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ChaChaCharms Posts: 167
4/5/2017
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Below is a copy of a disucssion on the in-game message board that I would like to post here for future reference on this debate:
-From a Concerned Free Account Player:
Last thing I can contribute is at least giving you guys looped orders that may help create a few low demand resource materials. Sorry guys but look at things and you will see. The "Barons of the Galaxy" have already been decided by their contributions to the Kick starter, or accelerated start.. I am not into pay to play games or having to join one of the "founding" players cliques to be able to us normal features of the game.. The few that are left to free players.- Maybe you think I too am just a troll but hey the dice are already loaded here. Good luck guys hope you can find enjoyment with out having to buy an accelerated start.
My Response:
I am quite confused here. There are a number of free players that are doing well. The real only advantage a player has with founding/accelerated start is simply that we can build more things without waiting for the money.
At least at the very beginning it is only natural for a paid player to be on top or in the top, they paid for a boosted start and have the extra cushion to avoid going in the red. There are plenty of opportunities for free accounts to play. I have thought about making another account simply to do something on this game while I am waiting the turns for my buildings and units, but so far have not done so.
You may just have the wrong outlook for the game, it isnt about who is the strongest or wealthiest player, the goal in a lot of the founding players is to create a successful market where players can be successful.. Once the market is established - then can come the time of aggressive diplomacy if it is needed. The big reason for military in this game (in my opinion) is not to attack other players, but to combat the hostile NPC that will be coming to Earth at some point. They have already visited other planets; we just do not have any players on those planets to be affected.
Finally a free player has a lot to offer to the community. Yes they do not get votes at the moment, but this may change depending on future discussions with the dev. The issue is finding incentives for people TO pay to play.. but keep it from a pay to WIN mindset.
I feel a natural barrier to this is the turns it takes to get anything done... Consider Machina Morituri, he started with 5 billion credits due to his founder status, but is he dominating the game right now - NO.. (no offense mate). Sure he could build monoliths and level them up and destroy anyone and anything, but that will take thousands of turns due to upgrading the shipyard and then building the monolith and finally upgrading them.. By that point the markets will be operating at a greater capacity, populations will be up, there will be no need to worry about him due to the war reparations mechanic that the dev put in place. He would be punished severely. Not only this - but the upkeep required for these game destroying fleets is astronomical, 1 lvl 10 monolith was around 250k if I recall and they may have been with a 50 percent reduction in upkeep artifact..
-TLDR- The point is the paid players want the game to succeed.. yes we want to do well..but we do not get to that point by destroying the market.
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Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain..
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Doctor Dread Administrator Posts: 1478
4/5/2017
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It's a troll post i'm not even concerned. We havn't even launched yet, the beta game JUST restarted 2 days ago and the only players in it right now are the Founders with paid accounts. Of course new players are not at the same STARTING advantage. Handing out nothing but paid account status and subscription time isn't going to pull in any kickstarter money,. What do you want me to do? Not allow founders to enter the game until 3 months from now? =)
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ChaChaCharms Posts: 167
4/5/2017
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Heh the thought sure did cross my mind, or make us not get our moneys for 3 months and then we really wreak havoc on the population lol
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Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain..
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Doctor Dread Administrator Posts: 1478
4/5/2017
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ChaChaCharms wrote:
Heh the thought sure did cross my mind, or make us not get our moneys for 3 months and then we really wreak havoc on the population lol
Hey "The Founders" could be an event where you all get your starting cash =)
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Hutton Posts: 276
4/5/2017
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Call it "The Oligarchs". Here was my two bits on the same Comm thread:
I also think that [Concerned Free Account Player] does kind of miss the point, but he might be wise enough to recognize that the game is not for him. The mistake is assuming that its failing because it doesnt succeeded in appealing to him when he might not, in fact, be part of the target demographic.
This is easy for me to say, of course, because I am starting at the top of the heap. The kickstarter contributors will definitely be the Barons of Sol. The closest historical analogy to BoGs setting would be the discovery, colonization and expansion of the Americas. People crossed the ocean precisely because old money had a monopoly on power and recourses in the old world. They invaded virgin land to build their own world that the old money didnt have a lock on.
It might be more palatable if you think of us old money/kickstarter players as more like NPC faction leaders than competing players. In another game we would be scripted quest givers or evil empires. We can reward you or antagonize you if choose to interact with us. We will probably ignore you if you dont. We are like unpaid staff that is moderating the behavior of the galactic governments right now. Eventually we may fall and be replaced, at which point we might pack up and try to carve out a new domain among the stars.
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Doctor Dread Administrator Posts: 1478
4/5/2017
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Hutton wrote:
Call it "The Oligarchs". Here was my two bits on the same Comm thread:
I also think that [Concerned Free Account Player] does kind of miss the point, but he might be wise enough to recognize that the game is not for him. The mistake is assuming that its failing because it doesnt succeeded in appealing to him when he might not, in fact, be part of the target demographic.
This is easy for me to say, of course, because I am starting at the top of the heap. The kickstarter contributors will definitely be the Barons of Sol. The closest historical analogy to BoGs setting would be the discovery, colonization and expansion of the Americas. People crossed the ocean precisely because old money had a monopoly on power and recourses in the old world. They invaded virgin land to build their own world that the old money didnt have a lock on.
It might be more palatable if you think of us old money/kickstarter players as more like NPC faction leaders than competing players. In another game we would be scripted quest givers or evil empires. We can reward you or antagonize you if choose to interact with us. We will probably ignore you if you dont. We are like unpaid staff that is moderating the behavior of the galactic governments right now. Eventually we may fall and be replaced, at which point we might pack up and try to carve out a new domain among the stars.
The Oligarchs here in this game though, are elected rulers of the planets and are motivated to help not harm the other players. To complain that there are a bunch high level players to start is probably a good thing, they are not out to nuke the other players. They are the ones that will defend your city from the Kaiju. You don't really gain anything much from attacking players (which is kind of a problem). This game is almost PvE or "loosely cooperative" like its advertised
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Hutton Posts: 276
4/6/2017
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Yes, but for the first thousand tursn or so that is going to be the founders who have the most political capital to spend, just because we will be able to pump out industry just as fast as our HQ can spit them out and we can smack that upgrade button. Once our logistics cap out, other players will catch up and we'll need to build alliances just like everyone else. But, in the begining, I thought that framing the founders as oligarchs or plutocrats or old money that is baked into the setting might help someone like [Concerned Free Account Player] who is judging the game as competitive multiplayer view it in a different light.
And I'm sure there will be a lot of people popping in and picking fights, if only to kick the tires and get a feel for what the game is about. Some might get frustrated when that doesn't go well, either because they don't get that the game isn't intrinsically competitive or because they are looking for a war game. So framing the the nature of the game in the setting might go a long way towards retaining players that will like the game once it "clicks" for them.
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Vulpex Posts: 390
4/6/2017
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Yeah getting a good setting or background can go a long way to explaining things. Founders are just really the old money of the empire, as more players join over time there will be others which reach and surpass the power of the founders but always new players should be streaming in to challenge everyone.
Muahahaha cant wait.
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