Discussion: Implementing an Item Store.

I was just wondering whether an item store would be implemented and what it sell.

I think there would eventually be one, considering the game will have servers and Uber's history with games implementing item stores MNC and SMNC. Naturally if Uber intended for this to become a real RTS you wont be able to buy special units or power ups (buy power) or map packs.

So the items would have to purely cosmetic, any ideas?
- New textures/colours for units. What about explosions? Buy custom explosion textures, have them green or blue (assuming that is not dependent on the unit being destroyed) or even better have it explode into awesome faces. (if not that needs to be a mod)
- New models (not new units and still easily identifiable as that unit for competitive play)

Any other ideas?

Hmm. This is typically the design for a F2P style game, however, with purchased games such as this one, these types of things are either provided as they are thought up of in updates, or unlocked through gaming experience, instead of using actual money.

While this style of an item store works very, very well in F2P games like SMNC and TF2 (both quite fun), most people view it as DLC in a purchase type game, and as such, DLC is something of a taboo around here.

Just my 2 cents. Who knows, they might provide an item store. I just don't know how much people would like it.

Very dangerous idea. I am 99.9% against this. However I can entertain the notion of how it might be done, provided it stays the HELL out of the actual game.

Absolutely must be gameplay-agnostic, first off. There will be no sale of in-game content or advantage. You cannot sell units, you cannot sell weapons, you ABSOLUTELY cannot sell upgrades or boosts to anything in-game. You cannot sell UI, you cannot sell maps, you cannot sell anything that affects the actual game, in a strategy game.

Cosmetic items, unit skins, sound effects, etc. are, I suppose, OK. Hats, for example. But be careful about pulling a Riot and charging outrageous prices for single items- Riot charges $20 for a single in-game skin- that is beyond ridiculous. I can buy four or five entire games for that, how much do you think one skin is worth, fools.

Could not put it better.

Plus, it would be stupid as this game will be supporting so much modding, everyone will just make a "free" version of the same stuff. It would never work, yet it would make lots of people upset.

Item stores are for f2p games. I surely hope this doesn't end up a f2p game...

They can sell as many hats for Commandeers they like.
But nothing that affects game-play please.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind cosmetics as long the major part of the money is used to enhance the game, as in, develop new features etc.

Drink bleach.

I'm not that much against it but I would prefer them not making it.
If it would be needed to fund servers I would be O.K with that.
But I think mods will make a free version of everything. And to limit the mod support just so they can have a shop is a no no for me.

I believe this accurately sums up my thoughts on the matter.

I've been pretty good with my Uber predictions.

Expect this game to follow the Guild Wars 2 model. Full game experience with a purchase, but Uber will offer cosmetic and other random stuff to customize your robot armies and such.

You guys WANT this. This revenue will pay for future expansions/DLC.

Again, the market has changed since 1999. The 1-sale packaged product model is dead.

It lives on in my heart.

Customize, as in, non-game altering random skins or so, right?

this.
if it helps to fund long-term support thats just what we need.

I don't think it's going to work for strategy games where players are almost exclusively interested in the aspects of the game that enhance gameplay.

Look around the forums, barely anyone here actually cares about à la carte downloadable-content. Selling individual units is out of the question as everyone ends up having different sets of units in what would end up as a balance nightmare. For all the other cosmetic crap, if it doesn't affect gameplay then barely anyone will want it and we certainly won't want developers wasting their time on it.

For first-person shooters or DOTA style games you tend to get less intellectual types who are more interested in that kind of thing. That's not the way this community is.

I'm pretty sure that if StarCraft I could sell on its own merit for a decade with only balance patches since the last expansion, as well as StarCraft II, then Planetary Annihilation can do the same.

Uber just has to balance the game and support it indefinitely. Expansion packs that make meaningful additions to the game that end up well-tested and well-balanced will be profitable as they have been in the past.