Use this forum to ask for new features or suggest changes to the game.
Tweaking how Paid Accounts and Sol will work
What do you think about these proposed changes?
| These are awesome changes!: | 10  |
| Paid accounts for events Yes, Restricted to Earth No: | 2 |
| Restricted to Earth Good, Paid account for events Bad: | 0 |
| These ideas are Trash!: | 0 |
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Doctor Dread Administrator Posts: 1478
2/22/2017
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We have been mulling over a change to the way the paid accounts will work and we think we have an idea for a change that will solve our probelms. A while ago we allowed voting for rulership in the Sol system and we think it worked out great. Its better to have that very integral part of the game present in the free account zone where everyone can "see it". The problem is that having a paid account now seems almost worthless. It only allows you to move your Corp HQ outside of Sol system and possibility of being elected. Those aren't very "persistent" features that would make a steady subscription worthwhile. We don't want to "Cap" free players or create a "fun pain" paywall situation for advancement but paid account needs to be something any player who is interested in the game for more than a month and wants to be more involved with will be compelled to do a paid account.
So our idea is to link paid accounts to the one non-critical but persistent mechanic in the game, the event system. As in, you have to be a paid account status to VOTE in ANY event, including elections or War Reparations. This would also solve the problem we are predicting will happen when someone makes 100 free accounts and then dominates elections or any critical vote in the game to his main accounts benefit. The other restrictions of Corp HQ re-location and being elected for rulership positions would still apply. This change seems to allow free accounts to play the full game but just not be able to influence the political or social aspects of it without a paid account. The event system is more of a "fun" and social system as opposed to a critical one needed to progress.
There is also another related change we plan to implement before going live involving Sol System. We have a need to "shrink" the play field so more players, at least free accounts, are condensed into a smaller space when it comes to the "Safe Zone" of Sol. There are too many "Free" cities in Sol and it is frustrating that we can't realistically mix these permanent cities in with spawnable ones like the rest of the galaxy. Our first ideas was to cut the number of safe cities in half but that makes the planets all "barren" unless we allow spawnable cities also, something that is awkward especially when it comes to elections and Terran Federation protection.
So our idea is to make only EARTH be "Terran Fed Controlled" and all the other 8 planets in sol actually be "non safe" planets just like the rest of the galaxy with no cities except the ones that spawn from industry.. This idea seems fantastic since we can have a lot of cities on Earth, all the ones that are already there even, and we don't need any more spawn-able ones and everything on Earth can be locked down by terran fed. It also makes the other 8 planets be just like the outer star systems when it comes to high resource values except they aren't 1100 spaces away, they are right there. The idea of going to another Star system for the high resources and corp HQ relocation seemed quite daunting, but relocating to the high resource planet of Mars and then trading back to earth seems like an incredible opportunity. It would be MUCH easier for earth players to supply the 8 planets instead of it being only practical for high level players with fleets. Your Corp HQ would not be able to re-locate outside of EARTH without a paid account. We can still have elections for rulership for cities and planet earth like we do now, except only paid accounts can vote, but in order to get a Star Lord we would have to have two other planets in Sol be built up with 3 cities a piece before it was even possible. Sounds great =)
These changes won't be implemented until the next Beta Test, where we will reset the game. We do plan to eventually end this current beta test game, implement some of these major changes and then have another beta test run for a short while, like a month or so. This will happen once we're happy with the game state and are getting ready to go live.
Let us know what you think about these changes!
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Doctor Dread Administrator Posts: 1478
2/23/2017
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Surgicus wrote:
Squeezing all new free accounts onto Earth when starting calls for overcrowding and over-exploitation. Understandably it is a safe-zone and thus is a good area to learn the game, but then only for this purpose, hence why I may suggest to limit the upgrade levels to say only 3 instead of 10. Now, to go go over level 3 either would require a paid account or to move to another location within Sol (given that all assets up to Level 3, and only on Earth, are paid back in full when removing/salvaging structures, and that the first relocation from Earth for new paid accounts get reduced construction turn fees at new locations up to level 3 as well -- further relocating will succumb to the usual present set of rules). To relocate outside Sol would require a paid account as well. Meanwhile, viewscreens for any account would allow players to scrutinize supply and demand in any location/planet/system, this to raise interest of a free account player in the game and its many expanding options to perhaps switch to a paid account. The same presently suggested game dynamic for free and paid accounts would count for involvement with events and voting participation (only paid accounts may actively influence the game, free accounts have static effects).
In later versions of the games one might even consider giving the choice for free accounts to choose their starting location, under the same conditions, given that there will be several planets/systems like Sol where a planet and a Federation offer a safe-zone.
Regarding inactive accounts, as I understand their storage fees would accumulate and rise way over their income and expense capability, so what has been put in place for these scenarios ? Would their operation financially cease or be stopped ? Would their storage and production be capped after a period of inactivity?
edited by Surgicus on 2/23/2017
I wouldn't want to put a hard limit on free account players levels, I rather restrict certain features that aren't critical to play.
Overcrowding on Earth, when there are too many free players, is kind of a self correcting mechanic. When there are only a few players, earth is a bountiful playground. When there are 1000 players there, the resources will all become overcrowded and all the demand will become terribly low.This makes going paid more and more attractive and there are that many free accounts bogging down the system, its ok is some start to leave.
Abandoned accounts will eventually build up huge storage debts and can bankrupt the corporation, which will liquidate. But your Free Account Corp automatically liquidates after 15 days without a login. And then will delete after a month.
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