New Feature: VIP Membership *Updated (6/17/19)

Theros

Like others have already pointed out, the game is too unpolished for VIP and an unpolished beta does not deserve the $30 price tag for the followings points:
-Lack of new contents
-Leveling and card mastery not ironed out
-game stability
-underwhelming PWs and cards 
-Bugs and lot of them. They seem to be recurring somehow.
-The ranking system that many complained about. Octagon never made a comment on issue nor should it be expected.
-Radio silence on some major issues and poor communication.

I expect the radio silence on major issues  and lack of communication to remain unchanged after 3.4. It's their cultural habit; not gonna change overnight.
I also expect bugs and instability as usual. Unless 3.4 rewrites the game in a new engine.
I also expect lack of new content and old event recycles.

Brigby said:

That certainly is understandable, which is why our team wanted to include as many bug fixes into the 3.4 update as we could; this includes the soft-locks players have been encountering. 

In addition, we're dedicating a large portion of an upcoming build to addressing Game Performance Stability and Loading Time.

Game stability, loading time, bug fixes and soft-locks are logically first before any kind of VIP. They are way overdue since day 1. VIP should not be a precondition to those important fixes.

Finally, the content of this game is not worth $30 by a long shot; we get so little for too much. Other digital card games provide more contents for that much with trading and what have you.

D3 is likely holding Octagon back.

ElfNeedsFood

I need something to motivate me to log in and actually play every day, not something to reward me for just writing a check...

Bil

   After a better look at the rewards, i was confused to realize that even the higher VIP plan would never compensate the loss of RT in terms of boosters, jewels, orbs or runes ...
 Not to mention the boosters you get don't even come from the latest set ...

  A player that would start paying 30 bucks/month would still see all his incomes drastically reduced with this update.

  What kind of twisted mind would sign for this ... and how could someone design such a poor VIP transition plan?

Theros

Bil said:

   After a better look at the rewards, i was confused to realize that even the higher VIP plan would never compensate the loss of RT in terms of boosters, jewels, orbs or runes ...
 Not to mention the boosters you get don't even come from the latest set ...

  A player that would start paying 30 bucks/month would still see all his incomes drastically reduced with this update.

  What kind of twisted mind would sign for this ... and how could someone design such a poor VIP transition plan?

You tell us

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Wolfteeth

So now you can pay 30 bucks a month to play the same 7 events!?!??!?  Are you all high??????

coldity

Due to this announcement of the new VIP stuff I'm just massively disappointed... Most of things are already said by any other players, but I just have to write this comment though.

I'm not a player of the very early days, started playing MtGPQ around one and a half year ago and since I've played it the first time it was definitely my mobile game of choice but it looks like these days belong to the past.

Now it seems, that the developers are just thinking about how to kill this game completely. I mean, when you think about what this 3.4. release contains actually, you'll see it's gonna be:

1. Bringing back Zendikar vs. Eldrazi:
Sure, when it was introduced and scheduled a couple of months ago, it was interesting, the rewards were quite good but actually the community is not getting served any new content right now (except for some changes of cards/rules/recharge times). And for this kind of changes you needed this hell of a time?! Sorry, but I can't get it. 

2. Bug Fixes
Heeeyy, bug fixes.
First of all, all other games I play are updated or patched from time to time (at least once a month), to get rid of annoying bugs, which massively decrease the fun fact of playing the game. When I think about it, MtGPQ is the only game I know when this takes place just every three months round about with a "new" x.y. "release"...

While reading the list of bugs that are apparently getting fixed, the list of bugs on my mind grows, that are not mentioned on this list, e.g. graveyard marshall, which is actually a pretty nice card but I personally don't use it most of the time cause his activated gems aren't working (since I got this card) // Tithe Taker, which has afterlife 4 as the card says but actually it's afterlife 1 (and that it's sold in the vault as "afterlife bundle" for $10.99 makes it even more ridiculous) // biomancer's familiar, that should trigger AND destroy an adapted gem at the beginning of your turn but I've never seen a gem getting destroyed by it // and so much more, I won't mention becauce my post is gonna be a novel just now.

And the list of bugs that will come back or maybe occure again after a couple of weeks isn't mentioned at all.

3. The VIP Plans
Summary until now: With the new 3.4. "Release" the players actually aren't getting any new content but just a warmed up event which got improved a little and some bug fixes, which maybe could have done with some minor patches in the meantime but noooooow, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts and be prepared for the best thing around upcoming with the new update: in the eyes of the developers in the future you have to pay for all this. According to this I have just one question: Are you freakin kidding me?! 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely against paying for games, apps or services at all. As long as it's worth it. You want me to pay $30 a month for a master plan? First, I'm from europe, so here it would be €30 which is even more expensive. Second, I'm a xbox player as well and the fee for getting the online services is €60 A YEAR. Besides this, when you payed it, you'll receive two full version games per month.. now compare with your "offer", perhaps you'll see it yourself... 

You obviously are at the point now, that you see this as last possibility to get the player's money, to more or less force them to pay (or they will just get the minimum of cheapest rewards). You're obviously not even thinking about the negative consequences. Sure, it might be, that some players out there will pay it, but did you figure out how many you will lose on the other hand. Or did you think about the many many players, who will pay for sure for the game or it's content and without any bad thoughts while doing this? Just as long as you provide a stable, well balanced and fair game, which is getting new and I mean NEW content from time to time to keep the game thrilling and interesting. Just as long as the community isn't completely ignored? Or just as long as the prices for your products are not completely blown away? As long as it's their decision, as long they can keep up (maybe a little slower) without doing it? I don't think so... 

I for myself will see what actually the update brings exactly and if it's indeed the way I suspect, I'm also gonna deinstall this, so far wonderful game, so sad it would be..

OmegaLolrus

starfall said:

I'm not at all in favor of this idea, but I can't say I'm particularly opposed to it.

This looks like a subscription, but actually it's more of a bundle. There are already a large number of ways to buy bundles of currencies and boosters in the vault.

The Master VIP package ($30, 35000r, 350c, 150j, 10packs) is better value than the Epic Starter Pack ($40, 45000r, 400c, 150j, 8packs), but not by a huge amount.

I can't imagine anyone wanting to give Oktagon money for a game in this state, but if they do, maybe the game will become better, and from my position in Platinum Tier it doesn't seem like anyone will be paying to win against me any time soon.

Ask me again, however, when they release a bunch of broken MPs in WAR.

I can't really say it any better than that. I think the timing is horrid, but nothing else about the announcement is out of line, I think. That's cash I wind up spending during a month anyway. This winds up giving me more bang for my buck, I think.

Well, same amount if bang, but a more varied array of bang. I still have a lot of fun playing, so... I'm not adverse.

GregDreher

I believe d3go needs some remedial economics education if they want to learn how to maximize revenue in this game.  From the beginning, you should have seen that charging $30 for one card was ridiculous.  That's not far from the cost of a full, playable game with hundreds of hours of replay value.  Now, you want to charge for a subscription service that is far above the market price for online services with games that are orders of magnitude better than MTGPQ.

Repeat after me: You are competing with Candy Crush Saga and Bejeweled Blitz.  You are not competing with XBox Live.

Let me suggest the following prices for VIP status:

Basic: Free if you play at least one game 20 days a month

Pro: $3 a month

Master: $6 a month

Stalker

ElfNeedsFood said:

I need something to motivate me to log in and actually play every day, not something to reward me for just writing a check...

For those that write checks, they want to play, but have better things to do on most days, and time is valuable. So for those casual gamers a pay to keep up option in forced activity games should always be considered. Until the dust settles we have no idea if the vip is an additional feature or a nee must have to even keep up.

Brigby

Hi Everyone. There are a lot of questions and comments in here, so I'll be taking some time today to go through them all and address as many as I can. Naturally this might take a bit of time, as questions and comments flow in, so thank you all for your patience.

Update: In addition, I may be answering some questions out of order. That's not because I'm ignoring specific ones. It's simply because those answers I know off the top of my head, and other answers I may need to consult with the rest of our team in order to find it out.

Funkula

There is another F2P game I enjoy where you get a lot of content and VIP for just $5 a month.  Just sayin.

Also agree with others that the bugs in this game are rampant.  There are times I'm afraid to cast a spell or draw a card cause It might glitch something out and cost me the round.

bk1234

While I understand and agree with the sentiment that there should be bigger priorities than rolling out a VIP program, I do not agree that it’s going to kill the game. 

In MtGPQ; skill trumps collection 100% of the time. Some of the biggest spenders are horrible deck builders and players, and I’ve seen many F2P players do amazing things with almost nothing. 

Because of this, I’m planting myself firmly in the wait and see camp. Real life is too precious to raise my blood pressure over something that, based on past experience with low versus high spenders will likely have little impact. 

If it does, I’ll change my tune. 

CanSpice

As a F2P player I'm really sad that we're getting a double whammy on this one. This VIP plan + taking out Rising Tension is a real killer.

Brigby

Mburn7 said:

Guaranteed Non-Duplicate Legacy Masterpiece, 12 Non-Dupe Rares, and a button of currency for $45 and 3 months of time?  And this is (I assume) repeatable as long as you skip a month of membership?

And you get EVEN MORE cards-for-cash offers that nobody else can see?

AND YOU GET EARLY ACCESS TO NEW STUFF?

-snip-

Tier rewards are only redeemable once when the player reaches that Tier. They are not repeatable.

Early access to content is in the same vein as the current Exclusive Card bundles where players can acquire it ahead of time, but all players will eventually have access to it at some point.

Azerack said:

Also, can you switch between plans and still maintain the Tier level,  or does it reset?

Switching between plans does not reset it to Tier 1. If you stop a plan or downgrade to a Basic plan, then the Tier will be maintained for 1 month before it starts dropping a level each following month.

sjechua said:

Brigby ... so, if you pay for 6 consecutive months of VIP Membership Pro Plan @ USD$89.94, do you gain the ability to craft Masterpieces indefinitely at Tier 6? Or is it only for 1-month?

How many Mana Orbs would be required to craft a Masterpiece after the 5-month wait?

-snip-

So long as you are at Tier 6 or higher, then the option to craft Masterpieces will always be available to you in Booster Crafting.

Newest Set: 15,000 Mana Orbs
Standard: 10,000 Mana Orbs
Legacy: 6,000 Mana Orbs

Klep said:

Brigby I am seriously considering one of these plans, but there are some questions I'd really like to have answers to first.

1) Are the "immediate burst" rewards only on starting a plan, or also on renewing one?

2) Are the Tier rewards granted on a recurring basis or only the month we achieve that tier?

3) What happens if and when a player of a particular VIP tier runs out of non-dupe rares to acquire?  Is their weekly rare just converted to orbs?

4) What are the nature of these vault promotions and one-time offers VIP status grants us access to?  Are there any examples you can provide of what we could expect?

5) How many orbs will it cost to craft a Masterpiece?

I think there's room for good value here, but if in the long run I'm just paying, say, $15/mo for 100 yellows, 20 pinks, 400 orbs, 10,000 runes, and the occasional handful of additional pinks from buying stuff it begins to feel significantly less attractive.  It's very difficult to gauge the value of these plans when it seems like much of the value is tied to unspecified opportunities to give you more money, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that this is coming at the same time that Rising Tensions - one of the most popular things this game has ever done - is being removed from daily rotation.

1) The immediate rewards are also on renewing a plan.
2) The Tier reward is only granted once, when the player achieves that Tier.
3) Yes. It would be converted to Mana Orbs.
4) I'll have to look into that.
5) Newest Set: 15,000 Mana Orbs | Standard: 10,000 Mana Orbs | Legacy: 6,000 Mana Orbs

Brigby

*Added an FAQ section to the original article

Mburn7

Uhh, one more question:

From the Master section:

"Just like the Pro plan, you’ll also get access to exclusive content before anyone else, a wider pool of booster packs to choose from in the Vault, and special discounts. What is only available for those in the Master plan though is the ability to craft Masterpiece cards in Booster Crafting!"

From the FAQ:

"So long as you are at Tier 6 or higher, then the option to craft Masterpieces will always be available to you in Booster Crafting."
___________________________________________________________________________________________

So is this saying that there is no difference between Pro and Master plans until you've been paying for it for 6 months?  Or is Master able to craft Masterpieces from the start and Pro has to wait 6 months?

@Brigby I think a little more clarification is needed here before someone wastes a couple hundred dollars.

Ampersand

@Brigby
Also how will the early access to exclusives function? will VIP members be able to buy first at a discount, then non-VIP players can buy exclusives, then later they become acquireable for gold/packs as they always have been?

Or can they only be purchased early by VIP members, then everyone else has to wait until PWs are available for gold or exclusive cards hit the booster packs/Elite+ packs?

Brigby

Mburn7 said:

-snip-
So is this saying that there is no difference between Pro and Master plans until you've been paying for it for 6 months?  Or is Master able to craft Masterpieces from the start and Pro has to wait 6 months?

Brigby I think a little more clarification is needed here before someone wastes a couple hundred dollars.

I just spoke with the rest of our team, and looks like there was a bit of confusion in communication. It would appear that Masterpiece Crafting is only tied to Tier 6, and not specifically to the Master plan. I will be sure to correct this in the original post.

wereotter

BigSwifty said:

I don't mind the Free to pay, Pay to Win mentality. It is what it is. Only real problem I have here is the price point. This is in line with what you would pay for most MMORPGs, tv streaming services and more. I think this is more than I pay for HBO.

I think 5-10 dollars a month would be better. As it is, I can't see myself dropping the money on this on an annual basis. Maybe one month at the most. If the cost came down I would reconsider.

Just my 2 cents.

Not sure which mmorpg you’re thinking of.... but I can say this price point is twice what I pay for Final Fantasy XIV. Comparing it like that, I have to agree, it’s way too high when you compare what you get in an mmo versus a mobile game.