Arcade operators and meeting player expectations

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PlayerTwo
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Arcade operators and meeting player expectations

Post by PlayerTwo » Sat Oct 06, 2007 10:11 pm

Hello,

I'm a Cincinnati-based operator gearing up to place a DDR in an Indiana location. I've reviewed the forums a bit to learn more about the issues players have with the machines, operators, etc. I've read the feedback, the stories and the complaints.

Our shop's relatively small, new and has few locations. However we want to do our best to make sure our machines meet the standards of the pro players out there. Just to give you an idea of how seriously we take this, take a look:

Deck before:
http://www.playertwo.com/shop/ddr_deck_dis_2.jpg
http://www.playertwo.com/shop/ddr_deck_dis_3.jpg

and after:
http://www.playertwo.com/shop/ddr_deck_after_1.jpg
http://www.playertwo.com/shop/ddr_deck_parts_after.jpg
http://www.playertwo.com/shop/ddr_handle_after.jpg

The decks, internal hardware and handles you see here weren't just painted but rather had their finishes baked off then chemically cleaned & treated and finally powdercoated. Nearly every other internal part is new. It may seem like overkill but we want to ensure a reliable machine that registers every step, every freeze. The machine may just be an Extreme but it's fully unlocked with every song playable.

I'd like to give you, the DDR community, pros & n00bs alike, the opportunity to give us your feedback. How else can we make the play experience and environment a positive one? Are floor fans a must-have? Is a projected display of the game screen on the wall helpful for crowd management? What haven't we thought of or factored in?

We're also readying a PIU DX cab and a Guitar Freaks. You can expect the same standards you see in our DDR in these games, as well.

Finally, we'd like to extend an invite to the DDR pros in the region to visit and give the cab not only a try but a real workout, once it goes in. It'd be great to meet some of you and get your feedback in person.

Bottom line, the communities tied to the various Bemani-type titles really make a difference, to us. Let us know how we can serve you better. Our tagline is, "we're serious about fun." That's not just some clever bit of marketing, we mean it. We're passionate about what we do. We figure, if you're not having fun, we're not doing something right.

Alright, I'll cease my rambling and get this posted. Thanks, in advance, for your time and input.

Very respectfully,
Kristopher Sandrick
Player Two

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Post by Riot » Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:13 pm

Well you've already shown a good thing by taking interest in the players by going directly to them and asking them what they want. More than a lot of places!

Here are some of the things that make arcades (at least for us DDR'ers) successful and fun to play at:

-Floor fans... not NECESSARY, but a huge plus. They're inexpensive and really do help out.
-Water fountain somewhere close / Free water from the counter.
-Some kind of deal, like Joint Premium (a mode where if 2 players are playing it only costs half as much) on certain days, or some kind of token deal.
-Not overpriced games.
-Tournaments sometimes, maybe once a year at least have a tournament. It brings in a lot of players from all over and are good publicity.
-Don't overestimate goin up to players while they're playing/waiting and asking how they're doing and if you can do anything to make their experience any better. Gives the impression that the owners care.
-Take care of your pads (clean em up every once in awhile, keep stuff in good shape). The last thing a lot of DDR players will tolerate is getting a dreaded pad miss.

That's just what comes to mind. Good luck!
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Re: Arcade operators and meeting player expectations

Post by WhiteDragon » Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:24 pm

PlayerTwo wrote:We're also readying a PIU DX cab
If you don't mind, may I ask which mix it is? I'm not a huge DDR player myself, but I do play Pump quite a bit.
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Post by Jeff Jeff Revolution » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:12 am

Riot wrote:Well you've already shown a good thing by taking interest in the players by going directly to them and asking them what they want. More than a lot of places!
Well said. "We" (the dance game community) often feel neglected or left out sometimes, so it really feels good to know someone cares.

The only other things I can add or emphasize:
-Token Deal. I am a TOTAL cheapass. I love it when I can get double tokens for a dollar or such. A place that I used to go to, Rascal's Fun Zone (closing), sold a membership for $10. If you didn't have this membership, it was 4 tokens for $1. If you did, you got 8 for $1, 50 for $5, 120 for $10, and 250 for $20. You can see how the $10 investment becomes worthwhile, yet also brings in some money for the arcade at the same time.

-Tournaments. As again, the communitiy is spread out all over the state, and sometimes we don't want to drive 50+ miles for just a get-together for one evening (although it has been done before). When there is a day-long event, it's like a family reunion. Not only does it help you, it helps us.

Thanks for the post. I hope we provide some help.
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Post by danc1005 » Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:52 pm

1) Hold tournaments once or twice a year.
2)Clean the pads regularly (from what I've heard, shouldn't take more than an hour or so).
3)Have good token deals.
4)Get to know your regular players.
5)Be in Fort Wayne
Last edited by danc1005 on Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by MonMotha » Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:03 pm

Mix swap. It takes about 10 minutes to swap mixes, and can really help keep the songs from getting "old". It's quite refreshing to go back and play 4th Plus, 5th, and MAX2 occasionally. By the time you get back to 4th Plus, the songlist is so different that it's like having a completely new game. Extreme is pretty old and tired at this point, but it's still the most friendly to passer-bys, but some of the more involved players will sometimes want a fresh songlist.
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Post by danc1005 » Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:07 pm

MonMotha wrote:Mix swap. It takes about 10 minutes to swap mixes, and can really help keep the songs from getting "old". It's quite refreshing to go back and play 4th Plus, 5th, and MAX2 occasionally. By the time you get back to 4th Plus, the songlist is so different that it's like having a completely new game. Extreme is pretty old and tired at this point, but it's still the most friendly to passer-bys, but some of the more involved players will sometimes want a fresh songlist.
If you could do this, it would be pretty awesome. I know lots of people that crave old hard-to-find mixes from time to time.
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Post by Amp Divorax » Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:36 pm

Something that I have seen in the smaller venues and unsupervised locations there is a large tendency to have abusive loitering. Most of the ones who leave this unchecked usually end up closing due to lack of real customers or get shut down outright. (Which is what happened to Muncie's local arcade last year.) If the location you are going to use to have this machine isn't one of the bigger arcades I would suggest doing something to curb loitering when possible.
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Post by Fluffyumpkins » Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:37 pm

My best experiences with arcades have always been one's that go that extra step for their customers. A few things that stand out are:

- Water Coolers (or a water fountain)
- Windex and towels availble for players you are obsessive about a clean pad
- Good control of volume (DDR is loud enough, other games don't drown out)
- Token Deals are a must. Some arcades have special cheap days. Some have 'clubs' you can become a member of to get better deals. Some simply offer more tokens for $10 and up.
- Employees that are respectful to customers. Sounds like a no brainer, but a lot of arcades have staff that make fun of DDR players.
- Plenty of open hours.
- Chairs, tables, or other area for DDR players to sit and rest. It isn't uncommon for DDR players to bring hand-held game systems or playing cards to arcades.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your business.

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Post by elcuebee » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:45 am

i'm very suprised that not a single person here has said one, massive, glaring thing that Indiana and the area around it lacks that would make this arcade *THE* arcade to go to;

GET MORE BEMANI BESIDES DDR (and itg and piu, i know they're not bemani but whatever)

If you managed to pull off getting even two of these;

-Latest drummania mix
-Latest beatmania IIDX mix
-Latest guitar freaks mix
-Latest pop'n music mix

or Dance Maniax, Keyboard Mania, whatever, it'd pull in a lot of money more I think, because Indiana and the surrounding area is sorely lacking in overall bemani stuff (besides like, naperville lol).

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Post by Ryuhayabusa » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:01 am

I wouldnt mind seeing a custom step machine >.> something with all the DDR mixes.
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Post by MonMotha » Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:52 am

Unfortunately, placing stepmania machines with songlists like that is blatantly illegal.

As for why there's no other Bemani in Indiana, the reason is simple: it doesn't make money. Hard to convince an op to buy the machine when it barely pays for the electricity it uses. Getting the absolute latest versions of the Bemani games is hellishly expensive, especially for the ones not officially released in the USA like pop'n music. You pretty much have to have a very large, dedicated fanbase to support such a venture, and such a thing doesn't exist in Indiana, or really even the midwest. I can count the number of dedicated pop'n music players in the state on my fingers, and the same goes for IIDX. I'm aware of no more than 5 people who would seriously play Drummania, and even fewer who play Guitar Freaks (though the similarity to Guitar Hero may attract some).
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Post by Fluffyumpkins » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:43 am

MonMotha wrote:Unfortunately, placing stepmania machines with songlists like that is blatantly illegal.

As for why there's no other Bemani in Indiana, the reason is simple: it doesn't make money. Hard to convince an op to buy the machine when it barely pays for the electricity it uses. Getting the absolute latest versions of the Bemani games is hellishly expensive, especially for the ones not officially released in the USA like pop'n music. You pretty much have to have a very large, dedicated fanbase to support such a venture, and such a thing doesn't exist in Indiana, or really even the midwest. I can count the number of dedicated pop'n music players in the state on my fingers, and the same goes for IIDX. I'm aware of no more than 5 people who would seriously play Drummania, and even fewer who play Guitar Freaks (though the similarity to Guitar Hero may attract some).
Agreed.

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Re: Arcade operators and meeting player expectations

Post by BigBadOrc » Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:32 am

PlayerTwo wrote: We're also readying a PIU DX cab and a Guitar Freaks. You can expect the same standards you see in our DDR in these games, as well.
Upgrade it to pump pro when the upgrade kit comes out! Pro was just released recently, and having played it, I can say that it's very impressive. I would have said get an In the Groove, but the people from Roxor who made that game now work for Andamiro making pump pro. USB support is amazing in a dance game:)
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Post by elcuebee » Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:50 am

MonMotha wrote:Unfortunately, placing stepmania machines with songlists like that is blatantly illegal.

As for why there's no other Bemani in Indiana, the reason is simple: it doesn't make money. Hard to convince an op to buy the machine when it barely pays for the electricity it uses. Getting the absolute latest versions of the Bemani games is hellishly expensive, especially for the ones not officially released in the USA like pop'n music. You pretty much have to have a very large, dedicated fanbase to support such a venture, and such a thing doesn't exist in Indiana, or really even the midwest. I can count the number of dedicated pop'n music players in the state on my fingers, and the same goes for IIDX. I'm aware of no more than 5 people who would seriously play Drummania, and even fewer who play Guitar Freaks (though the similarity to Guitar Hero may attract some).
True, but Sunnyvale Golfland, Milpitas Golfland, and Arcade Infinity didn't have a userbase before they existed either.

Hell, bemani in the USA arguably got started thanks to Milpitas Golfland, the first place to get a DDR machine in America; they had no solid userbase (compared to how it is now), but they went through the weeks and months and even a year or so before a solid userbase was built, and then they made back thier money 10fold.

The reason no one plays those games in Indiana is because you don't have em. I guarentee that if you got em, people would start to play them more and more;

Hell, at my local arcades, people play drummania more (casual people) than DDR, because it's more approachable. Think about it; you've got a drumset, or a pad with four flashing arrows. People know what a drumset is and what you do on it (hit it with sticks); even today, a lot of people have no idea whatsoever what the hell to do on a DDR pad to even get it to work.

(I still see people at the arcade trying to hit the arrows on screen with the green selection arrows on the cabinet, or trying to hit the arrows on the pad themself as they light up, let alone how most people have no idea how to time it etc.)

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