Freemium content to help pay for development

[MishkaL1138]

I know, I know, this is kind of backwards... But PlaneShift is known for being free. I'm not saying you should give away EPIC zOMG 2 HAXX 4 ME items, or treat players with favoritism. Some games do this with boosters and in game cosmetic items.

The idea would be something like this: if you're tired of grinding stats, spend 1€ or the equivalent for 10 levels in game, or an item that can be redeemed at some NPC to get that. Grinding stats isn't that useful, anyways, and with them being capped at 400, that'd mean you'd have a potential of 35x6=150€ per player. Since they're only useful when you've maxed skills, it wouldn't necessarily give anyone an edge over others.

Another variant of this would be to allow players to engrave stuff they want, at whatever time they feel like. So for a small fee they receive an item in game that they can redeem so they can engrave a crafted item. I can see many crafters using this feature.

Or maybe I'm just rambling. But this would help suffrage expenses for the server, or even pay people something for their time as developers.

[Mairon]

How can you help the devs if the content is made in their free time anyway?
*roll_safe.jpg*

[Volki]

Would be better to wait until the Unreal version is out before this is even considered.

[netforce10]

It is quite funny that because of the sort of game PS is that my oppinion on your ideas is opposite to the opinion I would hold for other games.

paying to increase your stats(not skills to be entirely clear) would be quite fine if you ask me. The issue I have with it is that it barely accomplishes anything, I don't think it would bring up enough money to really help the game while it detracts from the good point that there is no way to buy any benefits in the game. Side note: 35x6=210 not 150, 25x6=150 which is a more likely estimate I think, although very few players will make use of it to even that extend.

The second idea of adding cosmetics is a lot less acceptable in PS in my opinion. Planeshift is (for me) and RP first game, and buying cosmetics gives players that buy items ingame an RP "advantage". Although you imply that the GM engravers will still occasionally show up reducing this advantage I think that even if they remain occurring at the current rate that for most people those chances will be very few and far between. I myself only saw one standing somewhere 2 times or so.

Further I think that, unless the game will hire people someone for a certain amount of time, developers shouldn't be payed or at most a slight compensation should be given.

[steuben]

moichandising, moichandising! where da real money from da game is made! planeshift: da t-shirt, planeshift: da colouring book, planeshift: da lunchbox, planeshift: da breakfast cereal! planeshift: da flame throwah!! da kids love dis one. </yiddish accent> and my personal favourites planeshift: the postcards and planeshift: the calendar.

part of it is the slippery slope of in game content for money. it always starts with the purely cosmetic... but it can soon become buying your way to victory. its the siren song of the dark side.

[Migg]

Actually, PlaneShift T-Shirts don't really add any in-game advantage, and this holds true for mousepads, mugs, or - wait for it - PS Beer Tankards! It even could act as promotional material for the game. I am just not sure if, given the current player base and geographical spread, they could be an economically viable option.

[Rigwyn]

How about selling pimped out mounts and armor? It could be the same quality, but just unique in appearance.

[Volki]

The cost of making merchandise for this game would be higher than the possible revenue.

[hulla]

Hello

to volki
"Would be better to wait until the Unreal version is out before this is even considered."

the problem is if the game make money he need to pay the unreal licence then no money
but "in another hand" i have dreamed for long to see "me" the  dwarf on a cereal box

[steuben]

licensing fee aren't covered as revenue with regards to the unreal engine. however, any content that is sold that appears in game does count as revenue.

[MishkaL1138]

How about selling pimped out mounts and armor? It could be the same quality, but just unique in appearance.

That's what I implied.

to volki
"Would be better to wait until the Unreal version is out before this is even considered."
the problem is if the game make money he need to pay the unreal licence then no money

The license is free if used with non commercial purposes. I wonder how freemium circumvents this, if at all.

[Daevaorn]

I regret having to use such strong words but I can't say it any other way: I hate the idea of anything "freemium" in PS. IMO, PS is - in its very core - the opposite of much of that other commercial b******t.

Merchandise however, I think, is a great idea. And I don't think that it would be that costly to make. Afterall it's the design you need and then you can order it from any "your-print-on-our-ball-pens" store. And the design could be created for free by one of the game's committed artists ;-)

[MishkaL1138]

The thing about freemium content is that you cut on the costs of paying a business and postal service to send you a plush toy of Daevaorn: You pay 25€ for the toy, but the toy costs 10€, and shipping it 5€. So in the end, developers only get a portion of what you originally paid. The inclusion of cosmetics that don't affect gameplay except in the, redundancy aside, cosmetic way would mean that the money would go straight to their funds.

I'm not saying you can lock this kind of content: just like with WoW's token, and with PWI's gold system, you could be able to sell tria for premium coin - not buy it, to avoid people using real life coin from becoming extremely rich in game. It'd put a regulation on the current in game economy, in that regard at least I say.

[Talad]

There are many  good business models which are not impacting much the actual gameplay.

I would classify those in 4 categories, from the less disrupting, to the most:

1) External only: The payment should not affect in any way the gaming experience. This includes donations, merchandizing (tshirts, mugs, ...), web site recognitions (badges on forums, and such)

2) Paid client services: name changes, move a char to another account, email change and such, could be all paid services for few $. In addition access to beta features on test server, participate to special development events, ...

3) In game visual enhancements: engravings on rings, cloaks, signs of guilds, sparkling effects on weapons, guild entrances, beautifying elements already existing in game. This should have no gameplay impact, just visuals

4) In game item skins and models: new models for weapons (example spiked weapon), new textures for clothes (like new robe color), new enhanced models (like a special torso plate with new geometry), new mounts. Those are accessible only to the ones who pay.

5) In game accelerators: experience boosters, buying items, travel quick to the other side of the map,

6) In game powerful items: the sword +200 strength none has, the mount +200 speed none has, the spell to deal 2000 AoE damage none has.

Of the ones above I think I'm pretty much fine with 1, 2 and 3. I start to have issues with 4 as the content will not be available to everyone, and I always wanted the content to be fully available without payments. I have a major problem with 5 and 6, I think those completely disrupt the game, and those will never be applied in a game I develop.

What you think?

[Dilihin]

Yes, i definetly want to transfer some of my chars and would actually pay for it.