Wondering if selling zero/lower-rebuy ship insurance with ARXs would be a good way for FDev to make money. Pre-built ships already have this so it's coming to Elite Dangerous in some form.
ARXs for Ship Insurance? (Pay-to-lose-less-badly) Pre-builds already have this
- Thread starter Counter Arts
- Start date
There's that slippery slope again....
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
No. What they are implementing is precisely the precedent that may lead to more stuff like that.
That's why it's a very bad decision for the game, because look how long it took for such a suggestion to appear.
Absolutely against it and I truly wish they ever announced what they announced.
That's why it's a very bad decision for the game, because look how long it took for such a suggestion to appear.
Absolutely against it and I truly wish they ever announced what they announced.
All this "stuff like that" and "slippery slope" is pretty vague and kinda "knee-jerky". Let me paint a more concrete picture.
Ship insurance would allow newer players get more used to the harsh game mechanics. And also help them get to a point where they won't need it anymore.
And also... as long as it can't be used as a substitute for player skill it's fine.
It also allows for more PvP targets for skilled players to flex their skills on. More players be more comfortable playing in open instead of solo.
Ship insurance would allow newer players get more used to the harsh game mechanics. And also help them get to a point where they won't need it anymore.
And also... as long as it can't be used as a substitute for player skill it's fine.
It also allows for more PvP targets for skilled players to flex their skills on. More players be more comfortable playing in open instead of solo.
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
You want more precise answer? Here:
FDEV implements your idea.
Next time someone suggests packs of Materials Grade 5 for ARX.
FDEV implements the idea.
Everyone is happy, they can now buy the materials for ARX. Yay! Skip the (currently 100% optional) grind.
FDEV thinks to themselves - oh nice, people will spend the money if they can skip the grind!
FDEV lowers to the drop rate of all materials by 50%.
People buy more materials to skip the (still somewhat optional) grind.
FDEV lowers the drop rate by another 50%. Now the grind is no longer optional. It takes absolute ages to drop material grades 3-5 and the only sane options that remains is to just keep spending money for materials.
FDEV goes oh great, look at all this cash! Let's do the same with Federal and Imperial ranks!
Now you need to spend 200 hours to go through the last rank required for unlocking the Federal Corvette and another 200 for the last rank to unlock the Cutter. (Plus another 200 in total to unlock the previous ranks).
But you can get each ship for a tenner (in ARX) in the store.
FDEV goes - oh great, now let's do the same with...
Yes, I exaggerated on purpose, to illustrate the - now hopefully not so vague - slippery slope.
I am not saying this will happen. I am not saying this is Frontier's plan. I am not saying Frontier is willing to go this way! I would like to think Frontier will be fair to us - the playerbase, and never go this route, because I've been here since the beginning and I got to know what kind of people they are. If they had different attitude to their community - I would not commit my precious free time, which I really don't have that much of - to moderate their forums and their live streams, taking flak and insults and being thrown mud at just because I volunteer to make sure their forums are a friendly place for everyone. And I would most certainly not promote their games the way I do.
But this announcement definitely opened the gates and one of the potential forks in the road behind these gates leads to the above scenario. We've seen this happening before.
It's a good example so that people in the gamedev meeting rooms discussing the game can like hear it. Have it stick in their minds a lot more strongly.
Though if they stick to some paradigms they would avoid sliding down that slope.
This is a game with "Elite" in the title. There does need to more "Elite" paths for progression with a magnitude faster progression speed.
So then there is a slippery slope. To mostly avoid the slippery slope High-Skill/Coordinated commanders should be able to progress the fastest on a per hour basis. ARX-based progression should capped at around 70% of max. Lower-skill solo players should be able do a grind that isn't mind-destroying repetitive with 5% the progression speed per hour of a high skill player.
Though if they stick to some paradigms they would avoid sliding down that slope.
- The fastest progression/effectiveness should always be either high-skill commanders or coordinated commanders.
- ARXs-based progress should only earn you a seat at endgame table at the most. Maybe capped at 70% effectiveness of the current meta or capped at 70% of maximum progression.
- Commanders who are not high skilled nor contribute to any communities nor contribute more funds should able to offer some grind as a result (assuming it is not mindless grind, which is indeed still a problem in some areas). Let's say 5% speed of the fastest progression.
This is a game with "Elite" in the title. There does need to more "Elite" paths for progression with a magnitude faster progression speed.
So then there is a slippery slope. To mostly avoid the slippery slope High-Skill/Coordinated commanders should be able to progress the fastest on a per hour basis. ARX-based progression should capped at around 70% of max. Lower-skill solo players should be able do a grind that isn't mind-destroying repetitive with 5% the progression speed per hour of a high skill player.
Pay-to-avoid-NPC-Interdictions?
C'mon...
C'mon...
Even back in 2016 where credits were much harder to get than now it took very little time to get to the point were the loss of a ship was a huge financial hit involving a PF loan was a thing of the past to the point where the loss of the ship was upsetting because the ship and what you were up to was gone. Ok over time more and more stuff has been given back following the loss but it hasn’t made the loss less upsetting of itself and it is this rather than the credits which deters people from playing in open to be content for other players.
Feel free to suggest a better source of revenue (that's "better", will actually bring in money, and is implementable by the current development team).
This is a suggestions forum, after all.
rootsrat
Volunteer Moderator
There is a lot of potential for cosmetic-only items in the store:
- Fleet Carrier decorations (literally HUNDREDS of possibilities)
- Fleet Carrier crew uniforms (likewise)
- More clothing variants (likewise)
- Unique items for Holo-Me (new hair, new facial hair, unique glasses, unique contact lenses)
- More types of ship kits - have a few variants for each ship
- Name Your Own Faction for ARX (basically bring back PMF, but for ARX)
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes, possibly more body types as well
- Yes
- No
7. Pirate radio chatting when robbin' human haulers "YARRR" "Gimme yar booty" "No run no problem" etc.
Not to be sold for ARX, but:
Quarterly story-focused mini-DLC-s that give you 10 to 15 hours of gameplay and award unique cosmetics and why not unique ship variants or modules (things like stealthier version of Cobra MKIII, modified by a reknown smuggler; or a true racing Mamba with no hardpoints but as fast as a Courier—things like this). Make these stories and missions take occasionally place in permit locked regions of the Galaxy and put some unique stuff there—alien shipwrecks, ancient ruins more expansive than existing Guardian ruins and with on-foot puzzles etc. The precedent already sort of exist in the form of Ram Tah missions.
Sell these DLC-s for 10 to 15€ a pop, or 30 to 50€ yearly pass, and I'd imagine they would generate a nice flow of revenue from people like me who wish to have a bit more storytelling between all the personal narrative and they wouldn't require adding enormous amounts of new assets or gameplay mechanics
Yea, i could be definitely interested in mini story arcs, doable solo or in small groups, under the guise seasonal PDLC
It would be nice to see Automated time limited Squad advertisement in stations and Squad decals for Carriers and Ships.
Add a logo generator to Squads setup. When you pay for an advertisement you select the purpose of it, recruitment, business or some other pre-made reasons. Then the system will put out an advertisement in stations based on your selection, own stations, own station + x ly from home system and so on. The cost of ARX will be different for reach and time.
Focus efforts on a new DLC that is an Odessey Expansion Pack. Focus on building on the "foundation" that Frontier kept claiming they were building. No revamp. No crazy amazing new game addition that takes years of development.
- More missions. New missions. Using the existing infrastructure.
- More station interiors.
- More fleet carrior interiors.
- Expand settlement layouts.
- Add the new ships to the DLC.
- Fix-up the existing quasi-game activities that have no apparent purpose. Example: Salvage
- Jaz up the existing power play with updated picture and info (okay... supposedly they are revamping power play... design it to fit in with a new DLC)
This is a couple minutes of one person brainstorming existing stuff that could be expanded on. No I don't think this is all "super-easy" stuff... but have the programmers focus on tasks that can be sold as a product... instead of given away for free (example: everything related to thargoid war). And stop completely revamping stuff. Fix stuff... sure. But expand on what you have.