Am I seeing things? $1000 game on Steam?

[Furiey]

Some people take this game very seriously. My father knows someone who has a really fancy multi-screen gaming rig just for this game. He says it is as good as the system used to train train drivers except he doesn't have a complete cab mock-up (yet). He also makes model steam locomotives large enough to pull a couple of dozen people easily. Compared to the cost of making live steam model locomotives, the cost of this game is relatively small.

 

[Rub'Rum]

It's fun to take advantage of a demographics that isn't aware that videogames aren't supposed to be that expensive though.

Sure, it replaces an expensive hobby, but still, NHL 2011 doesn't cost 500 $ because that'd be how much money I'd have to pay to buy hockey equipment.

 

[Maniacal]

It's fun to take advantage of a demographics that isn't aware that videogames aren't supposed to be that expensive though.

Most of them are less than $20 and from what I've heard you get quite a lot of detail and quality for what you pay for. While I agree that for most games cheap DLC is best, they also probably have a much larger audience than a train simulator does.

 

[jimbob27]

It's fun to take advantage of a demographics that isn't aware that videogames aren't supposed to be that expensive though.

Sure, it replaces an expensive hobby, but still, NHL 2011 doesn't cost 500 $ because that'd be how much money I'd have to pay to buy hockey equipment.

I don't think that's the case. It's to do with how much this stuff cost to develop, and how many people are actually going to play it. There's less profit in charging £40 for an expansion that only a few 1000 play, compared to charging £15 for a sims expansion which sells millions.

 

[JtheJackal]

This isn't any different than product add-ons for Flight Simulators which are often more expensive than many of these railroad packs.

 

[civ_king]

This seems reasonable considering the prices of model trains, plus this take up a lot less room

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

It does seem rather expensive, but then the customer base is probably much smaller than usual and in order to deliver a high level of quality that price tag may be required, it's a breath of fresh air actually to see developers focusing on a different genre for once, pity i'm not really into trains much.

People complain when a game company caters to the masses, and they complain when they do the opposite. There's just no way to win is there?

 

[Double A]

This seems reasonable considering the prices of model trains, plus this take up a lot less room

If you're gonna spend hundreds on model trains, you might want them to be real so you can modify them in more ways.

 

[Maniacal]

If you're gonna spend hundreds on model trains, you might want them to be real so you can modify them in more ways.

No idea how much people modify trains, but you could still do that yourself since you can make your own models for your own use for the game too. I think one of the selling points for these packs is authenticity though.

 

[The_Tyrant]

I really didn't take this game seriously at first, but now I'm actually considering purchasing it (with the next steam sale). You can download this for free to get a taste of the game.
http://www.nrm.org.uk/scotsmangift

 

[enigmagic]

From what I understand, the people that own the game can make their own tracks and sell them, hence the amount of DLC available. Sort of like creating a mod and selling it to those that might be interested. Must be a very niche market though.

 

[GoodGame]

It's fun to take advantage of a demographics that isn't aware that videogames aren't supposed to be that expensive though.

Sure, it replaces an expensive hobby, but still, NHL 2011 doesn't cost 500 $ because that'd be how much money I'd have to pay to buy hockey equipment.

But consider the Zamboni rental!!!

Good point.

I'm guessing the developer cares less about direct profits and may be inflating the value based on their perception of the value added. Guessing there's a corporate/tax incentive for that.


But rail shooters are to be avoided, so like why not rail simulators....?