Community contribution to Elite

reverendK · Apr 2, 2015

PLEASE tell me there is some plan to implement community contributed paintjobs the way other games do.

there's a lot of people on this forum BEGGING for paintjobs for some of these ships (clipper comes immediately to mind).
if you opened this aspect of the game up to the community your workshop contributors would net you multiple paintjob options PER SHIP inside of a month. easily.
i would be one of those contributors. i am a professional artist working in the games industry. i have several friends of the same persuasion that also play ED and would JUMP at this opportunity. we could fill the need and more while your staff artists focus on bigger, more important things.

we all know there's massive success in this model. TF2, CS:GO, DotA 2 - have all benefited MASSIVELY from this practice. and not just monetarily - the community engagement is a big deal.

i hope that this has already been discussed at FD...i hope that it's already intended to be implemented.

I don't care how complicated your pipeline is - we can work it out and produce something - and all FD's end needs to do is initially drop us a file to start from (max, maya, modo, fbx, mdl, obj, whatever you're using, and the appropriate textures), then work out how to plug in what is produced.

there are those among us who want to be a more integral part of this game.
i'm a backer, i'm a player, i'm an evangelist for ED. let me be a contributor.

ultimately once implimented this doesn't even necessarily need to be limited to paintjobs. once this model begins producing financial results FD might find it worth their time to expand the possibilities to body kits, and even full ships. but that'd be WAY down the road...but the road has to be traveled to begin with...

PS:there is no reason to bury this thread. it's not directly pertaining to any other subject currently being discussed on this forum. please leave it alone.

flynnmichael81 · Apr 2, 2015

I agree, I'd love to see user generated paint-jobs. Heck, I'd love to start creating some myself!

Twelvefield · Apr 2, 2015

I can't speak for Frontier at all, but I believe they've rejected the STEAM business model, including anything resembling a Workshop.

There's no shortage of pro artists who play Elite, I'm one as well. But: their playground, their rules. There's no harm in asking, but seeing as this isn't the first thread on this topic and that Frontier seems aware of the idea, I am not holding my breath for the answer you are looking for.

Certainly, there are other creative outlets other than skinning. You could illustrate someone's story, make banners for the forum, etc. Fun stuff. If you can't please Frontier, at least you can please the gamers.

reverendK · Apr 2, 2015

i'd just like to get some actual dev response on this. and if they have no intention of implementing it MAYBE a good reason why (though i know they're not obligated to provide that)

it just seems like too perfect an opportunity to do this that it makes no sense that it's been ignored for this long.

and they haven't rejected the steam business model. as today's events pretty clearly illustrate.

Dante80 · Apr 2, 2015

ED is an MMO game that is based on an iterative/additive development process following the B2P+ monetization model. This means that the game has been designed from the start to evolve via major expansions that add significant core features and enhance gameplay in an additive process.

The monetization scheme for the game right now is based on three avenues.

1. Cosmetic, non gameplay value microtransactions (paintjobs, decals, customization etc)
2. Paid major expansions (like FPS gameplay, multiplayer ships, planetary interaction etc).
3. The possibility for in-game advertising and promotion (in-lore).

When the project started, FDEV's plan was to have a cash shop, directly selling in-game money for credits. After a lot of talking and polling with the community, they changed their plan and decided to focus on cosmetic microtransactions that do not affect gameplay. At the same time, the game is NOT planned to have a subscription fee.

I'm writing the above to explain that cosmetic assets like paintjobs will probably be monetized directly from the developer at all times, unless they find another way to come up with the money for maintenance and continuous development as per the games plan from inception. Have in mind that right now the game is a mere shadow/shell of what FDEV want it to become, and that - contrary to most game releases - FDEV has actually hired more people after the game's launch, so as to ramp up production.

I really wish too that FDEV can engage the community a lot more, and implement a process that can both produce monetary results for the game and include the community more in the creative output.

Hope that helps, cheers..C:

reverendK · Apr 2, 2015

Dante80 said:
-snip-
1. Cosmetic, non gameplay value microtransactions (paintjobs, decals, customization etc)
-snip-
decided to focus on cosmetic microtransactions that do not affect gameplay. At the same time, the game is NOT planned to have a subscription fee.

-snip-
assets like paintjobs will probably be monetized directly from the developer at all times, unless they find another way to come up with the money for maintenance and continuous development as per the games plan from inception.

so as a successful participant of other games that engage in the community contributor model i'll explain from that position:

cosmetic, non gameplay microtransactions is EXACTLY what are made for those games.

assets like paintjobs ARE monetized by the developer. they simply take the assets produced by the community and implement them into whatever the transaction mode is. the contributor takes a percentage (in the case of DotA - 25%) of revenue from the sales of those items - the developer takes the rest.

in the case of Dota the contributor is responsible for creating the model and making it implementable - i have to model, texture, and rig the asset - then test it before i can submit it to the workshop.
all valve has to do at that point is import it into the client and plug it into the store.
there is a little bit of financial paperwork juggling - but that's what you pay the beancounters for.

it should not be a difficult thing to implement - and can potentially result in SIGNIFICANTLY expanded profits from cosmetic assets that FDev do NOT have to develop. they basically get free content.

Dante80 · Apr 2, 2015

Yes, yes, I agree (as I wrote in the previous post) and hope they do produce an SDK some time in the future. I think that its not high priority though, unfortunately.

reverendK · Apr 2, 2015

for sure - my main point is, though, that there are those among us who don't NEED an SDK. all i'd need is a model file and textures to work it all out.
mostly i'd just like some insight as to whether FD is considering it even a possibility.

Maccus · Apr 2, 2015

The question stands though, would you all do it if FD took 100%? What if they only offered store credit? Or a sum of credits paid to you in game every sale? Would you still do it?

reverendK · Apr 2, 2015

Maccus said:
The question stands though, would you all do it if FD took 100%? What if they only offered store credit? Or a sum of credits paid to you in game every sale? Would you still do it?

i wouldn't. others would. they'd have better result if they used the same royalty methods as other titles.

reverendK · Apr 3, 2015

happy friday FD.
i'd like to add that i'm slowly working on some ED fanart - making a ship. i'll be putting it in UE4 and posting it around here when i've got more progress.
because - darnit - i love this game.