Thanks for the feedback from everyone.
What I can say for sure is that I won't be raising the price to £7.50.
I am really committed to removing all ads, as they are completely unnecessary, however I am definitely looking for alternative methods of raising funds.
Right now it is a decision between not raising prices at all, and having a target donation amount that I would request donations for (this would need to be around £1000-£1500) per round.
The other choice is to raise the price to say £6, and then also implement the donation system but with a lower target amount (probably £500-£1000).
In terms of the advertising, I am very much targeting the same target market that you guys are, I will post the banner as soon as it is ready tomorrow.
The advantage of this is also that I am trying to target people who would be willing to invest a lot of time in the game, since this is not a game that you can play lightly. (i.e. try to target slightly obsessive people
)
One of the other advantages is that so many people have heard of Planetarion, it is something I can exploit. It is really a genre-defining game, which is how I will advertise it.
The game is not currently in a perfect state for new users, however I am considering paying someone for writing a good new player guide (please msg me if you are interested in doing it). Also the easier-to-use com unit should help new players interact with existing players.
Pete