Yes they are, especially given how many you need for things like clothing and furniture upgrades. Many items cost, IMO, a lot to upgrade in RL money, which seems a bit extreme for cosmetic pixel upgrades. Using the cheapest additional credit purchase option outside of subscriptions ($25 USD (special) for 500 credits = $.05/credit):
10 credit items = $.50
15 credit items = $.75
25 credit items = $1.25
40 credit items = $2.00
55 credit items = $2.75
75 credit items = $3.75
So, since they likely will never change it...think before you upgrade...
Guess that depends on how you look at it really...
A-la-carte credits run from 5 - 7.5 cents. Given you need at least 10 credits to really do much of something that means items cost between 50 and 75 cents.
A Copper Subscription costs $9 a month and includes 150 credits... meaning the credits cost about 6 cents each (if you don't think about the teleport tokens and votes). You could purchase a full year for $88, that's 1,800 credits over the course of a year or 4.8 cents a credit.
A Moly Subscription costs $15 monthly and includes 400 credits... so those credits cost 3.75 cents each. A full year will cost $145 and include 4,800 credits. That means the credits wind up being about 3 cents each.
From playing other MMO's I can say the monthly fees are right in line with the rest of the industry. The annual subscription advantages are well above what you'll find in other games. If I compare how we use credits in Glitch (for window dressing), Glitch costs much less than other places.
As Sloppy Ketchup pointed out... the bonus we'll get at re-launch is an amazing Beta perk. If you factor it in - Glitch blows everyone away.
Credits indeed are not cheap. The best value is to obtain them in the form of a subscription.
That said, before complaining that credits are "too expensive," consider it's Tiny Speck's only income source. I'd imagine the devs would like to be able to afford to eat and stuff. Really, it's amazing that Glitch is an almost completely free game, with absolutely no advertising, and a few optional features that don't affect gameplay that you can pay for. So yeah, credits/subscriptions are the only money they pull in from this game.
In summary, when compared to games like WoW, where you have to pay for the game client, upgrade packs, a subscription (and probably even more stuff; I've never played WoW), credits aren't overpriced at all, considering everything else in the game is free.
Not particularly and it's what keeps the game running (unless I've got that wrong?) - I mean the game is free so in order to pay wages/salaries, buy and maintain software, servers, all that tech stuff costs money, TS bring out items that geeks like me think would be cool to wear or cool to put in my house at a cost. I can choose not to have those things and still play the game for free, or I can buy credits (which I do on top of my subscription) because I enjoy the game, I want to support TS and help support other players so that they can continue to play for free and because some of the 'credits only stuff' has the cash falling out of my pocket before I've even reached my hand back there :D
For comparison... Zynga charges $100 USD for 650 Farm Cash and is utterly loaded with bugs and ads and annoying things you have to click through to keep playing.
I can't afford a lot of credits, not that they are expensive, just that they are more than I can pay right now. So, I just spend them very sparingly and I always keep a healthy reserve so I can grab that short-term impulse item that probably doesn't exist. Well, in my mind, it will one day exist and I'll be ready for it.
Also, some players who have accrued currants use their currants to buy items with the credits of other players. Not helpful with clothes but helpful with housing which can leave room for spending credits on other stuff.
oh well, am an avowed freeper and on a tight fixed income, am happy to pay the isp and get net access without the additional cost of a subscription or one off payment... Now, if the US$ was to tank, I'd be in a much better position (NZ$ has been pretty strong lately), I just can't afford it right now.
If (and that's a big If) I had the funds to choose which game to spend RL money on though, Glitch would most likely be the one...
The nice thing about credits, as b3achy said, is that they are for cosmetic pixel upgrades. If you are on a tight budget, you can do everything in the game for free. It's only the cosmetics of the game that are different for people with money in their entertainment budget.
There is no game experience that depends on what color the pixels in your house are, or what color t-shirt you're wearing in-game. There's no part of the game that is off-limits, no separate servers for subscribers only, no different rules that apply to people who have bought credits.
Frankly, I'm amazed that TS has resisted the economic pressure to monetize their player base as much as they have. Everything you spend RL money on is yours as long as you play the game. When your subscription runs out, you don't get kicked back into a free status that bars you from parts of the game you enjoyed for a while. So, no, I don't think that credits are expensive.
Hear here, Windborn. I"m happy to pitch in where I can to help a company I think deserves my money. I have a sub, and I buy credits on top of that. I have hours of enjoyment playing glitch, and have met many new friends here, as well. That's priceless.
Justin Daigle said: In summary, when compared to games like WoW, where you have to pay for the game client, upgrade packs, a subscription...
WoW's free to play, just your level is capped at 20. Many MMOs are now F2P. Everything by Three Rings, Lineage II, everything on Nexon, every MMO on Atlus Online, City of Heroes/Villains/Transformers is F2P with a level cap at 50...
All you pay for are virtual cosmetic upgrades. That may seem like a waste of money to some, but I'd rather this than the alternative--credits being used to make players more powerful. Looking at how cheap credits are when you buy a subscription (thanks to Wandering Confusion for the number crunching) I'd say they're actually good deals.
I think that whether or not they are considered overpriced is mostly dependent on your own personal lifestyle and budget. It doesn't much matter what they cost to me, my entertainment budget is (and has been for years) Zero Dollars, so yes, to me they are overpriced ;)
But to someone with more money (or less responsibilities and bills, I suppose) they are reasonable, or even drastically inexpensive.
The good thing is, they are completely unnecessary, like everyone has said. They are adding new free clothes and free furniture whenever they add new paid stuff, so eventually we will have more choices on our pretty decorative pixels.
I don't mind that I've been wearing the same outfit for 6 months. I can deal with the less-than-ideal furniture styles. I'm just glad that the gameplay is free.
from my experience these credits and what they buy for cosmetic upgrades are pretty much in line with gaming industry (maybe even a bit cheap for some things ) .
They may seem expensive at first - but I appreciate the number crunchers (thanks!) who help me to keep it in a more realistic light.
and I've enjoyed my medium level subscription thus far. I use my entertainment budget for Glitch :)
Other people have said it much better than I can, but I'd like to speak up in support of credits. I'm on a very tight, fixed budget, but I still manage to squeeze some out for a subscription, and I'll continue to do it. Glitch is by far the best MMO I've come across, and I consider the sub, or buying credits, to be a way of supporting the game and keeping it available. Along with a lot of players here, I went through a very wrenching experience of having a much loved game taken offline, basically because it wasn't profitable enough.
Its very easy to play Glitch without credits, buying extras is just a personal preference. Its a very easy choice for me.
There are people who are on a tight budget that cannot squeeze out even small amounts for credits. I suggested in the ideas forum that non-subscribers get a once-a-year opportunity to convert 500,000 currants to some amount of credits. II think it would be a nice gesture to players who put time in and love the game, but can't put money in.
I don't think they're too expensive at all, I just wish I had more money to spend on them. =^_^=
Also I am still waiting on our houses to have four or MORE floors, unless that's been done whilst I was away. =^___^=
I love all the stuff I can get for credits, it makes the game SO much more fun for me and it was already addictive enough that I wanted to throw money at them (in the form of a subscription) just a month or two after I started playing. I LOVE love love this game and I love paying for some extras because I know it helps finance the workings of a game I love so much. And as soon as I get some more money into my "account" (haha.. I put money into my hubby's account to spend online, I don't have my own bank account) I will for sure be buying even more credits.. MUST. HAVE. MOAR. BOG. FURNITURE. XD
:: big loves :: to TS and the devs and art team. <3
Their income currently is in the form of VC funding. The selling of "credits" are not paying the salaries currently if that's what you're concerned about.
I don't think credits are too expensive, but that is based on my budget.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
There are a number of us advertising in the marketplace that we will upgrade furniture for currants. This doesn't help with clothing or floors, ceilings, and walls, but that is how things are currently. Surely the ability to upgrade some things is better than none if you cannot get credits for yourself for whatever reason, and it allows more flexibility than having to have 500,000 in currants in one hit to trade in for credits as was suggested earlier in this thread.
Regardless of price, credits are not needed to play Glitch. If you *want* credits you'll either have to pay for them, spend currants on purchasing items in game, or ask nicely for someone to gift you a subscription :)
I don't think they're too expensive at all. It's hardly a small game. I've spent upwards of £20 for Wii games that I don't play one-tenth as often... I used to play The Sims and remember they would charge £10 a time for themed-furniture "upgrade" packs on top of the £30 you'd already spent on the basic game itself. Even going outside computer games - I pay £11 per month for a UK TV licence and I play Glitch more hours than I watch TV.
I love playing Glitch and get a great deal of entertainment from it on a daily basis. I barely use my credits, but honestly, I'd be *embarrassed* if there wasn't some way of giving TS money for the excellent game they run. I don't like to think of myself as a freeloader if there's any choice in the matter.
Even if the company could run entirely on funds from venture capital right now, that isn't sustainable. There's also 0% chance of further investment in a company that can't show any form of income. So the selling of credits (and subscriptions) is necessary both for continued salary payments to the staff and the continued existence of the game.
I'm sure TS is smart enough to watch behavior and figure out what is the best price for cosmetic items. If they lower the price for those items, that may not translate into more credit purchases; in fact it might translate into fewer since people could buy what they want with fewer credits. So, I see no reason to think the in-game items are too expensive.
However, I do think TS should run more specials to encourage people to buy. LOTRO always has a "store promotion" running for either cheaper credits or reduced price on certain items. That means there is always a "bargain" to be had for people who like to shop.
I see this all the time, but what's the big deal if credits are a little pricey? It's a free game. They gots to make muneh somehow, and I, for one, appreciate that it's not "play to win," meaning we don't have to pay for items to make our game-play experience more successful. All the free MMO's I've played aside from Glitch charge way more for this kind of stuff then TS.
P.S. I think gift shop is the perfect term. A gift shop is full of useless merchandise that serves no other purpose then it looks neat. The credit items are the same: useless but look neat.
Credits are not expensive but it's what some people say when they actually mean that credits cost more than they would like to spend. Nothing wrong with that but it's subjective vs objective.
To extend what Mary said, in order to even have a chance of being objective, we'd need to look at all the other flash-based, 2-d sidescrolling MMOs that contain virtual drug use, literature references, and dick jokes, to get an idea what a fair price would be.
Ok, maybe we wouldn't have to go that far -- we'd just have to compare it to other virtual items available via real money transactions. And Glitch is rather comparable there, with the added bonus that RMTs are not necessary at all in order to play.
Glitch is one of the most cheapest mmo or if not the cheapest on the market ,Secondly, The game needs to make some sort of massive revenue to pay tthe dev and maintain ongoing content patch (i hope you want that right? ) .
People must live in bubbles. That's the only thing I can think of. How do you think this game is going to make money (which is the purpose of practically EVERYTHING on the internet) if they don't shove advertisements down your throats, or have some form of money making options available.
I'm a single mom at below poverty level, and I somehow scraped enough cash together for a subscription.
So, no, I don't think credits are too expensive.
But I do think that some of you are unappreciative if you're going to complain about TS needing to make money.
Suggestion: Form a group, called the "Credits Are Too Damn Expensive Group". Explain you are the head of the "Credits Are Too Damn Expensive Group". Get invited to some sort of debate. Answer every question by working in the name of your group. Claim to be a karate expert. Explain that piggies are going to bed hungry. When asked why, reply with the name of your group. Do not allow conversation to become sidetracked onto the topic of food not costing credits, or pig beds(when implemented) only costing credits to customize. If backed into a corner, suggest that customized piggy beds are more comfortable and won't someone think of the piggies. Reference the name of your party again.
I doubt that TS makes much money selling the credits or the subscriptions. I think the point of selling the credits and subscriptions is to demonstrate that there are buyers for the credits and subscriptions.
Most of us know that Stewart Butterfield's (Stoot's) previous business venture was Flickr. It is a photo sharing site but it was originally developed as part of a game. The game withered but the photo sharing took off and Butterfield made a lot of money when he sold Flickr to Yahoo.
I think it is safe to assume that Glitch is being developed for the purpose of being resold, just as Flickr was. The point is that Butterfield needs to be able to demonstrate to potential buyers of TS that there is demand for Glitch credits and subscriptions. He is not looking to make his money off the sale of credits and subscriptions - he will make his money off the sale of Tiny Speck.
So I think the credits are an extremely good buy right now, for a lot of reasons.
Bzzzzzt! I think you are dead wrong, Bobbit. I highly doubt anyone would take such time in creating a game, carefully fine-tuning the details, and implementing player and developer ideas just to go and sell it to make money.
@Sloppy Ketchup I don't think I am out of line in speculating that the business model here is similar to Butterfield's previous venture. I think it would be odd to ignore what he has done before when trying to understand what he is doing now. I see a lot of similarities between Flickr and Glitch and I don't think that is a bad thing at all.
Not denying it as a business model. However, generally, games made for the sole purpose to be sold later are not well thought out. They're generally un-imaginative and full of typical game tropes.
Miss Bobbit, a sale may or may not happen at some point in the future but you are portraying the building of this game as a purely mercenary means to an end. From the care and attention that I have seen from staff in the past year, I've observed it to be a labor of love.
@MaryLiLamb I am most certainly not portraying this as a purely mercenary means to an end.
Do you think that Beethoven or Shakespeare or Monet were mercenaries? Do you think they did not love their work? They made a living selling their art. Does wanting to get paid for your creativity make you a mercenary?
In the case of video games, many creative types sell their creations because they love the creative part of the process and loathe the business/marketing/merchandising end of it. They sell their creations so that they can go on to create something new rather than be bogged down running a business.
There is nothing wrong with this and I don't understand your objection.
Actually, stoot has said in at least one interview that they pushed the development of Flickr as a means to bankroll the game they were trying to build. My take on that is that Flickr was a detour, and now they are back with more smarts and more money to build the game they were hoping to build a long time ago.
And, having seen what happens to something you care about, they aren't as likely to make the same decisions about what to do with Glitch as they did about Flickr. My guess is that they're no longer in the same personal economic crunch and they have a bit more leisure to develop the game they've always wanted to build.