Frontier: Can you please define your understanding of "Limited"

[Titus Balls]

BEFORE YOU DIVE IN TO THIS THREAD

Please be aware Frontier have responded: here and here. As OP I would appreciate you go check these first before replying

Anyway:

Currently on the store (when it's up) you can buy many skins - this includes the flag skins that were released during Beta 1.

Now I should preface to this, I don't actually care about the skins themselves. None of them appeal to me over the ones I own - but there is a very worrying trend here that your definition of limited...

As noted in Newsletter #40: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=cbbe7b15e6

Also, availability of the limited edition flag paint jobs will end this Monday so if you want to grab one before then, go to the store and add them to your basket.

Also, within the descriptions of the skins themselves on the store:

These items were LIMITED edition, and at the cost of £3 each - and now they are on sale again at 1/2 the price to anyone who buys the game.

limited edition
noun
noun: limited edition; plural noun: limited editions; modifier noun: limited-edition

an edition of a book, or reproduction of a print or object, limited to a specific number of copies.
"a signed limited edition of 500"

Now as a digital product, of course there is unlimited of these at the time of sale so as far as we were made to be aware from the 14th September, these would no longer be available.

What you are doing is devaluing what your customers have bought on the understanding they would not be available again.

Does this mean one day we might see the Wireframe skin up for sale again at £5, because that was limited edition? I've had a look at the cached page for the Chrome Viper - despite the price I see it's not marked at Limited so I do expect we'll see that again - hopefully not 2 months later (like the Viper pack, or 1 month later like the Hauler pack at 1/2 price)

I should also add, I did buy the gold viper skin - also I might buy some more of the cheaper ones that are not limited. I suppose my gripe is that I can't believe your word here that something that is limited today won't be on sale tomorrow.

 

[adoredtv]

Limiting stuff like flags to alpha and beta players when around 10x more people would likely buy after them after release would make pretty bad business sense, don't you think?

Edit - just so you know I'm not disagreeing with you at all - this is pretty shady - but it's just logical that they were always going to be back on sale eventually.

 

[Dixie]

Hey,

Id like to chime in too. When the flag skins came out I wasnt sure I wanted one. But, seeing that they were limited and I did not want to be sorry I didnt buy one after the window of opportunity closed, I bought one. Happy I did, because it looks great. But to then find out today that they were back and at discount no less, does not sit right with me.

Cheers,

 

[FX2K]

Funny that the Chrome "Limited Edition" Viper skin is actually being treated as such... even though the store page for that didn't describe it as Limited Edition, in fact its exactly the same description as the new gold one "the first in a new range", even though the gold one is the second.

 

[Chazzie]

Yeah, I noticed that the flag skins that were supposed to be limited are back up for sale.
Frankly I'm no longer sure what Frontier are up too - I paid the top price for the skin when it was stated it was limited, now its turned up again on 'sale'.

No matter what anyone says - this practice is wrong, plain and simple.

 

[Roybe]

Available for limited time only <=> collector's edition/never coming back. It's like Christmas Trees. It's sold for a limited time only. Then next year it will be sold again. They could take years to let something return, weeks, or months, but as long as it's removed from sale, it can return.

 

[Phelix]

Limiting stuff like flags to alpha and beta players when around 10x more people would likely buy after them after release would make pretty bad business sense, don't you think?

Edit - just so you know I'm not disagreeing with you at all - this is pretty shady - but it's just logical that they were always going to be back on sale eventually.

But, then they should perhaps choose to use another word, other than limited? Not that FD is the only company in the world that misuse this word, by any stretch... But this is far from limited in any sense of the word... It would make for a much more unique experience for everyone that some skins are just unobtainable. You would be in awe when you saw a one in a million skin on a ship, rather than the stock skin... And players would also feel more special, and they would feel that they got their moneys worth... Win win?

So you missed out on the opportunity to buy some digital skins for real money, big deal, such is life, get the next one and be on your merry way being "special"...

 

[Roybe]

the time period is limited, not the numbers sold.

 

[1500]

Funny that the Chrome "Limited Edition" Viper skin is actually being treated as such... even though the store page for that didn't describe it as Limited Edition, in fact its exactly the same description as the new gold one "the first in a series".

It was stated to be limited in the newsletter.


I can understand peoples problem with a limited item showing up again. The problem is that "limited" can mean different things, after all Disney uses "limited" for their Blu-ray/DVD releases despite the fact that the items will show up again a few years later. Limited could mean time, it could me forever, and clearly FD did a poor job stated which it was. This needs to be cleared up and explained what they mean by "limited".

I was surprised to see the flag skins were limited as they were priced low and there were so many of them. It never made any sense that they would be limited, so I expect it to have been a typo stating that they were.

 

[FX2K]

It was stated to be limited in the newsletter. *snip*

I missed it in the newsletter unfortunately, but its odd how its the identical description to the now gold version. Is the gold one time-limited too? Also, the store has never mentioned the chrome one as being limited.

---Edit---
Here is a cached copy of the chrome one, no mention of limited... http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...m/viper-chrome.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

And here is a cached copy of the Gold one... again, no mention of limited, but apparently they are both the first in a new range.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ras/viper-gold.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

 

[Distance]

I read limited in that instance to mean the price but can't check the store right now as it's down.

 

[adoredtv]

But, then they should perhaps choose to use another word, other than limited? Not that FD is the only company in the world that misuse this word, by any stretch... But this is far from limited in any sense of the word... It would make for a much more unique experience for everyone that some skins are just unobtainable. You would be in awe when you saw a one in a million skin on a ship, rather than the stock skin... And players would also feel more special, and they would feel that they got their moneys worth... Win win?

So you missed out on the opportunity to buy some digital skins for real money, big deal, such is life, get the next one and be on your merry way being "special"...

Yes you're right - sorry I didn't mean to come across as being in any way supportive of their actions, just that it is logical to assume that something like flag skins were always likely to be seen again.

They'll all be seen again, pretty sure of that. Then again this does come under "unfair trading" so if enough people complain about it...

 

[1500]

I missed it in the newsletter unfortunately, but its odd how its the identical description to the now gold version. Is the gold one time-limited too? Also, the store has never mentioned the chrome one as being limited.

Here is a cached copy of the chrome one, no mention of limited... http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...m/viper-chrome.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

I do not know about the Gold the newsletter didn't say. But I would bet that it will be around until the first.

It did say for the Chrome

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=ed3d21f568

Plus – we have a new premium Chrome Limited Edition paint job for the Viper – which will only be available until November 22nd.

 

[tucker]

I brought the UK skin in the thinking that it would be the last time I would see them and also the fact that it would be limited to the alpha and premium beta backers.....[MAD]

 

[Monk]

Oh look, people feeling entitled about things that don't matter. Actively looking for ways to limit FDEV's profitability. You DO want expansions, RIGHT?

 

[FX2K]

I didn't want to derail the topic by blabbing on about the vipers so ill leave it here, but I missed it in the newsletter.
What I mean is, the store page (see cached links in my edited post above) has no mention of it and makes it sound like its here to stay, especially by adding "he first in a new range of premium class metallic ship colours." and also "More coming soon" more as in more, not less, not replacing.

Oh look, people feeling entitled about things that don't matter. Actively looking for ways to limit FDEV's profitability. You DO want expansions, RIGHT?

Lol, I actually wanted to buy a skin!

 

[wizzpig]

Do you think it would also be worth mentioning to the design team that the U.S. Flag has 5 pointed stars on it, not 6, as depicted on the 'Stars & Stripes' skin for the Viper. Or am I just being pedantic?

 

[adoredtv]

Oh look, people feeling entitled about things that don't matter. Actively looking for ways to limit FDEV's profitability. You DO want expansions, RIGHT?

Unfair trading rules exist to protect the consumer and DO matter and everyone IS entitled to have those rules followed by any company.

 

[Cmmdr Jaffa Cakes]

Considering the limitless variety of skins that could be designed (and sold) - and for quite a few different types of ships - I'm not even sure if it makes sense to deem any one skin as "lustworthy"

What would be nice, is a "skin designer kit" where you could apply different solids and textures to your ship from an in-station shop. Perhaps not all the skins would be available at all the stations - so you'd have to fly to "rare" livery shops to hunt out designs you might want (paying for them with CR, not $).

 

[FX2K]

I think the person responsible for the store pages needs a few more cups of coffee and to knuckle down with updating things:

Viper Union Jack:

Available for a limited time only - OFFER ENDS September 14th

September 14th 2015?

Viper Flag Australia:
No such mention of a date.

Inconsistent.