steam inventory service · in-game economies economic systems and microtransaction systems are...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: STEAM INVENTORY SERVICE · In-game Economies Economic systems and microtransaction systems are tools that you can use to improve the product you offer to your customers. In-Game Economies](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022043020/5f3c712457df2924dd4a45ef/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
STEAM INVENTORY SERVICEJon Pile, Valve
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Agenda
• Benefits of economic systems• Risks and costs associated• Using the Steam Inventory Service• Approaches suggested by partners
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In-game Economies
Economic systems and microtransaction systems are
tools that you can use to improve the product you offer to your customers.
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In-Game Economies
Focus on persistent customer value
Create positive externalities
Distribute value randomly
Let users make value for each other
Make everything tradable
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Steam Economy Integration
Dedicated Game Server Asset Server
Steam
Economy Servers
Asset API
• Persistent Asset Server to manage player inventory
• Game server responsible for item lifecycle
• Trade and asset calls from Steam economy servers
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Steam Global Economy
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FEEDBACK
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Feedback
Unclear how to start
Out of reach to some teams
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Feedback: Risks
Dedicated Game Server Asset Server
Steam
Economy Servers
Asset API
• Unclear scaling requirement
• Long-term commitment
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Feedback: Costs
Development cost:
• Comes before any player feedback
• Takes away from time on game
• Biggest impact on smaller dev teams
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Improvements
Solution characteristics:• Hosted• Low up-front work• Support small experiments and iteration
Goals - can we:• Lower the barriers enough to increase participation?• Enable really small development teams?• Scale to huge player economies?
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Steam Inventory Service
• Provide all backend implementation for player
inventories
• Integrates with Steam features:
Community Market, Trading, Storefront, and Workshop.
• Refined based on feedback from partners
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Steam Inventory Service - Suggestions
Get Started
Reward Positive Behavior
Sell Items Directly
Use the Curated Workshop
Provide Long-term Value
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Getting Started
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Get Started
• Setup Inventory Service
• Define items
• Poll for items in game client
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Get Started: Setup
All setup is on the partner site:
https://partner.steamgames.com
• Generate a secure API key
• Enable Inventory Service
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Get Started: Items
{
"appid": "480",
"itemdefid": "404",
"type": "item",
"name": "Key 404 - Key Not Found",
"description": "This key is somehow never
where you left it. How does that happen?",
"tradable": true,
"marketable": true,
"tags": "rarity:epic;pocket:left",
"name_color": "FFFF00",
"background_color": "993300“,
...
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Get Started: Special Items
• Playtime-based drops
• Generators
• Item bundles
• Crafting
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Get Started: Special Items
• Playtime-based drops
• Generators
• Item bundles
• Crafting
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Get Started: Special Items
• Playtime-based drops
• Generators
• Item bundles
• Crafting
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Get Started: Special Items
• Playtime-based drops
• Generators
• Item bundles
• Crafting
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Get Started: Example
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Get Started: Client
ISteamInventory:
• Get inventory: GetAllItems()
• Check for playtime drop: TriggerItemDrop()
• Opening chest: ExchangeItems()
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Steam Inventory Service - Suggestions
Get Started
Reward Positive Behavior
Sell Items Directly
Use the Curated Workshop
Provide Long-term Value
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Reinforce positive behavior
Track in-game actions
Random drops
Analytics
Consumable items
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Reinforce positive behavior
Web API for direct controlSecure game serverContext-specific drops
Inventory Service
Dedicated Game Server
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Steam Inventory Service - Suggestions
Get Started
Reward Positive Behavior
Sell Items Directly
Use the Curated Workshop
Provide Long-term Value
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Item sales - risks
Risks:Customer receptionPricing
Techniques:act based on dataenable low cost experimentationlearn from other partners
Technical issues:DLC: heavyweightMicrotransactions: visibility, complexity
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Item Store
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Item Store
• Choose items• Configure store
… "itemdefid": "404",
"type": "item",
“price_category": “1;VLV100",
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Item Store
• Choose items• Configure store
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Pricing
• Use Community Market data
• Consider tradability
• Remember customer
expectation
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Steam Inventory Service - Suggestions
Get Started
Reward Positive Behavior
Sell Items Directly
Use the Curated Workshop
Provide Long-term Value
![Page 38: STEAM INVENTORY SERVICE · In-game Economies Economic systems and microtransaction systems are tools that you can use to improve the product you offer to your customers. In-Game Economies](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022043020/5f3c712457df2924dd4a45ef/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
Curated Workshop
• User-generated content• Community discussion and
voting• Accept items into your game
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• Curated or community votes?
• Speculation and discussion in the community
• Compensate artists directly
• Feedback guides development
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Curated Workshop
“… the initial workshop item release was prompted by the community’s excitement / impatience for it…”
• Link item definition to workshop ID
• Steam handles revenue-share and payout
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Steam Inventory Service - Suggestions
Get Started
Reward Positive Behavior
Sell Items Directly
Use the Curated Workshop
Provide Long-term Value
![Page 42: STEAM INVENTORY SERVICE · In-game Economies Economic systems and microtransaction systems are tools that you can use to improve the product you offer to your customers. In-Game Economies](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022043020/5f3c712457df2924dd4a45ef/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Long-term value:Collections
• Release as collections
• New items displace old
• Rarity value of retired items
• Generate buzz around a release
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Long-term value:Special Events
• Adjust drop rates for special events
• Limited-time item releases
• Release special items via DLC
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WRAPPING UP
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Improvements
Solution characteristics:• Hosted• Low up-front work• Support small experiments and iteration
Goals - can we:• Lower the barriers enough to increase participation?• Enable really small development teams?• Scale to huge player economies?
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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
# G
AM
ES
External Inventory Service
Steam Economy – Partner adoption
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Inventory Service - Item types per game
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
< 10 10-50 50-100 100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 2000+
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Questions – Help - Feedback
Steam Inventory Service discussions:http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/discussions/21/
Documentation (“It’s getting better”)
https://partner.steamgames.com/documentation/inventory
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