As it just occured to me in another thread, I thought I'd put it in here for discussion.
Imagine Cryptic would set up a server-wide system with project proposals for the development team. Players could then vote with zen what should have highest priority. It would be a "set goal" like system like a fleet project. Once you collect the (for example) 10,000,000 zen (exact number dependent on the estimated implementation effort required for the project ) to make a project happen, the development team pledges to do it (using FIFO to prioritize the projects among each other - first complete, first served). There could be a queue display of already completed projects, possibly with a status bar for its completion.
At any given time, there would be at least three project proposal in the queue, selected by the devs (who will of course see if there are any proposals going around in the community that are likely to raise a lot of zen, in addition to what they come up with themselves).
What do you guys think about this?
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You're suggesting players pour their zen into something that may never happen due to lack of support without the possibility to refund them?
Also what kind of projects?
Ships, missions, battlezones, bug fixes, costumes, Dev Boffs, something else?
Player proposals are mostly just thinly veiled begging anyway.
Make it so people can pull their Zen back out at any time if they change their minds - there's no need for it to be removed from existence until the project's requirements are actually met.
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
Developers, creators, and writers don't want 4 million things to do on a list from people who don't have a clues about the direction a game is going. It's much like when an author sits down to do a signing and someone asks them to read their manuscript. Uh - no. They already have an endless list of stuff to do that they'll never get to finish...
I used to like this idea, as I've heard it before working on some other games.
That was before one guy I worked with made the mistake of trying to open that flood gate. It's too big a problem for a full release and only works for pre-release testing and development with a small 20 - 100 person test team. Anything more than that and the group will never even get to finish READING the suggestions, whether or not the people had to pay to give them. It's too much work going in the wrong direction.
Nice idea. but unless you have a easy 5 second app for this, it can't happen. Another one of those more work and cost than it's worth type of things.
And it wouldn't be good ideas, it'd be practical ideas that would be promoted.
Also, what would be the rewards for giving certain amounts of money?
Because, yeah, you can't be a game developer aiming to be taken seriously and not give rewards in addition to what the players are pledging to, unless you want to have people point out the many problems, both merely perceived and very real, with that.
Also, what about the players who are subbed? What do they get with that as it can be considered $15 pledged, but to what? Would the devs completely stop subscriptions in favor of that?
Also, "all kinds of things that require dev workforce"? And what happens when for example, someone pledges $25 to have a $30 ship developed? Do they get the ship? Do they get a discount? A fixed discount or proportional to their pledge? Do they pay the ship whole a second time? What about the generous player that pledges $100? Do they get something or just a pat on the back?
Also, if they start having missions as a goal? Doesn't this count as no longer being a F2P game? What happens to the players who haven't pledged? To continue playing the storyline, they have to pay? Every time for every mission? What if they're subbed, again?
See where I'm going?
In addition to the begging, conspiracy theories, and player outrage Warpangel predicts, there would also be cartels of players funding solutions designed to benefit the cartels--or, having failed to get their "must have" feature into the game, whining on the forums and threatening boycotts (and all sorts of other juvenile activities). (Have we not all heard the conspiracy theory that goes "Dental controls the Exchange?") The general tone of discourse on the forums rarely rises above "grade 8 schoolyard," so what would be the point, exactly, of providing a catalyst for an even lower intellectual tone?
In the end it doesn't matter whether the concept funding is dilithium, Zen, or green jelly beans--it's an idea with more negative consequences than positive, an opinion based on my 35 years of experience in software development.
Trying to monetize 'people's wishes' will most certainly encourage more forum rage when people don't get what they ask for 'because they donated'.
Mostly this. It's good for customers to give feedback, but creators need to be given a certain degree of freedom to create their own thing regardless of said feedback.
Additional: If I'm going to give Cryptic any money, it will be for a ship I desire, which I deem is a payment for the continuation of the game and the good work the Dev's do in running this F2P. The only time Cryptic should get money upfront, is from either CBS wanting to push a storyline or other content, or from their budget for the year, which they use to, again develop content.
And lastly, players can ask for all they want, but the only people that matter in regards to approving content are CBS and Cryptic. It is not for the players to decide, unless an OFFICIAL poll or otherwise is put to the community. This is why I hate player-generated polls 'demanding' things from the game. They are always over-indulgent.
I just want to point out one quick thing..
10 Million Zen is probably more Zen that this game has ever generated total since it's very beginning. If you were to buy 10M Zen with real money it would cost you 100 Million US Dollars.
That's setting the bar a little high isn't it?
Haha.. you're right... I messed that up good. I knew I shouldn't have let my brother spike the egg nog!
Anyway, I still just don't like the concept of using a cash based currency to pay developers for improvements to the game. I feel it potentially opens the door to problems and potential exploits where only the most wealthy of players get what they want. It doesn't have to be real money either, people who are sitting on tons of farmed Dilithium or Zen could have their run of things under this system.
Overall, I admire the spirit of the idea, I believe it was suggested with the best of intent.. but I just don't see it as a good idea. I'm not trying to be overly negative, I just feel it's not a viable idea.
@azrael605 is right. It's often a licensing restriction. They can't really accept funds from just anyone.
Do you all just go to Walmart, grab a manager and start telling him/her how to stock the shelves?
I am going back into the game and mess with the exchan---- I mean go pew pew.
Hrmmm..maybe if they wanted people to buy more Zen they could---oh I don't know, offer stuff people *WANT* to buy?
Possibly lower some of the prices of the much more expensive things so that they sell *more* of them?
I just don't see this being workable...for many reasons (most cited above; copy rights, "red tape" from other factors, and more).