Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
BSC Edition Tier: How crazy am I and why not you?
Vymm
Member Posts: 112
Pledge Tier $1,250(Physical) – (BSC edition, non-repeatable) – Comes with everything above plus a total of 250 FPs, three-year subscription (renewable at $1 per year as per Kickstarter’s ask when it comes to anytime “lifetime”), Mithril forum badge, one additional piece of unique hand - signed concept art (two total), and one hand-painted miniature from your favorite realm.
Sign me up. I know this tier will not be for everyone in the gaming community and I can appreciate any who wants to flame me for wanting to get this involved financially but let me explain to you why, I for one, will be going to the extreme when it comes to this game. Also, let me ask the community what it would take for them to reach deeper in their pockets to maybe want to donate at this level.
Why me?
For me, I am at a crossroads in MMORPGing where I want to roll the dice. By that I mean, make a big gamble investment into something I can feel apart of long term. I have considered packing it up and hanging up the keyboard many times (tell me you havent). I, like many, remember the epic feel of the original 'hardcore' MMOs. I remember the passion I had to play games, be part of an online team/community, have a place in the world. Hell, a lot of us who are looking at this game loved to log-in and be 'known' based on our MMO reputation. We enjoyed knowing our 'place'. Some were online raid leaders, merchants, social chatters ... we ranged from hardcore to casual, but we all accepted that role and didnt need to feel 'equal' in all aspects of the game. MMORPG was sort of pure then or maybe it was to me and the people I knew (always up for debate).
I believe CSE, MJ and the rest of the dev team for CU is looking to bring back that real community feel. They are looking to encourage, reinvigorate and recharge the batteries of some of those players who remember what community meant. I for one, feel true excitement when I read posts, watch videos and hear news about this upcoming game. I have been invested in many games and their launches over the many years .. most of which have failed. Something about this game/launch wants me to believe otherwise -- Hell, I might be wrong and I fully admit it. But, as I stated, its time to gamble. This gamble may give me the opportunity to lay stake into something bigger than the current market of MMOs and for me ... that's why I game. I game to be part of the foundation of a game, the bigger picture ... like so many of us talk about.
Whats it going to take for you to get BSC?
Many of us are 30+ years old in the forogtten land of MMORPG. We have families, jobs .. stuff we need to take care of 24/7. A lot of us cant afford this type of commitment, but many can. I am wondering for those that can afford this tier (or care to afford it) what it's going to take to make you pull the trigger?
I dont think at this level anything cosmetic will seal the deal. Fan art, as lovely as it is, might do it for the true art collector but not for so many of us with an already cluttered desk (lol).
So I am wondering if at this level it really just comes down to being BSC, as MJ says. Possibly ... but let's hear some ideas what would tip the scales for those people eyeing this tier.
Vymm
Comments
This is where Mark's track record (TOA and WAR) and the track record of the industry in general comes into play for me. I could afford to donate much more than I plan to, but I'm not going to because I have too many doubts.
I just don't trust that this game won't follow the same pattern as many others and become a gear grind game if not at release then with future expansions.
I also look at other RvR games released after DAOC such as WAR and GW 2 and how they have failed to have the same fun factor, immersion, and sense of progression as DAOC. I want to believe Mark can pull off such a game again, but history suggests it is very difficult. It is more likely CU will be another game with weak/flat progression in order to make it appeal to casuals and carebears. Yes you can show me FPs and other statements Mark has made to the contrary but until I see it in game myself I have to be skeptical.
Therefore I'm going to donate a solid but not extremely high amount. This still will be a lot more than the $0 I have given any other game before there were any screenshots, videos, or specific details on classes, races, etc.
If the game lives up to expectations, I'll be very happy and will continue to support it by paying a monthly sub for a long time.
DAOC Live (inactive): R11 Cleric R11 Druid R11 Minstrel R9 Eldritch R6 Sorc R6 Scout R6 Healer
Awesome. I have my eye on the signed artwork tiers, but it doesn't match up with what I want in the digital tiers.
I have tons of signed artwork already for my office and constantly looking for more.
i also share your thoughts Zygote007. although i really cannot afford that amount, i would give around that amount too if i could. Like you said, often i thought of giving up on mmorpgs alltogether, but there is always that little flame inside me that kept me hoping for a new great mmo that suits me as much as i.e. DAoC did.
And CU is giving me that hope gain.
CU is only the second mmo that i get involved in the forums in such an early stage, the other one was even before DAoC and turned out to be Vaporware (the name was DAWN, if any of you ever heard about it)
Now obviously i wont be able to play nearly as much as i did back then, and we're getting older, so will i get as excited in CU as much as i was in DAoC ? i don't know, but i sure hope so.
Bowbow (kob hunter) Infecto (kob cave shammy) and Thurka (troll warrior) on Merlin/Midgard DAoC
Thurka on WAR
You won't have too, donate $250, play for a year and you have your dough back. Albeit $1/year after 3 years.
The physical rewards, other than a cloth map, just don't interest me, which is why I'll avoid any of the physical reward tiers.
I *could* afford that tier, but life's about priorities. If there was something more to it than what was offered at that tier, I might consider it. Frankly, I could probably afford to go up to $5k, but I have to consider my wife when I make decisions like that, and if I'm going to be investing $5k, I better be getting some sort of financial return if I like my man parts where they are. Or I better be able to explain to her in very good detail why I spent $5k on my hobby (she probably wouldn't care, to be honest, because she's an awesome wife, but I don't want to disrespect her).
So for purely investing in a game that I have very high hopes for, where there's zero chance of monetary return, and instead just hope for an entertainment return, I tend to be a little more frugal.
The rewards I find most interesting at this point are the lifetime sub (makes fiscal sense if you plan on playing for more than a year) and the early beta or alpha access. Still deciding whether I want to truly take on the alpha phase, but I'm leaning towards it. If Mark isn't getting enough valuable alpha tester feedback, he can always add more.
Other things that would interest me? Vegas trip with the CSE team after launch! haha.
I would consider it if I was a millionaire, but I'm not so, no bat-shit-crazy edition for me
Also, we don't know anything about the game so far, except the FPs.
And that's kind of the kicker for me. There was a recent article, I think Bill did it, regarding the past track records of MMO's in the last few years and people who pre-ordered getting buyer's remorse after launch. I'm one of those wait-and-see people now. If CU turns into something I'll want to sink my teeth into, yes, I will gladly subscribe and support the game. Its just too early now, and while I may have hesitation with a mere pre-order, actually investing into an idea without any current tangibles is far too risky.
See, I am interested. I loved DAoC. What I am reading a lot of is people who played it as well and want to capture the old times, to have a DAoC2, to somehow jump into its natural successor. But, MJ said it wasn't going to be DAoC2, and he was surprised that people are putting so much weight on CU as The Next Big Thing for DAoC fans. Like I said, I am watching this develop, but I'm certainly not starry-eyed with rapture. I think some people are getting themselves worked up, and I've seen it too many times to not jump in prematurely.
Note: I am not implying that the OP doesn't know what he is doing or advising what he should do with his money. I am speaking for myself, and mentioning a trend that I am seeing on these forums.
That's my perspective, and its my wallet.
Signed.
I think WAR was an overall RVR success in the end. It still bolsters a decent RVR experience. He, MJ, was most likely cut short of his vision by the almighty $$, which hopefully with a different market strategy wont be the case this time. I certainly hear you though and of course have similar trepidations, but I am going to offer a pass this time and roll the dice.
GW2 was a totally different animal and hoped to go in a complete different direction without the trinity -- which most of us would say was a fail option.
Hell ya man! This game does inspire hope if nothing else. Keep checking the boards for updates to keep that hope alive.
What type of stuff would you want to know?
I totally get this post and I may even be one of the starry eyed people. Hell, I probably am a little too worked up at this stage of the game, but I am riding that wave. I am not looking for DAOC2, but something fresh appealing to a small audience. Hopefully, CU delivers on that sort of level.
Vymm
I doubt there is anything realistic that would get my to buy the BSC tier. That being said, if the number of BSC donor slots were limited as I've seen in other KS campaigns, I imagine people may be encouraged to donate at that level if, for example, an in game village was named after them or a prominent monument or statue was made in their likeness. Another one, which is likely to be met with a large outcry but wouldn't bother me as much if these slots were very limited, was if the person was actually given a valuable piece of in game real estate for their shop, house, or guildhall.
I'm not so worried about giving away a small number of in game advantages for these few top tier backers. While it may not be fair, my main concern is that the KS campaign is funded and something like these examples would be something I would personally be ok with if they helped sell those BSC packages. As far as I've seen so far, I don't expect Mark will adopt anything like this though and I understand why he wants to avoid going down that path.
Man some killer ideas in there. In game prime real estate -- loving that idea. Talk about a merchants delight and a real 'check me out' item. Statues and such are pretty boss items .. really liked how they implemented that in Altdorf (Warhammer) with the weekly RVR champs.
I also support the statement (whether it includes me or not) that I am all for the high level backers having a little flash for being involved/commited early on at such a deep level. I am not sure anything you mentioned though would be all to ground breaking.
Vymm
I'd still like to know from some people what it's going to take to dig deep? There have been some cool ideas in here and I would love to hear more about what you guys want to see at these higher tiers. I know in the 5k and 10k tiers they talked about special islands and private servers.
Vymm
Really? I wasn't aware of that. If so, I think things like that are great ideas. Another idea may be perhaps access to unique character model or model components (think something like a unique face option, a unique hairstyle, tattoos, skin color, etc) when creating new characters. Someone mentioned it in a different thread or something similar, but I thought it was kind of a cool idea if the high tier founders were addressed by home town NPCS in a revered manner, such as M'Lord or something similar. Maybe even a bow or a courtsey to add to it.
Another random idea, perhaps the high tier bidders characters could be considered something of descendants/blood to the great powers (gods, kings, etc) of their home realm and were given a special ability they could call upon that was on a very slow timer that was related to their realm's king/god/etc. Well heres a few ideas to keep your discussion going, I don't have a clue how realistic they are but its fun to wonder about.
Soooooooo sweet !!! i discovered this morning in bank account that we finally received money we been expecting for nearly a year...i'll be able to be a bit crazier than i thought
ok not in the $500+ Tiers, but definatly more than the mere 50$ i thought i could afford !
Bowbow (kob hunter) Infecto (kob cave shammy) and Thurka (troll warrior) on Merlin/Midgard DAoC
Thurka on WAR
Yeah I'm seriously thinking about that $250 tier. That's more than I feel completely comfortable with donating based on current information about the game or lack thereof but it would end up saving money if the game is awesome. Which it will be. Right, Mark?
DAOC Live (inactive): R11 Cleric R11 Druid R11 Minstrel R9 Eldritch R6 Sorc R6 Scout R6 Healer
Hell ya man, dig deep and get yourself some rewards and FP flash. Who doesn't love some found money!
$250 tier sounds pretty solid of an investment. I know it's a stretch to ask people to pony up in this frontloaded timeframe but in the end you may end up with a sweet long term game and a solid subscription plan.
I love how creative some of you are. A bowing system would be super cool (I have seen it based on factions in other games). A spell/ability to show your status would be sweet as well -- fireworks or summon a dragon for show. I mean there are so many interesting ways to 'show-off' your level of contribution.
Keep the ideas coming!
Vymm
LOL. If this was 2006, I'd buy a first-class ticket for the Hype Train, board it, and truly believing every word, shout "All aboard its AWESOMENESS!" It's 2013 and I've sworn off most adjectives, public predictions and blind faith in humanity. What I will say though is that I and my studio will work our butts off to make CU the game that I said publicly I want it to be and that when it launches, our efforts and my promises will be kept. Will that suffice kind sir?
Mark Jacobs
CEO, City State Entertainment