The Character Slot Debacle: Proposal - a Buyback Program.

Sell the ornate items with a pre-alpha (PA) marker on them. Use the blue runic found on printing presses and put a tiny "PA" in blue runic on items in store. As we move on to Alpha and Beta they could make new stamps creating a hierarchy of rarity based on game design phase.



Ornate items could become rare (players love rare), be identifiable that they were bought to support the game (pride of purchase) and allow for the non-marked ornate to be created in game but still be differentiated by the PA (Pre-Alpha) runic stamp (equality of beauty for all).

I think it is a fairly benign issue but if we set-up two houses with in-game items vs. add-on store items it would become obvious that this game is pay-for-beauty. I know this is not a major issue but for all the new players we hope to see at launch they will be relegated to always having less beautiful stuff if we keep up this trend.

 

FWIW,

I pledged at the level I'm at now (as a Benefactor back at the start of the year, shortly after PAX South) to gain access to future Episodes & for the additional character slots. I can get that the original vision of the game was more in the spirit of the old Ultimas, yet, in my view, the advantage for multiple characters will be that I can take different approaches with each character. And, with the character generation supposed to be akin to that of U4+, that can be easy for me (there were literal times when my virtue choice was a coin toss, since I valued both choices equally).

And, the linking of character reputations does make sense to me, especially considering how all characters benefit from the actions of 1 from the account (as opposed to having to go through the process again & again per each character). For one, I think it may serve as a means to prevent players from creating a "spy" character whom they can keep in good graces with a faction, only to come back in the game with that same player knowledge and exploit it via another character. But, that's just my view on the matter.

As it is, I'm kicking myself for not funding much earlier in the game's development (but then again, I was sort of unaware of it, getting married & becoming a dad & all of that at the time), especially with some of the rewards that were available (and the income which I could have spent at the time). But, it is what it is. I don't begrudge those who've gotten exclusives for backing the game early that can no longer be obtained, though I will admit it has me measuring how much I want to invest further, given the payoff won't be as much now as it would've been if I pledged earlier.

That being said, I did pay for a pledge with extra character slots, and I would like to keep them. I would not be keen on the proposed buyback idea.