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David Spd
Caldari State
163
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Posted - 2014.09.12 19:52:00 -
[1] - Quote
I feel very strongly about this topic, so I have a lot of stuff to say. Sorry ahead of time for a wall of text; but that's what I do. I lurk for months then post walls of text for a couple days before ignoring the game for months.
Dunno how the new CPM functions (and for the record I don't really like/trust any of you) but the last CPM seemed to be doing a good job with communicating with the marketing team; something that I think should be continued and be a relatively high priority.
I don't know if any of you saw any of my posts involving options with Aurum and value for Aurum exclusive items, but I'll write out some concerns here in the hopes that one of you sympathizes with my thoughts and wants to talk with the marketing team or just pick up/continue discussions with CCP.
So currently, the value of Aurum is actually quite low. Almost all of the items available in the market that are Aurum only are consumables (last I knew they were ALL, since BPOs were discontinued). Currently I see there are two types of value put onto Aurum purchase
1. New player wants to experiment with new suits/builds but doesn't have SP or isk to afford different fits
and
2. Old player wants to save up ISK or run a specific setup they don't quite have enough SP for Proto fit
I don't think either of these scenarios counts for a large portion of the playerbase, nor do I think that this makes buying Aurum very appealing for anybody in general.
It sounds like BPOs will be making a return, but this is only one small step for what I view a greater opportunity for both players and CCP.
I'm a strong believer in "free to play should not mean pay to win". I personally favor and prefer cosmetic options over direct power upgrades. I think the Marketing team could have the best intentions and then inadvertently create something that breaks the game rules or simply game balance, but so far they've shown competence in not crossing that line and instead adding convenience "sidegrades". I think CCP in general doesn't like the concept of buying power with Aurum, so I feel pretty safe. But a friendly reminder every now and then doesn't hurt.
Now with that comes the real "meat" of my concerns. Cosmetics. There are none. What little promotional content has come out in the last two years (while a good start) barely even scratches the surface of what could be done. I understand CCP is looking to maximize profits (they are a business, after all) and so they want to put the least amount of effort in to get payouts. But there are some things that can be done both short-term, and long-term in these areas.
Skins. This should always be the focus. I think we need more of them. We need cosmetics that attach to weapons, armor. Simple reskins of items. Permanent only (or also 1-day if you want to see how it actually looks in-game) for under $10. Cosmetics are a varied, but constant thing. Rarely does a playerbase as a whole have a clear consensus as to what the "best" cosmetic is, because the taste is subjective. I like Green. I like Olive. I like earthy tones in general. Outside of Militia none of these colors exist (Okay, Gallente have a little green, but it's VERY subtle).
I think it should be CCP's long-term goal to get at least one permanent skin into every player's hand through both affordable prices and varied options. I don't think CCP should have a catalogue of hundreds of reskins for each and every suit and weapon, no. But I think that by hitting most of the "prime" colors and maybe having unique variants (camoflague, faction-based, special event etc) I strongly believe that every player will really want at least ONE cosmetic skin for their account.
Currently cosmetics are a double-edged sword. You choose (or chose) a BPO you liked and you forked out a premium pricetag (anything above $5 is a premium pricetag for the sake of this discussion) for a militia or standard grade outfit. You choose to look the way you want to while also hampering your statistical advantage by using an inferior suit.
One could argue that it is actually better from a balance standpoint to put 20m+ players in militia and standard fits (I actually agree with that argument), so newbies are less likely to get so horribly steamrolled, but at the same time these suits cannot be reliable for actual competitive environments. A corp running all militia gear and winning against proto tryhards is good for bragging rights, nothing more.
Long-term I think the UI and game itself should support a "paintbucket" system. You can buy permanent colors and apply them to any suit you want, and change them anytime you want without having to rebuy. Maybe you're someone that finds white suits idiotic but spend 95% of your time in Advanced suits (basically me) so you want something to cover up the ugly. Suddenly CCP made money off an individual that would never have put money into the game otherwise.
There are other types of cosmetics, of course. Unique armor models, attachments. Alternate helmets/suits, but if I've learned anything from CCP in my time with Dust it's that this is likely a no-go due to hardware limitations. That's fine, maybe they will consider it for Legion (I sincerely hope they do).
To sum it up, I think the game needs more skins. More varied colors, and more ways to apply them to our items without being anti-consumer (1-time use items, consumables, suit-bound, suit-limited etc. I would consider anti-consumer). Most importantly however, we need CCP to understand, respect and meet the demand to have permanent items. With player-driven economy apparently not being a thing anymore (only found out like an hour ago) there is no good reason to not have plenty of BPOs in the game.
Hopefully one or all of you agree with me, and I hope that this will motivate a discussion with CCP's marketing team.
--> I'm a closed beta vet; I just don't post often <--
"Other people just complicate my life." ~Solid Snake
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Soraya Xel
Abandoned Privilege
Top Men.
3401
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Posted - 2014.09.12 20:37:00 -
[2] - Quote
The largest problem for DUST 514, is that any sort of skin that doesn't actually replace your suit, means a new client, a pretty big new feature, etc. So right now, we're limited to the types of items that exist in the game now. Militia gear is really the only safe thing to offer for BPOs, though you may notice CCP has also sold proto-grade Quafe consumable dropsuits before as well.
I definitely think a skinning system should exist in DUST. (It should also exist in EVE, for that matter.) Reticules is another awesome customization without balance connotations that can be a great selling item. Again, I think that would likely have to be a Legion thing.
As far as I know, Legion is still intended to be free to play, and I'm sure figuring out the best ways to monetize it would be a top priority. Cosmetics is definitely the prevailing success strategy for that, so I'm definitely hopeful we see more cosmetic options in Legion.
P.S. - You don't like me? 
CPM1 Elect. Thanks for all your support. [email protected] for ideas, thoughts, and feedback.
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David Spd
Caldari State
163
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Posted - 2014.09.13 12:09:00 -
[3] - Quote
Problem with Legion is that it'll probably be another five years before the general public gets their hands on it. Maybe only a couple years until closed beta starts.
That means... there's quite a large chunk of time where Dust is just waiting to be made obsolete when it could still be improved and have the waters tested for what works and what doesn't.
I only liked two members of the last CPM, and that was after months of seeing their posts. One of them I disagreed with half of the time as well.
--> I'm a closed beta vet; I just don't post often <--
"Other people just complicate my life." ~Solid Snake
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Kevall Longstride
DUST University
Ivy League
1666
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Posted - 2014.09.15 13:45:00 -
[4] - Quote
The underlying problem with some things you're asking for is that it will require a client update and a fairly hefty one at that. The return of the BPO's that have been announced is something I'm pleased to see personally as they were a hugely popular addition to the marketplace and to my mind represented good value.
With some luck, the reissue of the Server BPO's will prove popular leading to the return of some other past favourites. There is also some scope for colour variation within the client we have now, Galandos being a nice blood red now. This will hopefully lead to some new variations being made available for AUR purchase.
CPM 1 member
CEO of DUST University
Vist dustcpm.com
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Haerr
Legio DXIV
1389
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Posted - 2014.09.16 14:32:00 -
[5] - Quote
I would love a Cloak BPO & a RE BPO... Oh and a Flux Grenade BPO, as well as a Methana BPO...
...
Hey if you could change BPCs to be pay on use (spawn) instead of having to stock up on the things that would be a neat trick. :)
Edit: Maybe allow us to set some items as favourites and give us a favourite list in the fitting window too, that would make it an awful lot easier to find the stuff you are looking for in those huge lists. |
Immortal John Ripper
24625
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Posted - 2014.09.16 16:46:00 -
[6] - Quote
re bpo ftw.
Total isk scammed: 37 million.
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David Spd
Caldari State
163
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Posted - 2014.09.25 07:52:00 -
[7] - Quote
Kevall Longstride wrote:
The underlying problem with some things you're asking for is that it will require a client update and a fairly hefty one at that.
Sorry for the late response, I don't visit the forums too often anymore.
For reskins I don't see the problem with that. I don't see how CCP would see that as a problem.
The only thing I really and truly WANT for Dust 514 is more variants on colors. Just reskins of current models. I don't expect (or necessarily want) the UI to be rewritten to support "paint buckets", I just want to look the way I want to and get good value for my money.
Currently I have almost no options, and what little options there are I hate (Rust orange on futuristic camo? Why in the hell did people vote for such an ugly color?). I'm not big on buying cosmetics just because they're the only thing I have to pick from. Especially not at the price they're asking in a first person game.
--> I'm a closed beta vet; I just don't post often <--
"Other people just complicate my life." ~Solid Snake
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Zatara Rought
Fatal Absolution
General Tso's Alliance
4199
|
Posted - 2014.09.25 21:01:00 -
[8] - Quote
I read everything, but no real response yet.
B3RT > PFBHz > TEAM > MHPD > IMPS > FA
They call me ~Princess Zatata~
Skype: Zatara.Rought Twitter: @ZataraRought
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