Referral Program: Ideas for Some Revisions

System

So now that we see some of the referral program items creeping into the C-Store it leaves me with the question: what happens if a player bought that item and then gets enough referrals to have earned it?

My answer is another question: why not just reward people with the choice for an item or C-Store credit?

It could be even simpler than that. Perhaps each referral earns the referrer 500-1000 C-Points. Each successful referral should also give me another referral key.

Here is an example.

I send out 5 referral keys to James, Jean, Kat, and Sisco. Kat subscribes to the game, completing that referral. I'd get a certain number of C-Points, and another referral key to send out. If later on Jim and James subscribes I'd get the C-Points for both of them and another referral slot. So I would never be able to have more than five referrals open at any time.

Also, we should be allowed to cancel referrals and get a new key after so many months, that way referrals cannot be effectively abused, and we don't loose out on completing them.

Archived Post

I think this is probably a better way to do referrals. I'd much rather receive Cryptic Points for each person that I get signed up.
Then you (Cryptic) could simply put up items into the CStore.
It's then a matter of choice: either buy an item outright in the CStore or use up the CP claimed from referrals.

Archived Post

In the current system reward items AND C-Store points are given.

Once your friend has purchased Star Trek Online, you’ll receive a brand new title – Courier – as well as an exclusive Holographic Tribble Pet! What’s more, you both can enjoy:
A special power to instantly travel to your friend (first 30 days).
A 5% Captain and Officer skill point bonus when you’re teamed up (first 15 days).
A 5% damage bonus when you’re teamed up (first 15 days).

Once your recruit has subscribed to the game for a month, you’ll earn:
A new title: Recruiter.
An exclusive Holographic Bridge Officer (works with Federation and Klingon players).
400 Cryptic Points.
For each additional recruit that subscribes to the game, you’ll receive an additional 400 Cryptic Points. Once you’ve recruited five subscribers, you’ll receive these great rewards:
A new title: Master Recruiter
A special ship: The Tier 5 "All Good Things" Galaxy Class.

Archived Post

Thanks for your input. It's nice seeing others interested in this topic.

I'm very glad you copy and pasted the current reward structure, it will help to draw the difference between what I am proposing and what is set up.

I am proposing DOING away with the items offered and getting C-Points instead, or giving a player the options to take the items or to take CP, not both.

To be more clear, Instead of ONLY being offered the holographic bridge officer, or the Tier 5 Galaxy , I propose allowing the player to take CP instead.

Even better, just translate all those items into CP. So when I get 5 recruits, instead of getting a T5 Galaxy I just get 2000 CP which I can use to buy whatever I want, including the T5 Galaxy If I choose.

My reasoning for this is that if one were to buy the T5 galaxy, and later on they get 5 recruits, there is no high level reward for them because they already have that item. By giving out CP, or giving players the ability to choose CP, it prevents the rewards from overlapping with C-Store items.