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Looking for Feedback: Potential Tier Changes
🕑 Added 2022-03-24 00:49:35 +0000 UTCUPDATE: Okay, there seems to be a pretty clear consensus as to which option is preferred, so I will try Option B! However, I think I'm going to wait until the start of May to change the tiers rather than the start of April. This is primarily because, if I'm going to launch a beta testing perk, I want to launch it with something that's already available to be tested, and I'd like to think that by the start of May I'll have at least part of a new scene in a testable state.
In the event that the testing perk works out well and I choose to keep it, this is how I plan for it to work:
- When you pledge to the tier, you get access to a pinned message containing the link and password to the page that I'll update whenever I have something new for you to test
- So long as you save the link and password, you won't need to stay pledged to that tier for the entire development process to continue accessing the page
- Once the respective game project is publicly released, I'll reset the link and password
- I'll immediately set up a placeholder page and add the new link and password for my next project; this means that anyone pledging to this tier when I'm between game projects will still be able to test my next project as soon as it is ready for it
ORIGINAL POST: Hey everyone! On top of the design goals that I've already shared for my next game, I'm also looking at shaking up my Patreon tiers a little.
In particular, I'd to remove the the custom option perk for the Solar Storm tier and replace it with something that's more compatible with my workflow. As cool an experiment as I think the perk was, I'm starting to get a bit fearful that it will hamper my game development process over time as the amount of Patrons I have grows along with the amount of games I release. Ultimately, I think it'll be easier for me in the long run if I don't hand creative control around to anyone with $30. To be clear, even if I remove the perk, I will still honor it for anyone that has pledged to it in the past.
With that said, I've been trying to come up with alternative perks that are similarly enticing, but easier for me to provide and manage. One perk in particular that I've been considering is providing access to the private page that I use to test my games, allowing you to play early versions of my games as I'm making them. I like the idea of this perk, partially because it'll help me get early feedback and bug testing that I usually have to handle by myself. I don't exactly think this is worth $30, which is why I'm also considering lowering the price to $15 - $20 USD.
...however, if I do lower it to something like $15, it would be close enough to the Solar Flare tier that I might just merge those two tiers to include both early testing and in-game acknowledgements.
So here are some possible avenues that I might take, and I'm looking for your feedback as to which ones you'd prefer:
Option A:
The custom options perk for the Solar Storm ($30) and Supernova ($100) tiers is removed and replaced with access to beta testing. The price for Solar Storm is reduced to $20 USD. The Supernova tier will also include beta access.
Option B:
The custom options perk for the Solar Storm ($30) and Supernova ($100) tiers is removed. The Solar Storm tier is merged with the Solar Flare ($10) tier to become a single $15 USD tier that offers both beta testing and in-game acknowledgments. The Supernova tier will also include beta access.
Option C:
Something else entirely; feel free to provide your ideas.
I won't commit to changing the tiers until I get solid feedback on what kind of changes everyone is okay with me making, so please let me know your thoughts, especially if you currently are or might consider becoming a patron to one of the affected tiers. Thanks!
