq.htm, or the Baseball Mogul Online page with screenshots at http://www.sportsmogul.com/baseballonline/index.htm.

On the other hand, you can play in CD-based online leagues like the one at http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/greene/32/. Basically, you email your lineup to the "commish," and then they simulate the game and post the game file so you can download it after each sim and make adjustments. This is what OOTP offers; they just give you web space to post your league files and run your league web site.

Hope this helps!

Tom

[James Grove]

Hi, Tulsa -

One other thought - you can create a custom league with a Silver Account, which is just $9.95 per month.

And you might be surprised how much it actually costs to run the servers and Internet connections that BBMO needs.

For example, we don't allow Bronze accounts ($4.95) to create custom leagues because that fee doesn't cover the cost of the server space and processor usage that a private league requires.


By the way - have you bought Baseball Mogul 2003? Each CD-ROM game includes a card for a free month of BBMO. Try the game out and see what you think.

Cheers,
James

[siccjay]

I just started and this seems like a great, well run game, but 5 bucks is a little steep for 1 team. I mean, a lot of people just won't pay it. If you had like 3 teams for 5 bucks now that would be sweet :D

[jmcasu2k5]

i disagree with $5 being too much, if you think of it this as entertainment. a lot of my friends agreed that $5 is a lot to pay per month, but then i asked how much they pay for a movie (avg. $8) , and thats for only 2 or 3 hrs of entertainment, this is for a month. think of it like that and its one of the best deals.


JOSH COHEN

[georgefc3]

James

You said that buyers of the CD ROM game get a free month of BBMO. What about people who purchase the download version of the game? I thought the two products were the same except that you didn't have to pay shipping and handling....

Not to be a cheapo, but five bucks is five bucks...

[takaplan]

Yes George,
The two products are not the same, but you DO get a free month with the download game.

You can order:
A. Download Only, with an email for a free month of the online game.
B. Download & Boxed CD-ROM Game, plus price of shipping. Includes paper manual and a card for a free month of Baseball Mogul Online.

We have the free month set up as each boxed game includes a card with a scratch off code, which then can be redeemed once online for a $5 credit. When you order the download game, we send you a a code by email. (And, in fact, if you order the download + box, you get a code by email, then you can give the card to a friend so he can try the game. Since you can only use one free month per person.)

Thanks!

Tom

[Edited by James Grove]

[georgefc3]

That's ok

I'll pay the five bucks. It won't break me...

;)

[hamricb]

Originally posted by georgefc3
James

You said that buyers of the CD ROM game get a free month of BBMO. What about people who purchase the download version of the game? I thought the two products were the same except that you didn't have to pay shipping and handling....

Not to be a cheapo, but five bucks is five bucks...

George,

I have good news for you. I also only downloaded the game, did not get the CD-ROM version, and am playing the online version free for a month.

Monkeystone sent me an email with a code word for playing a free month of BBMO. I used it and am playing now. This email was sent automatically when I ordered the game, so you should have received it- maybe you can email Monkeystone about it.

Either way, when the dust settles, you should be able to get a free trial month out of it.

[James Grove]

I edited Tom's post, since he actually was not aware of our Code by Email program.

Rather than just post a correction that nobody would read I decided to edit his post. Sorry Tom! (But thanks for asking me about this thread.)

-James

[georgefc3]

I've already signed up for a game and my account has been debited.

Five bucks isn't a lot of money in the scheme of things.

Let's just say "THANKS" to Clay and his crew. They are doing good work here and they probably will make better use of the money than I would...

:D

[punknet]

I played a season of Foxsports Legends, and it cost me $50 for a season and you couldn't do trades.

[James Grove]

Even worse...

Every one of our major competitors charges $25 to $50 or more to play in one league for one full season.

So what happens if your league stinks? What if the other players don't log in or are cheating?

You are stuck in a bad league and YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MONEY! That's what.

In Baseball Mogul we charge by the month, not by the league. So if you are in a bad league, just switch to a new one at no charge.

We think they are going to have real problems with people who feel like they wasted their money.

Of course, this is purely an editorial comment and all opinions are my own.

-James