Poll: KSP2 Monetization

[Vl3d]

A continuation of the polls regarding buying decisions.

[Catto]

Time to start saving allowance. 

A lot of it.

[Misguided Kerbal]

I personally feel like KSP is one of those games where you buy the base game, and that's really it. Maybe a few paid DLCs, sure, but KSP is definitely not suited for stuff like, I don't know, buying skins or something.

[Vl3d]

I just hope we get core gameplay improvements and upgrades for free for the lifetime of the game.

And I hate microtransactions and minor DLCs. A huge expansion DLC once every 2 years should be fine.

I also think there should be financial incentives for very high quality mods.

[miklkit]

All I really want is a less buggy KSP.  All that other stuff is just more likely to add bugs than anything else.

[snkiz]

These polls sure feel like you guys are getting ready for something....

[t_v]

10 minutes ago, snkiz said:

These polls sure feel like you guys are getting ready for something....

You mean the other people in the forum? All evidence suggests that @Vl3d is not a member of the ksp2 team… or are they?

[Bej Kerman]

Paid mods go against the spirit of KSP, and DLCs shouldn't add things that could be basic gameplay features e.g. solar sails.

[snkiz]

21 minutes ago, t_v said:

You mean the other people in the forum? All evidence suggests that @Vl3d is not a member of the ksp2 team… or are they?

Humm. I thought I saw a mod tag on him before, my mistake.

[Vl3d]

Always has been..

Edited April 28, 2022 by Vl3d

[saxappeal89129]

1) No

2) No

3) No

If KSP2 adopts microtransactions of any sort... I won't buy it. Give me a full game, or don't even bother asking for my money.

1 hour ago, miklkit said:

All I really want is a less buggy KSP.  All that other stuff is just more likely to add bugs than anything else.

^^^Very sad... and tells a LOT

[Guest]

I hugely depends on what kind of support we want post-launch for the game, if it's only bug fixes and then the studio starts working on something else completely different immediately then I guess that no-monetization is the way to go.

Personally I'd like to see new content being developed over the years, with updates and expansions, but that needs to be paid for in some form or the other.

[Pthigrivi]

Who knows what the future brings but Id love to see a few nicely tailored DLCs, including new star systems but also new gameplay layers like undersea exploration, buoyancy, solar wind and solar sails, robotics and advanced automation, more complex life support and resource management, etc. 

[mattinoz]

I did pay for 1 to 2 dlc expansions a year say 8-9 month turnaround would need to be like KSP expansion and each one include a new game machanic or system a bunch of parts toys to go with that and a new system that really challenges the system. wouldn’t pay individually for parts. Would love to see collaborations with moders in the DLC packs. 
 

if paying a mod craft sharing would rather that be direct with producer. 
 

would subscribe to host or share hosting costs of a private multi player game. 
 

 

[KSACheese]

I'm fine with buying major DLC. For example, I loved the parts and mechanics that Making History and Breaking Ground introduced into KSP. New solar systems, new mechanics, and new parts all would be worth buying IF they are a reasonable price, and are released as major packs. No Sims 4 type DLC bull.

However, when it comes to microtransactions, I will refuse to partake. As far as we know, Nate Simpson has emphatically said that KSP 2 will not have microtransactions, but only time will tell.

I am cautiously optimistic about KSP 2, as I have been burned by many games I was hyped for before. Never again. I truly hope that KSP 2 lives up to the expectations of myself and the community, but as I said before, only time will tell.

[saxappeal89129]

20 hours ago, Master39 said:

I hugely depends on what kind of support we want post-launch for the game, if it's only bug fixes and then the studio starts working on something else completely different immediately then I guess that no-monetization is the way to go.

Personally I'd like to see new content being developed over the years, with updates and expansions, but that needs to be paid for in some form or the other.

The mod community has already demonstrated that they can support KSP1 in any way imaginable... 

Dev team just needs to focus on developing a good, stable, solid game experience and I'm sure they'll have another cult classic on their hands. Once the game has been out for a year or so, then look around and sink their teeth into additional content. HOWEVER... (and this is a big but/butt), if they are as smart as we all hope they are, they'll watch the meanderings of the mod community and potentially fill in some content gaps that the mods/community just can't seem to get a grasp on etc. I don't know what that might be because I haven't played the game yet, and I haven't had one of those KSP2 in-game experiences where I've said "I wish I could do..."

I'll sum this up for everyone...

Ways to Succeed:

1) Develop a true sequel of a KSP2 game that has good content, stable, and solid gameplay

Ways to Screw this up:

1) Push out a game like CyberPunk that's not ready

2) Push DLC out a few weeks after the initial game releases

3) Alter course after release with little/no support

4) Begin creating DLC right after release and fail to provide support

5) Embracing micro-transactions

**I think everyone gets the picture here... that there are dozens of ways to screw this up, and one way to make this a success. So while everyone is debating DLC, pricing, and microtransactions (otherwise known as malarkey) do it the right way and the first time.

2 hours ago, KSACheese said:

I am cautiously optimistic about KSP 2, as I have been burned by many games I was hyped for before. Never again. I truly hope that KSP 2 lives up to the expectations of myself and the community, but as I said before, only time will tell.

Let's flesh this out a little more shall we? Which games?... CyberPunk (rushed release)...Fallout (that was a mess)...Madden (any one in the last 15yrs) etc My point here, is that you previously state in your "I wish" category for DLC and other neat stuff, which is exactly where a lot of games in recent history have gone sideways.  So how about we take a little pressure off the Dev team and say.... 1) No DLC right away, focus on THE GAME (TM), 2) If you have to push it back to 2023... so be it, so say we all. 

Furthermore, many of the things that can be DLC are usually WELL within the means of the mod community...

[saxappeal89129]

20 hours ago, Pthigrivi said:

Who knows what the future brings but Id love to see a few nicely tailored DLCs, including new star systems but also new gameplay layers like undersea exploration, buoyancy, solar wind and solar sails, robotics and advanced automation, more complex life support and resource management, etc. 

All of which can be done, and WAS done by the mod community in KSP1... I'd rather see the Dev team working on streamlining code, enabling much more complex and RL physics modeling, etc.

Slay the kraken, and these guys will be my hero...ability to have bases and orbital stations around/on every planet without the game engine going bonkers... again these guys will be my hero.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, saxappeal89129 said:

The mod community has already demonstrated that they can support KSP1 in any way imaginable... 

13 minutes ago, saxappeal89129 said:

Furthermore, many of the things that can be DLC are usually WELL within the means of the mod community...

Do you plan to pay for mods?

Otherwise what you're saying here is "Devs shouldn't wasting time and we shouldn't wasting money, there's those idiots doing all the work for free".

I want the devs to support the game, not third parties fixing it for free.

The only think I can demand and expect from devs on modding is that the game is moddable, and modder-friendly, nothing more. I don't want the plan to be hinging on taking for granted a stil non-existing modding community.

 

I want the game to have long term support, in 5 years, 10 years from now I want to be here on the forum speculating on what the next big expansion will contain, this is an open ended sandbox game, not a story driven one, let's make the comparison with similar games, it's useless to make comparisons with RPGs and shooters.

Oxygen not Included, Rimworld, Factorio, Stellaris, Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis, Timberborn, Dyson Sphere program (the last two are still in Early Access).

Those are games similar in model and scope to KSP2, different genres and settings, yes, but all games on which you can spend thousands of hours and for which big expansions are still the main monetization model and sequels only seen when there's some real technological gap to cover.

 

Monetization needs to come if we want to talk about a long term for this game, I don't think anyone here is talking about launch-day DLCs, but probably not even expecting them in the first year after release. KSP1 lasted for a decade, that's the kind of timeframe in everyone's mind here.

I wasn't very active here prior to KSP2 discussions, but my forum account will be 9 years old in a month, when I think about KSP2 I think about the next 9, not the few months after launch, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

[KSACheese]

1 hour ago, saxappeal89129 said:

Let's flesh this out a little more shall we? Which games?... CyberPunk (rushed release)...Fallout (that was a mess)...Madden (any one in the last 15yrs) etc My point here, is that you previously state in your "I wish" category for DLC and other neat stuff, which is exactly where a lot of games in recent history have gone sideways.  So how about we take a little pressure off the Dev team and say.... 1) No DLC right away, focus on THE GAME (TM), 2) If you have to push it back to 2023... so be it, so say we all. 

I only mean to say that I refuse to preorder any game, at least within the near future. The examples you point out, as well as others that you have not, are all precisely why I decide not to preorder. There are successful launches of games, absolutely, but when it comes to preordering, I choose to not take that risk.

Also, I'm not exactly sure where you get the idea that my comments are in any way "pressuring" the dev team, nor was I saying that DLC should be any sort of priority at launch. I also tend to agree, not vocally as I don't post here all that often, that delaying a game when it needs more work is a preferable alternative to a bad game. Furthermore, I also never said I was "wishing" for any of this. The poll itself clearly asks "What are you OK spending money on after buying the KSP2 base game?" which is not equivalent to a "wish-list". In fact, I would rather not have to buy more content when I have already paid for a full game release. However, if DLC was implemented, and had some of the features I noted in my comment, I might be willing to purchase it within reason.

[Vl3d]

10 hours ago, saxappeal89129 said:

many of the things that can be DLC are usually WELL within the means of the mod community

It seems like you don't know / care about the huge amount of work and sacrifice needed to make and maintain a good mod. @linuxgurugamer is a god in this regard. Other modders too.

Also, why do you think that the majority of the players prefer mods instead of a good stock game?

Personally I only installed ReStock+, visual mods and MechJeb (just to eliminate some repetition). I like and respect stock KSP, I think it's a polished and nice experience except for a few remaining bugs and some outdated graphics.

I expect to 95% play stock KSP2.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Vl3d

[mcwaffles2003]

How does one buy easter eggs? If you know you are getting it then it's not an easter egg, it's just normal content.

[Vl3d]

2 minutes ago, mcwaffles2003 said:

How does one buy easter eggs? If you know you are getting it then it's not an easter egg, it's just normal content.

Let's say "story packages" containing missions, quests, lore, hidden stuff, cinematics etc.

[modus]

24 minutes ago, Vl3d said:

Let's say "story packages" containing missions, quests, lore, hidden stuff, cinematics etc.

I really hope they don't do this.  the lack of 'stories' and quests is a big plus for me in ksp1.

[pandaman]

39 minutes ago, Vl3d said:

Let's say "story packages" containing missions, quests, lore, hidden stuff, cinematics etc.

Hmm. 

I'm not a fan of 'story modes', as I feel they force you down a set path.  I want to 'play the game' not follow a set script.  But as DLC expansions, if done well I can certainly see the appeal.    

[Vl3d]

I really, really, really want stories. I like books too. I don't feel they force anything. I feel like people who don't want quests or stories can just play the game as usual like an open world sandbox. But those of us who want stories really suffer because of this attitude.

I have an idea in the back of my mind related to stories: the only value I see for the Karecibo message is that the Kraken breaking the rocket is something central to the story of KSP2. So there might be a narrative motivation to go interstellar because of it.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Vl3d