VIP membership

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614096" wrote:
Most games do it. An most ftp will pay the lowest amount if it gets them VIP. Actually encourages purchases.
An if you completely ftp stop being so tight fisted.

Maybe some people's situations don't allow them to spend frivolously. Maybe people have to account for every penny between paychecks while they're in school or waiting for disability to come through. Have you ever thought about that?
Because i sure would love to able to buy a vault every now and then to help progress but with a toddler, a 2nd baby on the way and these overpriced packs, I have much better stuff to spend money on then some lines of code which hold no real value whatsoever.

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614096" wrote:
Most games do it. An most ftp will pay the lowest amount if it gets them VIP. Actually encourages purchases.
An if you completely ftp stop being so tight fisted.

Stop Steve, just stop.

While I've spent some money on this game, the money I've spent is equivalent to what I feel the value of the game is. That currently means I've spent $200 on the game in total.

Locking a toon completely behind a paywall is a jerk move. It doesn't matter if other games do it or not, it's still a jerk move.

"Syrup_Chugger3;c-1614106" wrote:

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614096" wrote:
Most games do it. An most ftp will pay the lowest amount if it gets them VIP. Actually encourages purchases.
An if you completely ftp stop being so tight fisted.

Maybe some people's situations don't allow them to spend frivolously. Maybe people have to account for every penny between paychecks while they're in school or waiting for disability to come through. Have you ever thought about that?
Because i sure would love to able to buy a vault every now and then to help progress but with a toddler, a 2nd baby on the way and these overpriced packs, I have much better stuff to spend money on then some lines of code which hold no real value whatsoever.

I dont agree at all. For example it doesnt matter how skint you are you have to buy call of duty to play it. If you want to eat you have to pay for it.

You say the game has no value, yet you play it.
This game would not exist if there were not whales paying for it.
Why should everyone get a free ride.

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614292" wrote:

"Syrup_Chugger3;c-1614106" wrote:

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614096" wrote:
Most games do it. An most ftp will pay the lowest amount if it gets them VIP. Actually encourages purchases.
An if you completely ftp stop being so tight fisted.

Maybe some people's situations don't allow them to spend frivolously. Maybe people have to account for every penny between paychecks while they're in school or waiting for disability to come through. Have you ever thought about that?
Because i sure would love to able to buy a vault every now and then to help progress but with a toddler, a 2nd baby on the way and these overpriced packs, I have much better stuff to spend money on then some lines of code which hold no real value whatsoever.

I dont agree at all. For example it doesnt matter how skint you are you have to buy call of duty to play it. If you want to eat you have to pay for it.

You say the game has no value, yet you play it.
This game would not exist if there were not whales paying for it.
Why should everyone get a free ride.

He said "some lines of code that hold no real value". Which they don't. The game has entertainment value, that's it.

I've spent what I would on a new Xbox game in the last two years, and that's all. I think VIP is a terrible idea, and locking characters behind a paywall like a VIP system would alienate and be unfair to large proportion of the player base. It's a decent enough system they have in place, F2P friendly, with the option to get stuff a bit quicker (as that's all it effectively does) for those that want to spend money.

Those that do spend money already have the advantage of being more prepared for new characters and events when they come round.

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614292" wrote:

"Syrup_Chugger3;c-1614106" wrote:

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614096" wrote:
Most games do it. An most ftp will pay the lowest amount if it gets them VIP. Actually encourages purchases.
An if you completely ftp stop being so tight fisted.

Maybe some people's situations don't allow them to spend frivolously. Maybe people have to account for every penny between paychecks while they're in school or waiting for disability to come through. Have you ever thought about that?
Because i sure would love to able to buy a vault every now and then to help progress but with a toddler, a 2nd baby on the way and these overpriced packs, I have much better stuff to spend money on then some lines of code which hold no real value whatsoever.

I dont agree at all. For example it doesnt matter how skint you are you have to buy call of duty to play it. If you want to eat you have to pay for it.

You say the game has no value, yet you play it.
This game would not exist if there were not whales paying for it.
Why should everyone get a free ride.

Okay, comparing buying food(basic necessity to live) to a video game. Yeah I'll leave that one alone.
And I meant tangible purchases, ie. Clothing, food, a car etc.

The "VIP" membership is there already - you just don't get a title. The more money you spend, the better your rooster gets, the higher arena rank you get, the higher dmg. in raids you get. You're VIP alright.
Why the title? You get to boast of your XX mio. Galactic Power, all those fine golden laurel wreaths, numerous "MAX" toons etc.

My prediction: If VIP's get exclusive access to e.g. toons/gear, the major base of the game will drop out, leaving the VIP worthless, because now everybody is VIP. New players will face VIP's and be wiped out before finding out if the game was interesting.

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614346" wrote:
Well I am able bodied and refuse to work but I will whale on this game with your hard earned tax money just because I'm entitled to everything because I was born.

I really dont get why people who invest getting something back is a big deal.
You play poker you get rake back. You have a points card at a supermarket you get some money back.
Whats the problem??

You pay, you get the thing you paid for. Be it a shard pack, or crystals, or what have you.

Here's the thing.

This free to pay model is not the result of charitable idiots giving away free games. There is good reason large-scale multiplayer games have been skewing more and more toward the free to play with microtransactions model.

A customer base has a variable willingness and ability to pay for your product. If you go at a game with a fixed price point model, then as you raise that price point, your player base shrinks. Even if you have a one dollar price point, you lose a ton of players compared to free. And a large-scale multiplayer game wants the biggest player base possible, to create a healthy community. (For certain values of healthy.)

The free players are providing a service to the paying players by constructing a community around them. Even if half of all players never spend a dime, that means by using a free to play model, they've doubled the size of the community. And that's lowballing it, as many of those paying players would not have come to the game at all had there been a pay wall to get in.

In addition, the bulk of the cost for a game like this is development, not server space. In fact, the bulk of the processing requirements are outsourced to your phone, not their servers. As such, more free players is not a huge added burden. On the other hand, a non-paying player may change their mind later, and serves as an added potential marketing engine through word of mouth to their friends.

The key to sustaining this model is to not alienate free players. If there is a perception that the game isn't just pay to play, it's pay to win, many of those would be free players will decide there is no point, they can't be competitive, and leave. What's more, many of the paying players may decide it isn't about strategy or dedication, but rather it's about dueling pocketbooks.

You might say, "Just don't cross that line," but the problem is just where that line is varies from person to person.

No paid-exclusive content is a very deliberate and profitable choice. CG makes money by not glorifying the big spenders, by not treating F2P like second class citizens (which is what a "VIP" program does).

"YaeVizsla;c-1614700" wrote:

"UnstopableSteve;c-1614346" wrote:
Well I am able bodied and refuse to work but I will whale on this game with your hard earned tax money just because I'm entitled to everything because I was born.

I really dont get why people who invest getting something back is a big deal.
You play poker you get rake back. You have a points card at a supermarket you get some money back.
Whats the problem??

You pay, you get the thing you paid for. Be it a shard pack, or crystals, or what have you.

Here's the thing.

This free to pay model is not the result of charitable **** giving away free games. There is good reason large-scale multiplayer games have been skewing more and more toward the free to play with microtransactions model.

A customer base has a variable willingness and ability to pay for your product. If you go at a game with a fixed price point model, then as you raise that price point, your player base shrinks. Even if you have a one dollar price point, you lose a ton of players compared to free. And a large-scale multiplayer game wants the biggest player base possible, to create a healthy community. (For certain values of healthy.)

The free players are providing a service to the paying players by constructing a community around them. Even if half of all players never spend a dime, that means by using a free to play model, they've doubled the size of the community. And that's lowballing it, as many of those paying players would not have come to the game at all had there been a pay wall to get in.

In addition, the bulk of the cost for a game like this is development, not server space. In fact, the bulk of the processing requirements are outsourced to your phone, not their servers. As such, more free players is not a huge added burden. On the other hand, a non-paying player may change their mind later, and serves as an added potential marketing engine through word of mouth to their friends.

The key to sustaining this model is to not alienate free players. If there is a perception that the game isn't just pay to play, it's pay to win, many of those would be free players will decide there is no point, they can't be competitive, and leave. What's more, many of the paying players may decide it isn't about strategy or dedication, but rather it's about dueling pocketbooks.

You might sa2y, "Just don't cross that line," but the problem is just where that line is varies from person to person.

No paid-exclusive content is a very deliberate and profitable choice. CG makes money by not glorifying the big spenders, by not treating F2P like second class citizens (which is what a "VIP" program does).

Nice one finally a good answer that isnt- pity me im broke or Im entitled to everything. Thank you

"BrekRegis;c-1613929" wrote:
The game is designed to be F2P with the option of paying money. Introducing VIP memberships is effectively openly promoting P2W.

This.

The current system is based on time in game and the fact that time=$$.

Yeah, I have to echo other's sentiment. I pay money on the game, but have always loved that it's FTP friendly and there is no content available that I could not get if I choose to not spend any longer. I think the idea of having some sort of out of game "VIP reward" is an interesting one (I'd love a hoodie!!), but there are a number of factors to consider. Especially given the amount of money some people spend on the game, you don't want create a VIP status that is so high that it generates ridicule from the fan base, but at the same time you want to create something high enough that those extra kraken's feel appreciated in the reward structure. I mean, even having a VIP status at $1,000 spent would seem outlandish to most, but is a mere drop in the bucket for what some have spent. It's a tough one to tackle, but still, I want that hoodie!