[Replacement Poll] What do you think of the new VIP Membership system?

TomB

I don't have a problem with it, but I won't be participating.

My vote would have been several ticks lower on the scale, but after reading Volrath's evaluation (and JUST looking at VIP in and of itself) I have to admit that, by itself, it doesn't really change anything about my game and how I play. There have always been people who spend a lot more money than I do to acquire cards/packs/PW's to give themselves competitive advantage, and it's never bothered me this much before. Maybe this has been bothering me more because this codifies the practice, and, in a manner of speaking, exalts them for doing so, giving them "VIP status" marking them out as more important to the game.

Maybe they should be given their own forum, where they can relay their concerns about the game. Maybe D3/Oktagon will listen better to them and their concerns since they are, in fact, Very Important People...lol

But anyway, such conjecture is petty and unrealistic, and ignores the basic fact that VIP may be exactly what's needed to save the game. It's obvious they need more developers to code and fix things, and professionals don't work for free. Finding a way to pay for all that is necessary, and if VIP enables that then so be it. I DO wish it cost less, but then, it wouldn't make any sense giving away all the extra benefits to go along with it. Maybe they should have a basic plan for $5 a month that gives you 100 crystals and a small handful of pinkies for your trouble. $5 from 10 people beats $30 from 1 if you do the math.

At least, that's the way I'd look at it...

Boogeyman

TomB said:

But anyway, such conjecture is petty and unrealistic, and ignores the basic fact that VIP may be exactly what's needed to save the game. It's obvious they need more developers to code and fix things, and professionals don't work for free.

If this was the only game that they were working on, you may have more of a point.  BUT this is not the only game they are working on.  In fact, MTGPQ and it's community have been neglected.  

[Conjecture On]
It has been a downward spiral because the less money they get from a platform, the less resources they put towards it.  It is kind of a catch 22.  Therefore, we see less effort, care, and feeding.  

The devs say, "If more money was spent, we would pay more attention to the game."  The community says, "If the devs spent more time on the game, we would pay more."  In this instance, it is in the devs hands to take a risk and put the necessary care into the game and its community.  If they do not, they will not gain and we will lose.  
[Conjecture Off]

Unknown

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Tilwin90

I'm not a fan, but I'll see how it plays out.

Oh wow been off for a bit and still am (have half an hour window while in vacation and here I am skulking the forums) and all hell breaks loose.

VIP packages are not a new concept so I can't say I am surprised to see them. The execution as always feels ridiculous.
- Spend cash to gain access to more cash offers? You're joking, right? Allow premium members to gain access to special offers paid in in-game currency sure, but otherwise this is a super silly feature. 
- The bonuses are super meh. I already have a full mythic-- collection so why would I care about legacy packs or guaranteed non duplicate rares? 
- The prices are super ridiculous. I already have a premium membership for another game for which I basically pay something similar to your first tier for features similar to the second. The super premium is way too expensive and that's even priced the same as your second tier. Way too expensive to be worth it. 
- Replacing farm or actual event rewards with paid subscriptions feels bad. Really bad. Turning this game into a pure pay to win loses from most of the fun. 
- The only feature relevant out of this whole new thing is MP crafting. And even for that you have to wait 6 months and pay $180 (then continue paying not to lose the benefit). That's just ridiculous. 

N. B. THE concept is not unheard of, the rewards are super meh and not worth the investment for a veteran, the extra paid offers are just a stupid concept in the context of a paid subscription, the prices are too high for me to invest, and finally the whole tier system adds unnecessary complexity and feels bad for the players. 

[Deleted User]

I'm not a fan, but I'll see how it plays out.

.

TomB said:

Maybe they should be given their own forum, where they can relay their concerns about the game. Maybe D3/Oktagon will listen better to them and their concerns since they are, in fact, Very Important People...lol

Pay money. Be a beta tester. Sounds legit.

But, otherwise, the other things you said makes complete sense

HarryMason

I'm not a fan, but I'll see how it plays out.

I'm not a fan. I don't even have an issue with the VIP situation, necessarily. My issue is more about timing. This seems like something that should have happened in like 2016 or 2017. The term 'blatant cash grab' usually gets an instant eye roll from me. I really can't come up with a single better answer as to why this is happening now, though. Guess it's time to sit back and watch the show. 

Bubbles

I like it, but there are some things I would like to see adjusted.

I think the idea is great - after all, the developers dinner won't get paid if everyone is F2P and we don't have adverts in this game, but the current pricing structure is ridiculous and feels greedy or like they want to run the game down as not profitable enough, I play many games and usually the monthly fee for VIP extras is below the £3.00 mark and something I can justify and afford. For the fees they are suggesting right now, I can buy a PC game and play it forever for free each month - that is way too much

Monkeynutts

I am against this and it will affect my engagement in the game. (Please explain.)

Tight developers. Trim everything back for anyone on F2P pushing them to pay into the over priced VIP system that is as buggy as the game itself....oh and £300+ a year. Bwahaha!!
I'll eventually stop playing after playing since the beta. It just gets worse.