Player Features and Ideas Discussion

So, CCP has released their implementation of selling skins. Given, it is a pilot project, but pilot or not this is obviously close to how they envision it working. So, how does it work exactly?

The Problem:

You purchase AUR with real life iskies. You then use the AUR to buy the skins you like. Sounds like a standard method of selling skins to players utilized in all kinds of games. Here's the catch. Unlike other games, the skins you buy are not permanent. I believe this is the major flaw in CCP's skin plan.

Lets do a comparison, and for this I'll use Mechwarrior Online. In MWO, you can buy skins for your mechs, as in eve you can now buy skins for your ships. Ignoring the fact MWO frequently has sales on skins, a nice skin might set you back $7-$10 bucks. You have this skin forever, and can apply it to any mech you own or ever buy.

With EVE, each ship needs its own skin purchased and the cost scales with the size of the ship. So, the new hyperion skin is sweet. I buy it. It sets me back around $2. Much better than MWO. Until that ship gets blown up. Then I have to spend another $2. It dies, I have to spend another $2. Also, I like the skin and would like to apply it to my incursus. Well, I have to buy it for them separately. There's another $0.25. And every time I lose an incursus, I have to drop another $0.25 to reskin it.

So, to compare these 2:
MWO: Spend $7-$10, have a skin forever to use on any mech
EVE: Spend $0.25 - $2.00 per skin, good on only 1 ship, and having to repurchase every time I lose the ship.

This adds up very quickly, and seems ridiculous. Skins are a cosmetic cash grab, whatever the game. its fine for those who want the skins. But this is excessive. I feel CCP is way behind the pace on figuring out how to work micro transactions, as we learned when they first implemented the NEXUS store.

The Solution:

I fell skins should be a one time purchase. Since each skin is unique to each ship, I would suggest a price in the range of $4-$5 for a skin. This gives you an unlimited run bpc (basically a bpo that you can't copy). This is a much more fair and reasonable price in my opinion. And there is already precedence in the game for this. You don't lose clothing you bought when your ship blows up. You don't lose your monocle. Why do you lose your ship skin?

Just dont lose the ship then? Or how about not paying for the paint if its too expensive for you?

I dont think these ships were meant to overrun the original models. You pay for something special, and you cherish it till its gone.

I would hate to see permapaints as then everyone would be flying these instead of the normal models.

Yes, but it is hard to judge real interest when you release a pilot program at such high prices that its not worth buying even if you want to. Price structure will play as big a role, if not bigger role, than actual interest.

I also don't agree that an unlimited run bpc or something that does the same thing is some technical and developmental juggernaut that can't be overcome until significant resources are devoted to it. You already have unlimited runs within the game, tied to bpo's. Just tie it to these bpcs and your good to go. It is far from "fancy new stuff which isn't int he game already."


Edit: Same comment to the above post. I agree with rolling it out slowly and testing the waters. But if you come out with a terrible price structure, you might as well not come out at all. You are simply torpedoing any chance of it looking good. And if these are the prices CCP needs to make it worth their time, they might as well just not bring it to the table at all.

Double Edit: And just to note, I have very little interest in ship skins at any price. I'm not complaining because it is more than I want to pay for it. I don't care if they are implemented or not. I'm simply giving my opinion on what I think is a big mistake on CCP's part in their pricing scheme, proposed what in my opinion would be a better, more palatable long-term implementation.

also I think you should be able to fly your corps logo, on your ship and the logo should be clearly visible on the overview as well for nearby players to see, and for me to see theirs

paint ur PvE ship.

im kind hoping the day eventually comes where u can create ur own paintjobs, and creating them will be much easier and cheaper to do.

You make the mistake of assuming the current pricing for non-permanent skins is a good and fair price. Since I'm arguing it is not, I would say you can't use the current pricing to extrapolate a fair permanent price. Unless you are putting out something amazingly unique and better than the norm in an industry, you should be looking at industry norms for fair pricing, not just coming up with a price you like.

WoW charges 20+ dollars for vanity items, in comparison, 2 dollars is nothing.

and the only time i can see these being justified is being on PvE ships or alliance tourney ships to stand out, or on capitals, since anything else dies in the same sitting in which it was bought.

on that note, dont like the price? then buy the ship pre-skinned with ISK, you have your options.

I like that it is breakable. That means you can use it as a commodity. Sounds like it costs about 80 million ISK to skin up a Hyperion. That's a lot less than it costs to buy a Hyperion.

CCP is trying to trick me into spending the AUR they gave me.

I think we're getting close to a breakthrough here, but I have yet to spend an AUR cent. Give me a top hat and I'll spend it all.

I only see it working by new special painting window with colors, patterns, letters etc. and ISK payment when confirming changes