I guess it's pointless now that the dicision has been made, but let me just say that I think there would be a lot less of a problem with this if the referral program had started when the game LAUNCHED, not now. I already referred my wife back before the program started, and, lolololol, I get nothin'. Little late to the party on this one, Cryptic.
I'll be curious to see how many Galaxy-X's are actually going to be flying around, but I don't expect to see many...
Not one damn decision by Cryptic has taken into account the overwhelmingly obvious majority of the community's wants and desires, and that is why they are now a pariah.
I point you to their making the first expansion for CO a -free- expansion when they were planning on it being a paid expansion due to overwhelming negative community response.
Cryptic are making a shockingly bad habit of treating their paying playerbase like garbage and apparantly they find it funny. They claim they listen to their playerbase and yet ignore them completely unless it suits their bottom line.
Sure, they are a company out to make a profit but any smart person would know a happy customer is more likely to be LOYAL and refer their friends. Instead Cryptic decide to ruin their goodwill with their playerbase and instead...
Oh look, how many people are saying they wouldnt refer a friend because they are disatisfied with STO and Cryptic's performance ?
Incidentally, take a good look at the colour of the forum names posting here. You will find the majority are LTS. Where are all those white name subscribers going, eh ?
In 18 months all thats left to support this game IS the subscribers and here we have Cryptic trying to market a game that isnt finished and barely satisfies the CURRENT playerbase which are made of of ST fans.
How do you propose Cryptic satsify the folks that power level through the game ?
How do you propose Cryptic satisfy the folks that have no loyalty to the IP and will ditch the moment Cryptic keeps messing them around ?
Oh wait...
"ST is getting better, just wait a few months"
Then how about adding the refer program later, eh ?
At a point where MAYBE the game is in such a state new subscribers might actually stay and find it entertaining.
Despite Cryptics claims of this not being a blatant money grab, it seems rather obvious to me they are looking to fleece the market as much as possible and get subscribers because they know damn well in 18 months their LTS influx of funds ends.
After that point, nothing is left to support the game and right now they have little to hold new subscribers.
All of this complaining is reminding me of Star Wars Galaxies. Originally Sony had said that Jedi would be rare and only for those that devoted a lot of hard work to try to find out how to unlock one. Then, they released the holocrons, followed by the camp in Dathomir, and finally the NGE. After that we had Jedi running everywhere because people were whining about how they wanted to play as Jedi without putting all the work into it.
It's the same sense of entitlement that I'm getting from all these "we want the Galaxy-X" posts.
AFAIK, nobody except SOE employees unlocked Jedi before the Holocrons made it obvious what the system was and how thoroughly stupid it was. That's actually the point at which I lost faith in the SWG team's competence and what I heard later only made me feel better about that choice. So I don't think your specific example is really all that good. The artificial limiter in place was illogical and arbitrary rather than something you could discover through devoting hard work. It was only possible to discover by accident. Nor do I recall many people thinking the NGE was a good move either, even people who wanted to be Jedi.
Now, how would you have felt if in SWG you could have just paid SOE $225 to unlock the Jedi slot?
That's what this is closer to, albeit a vast difference in degree. It's something mechanically distinct from other ships that is essentially going up for sale. You just have the ability to try and get other people to pay for it. If it were just a skin, I'd be shrugging at this.
C'mon, us Lifers got HUGE rewards, such as the super game changing Captain's Table, the blue forum title, a Borg main character with super awesome abilities that make it better than all other species, and last but not least, some super incredible costume pieces that make our characters 200X better than all others. What more could you possibly want for shelling out $300+ USD on a game
I didn't buy my sub pre-launch (some of us were unemployed until March 1st). And the Captains Table is just another boring spacedock to me - no missions, exclusive stuff for people who have badges I haven't even heard of. The blue forum title isn't that much of a distinction anyway.
I know that they gave a bonus to those who subscribed pre-launch, but this game could go (apologies, females and nature lovers) **** up within a year. And then we'd be screwed. Lifetime subscription is an empty carrot if you ask me.
Cryptic are making a shockingly bad habit of treating their paying playerbase like garbage and apparantly they find it funny. They claim they listen to their playerbase and yet ignore them completely unless it suits their bottom line.
Sure, they are a company out to make a profit but any smart person would know a happy customer is more likely to be LOYAL and refer their friends. Instead Cryptic decide to ruin their goodwill with their playerbase and instead...
Oh look, how many people are saying they wouldnt refer a friend because they are disatisfied with STO and Cryptic's performance ?
Incidentally, take a good look at the colour of the forum names posting here. You will find the majority are LTS. Where are all those white name subscribers going, eh ?
In 18 months all thats left to support this game IS the subscribers and here we have Cryptic trying to market a game that isnt finished and barely satisfies the CURRENT playerbase which are made of of ST fans.
How do you propose Cryptic satsify the folks that power level through the game ?
How do you propose Cryptic satisfy the folks that have no loyalty to the IP and will ditch the moment Cryptic keeps messing them around ?
Oh wait...
"ST is getting better, just wait a few months"
Then how about adding the refer program later, eh ?
At a point where MAYBE the game is in such a state new subscribers might actually stay and find it entertaining.
Despite Cryptics claims of this not being a blatant money grab, it seems rather obvious to me they are looking to fleece the market as much as possible and get subscribers because they know damn well in 18 months their LTS influx of funds ends.
After that point, nothing is left to support the game and right now they have little to hold new subscribers.
Sinking ship, anyone ?
To be honest, we don't know the current situation of the game. We don't have hard numbers since we don't have access to the server so we can't say for 100% certainty what number of subscribers are on the game. Don't forget that some people may post on the forums and some may not. I know for a fact that I have at least five friends with paid subscriptions in STO that haven't ever posted on the forums so there's five subscriptions that wouldn't be taken into account based on forum post logic.
As for satisfying people who power-level through the game, you can't. Even if you add on endgame content and crafting they will eventually get tired of that as well. It's just the way things are and its an on-going struggle with any MMO.
Where people who have no loyalty to the IP are concerned, well, that's something different. Some people will leave, others will join, some people will love what's offered so far in STO and some will dislike it. The fact of the matter is that we can't judge where it's going because we don't know the whole picture. I paid for a lifetime subscription and I've supported this game in spite of what flaws it has. I intend to ride it all out and see what happens for good or ill. I may not support everything that Cryptic has done but I'm going to get as much enjoyment out of this game as I can because otherwise its self-defeating.
Cryptic are making a shockingly bad habit of treating their paying playerbase like garbage and apparantly they find it funny. They claim they listen to their playerbase and yet ignore them completely unless it suits their bottom line.
Sure, they are a company out to make a profit but any smart person would know a happy customer is more likely to be LOYAL and refer their friends. Instead Cryptic decide to ruin their goodwill with their playerbase and instead...
Oh look, how many people are saying they wouldnt refer a friend because they are disatisfied with STO and Cryptic's performance ?
Incidentally, take a good look at the colour of the forum names posting here. You will find the majority are LTS. Where are all those white name subscribers going, eh ?
In 18 months all thats left to support this game IS the subscribers and here we have Cryptic trying to market a game that isnt finished and barely satisfies the CURRENT playerbase which are made of of ST fans.
How do you propose Cryptic satsify the folks that power level through the game ?
How do you propose Cryptic satisfy the folks that have no loyalty to the IP and will ditch the moment Cryptic keeps messing them around ?
Oh wait...
"ST is getting better, just wait a few months"
Then how about adding the refer program later, eh ?
At a point where MAYBE the game is in such a state new subscribers might actually stay and find it entertaining.
Despite Cryptics claims of this not being a blatant money grab, it seems rather obvious to me they are looking to fleece the market as much as possible and get subscribers because they know damn well in 18 months their LTS influx of funds ends.
After that point, nothing is left to support the game and right now they have little to hold new subscribers.
Sinking ship, anyone ?
Sheridan, the program is going live in, from this post, in 4 hours and 5 minutes. They are not stopping the program now.
It's over. The decision has been made, and finalized. The community has lost on this one.
It's sad that there are those out there who see this as a "battle" that has to be won or lost. The overall goal of the RAF program is to bring in new customers. The man has said this repeatedly, but a select few can not see past their individual sense of entitlement to understand that much.
I've heard a rumor that the referral program was intended for players who love playing STO in the hopes that they would have a cool incentive to share their love of the game with their friends. The more subscriptions the game has - the more headcount we can support and the more headcount we can support the more content I can plan for in each update. So I personally, am all for the referral program.
I don't think it was intended to be a "one time cash" bump. That really doesn't get us much. What helps is when more and more people play over time.If the Galaxy X gets more of that - then I'm personally all for it.
The man is telling you that more subscribers = more development money = more developers = more of the content we want delivered to us all.
Earning the ship in-game via merits or marks does not bring in new subscribers and those subscription fees. Paying for it 1 time in the C-Store is a 1 time "cash bump".
If you want that ship so badly, go out and find 5 people to subscribe to the game. You're helping yourself get the ship you want and you're helping the community by adding more subscribers.
The Galaxy X was a specific ship created specifically for the Referral program. The goal with the other end game ships is that they would be unlockable by reaching the next tier level but the specifics of that are still be discussed.
Here's what I know about it so far - The cannon is specific to this ship, and takes the place of a weapon's slot, but is not an item that can be removed and placed on another ship. It shows up as a captain's power on your weapon tray. The beam is intendend to be a very narrow front cylinder beam that can pass through objects and hit multiple targets if you are lined up properly (out to a set distance).
There are no details yet on recharge timers or how it impacts cooldowns of other powers/weapons.
I've also heard rumor that it may have a non-battle cloak - which means that it might be able to cloak - but only out of combat.
Once the designer is finished with the ship - I'll see if I can get the full details.
The ship will be available by the time that your referals hit their first 30 day billing cycle.
also...
Management is aware of this thread ...
OMG. Did I just read it can cloak?! I did not knowthat. Who cares about non-combat?
My dream has come true! I can have Fed cloak shp akin to the one Riker and his captain made illegally. No Section 13 content mission needed.
*Goes back to debating spending $75 dollars on 5 new accounts to get thi ship.*
And yes, i know that this tactic is taking advantage of players who cannot get 5 friends to subscribe, like me. Been trying since beta with no luck. Star Wars the Old Republic and the current Eve and SWG are all they care about.
Just so you know it's going to cost more than $75 to get this ship. To get it it has to go through the referral process up referring a friend, the friend buying the game and then subbing to it for a month.
It's sad that there are those out there who see this as a "battle" that has to be won or lost. The overall goal of the RAF program is to bring in new customers. The man has said this repeatedly, but a select few can not see past their individual sense of entitlement to understand that much.
The man is telling you that more subscribers = more development money = more developers = more of the content we want delivered to us all.
Earning the ship in-game via merits or marks does not bring in new subscribers and those subscription fees. Paying for it 1 time in the C-Store is a 1 time "cash bump".
If you want that ship so badly, go out and find 5 people to subscribe to the game. You're helping yourself get the ship you want and you're helping the community by adding more subscribers.
I dispute this. Touting it as something in-game to work towards would attract interest if it's really as much of a carrot as Cryptic hopes it is, and working towards it (and then actually running around and using it) would be an additional thing to do to keep players subscribed. It would also act as an enticement towards the people that Cryptic wants to be recruited, not just would-be recruiters. Look at CO's program for comparison. The rewards there are nice and useful but that's it.
Selling something in the C-store is just a one-time cash bump, absolutely, and there are plenty of reasons the Galaxy-X as described by dstahl shouldn't be there anyway. But I think the habit of locking shiny things behind exclusives rather than putting them in-game for people to strive towards is counterproductive. Not to mention dishonest, when Cryptic said we wouldn't be paying for gameplay-affecting things without being able to earn them in-game and the mechanically unique aspects of the Galaxy-X are by definition gameplay-affecting.
Just so you know it's going to cost more than $75 to get this ship. To get it it has to go through the referral process up referring a friend, the friend buying the game and then subbing to it for a month.
Right, altogether you (or your friends) will wind up paying about $200-$250 as I mentioned in another thread. That's assuming what prices they pay for the boxes + the monthly fee.
OMG. Did I just read it can cloak?! I did not knowthat. Who cares about non-combat?
My dream has come true! I can have Fed cloak shp akin to the one Riker and his captain made illegally. No Section 13 content mission needed.
*Goes back to debating spending $75 dollars on 5 new accounts to get thi ship.*
And yes, i know that this tactic is taking advantage of players who cannot get 5 friends to subscribe, like me. Been trying since beta with no luck. Star Wars the Old Republic and the current Eve and SWG are all they care about.
.... and this lovely member has demonstrated why this program is yet another example of stupidity.
Rather than refer 5 friends we will have existing customers that CHEAT and buy it themselves..
Oh wait... didnt Dhstal say the point of this was to get more SUBSCRIPTIONS rather than a small cash bump.
Well... I propose Cryptic ENFORCE this by denying people that CHEAT the system inorder to get the item.
Incidentally, those foolish people that do go out and blow $200 on this thing rather than refer their friends...
I hope neither Illustrious Q or Shard Warrior are amoung those people seeing as how you have so much desire to support Cryptic getting more subscribers, RIGHT ?
The goal is to help the community RIGHT ?
Not cheat the system and get a shiny item for yourself by creating 5 dummy accounts which will only be around 1 month.
Dhstal did say they want subscriptions to SUSTAIN the game... infact how about Cryptic make an addition to the offer.
Anyone caught cheating the system in this manner will not get their items... its only fair.
Well... I propose Cryptic ENFORCE this by denying people that CHEAT the system inorder to get the item.
Anyone caught cheating the system in this manner will not get their items... its only fair.
How do you prove cheating, though? Accounts on the same credit card? Suppose some kid gets their family involved and it's all on dads? Log-In time? Suppose they're just too busy? Even if someone is 'cheating' the system, Cryptic will still get the money from the five copies of the game being activated plus the monthly subscription 5x over.
Incidentally, those foolish people that do go out and blow $200 on this thing rather than refer their friends...
I hope neither Illustrious Q or Shard Warrior are among those people seeing as how you have so much desire to support Cryptic getting more subscribers, RIGHT ?
How do you prove cheating, though? Accounts on the same credit card? Suppose some kid gets their family involved and it's all on dads? Log-In time? Suppose they're just too busy? Even if someone is 'cheating' the system, Cryptic will still get the money from the five copies of the game being activated plus the monthly subscription 5x over.
Cryptic want subscribers, if they wanted people to just give them lots of money they could ask for donnations instead.
If Dhstal is being HONEST...
Cryptic want a SUSTAINABLE income not a momentary one.
I,E
5x $20 for one month = BAD
5x $20 for 5 months = GOOD.
As for verifying that people are cheating the system... well for one I would be taking a close look at those people that have said or hinted they are going to do so.
For second, I would increase the deal so that all accounts must remain active and reach a certain level. Seeing as how they promote recruiters to help their friends with those damage bonus things, I would say force them to reach a certain rank ingame.
Checking to make sure the accounts arent coming from the same address / computer would also be a valid option. With exceptions for those that verify multiple members of the household are playing the game.
Checking to make sure the accounts arent coming from the same address / computer would also be a valid option. With exceptions for those that verify multiple members of the household are playing the game.
You can't prove that last one. Or really any of the suggestions you've posted. The reality is that some people are going to go out of their way to buy the five accounts, sub for a months, and then unsub the accounts after the month is up. It happens all the time in the MMO industry, so it's bound to happen.
Cryptic want subscribers, if they wanted people to just give them lots of money they could ask for donnations instead.
If Dhstal is being HONEST...
Cryptic want a SUSTAINABLE income not a momentary one.
I,E
5x $20 for one month = BAD
5x $20 for 5 months = GOOD.
As for verifying that people are cheating the system... well for one I would be taking a close look at those people that have said or hinted they are going to do so.
For second, I would increase the deal so that all accounts must remain active and reach a certain level. Seeing as how they promote recruiters to help their friends with those damage bonus things, I would say force them to reach a certain rank ingame.
Checking to make sure the accounts arent coming from the same address / computer would also be a valid option. With exceptions for those that verify multiple members of the household are playing the game.
Seems a little Draconian to me and it could be easily corrupted. Certain things could simply be happenstance, for example. Like if you got your entire family involved in the game and they humored you for a month and you got the Galaxy X but none of them liked the game and refused to keep playing. That could be misconstrued as you 'cheating' the system even though there would be no real way to prove it based on IP, connectivity or otherwise.
I say let people do what they want, if Cryptic has a problem with it then let them deal with it. I've seen people who own and run multiple accounts on one MMO for themselves alone so if someone was willing to do that on here and Cryptic still profits who's losing?
Cryptic want subscribers, if they wanted people to just give them lots of money they could ask for donnations instead.
If Dhstal is being HONEST...
Cryptic want a SUSTAINABLE income not a momentary one.
I,E
5x $20 for one month = BAD
5x $20 for 5 months = GOOD.
As for verifying that people are cheating the system... well for one I would be taking a close look at those people that have said or hinted they are going to do so.
For second, I would increase the deal so that all accounts must remain active and reach a certain level. Seeing as how they promote recruiters to help their friends with those damage bonus things, I would say force them to reach a certain rank ingame.
Checking to make sure the accounts arent coming from the same address / computer would also be a valid option. With exceptions for those that verify multiple members of the household are playing the game.
Personally, I think it's absolutely immaterial if people 'cheat' or not for the bonuses (and we all know by now what my position on the existence and nature of the Galaxy-X bonus is).
That said, if the carrot of the mechanically unique Galaxy-X was taken away, I doubt anyone actually would 'cheat' whereas anyone who actually wants to spread the good word of STO probably still would honestly attempt to recruit people.
I'm not trying to cheat the system. I was just thinking outloud of my options avaialble, because I really want the Fed cloak and the galaxy X as a cloaking ship(since it seems the Defiant class never will be) is like a dream come true that is worth paying for.
Paying well over $75 for that dream to come true though.... not so much.
Also, i know my firiends. Hell will freeze over before I get 1 let alone 5 of them to pay a subscription past the first free 30 days. If they don't have the game now, they're not getting it.
Personally, I think it's absolutely immaterial if people 'cheat' or not for the bonuses (and we all know by now what my position on the existence and nature of the Galaxy-X bonus is).
That said, if the carrot of the mechanically unique Galaxy-X was taken away, I doubt anyone actually would 'cheat' whereas anyone who actually wants to spread the good word of STO probably still would honestly attempt to recruit people.
Hmm.
And either way Cryptic profits in some small way, even if it's just a couple boxed sets sold and 5 1 month subs. People are going to try it anyway, there are people who want the Galaxy X and don't have people they feel they can recruit.
I'm not trying to cheat the system. I was just thinking outloud of my options avaialble, because I really want the Fed cloak and the galaxy X as a cloaking ship(since it seems the Defiant class never will be) is like a dream come true that is worth paying for.
The cloak hasn't been confirmed yet, just so you know. It's a 'maybe'.
The cloak hasn't been confirmed yet, just so you know. It's a 'maybe'.
Yeah... I wasn't even willing to credit speculation on it until dstahl brought it up as a maybe. My head asploded. Why the heck would that just be left hanging out there!?
Seems a little Draconian to me and it could be easily corrupted. Certain things could simply be happenstance, for example. Like if you got your entire family involved in the game and they humored you for a month and you got the Galaxy X but none of them liked the game and refused to keep playing. That could be misconstrued as you 'cheating' the system even though there would be no real way to prove it based on IP, connectivity or otherwise.
This is what I have been trying to do since the beta days with no success.
I come from a family of 6, so it could work great for me if i can get all of them to play. I am hoping the demo can change things around, but hnetsly I am holding out little hopewith the logn issues I am having on this past Open beta account.
Yeah... I wasn't even willing to credit speculation on it until dstahl brought it up as a maybe. My head asploded. Why the heck would that just be left hanging out there!?
I'm guessing because it's still being debated on if the cloak is 'too much' or not. People asked what the Galaxy X came with and dstahl answered as best he could. We'll have to see when he gets hard data on it later on next week or so.
The cloak hasn't been confirmed yet, just so you know. It's a 'maybe'.
I'll accept "maybe". Maybe is till better than "No."
Also, for me, I am not a PvP player AT ALL. I only just this past week did my first Fleet Actions.
I avoid PvP if at all possible, and am hoping for this Galaxy X to exist as dshatl commented it may. I want to be able to enter instanaced and grouped missions with my Federation Ship of Death(TM). :cool:
What two functional features were observed on that ship ?
1) Cannon
2) Cloak
It seems blatantly obvious the intention of this ship is to be the proper Galaxy-X AND offer it in full to encourage people to go for this offer. Thus, until I see a Dev sepecifically come out and say it WONT have a cloak, its going to have one.
As for those that will cheat the system: it was a rather sharp reminder to anyone who does intend to use this method that it IS cheating and attempting to argue it is 'to help Cryptic' is from an entirely dishonest perspective.
"Oh wait, your only complaining cause you want the Galaxy-X"
Sorry, no, I dont want this thing.
My particular issue with this offer is the precedent it sets.
Cryptic said they would NOT offer items that had REAL gameplay effects or benefits over other players. This offer shows they directly LIED and demonstrated they WILL offer items of this nature for monetary values.
Right now its the Galaxy-X,
Whats next ?
Defiant with a battle cloak - Get 10 Subscribers
Intrepid with Super batmobile armor generators - Get 5 LTS.
In other words, Cryptic have demonstrated they will use anything the players might be interested in and turn it into a ploy to fleece them out of more money. Whats better is, they use it in a manner that makes the players be their viral marketers while making them think they are actually doing them a favour...
I dispute this. Touting it as something in-game to work towards would attract interest if it's really as much of a carrot as Cryptic hopes it is, and working towards it (and then actually running around and using it) would be an additional thing to do to keep players subscribed. It would also act as an enticement towards the people that Cryptic wants to be recruited, not just would-be recruiters.
That's an enticement for existing subscribers, not for bringing in new ones. Anyone who is brought in via the RAF program can also find 5 additional people they may know and get the ship the same way, and those 5 may know 5 more and so on.
Comments
I guess it's pointless now that the dicision has been made, but let me just say that I think there would be a lot less of a problem with this if the referral program had started when the game LAUNCHED, not now. I already referred my wife back before the program started, and, lolololol, I get nothin'. Little late to the party on this one, Cryptic.
I'll be curious to see how many Galaxy-X's are actually going to be flying around, but I don't expect to see many...
I point you to their making the first expansion for CO a -free- expansion when they were planning on it being a paid expansion due to overwhelming negative community response.
Sure, they are a company out to make a profit but any smart person would know a happy customer is more likely to be LOYAL and refer their friends. Instead Cryptic decide to ruin their goodwill with their playerbase and instead...
Oh look, how many people are saying they wouldnt refer a friend because they are disatisfied with STO and Cryptic's performance ?
Incidentally, take a good look at the colour of the forum names posting here. You will find the majority are LTS. Where are all those white name subscribers going, eh ?
In 18 months all thats left to support this game IS the subscribers and here we have Cryptic trying to market a game that isnt finished and barely satisfies the CURRENT playerbase which are made of of ST fans.
How do you propose Cryptic satsify the folks that power level through the game ?
How do you propose Cryptic satisfy the folks that have no loyalty to the IP and will ditch the moment Cryptic keeps messing them around ?
Oh wait...
"ST is getting better, just wait a few months"
Then how about adding the refer program later, eh ?
At a point where MAYBE the game is in such a state new subscribers might actually stay and find it entertaining.
Despite Cryptics claims of this not being a blatant money grab, it seems rather obvious to me they are looking to fleece the market as much as possible and get subscribers because they know damn well in 18 months their LTS influx of funds ends.
After that point, nothing is left to support the game and right now they have little to hold new subscribers.
Sinking ship, anyone ?
AFAIK, nobody except SOE employees unlocked Jedi before the Holocrons made it obvious what the system was and how thoroughly stupid it was. That's actually the point at which I lost faith in the SWG team's competence and what I heard later only made me feel better about that choice. So I don't think your specific example is really all that good. The artificial limiter in place was illogical and arbitrary rather than something you could discover through devoting hard work. It was only possible to discover by accident. Nor do I recall many people thinking the NGE was a good move either, even people who wanted to be Jedi.
Now, how would you have felt if in SWG you could have just paid SOE $225 to unlock the Jedi slot?
That's what this is closer to, albeit a vast difference in degree. It's something mechanically distinct from other ships that is essentially going up for sale. You just have the ability to try and get other people to pay for it. If it were just a skin, I'd be shrugging at this.
sure, Gozer already jumped :cool:
I didn't buy my sub pre-launch (some of us were unemployed until March 1st). And the Captains Table is just another boring spacedock to me - no missions, exclusive stuff for people who have badges I haven't even heard of. The blue forum title isn't that much of a distinction anyway.
I know that they gave a bonus to those who subscribed pre-launch, but this game could go (apologies, females and nature lovers) **** up within a year. And then we'd be screwed. Lifetime subscription is an empty carrot if you ask me.
To be honest, we don't know the current situation of the game. We don't have hard numbers since we don't have access to the server so we can't say for 100% certainty what number of subscribers are on the game. Don't forget that some people may post on the forums and some may not. I know for a fact that I have at least five friends with paid subscriptions in STO that haven't ever posted on the forums so there's five subscriptions that wouldn't be taken into account based on forum post logic.
As for satisfying people who power-level through the game, you can't. Even if you add on endgame content and crafting they will eventually get tired of that as well. It's just the way things are and its an on-going struggle with any MMO.
Where people who have no loyalty to the IP are concerned, well, that's something different. Some people will leave, others will join, some people will love what's offered so far in STO and some will dislike it. The fact of the matter is that we can't judge where it's going because we don't know the whole picture. I paid for a lifetime subscription and I've supported this game in spite of what flaws it has. I intend to ride it all out and see what happens for good or ill. I may not support everything that Cryptic has done but I'm going to get as much enjoyment out of this game as I can because otherwise its self-defeating.
Sheridan, the program is going live in, from this post, in 4 hours and 5 minutes. They are not stopping the program now.
It's sad that there are those out there who see this as a "battle" that has to be won or lost. The overall goal of the RAF program is to bring in new customers. The man has said this repeatedly, but a select few can not see past their individual sense of entitlement to understand that much.
The man is telling you that more subscribers = more development money = more developers = more of the content we want delivered to us all.
Earning the ship in-game via merits or marks does not bring in new subscribers and those subscription fees. Paying for it 1 time in the C-Store is a 1 time "cash bump".
If you want that ship so badly, go out and find 5 people to subscribe to the game. You're helping yourself get the ship you want and you're helping the community by adding more subscribers.
OMG. Did I just read it can cloak?! I did not knowthat. Who cares about non-combat?
My dream has come true! I can have Fed cloak shp akin to the one Riker and his captain made illegally. No Section 13 content mission needed.
*Goes back to debating spending $75 dollars on 5 new accounts to get thi ship.*
And yes, i know that this tactic is taking advantage of players who cannot get 5 friends to subscribe, like me. Been trying since beta with no luck. Star Wars the Old Republic and the current Eve and SWG are all they care about.
I dispute this. Touting it as something in-game to work towards would attract interest if it's really as much of a carrot as Cryptic hopes it is, and working towards it (and then actually running around and using it) would be an additional thing to do to keep players subscribed. It would also act as an enticement towards the people that Cryptic wants to be recruited, not just would-be recruiters. Look at CO's program for comparison. The rewards there are nice and useful but that's it.
Selling something in the C-store is just a one-time cash bump, absolutely, and there are plenty of reasons the Galaxy-X as described by dstahl shouldn't be there anyway. But I think the habit of locking shiny things behind exclusives rather than putting them in-game for people to strive towards is counterproductive. Not to mention dishonest, when Cryptic said we wouldn't be paying for gameplay-affecting things without being able to earn them in-game and the mechanically unique aspects of the Galaxy-X are by definition gameplay-affecting.
Right, altogether you (or your friends) will wind up paying about $200-$250 as I mentioned in another thread. That's assuming what prices they pay for the boxes + the monthly fee.
.... and this lovely member has demonstrated why this program is yet another example of stupidity.
Rather than refer 5 friends we will have existing customers that CHEAT and buy it themselves..
Oh wait... didnt Dhstal say the point of this was to get more SUBSCRIPTIONS rather than a small cash bump.
Well... I propose Cryptic ENFORCE this by denying people that CHEAT the system inorder to get the item.
Incidentally, those foolish people that do go out and blow $200 on this thing rather than refer their friends...
I hope neither Illustrious Q or Shard Warrior are amoung those people seeing as how you have so much desire to support Cryptic getting more subscribers, RIGHT ?
The goal is to help the community RIGHT ?
Not cheat the system and get a shiny item for yourself by creating 5 dummy accounts which will only be around 1 month.
Dhstal did say they want subscriptions to SUSTAIN the game... infact how about Cryptic make an addition to the offer.
Anyone caught cheating the system in this manner will not get their items... its only fair.
How do you prove cheating, though? Accounts on the same credit card? Suppose some kid gets their family involved and it's all on dads? Log-In time? Suppose they're just too busy? Even if someone is 'cheating' the system, Cryptic will still get the money from the five copies of the game being activated plus the monthly subscription 5x over.
Check your pm Sheridan.
Cryptic want subscribers, if they wanted people to just give them lots of money they could ask for donnations instead.
If Dhstal is being HONEST...
Cryptic want a SUSTAINABLE income not a momentary one.
I,E
5x $20 for one month = BAD
5x $20 for 5 months = GOOD.
As for verifying that people are cheating the system... well for one I would be taking a close look at those people that have said or hinted they are going to do so.
For second, I would increase the deal so that all accounts must remain active and reach a certain level. Seeing as how they promote recruiters to help their friends with those damage bonus things, I would say force them to reach a certain rank ingame.
Checking to make sure the accounts arent coming from the same address / computer would also be a valid option. With exceptions for those that verify multiple members of the household are playing the game.
You can't prove that last one. Or really any of the suggestions you've posted. The reality is that some people are going to go out of their way to buy the five accounts, sub for a months, and then unsub the accounts after the month is up. It happens all the time in the MMO industry, so it's bound to happen.
Seems a little Draconian to me and it could be easily corrupted. Certain things could simply be happenstance, for example. Like if you got your entire family involved in the game and they humored you for a month and you got the Galaxy X but none of them liked the game and refused to keep playing. That could be misconstrued as you 'cheating' the system even though there would be no real way to prove it based on IP, connectivity or otherwise.
I say let people do what they want, if Cryptic has a problem with it then let them deal with it. I've seen people who own and run multiple accounts on one MMO for themselves alone so if someone was willing to do that on here and Cryptic still profits who's losing?
Personally, I think it's absolutely immaterial if people 'cheat' or not for the bonuses (and we all know by now what my position on the existence and nature of the Galaxy-X bonus is).
That said, if the carrot of the mechanically unique Galaxy-X was taken away, I doubt anyone actually would 'cheat' whereas anyone who actually wants to spread the good word of STO probably still would honestly attempt to recruit people.
Hmm.
Paying well over $75 for that dream to come true though.... not so much.
Also, i know my firiends. Hell will freeze over before I get 1 let alone 5 of them to pay a subscription past the first free 30 days. If they don't have the game now, they're not getting it.
And either way Cryptic profits in some small way, even if it's just a couple boxed sets sold and 5 1 month subs. People are going to try it anyway, there are people who want the Galaxy X and don't have people they feel they can recruit.
The cloak hasn't been confirmed yet, just so you know. It's a 'maybe'.
Yeah... I wasn't even willing to credit speculation on it until dstahl brought it up as a maybe. My head asploded. Why the heck would that just be left hanging out there!?
This is what I have been trying to do since the beta days with no success.
I come from a family of 6, so it could work great for me if i can get all of them to play.
I'm guessing because it's still being debated on if the cloak is 'too much' or not. People asked what the Galaxy X came with and dstahl answered as best he could. We'll have to see when he gets hard data on it later on next week or so.
I'll accept "maybe". Maybe is till better than "No."
Also, for me, I am not a PvP player AT ALL. I only just this past week did my first Fleet Actions.
I avoid PvP if at all possible, and am hoping for this Galaxy X to exist as dshatl commented it may. I want to be able to enter instanaced and grouped missions with my Federation Ship of Death(TM). :cool:
What two functional features were observed on that ship ?
1) Cannon
2) Cloak
It seems blatantly obvious the intention of this ship is to be the proper Galaxy-X AND offer it in full to encourage people to go for this offer. Thus, until I see a Dev sepecifically come out and say it WONT have a cloak, its going to have one.
As for those that will cheat the system: it was a rather sharp reminder to anyone who does intend to use this method that it IS cheating and attempting to argue it is 'to help Cryptic' is from an entirely dishonest perspective.
"Oh wait, your only complaining cause you want the Galaxy-X"
Sorry, no, I dont want this thing.
My particular issue with this offer is the precedent it sets.
Cryptic said they would NOT offer items that had REAL gameplay effects or benefits over other players. This offer shows they directly LIED and demonstrated they WILL offer items of this nature for monetary values.
Right now its the Galaxy-X,
Whats next ?
Defiant with a battle cloak - Get 10 Subscribers
Intrepid with Super batmobile armor generators - Get 5 LTS.
In other words, Cryptic have demonstrated they will use anything the players might be interested in and turn it into a ploy to fleece them out of more money. Whats better is, they use it in a manner that makes the players be their viral marketers while making them think they are actually doing them a favour...
That's an enticement for existing subscribers, not for bringing in new ones. Anyone who is brought in via the RAF program can also find 5 additional people they may know and get the ship the same way, and those 5 may know 5 more and so on.
The goal is more subscribers.