GamerGuides.com: 100% New (and responsive) Site Now Live!

[Andrew Mills]

It's a very thin line you will be crossing with this site, on the one hand you'll be providing a service not many others will be able to initially compete with, based on their current infrastructures but on the other hand, would a premium guide site test well with the public? Would they pay for something they can traditionally get for free, I understood how the gamerguides worked in the first place as people bought them on a whim once they bought the game and it was reasonably priced.

Perhaps you need to develop a strong community first then move on to a premium site? Or perhaps focus on more than just guides, I.e. guides being the premium side of the website, but the thing that brings people in from google and the like could be news updates on the front page or something?

Please just shoot me down if any of this is out of line/context/retarded... I am just the idea guy, that's all I do, look for ideas!

I'm not going to shoot any comments down, all are valid and welcome!

Well, I've suggested an idea to allow the punters to decide what they feel our guides are worth, but as Dante has mentioned, the main USP (for launch at least) will be the quality of completed guides on offer.

I'm in a great position to offer 100% complete guides for many games on their launch day, at a quality - imho - not far off or comparable to the official guides, at a MUCH cheaper price. GameFAQ's rely on authors who can be arsed to update bit-by-bit (same with YouTube), so you'll be getting complete, pro-quality strategy guides for launch day/first week for a small fee.

The community aspect is obviously very important, but a few ropes are tying a few hands in the background, hence why I'm hoping GRcade can at least become an unofficial home for visitors to the site (always good to bring more new members to the forum no?)

[Frank]

Depending on the price and ease of paying for this subscription, I'd be interested. The great thing about your App Store guides were the fact that you could just click on them and buy them without having to waste time putting in loads of details. Can you pay via PayPal on the new site? That'd probably be the easiest method of payment

Like Buff, I'd be up for giving your Beta a go, try and pay you back for all the DS2 advice you gave me

[Harry Bizzle]

I'm thinking most people will go for the crappy GameFAQs guide if it's free.

I would suggest you make your revenue stream ad based.

[tnman]

A totally different suggestion...

I've just trawled the app store for a Pokedex guide type thing up to Black and White. None of them have all of the things I want: pictures, move lists, evolutions, and most critically, where they're found in the wild.

It couldn't possibly be called a book as it's more of a database app.

I'd pay anything up to £5 for something like that probably, depending on quality.

[Andrew Mills]

It couldn't possibly be called a book as it's more of a database app.

Cheers for the suggestion, but Apple can call it a book if they think it's a book, thus, I'd be screwed.

Someone will do such a guide and get away with it, but I've moved away from the App Store now and I'm focused solely again on the production of non-app guides.

[Green Gecko]

Are you going to keep your current guides online to benefit from the trickle of sales you'd hopefully continue to get?

Of course you're very welcome to continue affiliating with us to promote your new site, especially seeing as it's a community drive one, that seems appropriate.

[Andrew Mills]

Are you going to keep your current guides online to benefit from the trickle of sales you'd hopefully continue to get?

Of course you're very welcome to continue affiliating with us to promote your new site, especially seeing as it's a community drive one, that seems appropriate.

Oh absolutely! No point cutting off my nose to spite my face. All revenue generated from the existing guides is needed!

I certainly intend to 'keep paying my dues' as per our affiliation agreement Helps you with the server costs and I can still publicize the biggest guides being offered on the site.

I've seen a bit more on how the pricing structure may work and - I'm being honest here - if I was getting what is planned for the little amount of money being asked for, I'd jump at it (regardless of the fact I'm working on the content for it). It makes sense, it's fair and it's genuine value for money.

Time to get back to my current guide!

[Akai XIII]

Are you going to keep your current guides online to benefit from the trickle of sales you'd hopefully continue to get?

Of course you're very welcome to continue affiliating with us to promote your new site, especially seeing as it's a community drive one, that seems appropriate.

Oh absolutely! No point cutting off my nose to spite my face. All revenue generated from the existing guides is needed!

I certainly intend to 'keep paying my dues' as per our affiliation agreement Helps you with the server costs and I can still publicize the biggest guides being offered on the site.

I've seen a bit more on how the pricing structure may work and - I'm being honest here - if I was getting what is planned for the little amount of money being asked for, I'd jump at it (regardless of the fact I'm working on the content for it). It makes sense, it's fair and it's genuine value for money.

Time to get back to my current guide!

Don't suppose you need any more help with this new project? I've managed to get my Intensity Pro up and working now so could aid with videos/guides. Let me know if you do

[The People's ElboReformat]

Apple sound like a bunch of banana splits. [/helpful input]

[TheTurnipKing]

I could always look at Android development, but it took long enough to learn what I have of objective c. What to do...

Might be worth a look at Google's "App Inventor".

[Delusibeta]

The other question is that you'll be competing with Steam's (who AFAIK is quite interactive, but require you to own the Steam version of the game in question) and Gamersgate (who aren't afraid in selling guides for console games). If you can sell your guide at, ooh... under £5, and be top quality at it, you *might* be on to a winner, since there is a market in premium guides. I'd also advice having at least one full complete guide being free, so people can try before they buy. Ideally, a proportion of guides (say, 1 in 20) would be free, so that people don't have to trudge back to (for sake of example) the Dead Space 2 guide for their trial in a year's time. The problem is ultimately building your brand: all Steam and Gamersgate sells are Prima guides, I'd imagine because the brand has attraction with casual gamers. The hardcore gamers generally speaking are aware of GameFAQs and use it. Ultimately, aside from us, I'm not entirely sure where your market is.

[Andrew Mills]

The other question is that you'll be competing with Steam's (who AFAIK is quite interactive, but require you to own the Steam version of the game in question) and Gamersgate (who aren't afraid in selling guides for console games). If you can sell your guide at, ooh... under £5, and be top quality at it, you *might* be on to a winner, since there is a market in premium guides. I'd also advice having at least one full complete guide being free, so people can try before they buy. Ideally, a proportion of guides (say, 1 in 20) would be free, so that people don't have to trudge back to (for sake of example) the Dead Space 2 guide for their trial in a year's time. The problem is ultimately building your brand: all Steam and Gamersgate sells are Prima guides, I'd imagine because the brand has attraction with casual gamers. The hardcore gamers generally speaking are aware of GameFAQs and use it. Ultimately, aside from us, I'm not entirely sure where your market is.

Well the guides will be under a fiver, they'll be professionally produced (in both visual and written contexts), there will be a nice selection of free guides on offer from day 1 (some of which may or may not have been specially adapted and enhanced from my iPhone Guides... ), and we're not looking to directly compete with GameFAQ's.

At the end of the day, GF relies on authors to update their guides in their own time for free (so no complete guides on day 1). There's no images or video and you have to trudge through a large text file. Then there's the official guides who offer a static experience that may be official and available on day 1, but they lack a certain something that GamerGuides.com will have. Something - genuinely - innovative and fresh in the guide world. An idea that'll change how you perceive a guide should be developed (no seriously, it's strawberry floating awesome and so, sooo helpful to the player).

GG.com will be a premium guide positioning, with FULL guides available on day 1, with full HD video (1080p/720p) and that special something no other guide site currently has. And all for under a fiver (with a good selection of free guides to boot).

[tomvek]

The new site does sound very exciting (stick me down for the BETA version if you end up going down that road). I really can't wait to see what you guys have been working on, I hope it all works out well for you Andrew

[Andrew Mills]

Been doing a spot of investigation on self-publishing an eBook on Amazon for the mighty Kindle and it seems - from what I've seen so far - a far lesser ball ache than working with Apple. And seeing as I have 5 guides already completed (aka: my App Store guides) and around 3 nearly finished ones (that I never got around to adding to the App Store), I'm pretty much set already for testing out Amazon's review process (certainly will be interesting compared to Apples).

If it's as easy as I *hope* it is to publish with, I have some really substantial plans for high-quality e-guides that'll easily compare quality wise to the official ones (although obviously lacking in screenshots), but cost a fair whack less. It'll also be separate to any GamerGuides.com work (as that's writing/screens and video based). I'll have to experiment with pricing (as it's a different ecosystem to the App Store), but I'll post some links here once the first book is up.

2011 is going to be one HELL of a busy year it seems!

[Yoshimi]

Guides on Kindle sounds a great idea. I've got a Kindle and would certainly consider buying game guides on it. A Pokemon Black one would be great right now for instance.

[Frank]

Kindle works on the iThings too, doesn't it? Can you still put all your videos in there and shizz? If you can, you've basically gained a market right there

[Andrew Mills]

Kindle works on the iThings too, doesn't it? Can you still put all your videos in there and shizz? If you can, you've basically gained a market right there

I can't add in videos, but the Kindle App does allow you to view the guides on i-devices, android devices and more with no extra hassle needed by me!

[tnman]

A Pokemon Black one would be great right now for instance.

I would find a Pokédex guide, as previously detailed, immensely useful.

[Andrew Mills]

A Pokemon Black one would be great right now for instance.

I would find a Pokédex guide, as previously detailed, immensely useful.

*pages Dala to the thread*

[Frank]

Kindle works on the iThings too, doesn't it? Can you still put all your videos in there and shizz? If you can, you've basically gained a market right there

I can't add in videos, but the Kindle App does allow you to view the guides on i-devices, android devices and more with no extra hassle needed by me!

\o/

Everyone's a winner!