Would you pay to unlock Cutter/Corvette?

[Morbad]

you lose nothing by letting people buy them with cash.

I don't agree.

Not perfect but it makes no difference if you paid cash or spent 30 hours running missions in this case, you still have no skill.

That 30 hours will still deter some people.

 

[DefiledDragon]

I'm just curious. Would you pay money to unlock these ships? You'd still have to pay for them in-game and you wouldn't have the rank associated... just unlock the ships. If so, how much would you pay?

No, I don't see this as "pay to win" because you still have to fork over 1 billion for the Cutter to be equipped handsomely which doesn't even talk about the insurance or anything else. As for the Vette, if you can A-grade a Conda you can A-grade it for the most part. Similarly, I don't think that either of the two are a clear 'winner takes all' over the anaconda personally. I've played for thousands of hours with a lot of those hours being beta where I could do whatever I want and in my experience I wouldn't choose one as the best. If i did it'd be the Anaconda because it is a legit mixture of the 2 others.

I can't stand the "turning" of the Cutter but would love to have it's cargo/no mass lock/able to escape after submitting interdiction.

If ship transfer were sensible for the money/time I'd love to have a Vette to strictly use for combat, but the armor of the Anaconda makes up for the "less than" shields in comparison to the Vette/Cutter. But who wants to gamble letting their shields down? I don't. But that "hop" range (doesn't qualify as jumping) is disgusting. It's enough time-sink to get and outfit those 2, they should all have jump range. My engineered Conda has 27ly jumps with full armor, 2x5D module reinforcement, 1x5D hull reinforcement, shield cells and boosters...

Anyhow- enough rambling just figured I'd see what other people thought. If you made it this far then I'd personally pay $20 each to unlock them for purchase. For me, I'd get my money back knowing with hundreds of hours fine tuning alone to specialize them to specific roles. Not to mention the time using them to accomplish such roles.

No, simply because they don't offer an advantage significant enough to warrant real money purchase. Besides, there's precious little reason to play the game beyond a few tens of hours without circumventing one of them, not that I'm advocating grind as gameplay, but in the absence of an alternative...

 

[Wyaston Hypatia]

No.
The problem is that, like some other things (e.g. Engineer unlocks), there is only one way to achieve them. Multiple routes to gain access would be my preferred way.

 

[CMDR Josky]

no I would not that's to easy

 

[BlackSpaceCowboy]

I disagree with your conclusion. I totally agree progression should be fun and not feel a chore..... but imo it HAS to take a long time to get the more expensive ship to have any sort of verisimilitude

But his point wasn't about how long it takes. His point, which you agree with is that all it takes is time spending doing repetitive chores. If the missions were interesting, challenging or fun then it wouldn't matter if took a long time to get a Cutter.


But isn't the entire idea of sandbox that you get tools, toys and a space to freely play with?


Most of us aren't kids. A lot of us have kids, a wife or a job. Our free time is precious to us. We have to steal every hour we get to play games from our real life responsibilities.


On the other hand, FD neesd as many people playing for as long as possible.


Both objectives can be achieved simply by creating fun, challenging and engaging content instead of time sinks.

 

[Jenner]

Have you played many P2W games?

The P2W model creates a different sort of focus in game development. Rather than trying to use gameplay as the selling point, they need to create items that players will shell out cash for. The easiest way to do this, is simply create more powerful items.

Need to generate some quick revenue? No problem. Just make a crazy overpowered ship. Even if it's game-breaking, people will buy it.

Now, if they want to create more revenue, there's only one course of action. Bigger or more powerful items. And so begins the power creep snowball.

If they ever "go the whole hog" as you say, or even take a single step in that direction, I'll uninstall the game and never look back. I've seen it enough times.

I have not played games considered P2W, no. I suppose if that invalidates my argument, so be it.

That said, I understand your concerns but I do not share them. To me it's not any different now that we have to pony up cash for flight suits or weapon colors or tattoos. I don't think buying ships is sufficiently different from those to impact other players too much or to fundamentally change how FD approaches development and adding content.

 

[Morbad]

But his point wasn't about how long it takes. His point, which you agree with is that all it takes is time spending doing repetitive chores. If the missions were interesting, challenging or fun then it wouldn't matter if took a long time to get a Cutter.

This is why we need the ability to board and commandeer vessels.

I sold my Cutter a long time ago, but I have a nicely equipped Corvette that my CMDR spends about half his time in, and I'll try my best to be a worthwhile challenge for anyone who attempts to take it from me, should this ever become possible.

 

[Lankspeed]

During the first year Elite: Dangerous was released there were several occasions in which the Imperial Clipper and/or some of the other Imperial ships were made available for purchase for a limited time. I foresee this happening again with both the Federation and the Imperial navy's ships. We are on the verge of war with the Klaxxians. Withholding these ships from those of us who are willing to defend all of humanity just because of "rank" isn't going to make any sense.

And no ... I won't pay real cash to unlock ships. This isn't Star Citizen.

Ok Well said. I have the Rank and the Vette. It took time to grind. But in the end I loved it. As to Pay for it no way Bought The game, then Horizon, now we will have to pay for more Game features.... I HOPE NOT.

Lankspeed.

 

[Robert Maynard]

To me it's not any different now that we have to pony up cash for flight suits or weapon colors or tattoos.

We don't have to though (although I suppose the same could be said of buying non-cosmetic in-game items) - although cosmetics don't affect other players, whereas non-cosmetic in-game items could be used to (ultimately) affect other players.

 

[popuptoaster]

I was one of the very loud voices that said no to being able to buy in game items that were more than cosmetic when FD asked us in the private backers forums.

The game is now so different from what we expected it to turn out like that I no longer think it makes any difference, let players buy any ship for cash if they want to.

It makes no difference other than to annoy the players who can't afford it and those players are not the players buying paint jobs and engine colour changes.......

 

[Robert Maynard]

I was one of the very loud voices that said no to being able to buy in game items that were more than cosmetic when FD asked us in the private backers forums.

The game is now so different from what we expected it to turn out like that I no longer think it makes any difference, let players buy any ship for cash if they want to.

It makes no difference other than to annoy the players who can't afford it and those players are not the players buying paint jobs and engine colour changes.......

I was also one of those DDF / PBF that were against micro-transactions for non-cosmetic items - and I still am.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

But his point wasn't about how long it takes. His point, which you agree with is that all it takes is time spending doing repetitive chores. If the missions were interesting, challenging or fun then it wouldn't matter if took a long time to get a Cutter.


But isn't the entire idea of sandbox that you get tools, toys and a space to freely play with?


Most of us aren't kids. A lot of us have kids, a wife or a job. Our free time is precious to us. We have to steal every hour we get to play games from our real life responsibilities.


On the other hand, FD neesd as many people playing for as long as possible.


Both objectives can be achieved simply by creating fun, challenging and engaging content instead of time sinks.

Some questions... IS ED a sandbox where we just get toys to do with what we want? For me it's not, it's role playing career as spaceman in 33rd century starting from nowt. Not saying you are wrong but it seems we have fundamentally different expectations.

Does FD NEED players playing as long as possible? Or is dipping in and out but for the long term ok so long as they buy dlc? (I dunno)

I too have child and right now play ed for maybe 2hrs a week tops. I am ok the cutter and corvette BEI g long term targets over the life of the game (i am more interested in FD making the military careers in ED mean something rather than just speeding the whole thing up. Note it's not that I want cash shop for ships, it's just I prefer that to changing it so everyone gets a cutter in 10 hrs play. If you MUST have a cutter now then buy it that way it won't fundamentally effect everyone else's game other than a bit more buying power at cgs

 

[Morbad]

We don't have to though (although I suppose the same could be said of buying non-cosmetic in-game items) - although cosmetics don't affect other players, whereas non-cosmetic in-game items could be used to (ultimately) affect other players.

I've only purchased 'cosmetics' that I felt would give me at least some tactical advantage.

 

[Jenner]

We don't have to though (although I suppose the same could be said of buying non-cosmetic in-game items) - although cosmetics don't affect other players, whereas non-cosmetic in-game items could be used to (ultimately) affect other players.

Yes, there is a non-zero amount of impact with buying ships, I'll give you that. What I am arguing is that the amount is negligible, especially when juxtaposed with the impact a player can get with just engineering their ships. (If we're talking straight up PvP here).

And really, even if we assume for a minute that the impact on other players is significant I don't think that's a sufficient reason to not sell ships in the shop. People who do not want to spend money can always earn ships in-game. At the end of the day all we're doing is allowing commanders to circumvent a time-gate.

If there is concern with a large influx of players all flying top of the line faction ships then that's a game balance issue, not a P2W issue.

 

[Morbad]

If there is concern with a large influx of players all flying top of the line faction ships then that's a game balance issue, not a P2W issue.

It's a game balance issue that could easily be exacerbated by P2W mechanisms.

 

[tulextreme]

/What? no pls... nooooooo! Leave that awful mobile concept game outta my favorite game!

 

[DefiledDragon]

We don't have to though (although I suppose the same could be said of buying non-cosmetic in-game items) - although cosmetics don't affect other players, whereas non-cosmetic in-game items could be used to (ultimately) affect other players.

But if you're paying to merely unlock the ship, i.e. remove the rank requirements, you still need the money to buy it and outfit it. It's not really much of an advantage over other players. I had the fed rank for my Corvette way before I had the funds and I didn't even realise it, just by running missions and bh in federation space. It's not hard to rank up as long as you don't make it your sole focus (never thought I would hear me say that).

 

[Robert Maynard]

At the end of the day all we're doing is allowing commanders to circumvent a time-gate.

Arguably the whole game is time gated.

 

[Robert Maynard]

I've only purchased 'cosmetics' that I felt would give me at least some tactical advantage.

Presumably ship skins?

 

[Jenner]

Arguably the whole game is time gated.

lol. True.

Still, I don't understand how letting a person shortcut said time-gate diminishes the experience for anyone else. The arguments put forth in here so far don't resonate with me.

Is the point of Elite to have fun (blaze your own trail) or is the point of Elite to slog through said time-game? I say it's to have fun, and if having fun means clawing your way up the ranks so be it. If it's more fulfilling to PayPal your way to an end-game ship, that's fine too.