Version 0.8 at last

[Garesch]

Hi guys,

I agree that you should be able to charge enough to keep the game going without having to fund it from your own pockets, but I have two big problems with the 0.8 and premium features roll-out.

First, all throughout the kickstarter campaign you emphasized that no-one would get any real in-game advantage by paying money. The new heroes, though, DO give real advantages (albeit map or situation specific). I think this is breaking your promise not to give unfair advantages to paying players. Moreover I think it will drive new players and existing casual players away - since no one wants to play when the game is rigged against them. This will kill any chance for Warbarons to grow. I think the new heroes (and any other future feature that gives a real tactical advantage) must always be free for all players.

The other gold features are all convenience issues, and don't give a tactical advantage. It's a bit harder, but still quite possible, to calculate moves in future turns without the grid or future turn numbers on movement paths. I'm a bit annoyed that already existing features (like distance numbers for future turns) now require payment - but I can cope with that.

The second issue is number of games for non-paying players. In the Kickstarter campaign you mentioned applying a limit, but I never imagined it would be as low as three. I think this limit will drive away new players and current casual players, and leave Warbarons stagnant with only a small number of die-hard paying players. Please increase the limit to a much more reasonable five games (or more)! The argument that 3 games is OK since most players are currently in 3 or fewer games is somewhat spurious, since most players have probably been in 4 or more games at some point - at which time having gotten the "too many games unless you pay" message could well have driven them away from the site. You have so many other ways to convince people to sign up for silver or gold membership that you don't need to offer offer unfair advantages or deny non-paying members the ability to play enough game to become fans. These are your future paying members, please don't drive them away!

Furthermore, I'm certain that the major way Warbarons is growing is by players telling their friends. Indeed, I liked spreading the word when the game was free. I, and I imagine many other players too, would hesitate to try to rope their friends into playing when its necessary to pay to have a level playing field or to play in enough games to really experience how fun the Warbarons is.

The gold member perks are wonderful time savers and very useful, and they WILL induce fans to up their account status. I would move some of these to the silver level to give people reasons to try paying at a lower level before committing to gold. I can also think of many other perks you could add for gold members. For instance, you could allow people to test which of the three ship types would be best in future movement paths. You might also even give a battle estimate calculator (e.g. enter what you know about your opponent's forces and your forces and the simulator will run five times and tell you how many times you win vs lose) - although you'd want to be careful that this doesn't give any advantage over what a skilled player could estimate on their own.

I do, however, think you need to tempt people into buying these upgrade perks by letting them test them out. Give everyone a 1 week trial (activatable at any time of their choosing) for both silver and gold accounts. Once they experience the perks, they're much more likely to pay to keep them going!

Thanks again for your dedication and hard work in making this great game!

-Garesch

[LPhillips]

I do, however, think you need to tempt people into buying these upgrade perks by letting them test them out. Give everyone a 1 week trial (activatable at any time of their choosing) for both silver and gold accounts. Once they experience the perks, they're much more likely to pay to keep them going!

This at least is possible. Every account starts with 400 credits. As for the rest, it's of course up to the admin to answer.