Hello Adrana,
Hi Pearse
Thanks for your response. I've checked in detail everything there is to find within the in-game shop but I still want to point out that the game offers no real fast-advancement solutions. You have to consider that not everybody has the ability or time to proceed to higher levels of the game at the default painfully slow rate.
I would advise you if you want to be able to reach a bigger target audience, to allow people who just want to "enjoy" the game and play the story without all the side missions (for Cryo or Blueprints) to take the bulk of their time and effort. I for one, can't play for more than 30 minutes a day (even less sometimes) so after a long day's work, I just want to let the stress out with a nice gaming session before going home.
We have many players who doesn't even play every day this game, 30 min per day is not at all bad. You are not the only one who is working and doesn't play like 24/7 here.
Many of the players play like maybe 5-10h per week, so they have the same situation as you.
Contrary to what people think, older working professionals also play games. Just remember that the largest audience for online games is the 35 to 44 years of age group (2010 Social Gaming Research - Information Solutions Group), but you need to help them by allowing them to play according to their limited schedule.
You do not have to tell that to the audience here, we are well aware of that the average scale of playing this game are people who are adult, and of a mature age, both men and women.
We who's been here from the start we don't need a research to know this fact, I am one amongst many.
You know, I wouldn't even bother telling you this if you had a bad game. The thing is, you have a really good game and I like it, in fact I introduced it to some of my colleagues at work and a couple already tried it for an hour or so yesterday. However, I could see they already got bored for lack of quick progress within their lunch break
"If in an hour you don't advance even one level, then it's gonna take a lifetime to really do anything with the game" was one interesting remark.
This game is about challenge, it is not about fast advancing, and all takes it's time.
Although I work in a completely different field (oil and energy), I can tell that much effort was invested in Pirate Galaxy and I completely admire but I have to say that the game is "boring" this "my" type of player away because of the slow progress. I spent five minutes yesterday to figure out that you already have the best ships of the game available in the market from the beginning (Parsecs), why not (as already is the case with two other ships) have Ultimate Parsec Class ships (fully loaded with best Ancient/Sirius tech, shield, blasters, etc ...) available in the special items tab of the shop? If you're worried about their effect on the game, you can set them to have a premium price (maybe $40 worth of Gold same as a console game) to make sure they don't spread too much. They will only be purchased by those who really like the game and ready to pay to enjoy it.
It doesn't matter what ships are in the shop, they are level based, even the Parsec class of ships.
You got to realize that we who's been here for 3 years, we have done the hard work from the beginning, so has all the people who has been grinding/farming cry for to achieve their goal, what has been a ship of their desire, and maybe dreams.
Your suggestion has been suggested many many times here, and there is no opening for to give the choice to buy them for gold aka real money.
This wouldn't be fair at all for all those players who has spent, hours, days, weeks, and perhaps months to be able to buy a Parsec.
Lets say the majority of the players, has chosen themselves to not have that option.
I like many are against such idea.
why not (as already is the case with two other ships) have Ultimate Parsec Class ships (fully loaded with best Ancient/Sirius tech, shield, blasters, etc ...) available in the special items tab of the shop? If you're worried about their effect on the game, you can set them to have a premium price (maybe $40 worth of Gold same as a console game) to make sure they don't spread too much.
You ask why not, I will tell you, you cannot have any ships fully loaded with the best tech for to be able to just buy it like that in the shop, you have no clue that a $40 is nothing compared to the amount of Gold what many players has purchased for to be able to grind better to get the ship/tech they are able to have and purchase.
It doesn't even matter cause there are level restrictions, you have to work for it, just like any other player has done, and is doing in this game, Sirius tech is earned, and achieved by playing this game, and by the players own activity.
When you achieve Sirius System, you will have access to Sirius tech, but as there are 5 rings, they are also increasing the demand of level requested to wield new items, the higher ring, the higher level is required to install items.
You cannot expect that you will be able to buy something in the shop what requests level 85 to install, and what request players to unlock system by system to achieve.
This is not a game where you will be handed a silver plate in exchange of real money.
Then this is not your game if you are not ready to do what thousands of players has done before you in this game.
I'm giving you some free marketing advice here that I'd usually charge for but I really like the gaming development efforts I've been seeing recently and I'm supporting those developers who really went out of their way to create respectable games suitable for a wider population that the usual game audience of teen/young male.
I am sure SplitScreen is aware of marketing openings, but they are also aware of that this game must be kept balanced, and suit for all players with the same possibility to advance, not giving to much unfair openings to players who pay to play.
There are lots of other games, and ex-games out there who has worked the way what you are suggesting, but these games has also been loosing lots of players cause "the marketing & business" has been more significant than the game itself. Many of those games doesn't exist anymore, they are dead.
I am quite sure if such as you suggest would happen, this game will loose lots of it's players, specially those who are active, dedicated and who has worked hard to reach where they are now.
I hope you can escalate/communicate my comments to some manager at your company as you might have a winner here on your hands with just a few modifications and maybe even a major new income source.
Might be a winner, but might also be the games death, but as I said this has been suggested many times, and hasn't become alive, and there are reasons for it.
It's great to have ideas, and feedback for this game, we thank for that, but we have also to keep in mind realistic ideas, and a knowledge of what this game has in the history for all this time.
This has survived over 3 years and will surely survive 3 years more as it is, and longer.
