Quality or size vs Price point

It seems i am no good at balancing my price point with what i view as my quality (yes that include how much is actually IN the game).

I should clarify that i am no good at the 80msp priceline, or 1 dollar a game. I play flash games on the PC (ok, my son and daughter do and i join them). Anyway i like those games. They are 1 dollar games in my mind, very easy to pickup and put down. Trolley dash etc.. Well one issue i find is that a dollar game could quite easily be an experience that is less than 8 minutes. Or have nothing really extra over it's initial offering except that people would need to play for longer to see the extra upgraded wheels etc. Ok, so i guess that is extended gameplay...

So what do i do, the costing for my latest game was to be within a certain time period or amount of work that it will feel aok at 80msp. But as i work on it, i find that i cannot stint on quality items like fading things in/out. or cross fade. Or time things so they look nice and not too abrupt. I want sparkles or effects surrounding everything i do, even if they are so subtle like footsteps in dirt producing dust etc. Not that anyone noticed in Pellmell for example.

So what to do? Well i will carry on. I am a gameplay designer and programmer first and foremost. I love that job. And wish my day job consisted of such things. There it is all a lot more technical or management work. So i will continue on this way and maybe one day i will find a balance of smaller workload and quality output to match the lowest price point. Until then i will take the hit. Or get some real graphics and make the game 3 dollars, which is where it is headed (if i get graphics haha!).

Laters