duplicates

[Kal-Nor]

I'm also intrigued to see what happens after the 14th Feb when SQ42 and SC actually split, at some point I'm guessing we will get some UEC for our extras like we did for Alpha, the forums will explode if they just merge 4 copies of SQ42 into 1 with no compensation :ranting2:

Why? If backers choose to buy multi packages instead of getting the standalone version that's their option. If they wanted more character slots to have multiply players in game then that's the price for doing it and they have chosen to except that. If they wanted a few NPCs, then they could of waited for them to go on sale closer to release. If you've bought you package before the Feb date then you can still sell it on as a duel package, so I can't see why they would handout UEC.

What changes for present packages?

[Galatoni]

Why? If backers choose to buy multi packages instead of getting the standalone version that's their option. If they wanted more character slots to have multiply players in game then that's the price for doing it and they have chosen to except that. If they wanted a few NPCs, then they could of waited for them to go on sale closer to release. If you've bought you package before the Feb date then you can still sell it on as a duel package, so I can't see why they would handout UEC.

What changes for present packages?

I have to agree with this. I don't believe there should be compensation

[AndyBee]

Your forgetting a lot of people with multiple packages have had so for literally years, i know I have, (my SQ42 T-shirt is probably going to be worn out before SQ42 releases !) when there was no option to buy a standalone ship in some cases, you bought a Freelancer, you got SC/SQ42/Freelancer/UEC, that was back when SQ42 was going to be a bunch of single player missions within the PU, not the mammoth AAA standalone with Hollywood stars and mocaped actors we have now...

Don't get me wrong I'm personally not bothered, but CIG always put incentives in game packages over ships, like SQ42 and a bunch of UEC for an extra $10, they understandably wanted to sell packages not standalone ships, that's now come back to bite them with the escalation of SQ42, through no fault of there own, I'm sure in there wildest dreams in the Kickstarter they weren't saying off camera in the live stream "someone get that guy from Batman and the woman from X-files on the phone, I can feel $100,000,000 coming !" .... If SQ42 was as original pitched, basically just a bunch of cool single player missions you could do to set the scene, learn how to fly and earn some creds before you dropped into the PU, no one would care, but now it's a big deal and they are going to be charging separately for it people are going to cry foul if CIG decide to roll all those individual SQ42's into one.....

Anyway, I think, like Alpha when that got wiped, at some point when we account bind a second SQ42, Star Map, Digital Game Soundtrack, etc, etc we will probably just get a token UEC handout, it's not like it costs them anything and will nullify the entitlement jockeys before they get up speed

[smilodon]

As far as I know nothing. I suppose some people might be annoyed that they have effectively bought several copies of Squadron 42, a single player game. Of course every time we buy a package we are clearly told that it contains a copy of Squadron 42. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that if you buy two packages then you have bought two copies of Squadron 42 I'd assume people would realise this and if they wanted more than one pledge would be buying it for the additional things they need.

If players bought  pledges to give them their own personal NPC slots then I wonder if this is still current?

Just to clarify, as I think your concern is off base, the system we are proposing only increases the options that you have - I don't see how it is a cash grab or something that takes away from what most people were expecting (and what most online games give you)

Normally in a standard non subscription MMO setup you would have one character. If you want to play multiple characters simultaneously (say your scenario of an explorer / salvager or a smuggler or miner) you would have to open multiple accounts. You could of course do all these things from one character (there's no reason why you couldn't be an explorer / salvager / miner that does some smuggling on the side). Star Citizen by its design lets you be / do whoever you want to be. There are no class restrictions - you want to be a law abiding citizen and then "break bad" and become a pirate you can. This is a core tenant of the design. You should not think of Star Citizen the way you would a traditional MMO with tightly bound character classes that force you to have different characters (tank, healer, ranged etc) for different roles. Our versions of multiple classes are really the multiple ships you have in your hangar.

The solution we proposed was to address the issue of people have multiple game packages but wanting to combine all the assets under one character but not lose the value of their "game keys" (which in our in-fiction setup become Character Slots). This allows people to get a benefit from a game package they were feeling they were losing, either by gifting to a friend to join them as crew (or buy just a ship and join the game), play multiple characters from the same account (as opposed to having to open up separate accounts) or by turning the slot into a customizable character for their crew (think the tight knit crew of the Serenity)

Also to be clear when a Character Slot NPC dies, you get to create another one to take his place, much like you would create a successor in the Death of a Spaceman mechanic. If you've designated a Character Slot NPC as your Character's successor, then the Character Slot NPC becomes your player character and you can chose to have your deceased player character slot either go back into your Character Slot pool or turn him / her into a Character Slot NPC (think of it as recruiting a new team member after the death of another)

We are only offering people the ability to buy additional Character Slots as if we didn't we would get a lot of people complaining they don't want to have to buy a full package just to get an additional character or have the ability to customize an NPC. Its actually financially worse for us as previously you would need to buy a game package to get in the game or play multiple characters at once. Now we're allowing a cheaper (but more limited) option. Please remember that I want the game to only require the purchase of a base game package and after that you should be able to pay for free if you want - there is nothing outside the initial game package (which a character slot is a baby version of) that is only purchasable by money. Everything else, ships, equipment, real estate is all purchasable via UEC credits which can be earned via gameplay.

Once Star Citizen is live creating ongoing content, new functionality and running online servers costs money. As Star Citizen isn't a subscription MMO our only sources of revenue to support these ongoing costs are initial game packages, Squadron 42 sized single player stories (think Wing Commander mission packs) and the people willing to trade some money for UEC as they don't have the time or patience to earn in game. There's a lot of people out there that think I'm crazy for taking this route (as most online games have a lot of cash only game items to generate money via micro-transactions) but I'm betting that Star Citizen with its low overhead will do well enough to allow us to continue to manage and expand the universe, even if we don't bring in the money the way World of Tanks, World of Warcraft or League of Legends do.

-Chris Roberts

also


https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13288-Multiple-Package-Clarification

I'm not aware that this statement has been changed? If not then we can either buy packages to gain character slots or simply buy them for real money (one of the very few things purchasable with real cash when the game goes fully live). My plan is to buy NPC characters, my own Firefly crew, in the store rather than buy additional pledges. This is a better option for me as I always tend to play MMO's with a single main character. I know some players can happily run a whole collection of characters (I';m looking at you TeaLeaf :worship: but I can barely look after one!

It would be good to know if the ability to buy personal character slots has gone away?