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Here's the web version. The "Long Term Subscriber" bit towards the end may be of the most interest to people who actively follow the game.
The actual newsletter will take days to go out, as we have to rate-limit sending for certain providers. Whenever you get a chance though, please let me know if you do or (after a few days) do-not receive the actual newsletter (and what email provider).
FYI, I did forget to change the image "ALT" text on the newsletter that went out, so don't freak out and think the new Vulture is going to be an EC-89 ;). I can't ever seem to ship a newsletter without screwing something up.. ah well..
The actual newsletter will take days to go out, as we have to rate-limit sending for certain providers. Whenever you get a chance though, please let me know if you do or (after a few days) do-not receive the actual newsletter (and what email provider).
FYI, I did forget to change the image "ALT" text on the newsletter that went out, so don't freak out and think the new Vulture is going to be an EC-89 ;). I can't ever seem to ship a newsletter without screwing something up.. ah well..
I'm glad you're actively looking into new ways to make the game more financially sustainable, i'm also glad you're acting on some of those ideas; however, I just don't get the long-term subscriber thing. Other MMO's do a yearly package around this time where they try and lock in as many players to 1 year subscriptions paid up-front in exchange for various in-game goodies and status symbols.
Why can't I pay my $120 up-front and dispense with the honor (yes har har, a Serco dispensing with honor, heretic I know). Surely it would be a better idea to get as many up-front yearly subs as possible instead of relying on people's personal restraint not to spend their VO money on wild nights in vegas, no?
Why can't I pay my $120 up-front and dispense with the honor (yes har har, a Serco dispensing with honor, heretic I know). Surely it would be a better idea to get as many up-front yearly subs as possible instead of relying on people's personal restraint not to spend their VO money on wild nights in vegas, no?
Yeah, I'd personally prefer to pay for the whole year upfront.
I'd personally prefer to not change anything i'm currently doing (which is pay monthly) cause I was already here when they turned the servers on, when a confused dev was like uhhh who are you i said "Sup?" and then VO happened.
Hi Incarnate ....hmmm...i dont know if i have make wrong but i put the Pledge before i read right ..."its for monthly subscribers" ....im have paid until 2015 (bulk 24months)...
Faceof.....:)
Faceof.....:)
Already got the mail. It's a gmail.
I suppose I can extrapolate from the past 11 years to one more year in the future.
Good newsletter, Inc. I look forward to no longer being able to run at 2880x1800 with all the glitz turned on.
Good newsletter, Inc. I look forward to no longer being able to run at 2880x1800 with all the glitz turned on.
Faceof, paying for whole years will automatically pledge you so you won't have to do anything.
Ty raybondo ...but after i Pledge read again and carefully what the paragraph says....anyway...:)
So, I knew the website text was a little ambiguous, but I tried to make the email itself clearer and still succinct in that it's "$9.99+". So, basically, any plan from $9.99 to two years. I've updated the website now to be a bit clearer.. I was very tired when I shipped this all this morning.
I'm glad you're actively looking into new ways to make the game more financially sustainable, i'm also glad you're acting on some of those ideas; however, I just don't get the long-term subscriber thing. Other MMO's do a yearly package around this time where they try and lock in as many players to 1 year subscriptions paid up-front in exchange for various in-game goodies and status symbols.
Why can't I pay my $120 up-front and dispense with the honor (yes har har, a Serco dispensing with honor, heretic I know). Surely it would be a better idea to get as many up-front yearly subs as possible instead of relying on people's personal restraint not to spend their VO money on wild nights in vegas, no?
Not everyone can afford to drop $90 or more right now, and I don't want to exclude people who can only pay month-to-month. Also, this isn't a one-time holiday promo, this is intended to be an ongoing benefit for the long term, that ties into nearly every major content rollout from now on. The more we make use of it (in terms of content and other stuff), and the more value it has to people, the more worthwhile it is for people to join and stay joined.
I'm glad you're actively looking into new ways to make the game more financially sustainable, i'm also glad you're acting on some of those ideas; however, I just don't get the long-term subscriber thing. Other MMO's do a yearly package around this time where they try and lock in as many players to 1 year subscriptions paid up-front in exchange for various in-game goodies and status symbols.
Why can't I pay my $120 up-front and dispense with the honor (yes har har, a Serco dispensing with honor, heretic I know). Surely it would be a better idea to get as many up-front yearly subs as possible instead of relying on people's personal restraint not to spend their VO money on wild nights in vegas, no?
Not everyone can afford to drop $90 or more right now, and I don't want to exclude people who can only pay month-to-month. Also, this isn't a one-time holiday promo, this is intended to be an ongoing benefit for the long term, that ties into nearly every major content rollout from now on. The more we make use of it (in terms of content and other stuff), and the more value it has to people, the more worthwhile it is for people to join and stay joined.
I've been subbed for more than a year (not currently subbed because of financial issues, I'll be back eventually!), can I have benefits :}
Heheh, sorry. The system requires a current sub and commitment, but you'd be more than welcome whenever you can come back :).
The "Long Term Subscriber" thing sounds interesting; rewarding subscribers who pay up-front for a year or more (or, alternatively, those have been consistently subscribed for the past year or more) seems like a good way to incentivise customer loyalty and cultivate a consistent source of revenue. In terms of the incentives themselves, early access to new content, invites to beta-testing new Events, in-game discounts, faster leveling/reputation grinding, and even more convenient manufacturing options would all be perfectly acceptable.
However, I'm more wary at the prospect of content that is entirely exclusive to Long Term Subscribers. Gating off content, no matter how well-intentioned the reasons, seems like a probable way to create divisions in the community. That'd be bad news for any MMO, but for VO it could be especially disastrous.
However, I'm more wary at the prospect of content that is entirely exclusive to Long Term Subscribers. Gating off content, no matter how well-intentioned the reasons, seems like a probable way to create divisions in the community. That'd be bad news for any MMO, but for VO it could be especially disastrous.
However, I'm more wary at the prospect of content that is entirely exclusive to Long Term Subscribers. Gating off content, no matter how well-intentioned the reasons, seems like a probable way to create divisions in the community. That'd be bad news for any MMO, but for VO it could be especially disastrous.
I agree, although I think it depends on the content in question. Laterally identical content, like unique ship-graphic options and things, should not be a big deal. I suspect the difference may also matter less as the levels become higher, people tend to be pretty committed by the time they're going to spend 3 months building a capship.
Also, keep in mind that the Long Term Subscriber thing is openly accessible to all, which was explicitly why I structured it this way. If we had simply tied the content to how long you had been subbed, there would be an inherent elitist component, requiring people to either pony up for a full year at once, or to wait around for a year. The way it is, people can get in on the benefits whenever they want to, at the same sub cost. They're still making a commitment, but the bar for entry is not very high.
I agree, although I think it depends on the content in question. Laterally identical content, like unique ship-graphic options and things, should not be a big deal. I suspect the difference may also matter less as the levels become higher, people tend to be pretty committed by the time they're going to spend 3 months building a capship.
Also, keep in mind that the Long Term Subscriber thing is openly accessible to all, which was explicitly why I structured it this way. If we had simply tied the content to how long you had been subbed, there would be an inherent elitist component, requiring people to either pony up for a full year at once, or to wait around for a year. The way it is, people can get in on the benefits whenever they want to, at the same sub cost. They're still making a commitment, but the bar for entry is not very high.
Oh good, from initial readings I thought you meant that you wanted people to pay $9.99 per month for the 12 months to access the LTS benefits i.e. pay $9.99x12 so it made absolutely zero sense why you wouldn't permit us to pay that upfront.
"faster leveling/reputation grinding, and even more convenient manufacturing options would all be perfectly acceptable."
No, those bits would not be perfectly acceptable. They would in fact be a Bad Idea. I do not agree with giving people who can afford to sub year-round advantages over those who cannot (beyond those inherent in playing more frequently, of course).
No, those bits would not be perfectly acceptable. They would in fact be a Bad Idea. I do not agree with giving people who can afford to sub year-round advantages over those who cannot (beyond those inherent in playing more frequently, of course).
No, those bits would not be perfectly acceptable. They would in fact be a Bad Idea.
Yeah, those would be a bit extreme for my taste.
The closest I would come to "more convenient manufacturing" would be things like special "preview" missions of new manufactured content that might allow a given character to buy a single no-drop instance of something, and then that's it. Like with the recent Vulture, we could have rolled out the Super Awesome New Edition to "Long Term" people only. I wouldn't have any problem with that kind of early-access thing.
But making manufacturing faster across the board, or allowing people to permanently "skip" game mechanics required of everyone else, would be a bridge too far.
Yeah, those would be a bit extreme for my taste.
The closest I would come to "more convenient manufacturing" would be things like special "preview" missions of new manufactured content that might allow a given character to buy a single no-drop instance of something, and then that's it. Like with the recent Vulture, we could have rolled out the Super Awesome New Edition to "Long Term" people only. I wouldn't have any problem with that kind of early-access thing.
But making manufacturing faster across the board, or allowing people to permanently "skip" game mechanics required of everyone else, would be a bridge too far.
Special skins would be more than enough, when you do this next year you should get some ship skins together and present them with the yearly package. I actually really like the no-nonsense no-flashy crap waved in-front of my face approach, but others will often only sign up if there's an immediate benefit they can tangibly see.
My copy just showed up. Gmail.
No, those bits would not be perfectly acceptable. They would in fact be a Bad Idea. I do not agree with giving people who can afford to sub year-round advantages over those who cannot (beyond those inherent in playing more frequently, of course).
I see your point.
I suppose I was just in the mindset of thinking of behavioral incentive systems that would encourage both initial and long-term participation in this Long Term Subscriber program business, and the least problematic in-game perks I could think of at the time involved minor conveniences regarding major time-sinks. There's also purely cosmetic stuff of course, like the anniversary ship skins, but that potentially runs into the issue of gating off content discussed before.
Personally, I blame having recently rewatched that old Extra Credits video on microtransactions. Yes, yes I know; the whole point of this LTS program is explicitly to avoid a microtransaction model, and I'm totally on-board that sentiment, but I felt that in spite of that many of the principles discussed were broadly applicable here.
I see your point.
I suppose I was just in the mindset of thinking of behavioral incentive systems that would encourage both initial and long-term participation in this Long Term Subscriber program business, and the least problematic in-game perks I could think of at the time involved minor conveniences regarding major time-sinks. There's also purely cosmetic stuff of course, like the anniversary ship skins, but that potentially runs into the issue of gating off content discussed before.
Personally, I blame having recently rewatched that old Extra Credits video on microtransactions. Yes, yes I know; the whole point of this LTS program is explicitly to avoid a microtransaction model, and I'm totally on-board that sentiment, but I felt that in spite of that many of the principles discussed were broadly applicable here.