[Feedback] Dev Diary: Premium Accounts!

[Sharpielein]

One more point that has come to my mind which BB should consider:

Most players will probably consider buying the weekly membership in the key holidays since that will permit them to reap maximum benefits.
They will be storing up their most valuable adventures for their vacation, then crunch adventure after adventure as quickly as possible.

While in the past, players also adventured stronger than normal during holidays than off-season, people still did most of their adventures "on the go" while simply being a bit more active during holidays.
Also, in the past, players have simply come to accept the bad latency making people unable to successfully run complex blocks on adventures because "well, it's just like that". But when you have been storing up adventures, waiting for vacation and paying for the rewards, I doubt you'll be accepting that easily to be screwed over double because of lag.

Two effects will come into play that BB should consider very carefully:
- significantly increased server load on holiday peaks due to significantly increased amount of adventures engaged by paying players
- significantly reduced level of tolerance for latency and zone crashes on adventures engaged by paying players

In combination, Bluebyte must be aware that the Premium Account is not additional free money but requires both significantly increased server capacity as well as administrative activity (load: balancing, testing, monitoring & support) around this increased capacitiy which people have previously tolerated at a - well, "below industry standards" level, which they will no longer accept once they "pay premium".

Please, Bluebyte, tell me that you have calculated this business case carefully, because to me it looks like marketing still has to catch up some loose ends here and there.

[Mortallicus]

I have to agree with a lot of the issues raised on this thread and worry about others. But most of this is wasted energy. I dont understand why BB ask for feedback at this stage. Feedback is a great tool if used properly but we are asked for our views on something without having full knowledge of it. A lot more information would be nice BB. Stops scaremongering and jumping to conclusions. For those that do not know it is now on the Test Server and I must say at first glance it does not look as scarey as I was beginning to think. Providing BB keep the amount of gems required to purchase a Premium Account, albeit for 7 days, to an amount attainable through free game play it may be okay. A little bit of a well planned boost now and again could be good. Its a good Prize for a guild competition also.

I think part of the problem is the name 'Premium Account' yes your account may become this if you purchase it for 360 days at a time but I think 'Premium Buff' is a far better name. Used wisely and not too often it could be a useful tool for everyone without spending real money.

[DonDa]

hi hi!
what are they doing @ BB?

They have nothing betters to make? Like:
a mail system so i can mail al my friends @ once or
finally implement pvp !

This will make the difference bigger between paying players & the rest, that while this game is still in beta & having no pvp!!
[what us is promised around now!]

This extra premium buff is waste of time if you ask me.
It looks like they do all; except making the game more fun & interactive.



Donda

[Sto_Helit]

If you do not see how an advantage of 30000 coins and 350000 experience in a week aren't "pay-to-win", then there probably is no such thing as "pay-to-win", as these two things in themselves are worth a good year's worth of playtime to a regular non-paying player.

Ah, but I'd prefer to have the fun of playing over a year rather than paying to get the same amount of coins and experience in a week. As far as I'm concerned, that would be pay to go too quickly. It's pay to speed up, and I have experienced the instant xp and large number of resources on test - doesn't hold any attraction for me.

[Driller7]

The premium accounts are perfect the way they are!!! BB you have done a great job please do not change a thing!!!

[Tripi]

The premium accounts are perfect the way they are!!! BB you have done a great job please do not change a thing!!!

I agree, though knowing BB they might 'tweak' the %ages before going live with this (hopefully not as low as 25% though).

It appears that a lot of the normal posters, even those who often admonish BB for certain tactics (such as myself), are in favour of this feature (which I find nicely surprising).

[Gerontius]

Something that Bluebyte hardly seems concerned with, which severely concerns me:

So, the terrible things you predict in your analysis are:

1. Some players might have to change their playing strategy because of falling resource prices.
A: Any update worth having is going to change player strategies.

2. Some players might be tempted to be less altruistic with friends and guild mates.
A: Doesn't sound like they're very good friends or guildmates, then...

OH MY GOSH! THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!

[Steve1077]

So, the premium account holder gets:

50% more XP on adventures
50% more loot from adventures
Additional building slot
Additional daily quest

And what you are complaining about is that your friends get 10% more time from buffs you give them. Where is the altruism?

I don't buff anyone other than me so yes I'm saying its dumb the extra buff not working on MY island

[Sto_Helit]

I don't buff anyone other than me so yes I'm saying its dumb the extra buff not working on MY island

Do you expect your friends to buff you, because you are losing out on the extra time that buffs last on a friend's building, even without premium advantages. Even a buff swap would work more in your favour...

[Sharpielein]

So, the terrible things you predict in your analysis are

Nothing "terrible". Simply predictions.
The only terrible thing would be if the community would fall apart.
Communities make up social media gaming.
A poor community equates a dead game, i.e. no profits for Bluebyte.

OH MY GOSH! THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!

Well thank you so much for your profound counteranalysis.
May I ask whether Harvard is already harassing you whether they can give you a double-PHD in Applied Economics for your world-saving insights?