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Paranius Starsplitter
Cadet
Joined: December 04, 2001
Posts: 53
From: Schofield Barracks, HI
|  Posted: 2006-02-20 11:04
i sent Faustus an email a few moments ago. You can find the .txt (i just find those easier to read and link to, personally...) at:
http://users.cjb.net/globalelite/suggestion%20for%20a%20donation%20system%20in%20darkspace.txt
Here are the contents:
Dear Game Creator Faustus,
You have founded a great game and after around 6 years and a lot of patching it has evolved and even with the slower pace and some controversy over improvements, it's still an AMAZINGLY fun game. It is so very impressive, combining ship on ship fighting, capturing and intergalactic conquests on space and planetary scales. We believe it is impressive enough to begin profitting from, like so many other MMORPGs do that are far less enjoyable.
On the Staff Feedback forums I created a thread to propose advancing DarkSpace in popularity and giving you more money. Unfortunately due to my very casual and improper wording among other things I was flamed a lot and the thread was locked. I began to talk about some ideas to help generate more money because money solves a lot of problems and can go as far as to give people more time to make the game better. Personally I think the game is good enough for my standards and I just wish more people played, but apparently thats why they don't. Lag and frequent game updates are still an issue.
To work towards accomplishing this I still believe, however, that it is it is imperative that you recieve more money so that we can destroy lag and hopefully get to a point where DarkSpace can pay you and eventually a full development team a good (although perhaps fluctuating?) salary.
My thread sparked up a conversation in chat, however, where the present community (Smartin, Drafell, Seraphim, darkscorpion, Black Beard, Ants and others, just to name a few on the screen right now) agreed on the following proposed changes:
Firstly, we should have a donation system to encourage donations, and if we donate we should have the following options as a possibilty:
1. Be eligible to recieve (through donation drives) a planet named after the people who donated the most, or renamed to thier suggestion (it would be silly to have a planet called "1337z0rplayerd00dz" after all).
2. To recieve (through more donation drives) a ship or ship hull or some other game item named after those people.
3. Recieve bronze/silver/etc., donation badges in our honor for donating at any time. shinier badges means more money was donated.
4. Recieve a "donated X amount" in profile if donated.
5. Receive some further advancement or recognition in some other way.
In the case of donating for any other things, remember that nobody is buying anything, these are rewards for donating and once the playerbase grows we can always lower or otherwise alter the effect of donating. (i.e., with more people donating, you will have to donate so much more to get a badge or some other thing), or even eliminate past rewards if absolutely required for whatever reason (redesigning of space....fleets..community dispute....etc.,)
You might say, how is this going to help? We already have a subscription system in place, is that not enough? Well, a built donation system (that's simply mostly just more profile code!) certainly isn't going to HURT anybody, and it'l just give you more money and make donating easier. And donations to MMORPGs are nearly just as common as subscriptions.
Will that money be enough to help you? Perhaps not, and likely won't be of much effect in the near future. But it WILL make the game more popular if more people enjoy the game, and we feel they will if they get the option to help support their game further and to put their marks on it. The more enjoyable the game, the more people will stay, and the longer they stay the more of their friends they will recruit. A referral system could also be added to reward players in the same way, for registering/subscribing other people.
And, donations just add onto subscription revenue. With the combined effort of subscriptions and donations, perhaps we could achieve enough funds (which, I'l say again is really only likely if we get more players, probably), we can start paying you a salary, and eventually a full development team as well.
This is a very real and possible idea and has been done in the past with other games (such as mere textbased games Neveron and All Out War, which DO often require just as much work).
The bottom line is even if a little extra money is not going to help further DS at all, it's certainly not going to hinder it and at the very least help secure that DS won't be fading away further for a time. This is also at the request of the community, and adding an entirely optional donation system ontop of the subscription system is not exercising and tyrannical mischief in any way over the community (and, being optional and gifts to PaleStar, can be taken away if doesn't work out). This is a very real and not-too-risky way to help support a good game and at the most will cost you some unnecessary extra bit of coding you will hopefully be paid for doing. On a larger scale, more money can ultimately means better equipment, more manhours, and perhaps even some much needed advertising of a game that really is great enough. There are some less polished single player games for sale in retail stores that make more money. What's up with that?
Thankyou for your time,
Paranius Starsplitter
2nd Rear Admiral, ICC
10:15:25 [(*TSC*)]darkscorpion: "but you like idea of paying a tiny bit more to have your ship named after you"
10:15:32 [CEC]warner_lowcharge *S3*: "whatever brings the cash=)"
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Paranius Starsplitter
Cadet
Joined: December 04, 2001
Posts: 53
From: Schofield Barracks, HI
| Posted: 2006-02-20 11:07
oops i forgot to finish the subject LOL. ANYWAYS, i hope this proposal helps DarkSpace
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2694
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2006-02-20 11:22
What would extra cash do ??
hire a programmer ?
you wil need loads of cash to hire a programmer to help darkspace.
And not just some small bagg of cash to hire a programmer just for a couple of days.
Give it all to Faustus so he won't have to work and got more time for Darkspace ?
What is the cash runs out. he would have lost that job and maby goto work at wallmarkt to feed the kids and wife.
(Btw his current job is a kick ass asignment. if i may say so.)
So its not a question of gathering money its a question what tho do with it. !!
[ my 3 euro cents. ]
[edit] extracting my english to Correct english
[ This Message was edited by: FIR3T0N3[NL] //PSYHCO\\ on 2006-02-20 11:24 ]
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DS Discordion
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warner_lowcharge
Admiral
Joined: September 27, 2004
Posts: 205
From: Finland
| Posted: 2006-02-20 11:24
nonono...let's not begin a war...just don't reply to this anymore=)
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.MeLLyMoo.
Cadet
Joined: July 03, 2005
Posts: 90
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| Posted: 2006-02-20 12:52
Obviously your idea was suggested with good intentions! I must say, well put Para.
There is absolutely no harm in wanting to help in any way. Donating funds is one way to get the ball rolling. Maybe it will encourage people to work a little bit harder and more seriously. Im not saying they don't already, but it'll give them a little more motivation to complete their tasks, knowing full well that they have the interest of their supporters.
For example, perhaps you work really hard at something, and by doing so you've created an amazing community and game. Yes there will be a few issues, but there is absolutely no excuse why they aren't being dealt with. You start something, you must continue on with it. If you see things start to slip and tumble, you either a) work harder to prevent bigger problems, or you b) coward away and say to hell with it.
Personally, I would go with A). But if B) is in thought, then maybe these ideas that are proposed should be taken seriously. The community is trying to help out and keep the game going. It needs to be advertised, it needs to be known.
I know someone has already tried. Even if it means you go to your local computer store and set all the computer's default webpages to the Darkspace Homepage.
Anything extra that the people of DS do for this game is done because they care. Those who do not approve of the idea have the option of simply not participating. It would not change anything. Everyone enjoys receiving rewards, but the best reward would be knowing you've contributed in one way, shape or form.
In conclusion, I am agreeing that this is definately a great idea! I'm For!
Every little bit helps!
[ This Message was edited by: F4741 .MeLLyMoo. on 2006-02-20 17:20 ]
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Fatal Sobek
Cadet
Joined: July 04, 2005
Posts: 5
| Posted: 2006-02-20 13:55
I am against
Hear me out it sounds like alot of people like this idea..:-/
I think it is very egotistical to expect planets and ships named after you just because you donate money, I mean would you go into your local charity and donate clothing and then expect a plaque resurected in your honor?
that said I am for donations just not the need to glorify someone as some sort of god because they gave money.
And although the genral idea of donations is ok, it is hardly an ideal source of income for someone, god if relying on donations was a great line of work the charity stores would not be relying on donations anymore. So a couple of hundred here, a thousand there, ten pounds a month later is hardly the ideal situation someone would want to support a family on.
Just my thoughts though.
~Sobek
[ This Message was edited by: Fatal Sobek on 2006-02-20 13:59 ]
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Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2006-02-20 14:13
I shall say this now:
Donations are that - donations. They are given out of the good of the heart without any expectation of a reward or services in return. Because then that would be buying.
While the intentions of this post may have been good, I have to simply say at the 'reward incentives' part of your post nearl unsurped me.
I will say it like this again, donations are given with the only reward being, it goes towards the better of the game and the community. not for self-glorificaation or ego-boosting manners. Money is good - not in the way though.
Its simply like buying your way into the game and (even though alot of MMORPGS support this - especially those of Eastern Asia origin) I would not be a part of Darkspace if something like this was in existance.
Now, your suggestion - that this would create more revenue for Darkspace to further the development of the game - is good intentions, no many people have that idea stuck in their head yet. The best thing you can do for that - subscribe. Almost as good as donating.
As for a donation system, it would be nice to have on set up for those few charitable souls, and a referral system is already in place.
However...again, I will say it for the thirce : Donations, are donations until something is given in return that is more than a Thank you. And the egotistical parts of this suggestion score some major negative points.
-Ent
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Coeus {NCX-Charger}
Admiral, I can't read,
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 16, 2004
Posts: 3635
From: South Philly
| Posted: 2006-02-20 19:26
Lets not bring up the stories of the one donations that got someone modded... that really shouldn't have been... lets not, ehh? Oops, too late... silly me...
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Darkspace: Twilight
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Paranius Starsplitter
Cadet
Joined: December 04, 2001
Posts: 53
From: Schofield Barracks, HI
| Posted: 2006-02-20 19:56
we can all agree that money helps and i think faustus should have more money because if this gets popular enough (i dont mind so much if the community is a little more selfish, so long as we HAVE one!) than perhaps we will be making money on a greater scale and be talking about how unrealistic it is to buy him a new office and switch out hard drives for solid state, and so on and so forth.
hopefully. i just think a little incentive and a goal will help donations, and getting places will make things fun and recruiting people should be one of those goals and incentives. and this isnt where i stop, we should also have a fund for advertising.
yes i am probably being a bit extreme, these are just proposals and they dont need to be agreed on 100 percent exactly. they can be moderated and tuned a bit.
--para
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Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2006-02-20 20:26
What we can agree on is that money will help to improve the game. It is however, not everything.
I will say now this though: If Darkspace becomes focused as game based on donations which provide certain benefits only through donations, you will lose alot of the playerbase, very quickly.
Heres how.
Darkspace is already a subscription based game. We already pay with our money to play the game and recieve all benefits.
Now if you include something like this, this becomes unfair to the casual gamer, worker, whatnot, who doesnt have the money to spare to donate.
What about them? Do they not already donate to the game monthly with their subscription? Shouldent they be entitled to the same benefits?
This is where the forest thickens. Donations are usually for things that are free to play without them. That would mean, Darkspace would be free to all, but those who donated would gain extra perks.
I dont like those kinds of games.
You however, do not offer advantages and benefits of donations when there are people who already subscribe to the game, because that cheats them out.
Think about that a little.
-Ent
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thundercat984
Cadet
Joined: December 31, 2005
Posts: 166
From: southern us
| Posted: 2006-02-22 03:47
A donation system like your talking about really wouldn't fly here anyways. Most ppl i know are either un-subed or are letting there parents foot the bill. I could be wrong but I think the that there is to small a base of ppl with money in DS to make your system viable. However, making an annoucment for a donation drive for say a new server or other equipment to improve the game/community would have my total support.
i recall reading about people donating old hard drives etc. but, it looked like kind of a hassle to do (besides i'm a techy light-weight and don't know the differance between hard-drives and jump drives  ). What i'm talking about would be like a link set up in the lobby or something where a person could view their bill and then if they wished to, type in whatever amount of extra cash they would like to have drafted out that month to go to the donation drive. btw i know you can donate through paypal but not everyone looks at the boards and if there was an icon in the lobby the more casual players will be more likely to notice it.
[ This Message was edited by: thundercat982 on 2006-02-22 04:26 ]
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