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Thread Type: Announcement Thread
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mdb
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Joined: May 7, 2002
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Howdy Pardners!

It's been a long time since we've had an announcement, for which we apologize. It's high time we let you know a little more about our plans.

First off, we want to affirm that Bang! and all its characters are here to stay. We all still love the game and hope to develop the brand further.

Before we invest in expansion, we think it makes sense to take a look at some of the current limitations of the game and see if there are improvements we can make. Ultimately, a substantial expansion of the game will only make sense if we believe the game has a large enough community to enjoy the fruits of such a big investment. This includes Boomtown, about which many of you have posted.

As you may remember, we took a small step towards changing Bang! with the introduction of the Gold Pass. That was focused on simplifying how payments in the game are made. Taking another look at the challenges that have faced Bang! Howdy, three big issues jumped out at us:
  • Indian Trading Post doesn't get as much attention as it deserves
  • New players struggle to earn enough scrip to enjoy many aspects of the game
  • Players tend not to use cards, even though they are a fun part of the game
We've decided to make a change to fix some of these challenges.

Changes to the Game
The first change is that we will significantly reduce the cost of all items in the game and remove all Gold requirements. In conjunction with this, we will substantially improve the payouts earned from each match and for completing Bounties.

Secondly, we plan to allow free access to Indian Trading Post for all players. The train ticket to Indian Trading Post will have a nominal scrip cost and its Gold requirement will be removed. We hope this will lead to more players being able to enjoy all the scenarios in the game.

Wrangler
Finally, we're going to make a change to the way players can pay for Bang. We will replace the Gold Passes and Gold itself with the Wrangler Pass. The Wrangler Pass will be a one-time purchase that will give players access to all features in the game. By making these changes and adding the Wrangler Pass we hope to allow people to enjoy Bang! Howdy without the complication of having to purchase Gold or frustration of having to work hard for certain aspects of game that should be easy to achieve.

The key features distinguishing a Wrangler are:
  • Access to all Big Shot units
  • Access to all Bounties
  • Ability to create multiple looks for your Character
  • Access to all Duds, Purses and unlock items
  • Ability to start Gangs
Basically everything that used to cost Gold and Scrip will only cost Scrip. Some of those things will now be available to everyone in the game, like the ticket to Indian Trading Post and some fancy Duds. Everything else is available to those who purchase the Wrangler Pass.

In addition to granting access to everything in the game, purchasing a Wrangler Pass will include a few nice bonuses:
  • Old Codger and Trickster Raven Big Shot units
  • A 52 pack of cards
  • Copper Stars for Frontier Town and Indian Trading Post
  • Full-length versions of all the Bang! Howdy in-game music to put on your MP3 player
  • 5,000 scrip to spend on whatever ya like
The Wrangler Pass will cost $19.95.

We've tried to make more available to free players while still ensuring that the premium features are something that players will be happy to pay for with a single purchase once they've started enjoying the game.

Implications for Gold and Gold Pass Holders?
Many players have already supported Three Rings and Bang! Howdy in the past by purchasing a Gold Pass or Gold package from us. As a thank you, when the next update is released, we will convert all previously paying customers to Wranglers. We will also convert all outstanding Gold in the game to scrip at a set rate of 350 scrip for each Gold.

Promotion and Bang! Heroes
Changing the aspects of Bang! Howdy as described above will not necessarily lead to a larger playing audience, although we do plan to promote the game more in conjuction with these changes.

We are also hopeful that one of the new additions to the Whirled platform will also help expand our player base. The artists and engineers that worked on Bang! Howdy will shortly be announcing the release of the platform game Bang! Heroes.

You are all welcome to enjoy Bang! Heroes while it's in beta here.

Thanks fer all yer support pardners,
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-- Sheriff Mike
[Feb 5, 2009 10:53:45 AM] Show Printable Version of Post        Send Private Message [Link]  Go to top 
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