ARX Ship Early Access Update

[K-nours]

To translate the new prices into real money:

PC2 Standard - Arx 19,020 (what's with the additional 20 Arx? I could understand 18,980 but this makes little sense to me?) -----> requires a combination of the 5,000 + 16,800 packs at a combined 14.98 Euros
PC2 Stellar - Arx 38,000 -----> requires a combination of the 16,800 + 25,500 packs at a combined 27.48 Euros

27€ for just one ship (and a painting)...
Back in the day Horizon cost only 24.99€ when it was released..
Odyssey was 34€...

Is it just me, or is selling a single ship at the price of a full expansion complete madness? Or is it just foolish that people are accepting this as normal and buying it anyway?

 

[Joe Cool]

Plus... as has been noted by someone on Reddit,

And this forum.
Cue gratuitous self-promotion

 

[oztrich]

Oh, sure, bigger ships cost more. Makes sense. But hey, remind me why small ships now cost basically the same as medium ones? Because logic clearly jumped out the airlock. Well played. You’ve just torpedoed every ounce of excitement people had for this ‘new ship’... and in the process, managed to confirm that microtransactions aren’t just annoying, they’re evil

There are multiple points here that probably don't all fit together in the way you've sequenced them.

Honestly, I expected the PC2 to cost more ARX than previous ships. I hadn't thought about the reverse of this, and you make a good point about it should be a sliding scale. If large ships cost more, then it makes little sense that small and medium ships are treated exactly the same.

I don't get the torpedoed excitement comment at all. I think there was an expectation, even if it was framed cynically, that the ARX price would be higher. I don't think it will change many players perception of whether it's an exciting ship or not. It might make some change their mind on using ARX for early unlock, but then it's just a time thing until it's available. Doesn't make it less exciting.

Yeah, microtransactions ARE evil. Not sure they're going anywhere though, and many (I include myself in this) are prepared to "pay" - either a little or a lot, depending on their desire and circumstances.

 

[Taller Ghost Walt]

So 38,000 Arx means a new player would have to spend $38 to buy the conveniently priced 51,000 Arx package. I'm sure Fontier's Sales and Market depts have this figured out but, to me, selling the entire game for $10 and then asking $38 for a single ship is kinda getting up there into the 'it ain't happening' space.

A new player has no need to buy a PC Mk2 as early access, they can just play the game as is until it’s available for credits.

 

[Dougie]

Bigger ships cost more ARXes? That is just stupid.

The corporate greed exhibited towards ED players* makes me question playing the game.

(* For example: A single-ship paint-job can cost as much as a DLC pack for a Planet game which contains lots of elements.)

 

[Kira Goto]

Is it just me, or is selling a single ship at the price of a full expansion complete madness?

It might be excessive but consider that the “Stellar” edition isn’t just the ship, it comes with a kit attached.

Would I pay that much for it? … probably not. I’d have to be far more dedicated of a hauler than I actually am to remotely consider it. Haven’t really been buying any paintjobs bobbleheads since the price hikes either, maybe one or two with free ARX.

 

[aardappelianen]

yes very cute but what actually justifies it ?

 

[DemiserofD]

Greetings Commanders.

Alongside the launch of the Panther Clipper MK II on 22nd July, we will also be updating our ARX pricing structure for ships.

New ships will continue to launch in ARX Early Access, before arriving for in-game credits at a later date. You can find the full details here:

https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/arx-ship-early-access-update

It's not that I don't appreciate the transparency, but the actual numbers are a little odd. Anyway, I hope this isn't used as justification to make the Stellar Edition too good. Remember to keep things reasonably balanced to avoid negative feedback in the other direction.

 

[Kzak]

I'll buy the Panther Clipper Mk II Stellar Edition despite the ARX price hike, for I'm likely going to use it a lot with the hauling required to build T3 structures/orbitals. When combined with the ARX I earn through regular playing, it's not that bad, and I don't buy with ARX every new ship FDev launches.

That said, it'd be a good thing if ARX prices differentiated between small/medium/large ships.

 

[Knuttin Atoll]

27€ for just one ship (and a painting)...
Back in the day Horizon cost only 24.99€ when it was released..
Odyssey was 34€...

Is it just me, or is selling a single ship at the price of a full expansion complete madness? Or is it just foolish that people are accepting this as normal and buying it anyway?

As @Kira Goto already mentioned, the Stellar pack comes with a kit also, although I noticed the newer ship kits generally come with fewer individual parts (the associated marketing concept is called "shrinkflation").

And then there's also the fact that certain skins can't be bought individually but only as part of a pack (this is particularly irritating for ships like the Cobra 5 that doesn't have all that many options to start with).

As for the general pricing - we're now firmly in MSFS/DCS territory here. And sure, value-for-money is highly subjective, but you can't really argue that what you get in terms of technical and functional fidelity from those games' DLC offerings (including several aircraft variations and often dozen or more skins included), the price points Frontier have chosen over the years are rather... confident. But if the market allows it...

 

[Danieros]

Seems reasonable. Thanks for the heads-up and transparency in pricing changes, this has been conducted in a much better way than the previous entire-shop ARX increase.

 

[Mohawk_ger]

I wonder, is this finally the end for DLCs for ED?
Never heared any rumours, is something planned? In any future, months, years?

Or future monetisation will be only about selling ships (and the game as it is)?
How long can this go?

 

[Joe Cool]

And then there's also the fact that certain skins can't be bought individually but only as part of a pack (this is particularly irritating for ships like the Cobra 5 that doesn't have all that many options to start with).

An inconvenience us poor beleaguered Viper MKIV owners might only dream of

 

[amigacooke]

Thank you for your outstanding support over the last 10 + years. We are regularly assessing our in-game pricing to ensure we are creating a sustainable model allowing us to continue supporting Elite Dangerous with meaningful updates which bring more content and features to your time out in the black.

We have plenty of exciting updates to share later this year, including two additional new ships and a brand-new feature. We’ll have more to share on these in the coming months.

Dangling inspecific improvements in the future for cash given now is an incentive I don’t go for anymore.

 

[CMDR RAY-ZOR'SHARP]

LOL, absolutly no chance, trying to milk the base for such an underwhelming flagship.

In game ARX's it is if I can, else just wait for the credit release.

And yes I was getting ready to raid the piggy bank, not a chance in hell as the PCII stands.

07

 

[Cmdr. Numa]

To translate the new prices into real money:

PC2 Standard - Arx 19,020 (what's with the additional 20 Arx? I could understand 18,980 but this makes little sense to me?) -----> requires a combination of the 5,000 + 16,800 packs at a combined 14.98 Euros
PC2 Stellar - Arx 38,000 -----> requires a combination of the 16,800 + 25,500 packs at a combined 27.48 Euros

Both options still leave a semi-significant amount of unused Arx on the table, so Arx as an intermediary currency is working as intended.

As for the timing of this announcement, I couldn't help but chuckle, given that only yesterday I suggested the market could likely stomach another price hike, judging from the comments around here and elsewhere. Sorry about that lol.

Don't forget the bonus ARX on the bigger packages. The 16800 package for example gives you another 900 on top. For this reason, unless you only ever want to buy one specific thing, it is always best to only buy the big 85000 ARX package. You actually get 100000, which translates to 1818.5 ARX per €. For the smaller packages it gets progressively worse. The 5000 package has no bonus at all, so you only get 1432.66 ARX per € spent.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Another Arx price hike, I know the faithful will pay regardless how high FD elects to hike prices.
I'd already decided that the PCII didn't represent any sort of Arx value for such a mediocre hauler, but if this is the direction Early Access is going, I guess I'll always be waiting for the credits release from now on.

 

[vanFace]

I actually wondered why they kept the low price during all of last year's ship sales. The increase now makes sense.
I'm also curious if the "available for credit at a later time" is now measured in years and not months, would also make sense for it becoming effectively ARX-only.

 

[Cmdr. Numa]

I'm also curious if the "available for credit at a later time" is now measured in years and not months, would also make sense for it becoming effectively ARX-only.

That would cross the red line for me past which I'd no longer follow.

 

[zimms]

Corvette and Cutter MK II?

Certainly not out of the question. The Corsair just proved that an "Imperial" ship doesn't necessarily need to be rank locked. Same would apply for the Federation.