Questions/Concerns- Reinforcement Program
Mac1OMan
Join Date: 2004-10-29 Member: 32510Members, Reinforced - Supporter
Join Date: 2004-10-29 Member: 32510Members, Reinforced - Supporter
Before responding to this, look at my few past posts over the last 8 years and notice how they all are positive and support Unknown Worlds, and also take note that I have been one of many quiet supporters since NS2's release. I'm not here to start problems, I just want to have some questions answered, state some of my history, my opinions, and be on my way again. I'm not trolling or any of this bullshit that goes on in today's forums...
1) When is the cutoff deadline?
2) Do you plan to setup a tracker for compilation of donations to lead up to each tier?
3) Will the unlocks be offered outside of this program for a more reasonable price?
4) Do you plan to open up more tier options for the program or another constellation program in the future?
5) Can we expect another "Reinforcement" program? and how often? (every 6 months?)
6) Do you have a more permanent solution of income for NS2? (exclusive early access, DLC, MTX/F2P?)
7) What happens if you fail to reach funds within the deadline? (I understand you mention you will not work on NS2 full time, so no more big builds?)
There are tons of different variations of the questions above that I would like to ask but I think these deserve an answer.
What I would rather have seen or see in the future is having some sort of early access program where you pay 15-25$ for these big builds and have access 30-45 days in advance before its released to everyone else for free. And consider reopening the constellation program with the perks of play testing builds and being on the inside in-terms of development. This reverse kick-starter was just that... its backwards. And its certainly not a long term reliable funding solution that will keep on giving.
I had no problem supporting NS1 as a free game through the constellation program giving 5$ here and there and supporting it since early beta. Then NS2 with the alpha and black armor when the price was just under 50$ if I remember right and getting access to the alpha, beta, and full game.
Now the thing that keeps popping in my head is paying 75$ for a few cosmetics is getting pretty pricey. I'm all for supporting NS2 and at the same time I would really like to have all perks this game has to offer. The price point is going quite a bit over the top on this one though. The cost for cosmetics should be lower than the price of the game brand new for sure and then allow room to donate whatever extra you could. It has me asking questions like "is this a sign of things to come?". Any way I look at it though I don't even pay that much for brand new AAA titles with dlc or 6 month subscriptions or even charities for that matter...
However looking over these forums the last few days it seems like there is plenty of people willing to pay more in support, and that's all good so have a more open program, but don't put a high price tag on in-game items... Every game that has done that has turned my interest in that game off.
One of the last games I happily bought full price was NS2. Most every other game now I wait at least a few months for all dlc to come out so I can get all the dlc and the game for half price on a steam deal or whatever.
The main thing that I'm sure upsets players about DLC is when a developer cuts out a part of the original release or adds very mediocre content and then calls it DLC. The 2nd thing is when DLC divides the players in the game into sections.
With a better program these wouldn't be problems and would bring more reliable income. With my ending statement I would like to say I'm more than happy to donate 5$ a month to you guys or 20$ for a big patch and early access to the content, but I can't afford to dish out 75$ at random and at the same time feel left out if I don't and I guarantee the average player feels the same way.
1) When is the cutoff deadline?
2) Do you plan to setup a tracker for compilation of donations to lead up to each tier?
3) Will the unlocks be offered outside of this program for a more reasonable price?
4) Do you plan to open up more tier options for the program or another constellation program in the future?
5) Can we expect another "Reinforcement" program? and how often? (every 6 months?)
6) Do you have a more permanent solution of income for NS2? (exclusive early access, DLC, MTX/F2P?)
7) What happens if you fail to reach funds within the deadline? (I understand you mention you will not work on NS2 full time, so no more big builds?)
There are tons of different variations of the questions above that I would like to ask but I think these deserve an answer.
What I would rather have seen or see in the future is having some sort of early access program where you pay 15-25$ for these big builds and have access 30-45 days in advance before its released to everyone else for free. And consider reopening the constellation program with the perks of play testing builds and being on the inside in-terms of development. This reverse kick-starter was just that... its backwards. And its certainly not a long term reliable funding solution that will keep on giving.
I had no problem supporting NS1 as a free game through the constellation program giving 5$ here and there and supporting it since early beta. Then NS2 with the alpha and black armor when the price was just under 50$ if I remember right and getting access to the alpha, beta, and full game.
Now the thing that keeps popping in my head is paying 75$ for a few cosmetics is getting pretty pricey. I'm all for supporting NS2 and at the same time I would really like to have all perks this game has to offer. The price point is going quite a bit over the top on this one though. The cost for cosmetics should be lower than the price of the game brand new for sure and then allow room to donate whatever extra you could. It has me asking questions like "is this a sign of things to come?". Any way I look at it though I don't even pay that much for brand new AAA titles with dlc or 6 month subscriptions or even charities for that matter...
However looking over these forums the last few days it seems like there is plenty of people willing to pay more in support, and that's all good so have a more open program, but don't put a high price tag on in-game items... Every game that has done that has turned my interest in that game off.
One of the last games I happily bought full price was NS2. Most every other game now I wait at least a few months for all dlc to come out so I can get all the dlc and the game for half price on a steam deal or whatever.
The main thing that I'm sure upsets players about DLC is when a developer cuts out a part of the original release or adds very mediocre content and then calls it DLC. The 2nd thing is when DLC divides the players in the game into sections.
With a better program these wouldn't be problems and would bring more reliable income. With my ending statement I would like to say I'm more than happy to donate 5$ a month to you guys or 20$ for a big patch and early access to the content, but I can't afford to dish out 75$ at random and at the same time feel left out if I don't and I guarantee the average player feels the same way.
Comments
I'm sure everyone would be willing to donate all the money in the world if they had it, but I wish they didn't place in-game items at such a high tier.
If you read my full post you will noticed I've been a supporter for far longer than most, but my concern is in the fact that regardless of how much you have done in the past I have to shell out an additional 75$ for the items. That's clearly a high price tag for in-game items and you can't argue that.
And that's only a part of my post, my main concern is in the future of the development...
its not a price tag, its a bonus for donating. Successfully argued.
But once again, only time will tell. I am hugely sceptical the target of 550k will be hit, though. Most of the dedicated, hard-core fans who wanted to donate probably already donated.
"what do i give, and what do i get in return?"
is all of us who really only have $5 spare after expenses.
Call it a bonus, perk or whatever, either way its still more expensive then an entire game brand new. Making people feel left out... the haves and the have nots...
On the other hand it always sucks not being able to get them, because they do look cool...so that's a bummer.
But you have to realize the devs do need to make money, and I think this is one of the least intrusive ways they could have done it. Providing early access to future patches would split the community and cause more harm than good, imo. That's not to say the current Reinforcement Program doesn't have faults, for instance I think it would be a lot smoother if you could upgrade from tier to tier as you feel like/ are able to donate more. Right now it comes down to whether you are able to pay the full price of a tier at once or not, which is unfortunate is some respects, but at least you can fall back on the fact that all the rewards are irrelevant to gameplay.
Also do the Reinforced badges overwrite the pax badges? Or what if I want to use the Gold pack shoulder decal instead of the Elite decal, any options to change it or are they limited to the tier you purchase?
Don't know about the shoulder decals, but last night I saw a guy with the PAX and shadow badge side by side in the scoreboard.
This is correct. The reinforced badge takes its own slot and doesn't cover up other badges.
I would have donated money even if I hadn't gotten anything, just because I think UWE is a good developer in need of some support. Certainly after the last however many hours of entertainment they've provided me, they are deserving of it.
So frankly, I think asking "will the items ever be available for a cheaper price" is looking at the entire thing the wrong way. In fact, I'd be rather disappointed if the items ever became available for a cheaper price, as that would defeat the purpose of what they are trying to represent.
Wouldn't it look better on the right side of the name instead of the left?
So that everyones name would start from the same line.
Just a thought I had.
The early access idea is interesting, as it helps cover the costs of larger patches when larger patches come. Additionally I don't feel the splitting the community is that problematic as it is a temporary thing, and this is basically just buying your way into the beta testing group for a specific patch. This could be good or could be bad. It could mean that more people with more diverse computer setups get into the beta test, thus allowing for a more stable release in addition to covering a portion of the costs, or it could mean that you get a less diverse group as you now need to pay to get into it and the group willing to do that is fairly similar in setup, leading to buggier releases. Another problem is a possible sense of betrayal or ill will when someone buys into something like this, thinking "Hey, it can't be any buggier than the stuff I put up with already to play this game." and expect that they shelled over money to play something comparably stable/balanced to released patches. No matter how much you make it clear that something is a beta, and has qualities of something in beta, someone will not get that through their head.
I look at it as a more reliable source of income and profit as DLC without the negative side effects. I played the alpha and the beta and they were just that to me. No matter where you go there will be a hard head that talks shit about games that do early testing. If a game is truly good early access/beta's are not going to break a game.
There hasn't been a single game I've tested where someone didn't talk shit about it. There also hasn't been a game I've tested that flopped because of a beta test, that's just absurd.
This is an excellent example of people with lacking mental capacity and foresight not knowing what they actually want.
Yes it is pretty much to be expected that some people just won't understand what a beta is, and that that alone will not be enough to kill a game. The question however is whether such a thing can do more harm than good, essentially the question of would this have sold better or have more regular player had the beta test not been done? In the case of the alpha and beta for NS2, I think that is pretty clearly a yes it did do better because of those, even though there were a number of people who stopped playing because of bad alpha experiences. In the case of post release early access for patches, I am not so sure.
Having put well into the thousands of hours of play into NS1 and NS2 over the years, this is exactly how I look at it. The fact that supporting the game I've enjoyed so much for so long came with a few extras is pure gravy. Hell I was considering Onos teir donation, but it was sold out, and I'm afraid 8k is a wee bit out of my range
I agree that this system isn't a good long-term solution for future development. The developers would probably raise a lot more money with an in-game store selling skins at like $2-10. You could have more Marine skins, more Alien skins, and potentially even weapon skins would be nice.
I think splitting up the community with timed exclusive content is a really bad idea. Everyone should be on fair ground when it comes to playable content. Cosmetic stuff doesn't matter in the end.
And why the hell would you wanna pay for beta gameplay that would be buggy just so you could play it a month before everyone else? IMO, that's not the point.... I think the program they've chosen is truly the way to go. They already have people they pay to sort thru all the bugs, why would you pay to do the same? Plus, you can always try to find a bt server w/ some possible future inclusions.
QFT
That is the biggest problem I see with beta access to these things, however I think there would be people willing to do it, because it would make the content patches more stable and support the devs financially. I don't think it is that great of a solution, but compared to cash shops or other solutions it seems to be one of the better ones for something more long term. However, it probably wouldn't work for this game regardless, as they will probably only do one more content patch if Reinforced get funded. Also the beta testers who find all the bugs aren't payed. They are mostly volunteers.