I’ve been asked about contribution credits and how they are going to work in Beta 6 a few times on IRC, therefore it seems like a good idea to write a post about this. It is written in the style of a FAQ, because it’s easier.
Will there be contribution credits in Beta 6?
Obviously, yes, or I would not be posting about them. However, they will not be used simply by viewing the pages as they were in Beta 5.
So what are Beta 6 contribution credits used for?
Generally speaking, there are two types of uses for contribution credits.
- They can be used to buy features. Once bought, such features stay linked to your account permanently.
- They can also be used to subscribe to some features. The subscription model uses some credits every day, with features being disabled if the account runs out of credit.
Can you name a few of these “features” you keep yapping about?
I can’t name all of them because, well, I don’t know them myself, but I can give you a few examples.
In the first category, you will have extra message storage or extra folders, extra slots for ship designs or build queue extensions.
In the second category, you’ll find stuff like disabling in-game ads, creating automatic filters on your messages, access to better planet management tools, and fleet automation (e.g. automatic retreat).
How do people get contribution credits in the first place?
…because obviously you won’t be rating Beta 6 planet pictures. Well, you’ll always have the option to pay for your contribution credits, through PayPal, although new options may be investigated. Bug reports will be another possible source of credits, but I will get back to these in a bit. Two new options will be added: voting on game-rating sites, and bringing new people to the game.
What about milestone releases?
Obviously, new features introduced by a milestone release will never be require contribution credits to be used. However, once a milestone release has been properly tested and the next one is introduced, some features may become subjected to the contribution credits system. Contribution credits will be carried over from a release to the next.
You said something about bug reports?
Oh, yeah, I did. Bug reports will be handled through a specific interface, allowing easy tracking and automated attribution of contribution credits, the amount of which will depend on the severity of the bugs.
Will Beta 5 contribution credits be carried over to Beta 6?
Not until Beta 5 is finally shut down, and they will not be transferred directly but rather after a conversion.
Will it be possible to trade credits?
No. The only thing this would cause is the emergence of a parallel economy.
Will people who don’t want to or can’t pay still be able to enjoy the game?
Voting on all rating sites as often as possible will allow non-paying players to get enough contribution credits to enable most of the game’s subscription-based features. They might have to sacrifice one such feature for a time if they want to activate one of the permanent ones, but they shouldn’t be too annoyed by the whole thing.
That’s everything that comes to mind regarding contribution credits at the moment. Don’t hesitate to comment if you need more details or think I forgot something (which is quite likely).
ha ha this is what ive asked about
can i have some ideas where this game is on game rating sites so i can rate?
will having credits give you much of an advantage in the game or is it more of a convenience bonus to make things easier within the game?
but i do think its a good idea, rewarding players especially new players to the game would give incentive for them to report bugs instead of abusing them
@ironman, you weren’t the only one, the topic came up on the development wiki as well. LWB5 used to be registered on a few voting sites, the links to which may be found somewhere on the home page (probably in the “about this game” section, not sure tho). I’m quite positive most of the links are dead however, as they haven’t been updated for years.
@Davarkas, some of them give you a bit of an advantage (fleet automation for example), some of them are simply convenient (message management). Someone who’s not paying at all should give priority to game-related features, of course.
I think it is important to note the main ideas we want to keep in mind when designing the credit system. We know perfectly well that part of our player base consist in teenagers who don’t have means to pay for an online game. On the other hand we can’t afford to develop a game and maintain it completely for free.
We intend to reach a system where
- money isn’t a discrimining factor between players when it comes to the gameplay, that is to say that money doesn’t give you an unfair advantage,
- at the same time not paying is sufficiently unconvenient so that people who can afford it are prompted to contribute.
It is obvious the balance between the two will be difficult to reach and we’ll try and adjust the system so that it is as fair as possible.
Will some of the features also need research?
@Absolutis
If by “some of the features” you mean “some of the features which can be bought by contribution credits” – then no. Some of these features will not be useful unless your empire has reached a certain size or development level (who needs fleet automation when you don’t have fleets yet?), but they shouldn’t be linked too closely with the game itself.