How much do you think this is worth?

Hi,

I have a query to ask of readers here. I am putting up two samples of my writing here and I invite users and (hopefully) regular buyers of content to have a look and tell me how much would they be willing to pay for this level of writing? I'm not soliciting work here, I was just trying to come up with a realistic measure of how much I should be charging. I realize it's all governed by market forces, but it would be great to have some honest feedback from you all, which I've seen to be quite comprehensive and helpful in the past!

Sample 1: Flash Game Review

Hedgehog Launch Review

Hedgehog Launch is a game released in June 2008 by John Cooney. It is, as the name suggests, about launching a hedgehog into space. The developers promise that the game is going to be as wacky and challenging as the name suggests (yes, all the clues to the nature of the game are in the name. Also, that rhymes), so you can expect lots of hours of fun and enjoyment from this game. Here are some of the key features of this game:

Gameplay
The story behind the game is intriguing to say the least and definitely piques your interest in the way that launch games nowadays need to keep the players enthralled. This game starts with a letter from the government of the Caribbean principality called Minovia Cay. The letter reveals that you are in charge of their space program. If at this stage you start feeling all important, stop. The island houses only 15,000 people and the mission of your â€œspace programâ€ is to send a hedgehog into space. Why hedgehogs? Cause theyâ€™re in seemingly infinite supply in this principality and are also their national animal. To really drive the point him regarding how unimportant you actually are, youâ€™re given a budget of $50 and a slingshot (no guarantees on whether this was provided though, it looks pretty homemade) and all the hedgehogs you want, which isnâ€™t saying much cause they are, err, infinite. The only consolation you have is that if you manage to make the hedgehog fly, the people in charge will give you more money.
But $50 can buy you a lot in this land where people who are obviously rum-addled do crazy things. For starters, you can get rocket packs for $10 to begin with. After you buy some other stuff, you can add stuff like side-rockets, emergency rockets, parachutes, a radar (to tell you where the platforms are), increasingly elastic bands for your slingshot, and because you obviously care for your hedgehogâ€™s eyes even though youâ€™re going to be launching him thousands of feet into the sky and then watching him land, goggles.

You can earn money by grabbing some coins that appear in the sky as well as bouncing off of platforms. Bouncing on a certain type of platform gives you more money, as does collecting gold coins instead of bronze or silver ones. How do you bounce on them in the first place? Why, just draw your hedgehog back using your mouse, release him into the atmosphere and then control him while he falls down such that he collects those coins and bounces off of those platforms. Thereâ€™s also an altitude and time multiplier, so the better you get the more money you earn.

Since thereâ€™s no way to lose money, you will eventually build a launcher with maxed-out stats that will send your hedgehog into space and prove that youâ€™re a real scientist or are at least good at getting high-tech stuff at bargain basement prices. However, to prove that youâ€™re actually a genius, you have to complete the game in the least number of days as possible. Each attempt is counted as a day, and although the makerâ€™s lowest total is recorded as 9 days, it is possible to finish the game in much fewer tries. In fact, you get the Kongregate badge for finishing the game within 5 days.

Hereâ€™s how you do that: Firstly, max your launcher as much as possible on day 1. If you donâ€™t get really lucky on day 1 with how much money you make, it would be best to start over instead of forging on. For day 2, but as much of the e-rocket upgrade as possible. On day 3, again max the launcher as much as you can. And for the last or the fourth day, maximize the e-launcher, maximize your launcher and band and off you go into space! An additional tip that you would do well to follow include avoiding upgrading one box at a time, because that is a waste of time and doesnâ€™t add much to your rocket. Also, once you do hit the ground, keep going sideways using your rocket fuel as far as you can because you may find coins and platforms right on the ground too.

There is certainly an element of luck involved in this game, because you may not find the right platforms or coins that you need to upgrade properly. Also, as you all definitely know by now, spoilers are awesome, so I can reveal that the game ends with the hedgehog flying off into space and becoming a shooting star. Apparently this had been his wish all along, but it was still a little sad. Definitely beats repeatedly splattering on the ground like a wet sponge though.

Graphics and Audio
The graphics are flashy and bright but slightly less colorful than they could have been. The actual figures also are pretty basic and not very sophisticated, but the gameplay is definitely good enough to get you to look past all of that and maybe not even care what it all looks like.
The audio is where the real surprise is. The game has a nice soundtrack that suits the game really well and is bound to bring a smile to your face the first few times you hear it. Thereâ€™s still a conveniently placed mute button in the bottom left of the screen, but if you arenâ€™t required to use it you most probably wonâ€™t.

Conclusion
This game is one hedgehog-sized ball of fun, truth be told, and with none of the accompanying prickliness. Itâ€™s enjoyable yet addicting, easy to finish and yet hard to do so if things donâ€™t fall just right. It still isnâ€™t predicated on your luck and does give you control over the proceedings to a major extent. The graphics and audio only help its case here. All in all, this is one of those rare games that you donâ€™t mind being unable to finish early cause the journey is so much better than the end.
Click to expand...

Sample 2: Finance News

Swiss intervention may begin a new currency tussle

The Swiss National Bankâ€™s (SNB) decision yesterday to put a ceiling on the franc-euro exchange rate may have started a new phase of currency wars, as declining economic forecasts all over the world force authorities to undertake stricter measures to promote growth. The SNB yesterday intervened in the markets to create a barrier to the non-stop ascent of the Swiss franc, imposing a cap on the rate for the first time since 1978. Yesterday alone the franc dropped 8.1 per cent over the euro, which is by far the single largest intraday drop in the franc witnessed since the fruition of the multinational euro.

Now this move by the Swiss authorities will spur on countries like Brazil and Japan, whose currency has also seen rampant rise in the past few months, to adopt similar practices to rein in their respective currencies. This now opens the door to the unexplored avenues of Norway and Sweden for forex investors. Even HSBC has recommended the Norwegian krone as a substitute to the franc; the krone has shown an appreciation of 4.5 per cent against 9 of its most traded peers in the past one year.

The Swiss intervention was a last ditch attempt to curb the growth of a currency that had become the de-facto safe haven investment in the global markets. With this action, the world currency markets might plunge into a currency war, a term coined by Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega over a year ago. Mantega only last week reduced the interest rates in the Samba nation so as to limit the increase in the real.

Japan also stepped up its efforts to tame the Japanese yen; it reportedly spent 4.58 trillion yen last month on selling the yen, which was the biggest such intervention in the markets since 2004. The newly sworn Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi has told reporters that he will be highlighting the risks that the yenâ€™s gains could cause at the G-7 meeting to be held in Marseille this weekend. Elsewhere in Asia, the ten major economies of the continent have intervened one way or the other in the markets to influence the exchange rate of the currencies.

Considering the case of countries like Sweden and Norway, with a shift in demand from the franc and yen and the depreciation of the dollar, the world now needs new safe havens. Though growing interest in Sweden and Norway only prompts experts to question as to how long can the economy of these tolerate the strengthening of their currencies?
Click to expand...

So what do you think? Again, I'd like to reiterate that I am not soliciting writing jobs, just wanting to gauge whether I am charging/getting what my writing is worth.

Regards,

Alex

Log in or Sign up

How much do you think this is worth?

Kunalbhatia Active Member

maryalbrecht12 Peon

Log in or Sign up

How much do you think this is worth?

Kunalbhatia Active Member

maryalbrecht12 Peon

Useful Searches