CIG to charge $5 CCU fee

How do you feel about this?

  • Ok with it

    Votes: 12 15.0%
  • Not ok with it

    Votes: 45 56.3%
  • Don't Care

    Votes: 7 8.8%
  • Beer

    Votes: 16 20.0%

  • Total voters
    80

Bigcracker

Space Marshal
Feb 2, 2015
397
1,470
2,400
RSI Handle
Bigcracker8789
"I would also like to announce an upcoming change to the CCU system. Starting with this sale, the base price for all CCUs will be $5. We’ve been thinking about this change for a while because there are currently 1.1 million unused CCUs in our system. That’s great for funding because it means there are a million potential ships backers can upgrade to at any time. It’s not so good for our designers, who use data on ships owned in their balancing work. As you can imagine, that’s getting more important the closer we get to the in-game economy!

We’re going with this route because it still allows you to make changes in your ships but will hopefully limit the amount of previously-$0 ‘cross grade’ CCUs that are being stockpiled for a number of reasons (some as intended, others not!) The additional $5 will be included in the ship’s overall value, so it will be returned should you decide to melt something. This will not impact existing CCUs already purchased and it will not change your ability to melt older ships for credit to switch over to a new concept."
I think this is a mistake from CIG, I usually like to CCU my ships from time to time to try something new and not have the feeling to be stuck in one ship. How do you feel about this new change?
 

Beerjerker

Grand Admiral
Sep 8, 2015
2,205
9,596
1,350
RSI Handle
Beerjerker
Think the "balancing work" reasoning doesn't hold water. So I don't think it's balancing gameplay for gameplay's sake, like it should be.

Doubt 1.1 million sold at $0 will sell nearly as well at $5. So I don't think it will generate revenue, just discourage use of a feature.

I enjoyed CCUs and melting/unmelting to try different ships. Something you could do for $0 after you already pledged has kept me interested more than I think I would've been otherwise. Kept me interested enough to follow development and pledge more real cash (more than I would consider reasonable for a video game), even subscribed because it was fun to try out the new stuff. If that cost me $5 every time, I would still be sitting on a $45 Aurora package only and only check back in at release.

Kind of a bummer. Kills off a bit of the game I was enjoying. Feels like it did when quarter arcades started charging 50 cents.
 

Beerjerker

Grand Admiral
Sep 8, 2015
2,205
9,596
1,350
RSI Handle
Beerjerker
So there will be no more 0 dollar CCUs. But all the CCUs I have right now will remain the price they already are.

That's what I'm reading.

Am I drunk, or right? Or am I right for being drunk?
Probably they won't change if they are in your hangar. Future $0 CCUs will cost $5, and it sounds like all CCUs will cost $5 more. Basically a $5 cost just for upgrading anymore. I imagine if you have any CCUs in your buyback will increase by $5 if you try to buy them back.
And you are not wrong for being drunk.
 

MikeAlphaTangoTango

Space Marshal
Oct 2, 2014
425
1,572
1,960
RSI Handle
MikeAlphaTangoTango
This seems like a real turn-off for those who keep making small upgrades to their ship(s), as they'll end up paying way more than before... I guess they're doing it to try and claw back some money for the website backend that has to manage all the CCUs and ship purchases, kinda like an 'Upgrade Tax'
 

Bigcracker

Space Marshal
Feb 2, 2015
397
1,470
2,400
RSI Handle
Bigcracker8789
This seems like a real turn-off for those who keep making small upgrades to their ship(s), as they'll end up paying way more than before... I guess they're doing it to try and claw back some money for the website backend that has to manage all the CCUs and ship purchases, kinda like an 'Upgrade Tax'
I built up my 2nd ship that way. I had a dedicated fighter and I started with a mustang and ccu up to several ships until I found a ship that was just right. If I do that with the new system I would of spent around $40-50 extra.
 

supitza

Vault Dweller
Aug 5, 2015
2,000
8,576
3,010
RSI Handle
AstroSupitza
And I was concerned because of this: "We want the backers to test our newly-released Javelin. Please pay us $2500 so you can test it."
No, wait. Make that $2505.

I love Star Citizen as much as the next guy, but damn.
 

Grimm_Reaper

Space Marshal
May 22, 2014
445
1,583
2,450
RSI Handle
Grimm_Reaper
This nickle and dimeing bullshit is a kick in the teeth. They have a game thats still early alpha, no set stats or even classification. Their UI ingame is constantly undergoing changes. Their new ships (E.g. fighters) are always more powerful than the earlier versions, more hardpoints, bigger hardpoint sizes more agile, greater speed while old ships are kinda redundant 300 series, avenger, mustang, vanguard, constellations etc.

This is probably Sandi and the marketing teams idea. If this was a developer they would have implemented coded changes to the system or improved CCU to upgrade, downgrade and dynamically change with increased base ship pricing. This is almost as bad as discounting ships lower than concept prices.

I have around 3k invested in this. At any given moment I customize my fleet based on new updates and stat changes and my needs. Now I'm losing more cause I have to pay a useless surcharge for fleet customizations.
 

Shadow Reaper

Space Marshal
Jun 3, 2016
4,814
13,989
2,850
RSI Handle
Shadow Reaper
I don't think it is true the newer ships are always more powerful than the older ones. The Bucky, Hurricane and Guardian are all inferior to the Hornet and Sabre, IMHO.

I do think you should complain loudly about the $5 fee. if you don't you are stuck with it, and if you do it will likely not become a real thing.

CIG cannot afford to have the base pissed off at the nickel and diming, especially since they have already collected almost $150M under a different agreement, and any lawsuit would certainly win as they have in the past.
 

Grimm_Reaper

Space Marshal
May 22, 2014
445
1,583
2,450
RSI Handle
Grimm_Reaper
I don't think it is true the newer ships are always more powerful than the older ones. The Bucky, Hurricane and Guardian are all inferior to the Hornet and Sabre, IMHO.

I do think you should complain loudly about the $5 fee. if you don't you are stuck with it, and if you do it will likely not become a real thing.

CIG cannot afford to have the base pissed off at the nickel and diming, especially since they have already collected almost $150M under a different agreement, and any lawsuit would certainly win as they have in the past.
The buccaneer is a pretty good fighter with a solid customizable loadout. I consider it better than a Hornet but not the Sh though.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

Space Marshal
Donor
Jan 5, 2016
11,805
43,346
3,150
RSI Handle
NaffNaffBobFace
"It’s not so good for our designers, who use data on ships owned in their balancing work."

Okay so lets look at this logically - The number of CCU's give them data as to potentially how many ships and potential ships are in the system at any one time, so 150,000 Sabres with another 25k potential Sabres CCU waiting to happen.

So for balancing... erm... That will tell them... er...

How much to charge for a Sabre in future? If there are more than they want, jack up the price or just stop selling it?

I can't think of anything else other than the price they will sell a ship for set a ship as a gift to you in return for your pledge to development.

So... excuse me for sounding flippant but it is the only way I can word this question, it is not intended to sound negative but: "For balancing reasons" - is this how they announce the Pay To Win model is being introduced in to the game?
 

Beerjerker

Grand Admiral
Sep 8, 2015
2,205
9,596
1,350
RSI Handle
Beerjerker
"It’s not so good for our designers, who use data on ships owned in their balancing work."

Okay so lets look at this logically - The number of CCU's give them data as to potentially how many ships and potential ships are in the system at any one time, so 150,000 Sabres with another 25k potential Sabres CCU waiting to happen.

So for balancing... erm... That will tell them... er...

How much to charge for a Sabre in future? If there are more than they want, jack up the price or just stop selling it?

I can't think of anything else other than the price they will sell a ship for set a ship as a gift to you in return for your pledge to development.

So... excuse me for sounding flippant but it is the only way I can word this question, it is not intended to sound negative but: "For balancing reasons" - is this how they announce the Pay To Win model is being introduced in to the game?
The balance reasoning rubbed me the wrong way too. But I wouldn't be overly surprised if the numbers were more like 150k Sabres in game with another 300k possible Sabres out there. Might just be and excuse peppered with vidya game lingo to make it sound more acceptable.
I'd guess they are balancing their sales records rather than balancing any kind of gameplay. And if CCUs are such a burden, I would expect the next thing on the chopping block to be melting and un-melting.
SC will always have a bit of pay-to-win stank on it so long as it has microtransactions. Hopefully, they will managed it okay, but it will always be there.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

Space Marshal
Donor
Jan 5, 2016
11,805
43,346
3,150
RSI Handle
NaffNaffBobFace
The balance reasoning rubbed me the wrong way too. But I wouldn't be overly surprised if the numbers were more like 150k Sabres in game with another 300k possible Sabres out there. Might just be and excuse peppered with vidya game lingo to make it sound more acceptable.
I'd guess they are balancing their sales records rather than balancing any kind of gameplay. And if CCUs are such a burden, I would expect the next thing on the chopping block to be melting and un-melting.
SC will always have a bit of pay-to-win stank on it so long as it has microtransactions. Hopefully, they will managed it okay, but it will always be there.
Thanks for the calm reply Beerjerker.

Every few months I just need someone to say "Look, they are making the game and it is coming and you just need to wait" and then I see reason again, calm down and stop shouting like a child. It's usually about a month before the next patch goes live.

Ship Sales will not go on forever. I know that. But the day it stops i'll be super-pissed. I'll see it coming and i'll know it's coming and this is probably just the first step of maybe ten steps of ship sales stopping. Round about step 5 or 6 it'll be clear they don't want my money, don't need my money and would prefer I play the game rather than open my wallet.
 
Last edited:

NaffNaffBobFace

Space Marshal
Donor
Jan 5, 2016
11,805
43,346
3,150
RSI Handle
NaffNaffBobFace
Forgot your password?