Spiral Knights - POLL: Micro-transactions through Spiral Knights. Open to everyone!

POLL: Micro-transactions through Spiral Knights. Open to everyone!

18 replies [Last post]

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 21:17

Lyzak

I’m conducting a little study on how people use and feel about the Micro-Transaction system in Spiral Knights.

Microtransactions are anything that involve paying real-world money for in-game material.

YOU DO NOT have to pay money in Spiral Knights to take this survey! Everyone is qualified!

I am not affiliated in any way with Spiral Knights, Three Rings Design or Sega. This survey is designed with the explicit intent of gaining information for myself and no one else.

Please be completely honest with this survey! I look forward to seeing everyone’s thoughts, habits and opinions!
-Thank you!

QUICK-POLL FORMAT:
Please keep your answers organized for me! Thank you! =)
1) [answer]
2) [answer]
3) [answer]
4) [answer]
5) [short-answer]

---
---

1) Have you ever bought anything from Spiral Knights? Please answer all that apply:
a) Yes, Crystal Energy
b) Yes, Any package (explorer, battle, etc)
c) Yes, an Elevator Pass
d) Yes, the Expansion Pack Missions
e) Any of the above ONLY if there was a promotion running
f) No. I do not spend money on anything in Spiral Knights

2) If you DID NOT answer "f" on Number 1: To your best estimate, how often do you buy something from Spiral Knights? Or, if you’re relatively new to Spiral Knights, how often do you plan on it?
a) Once only.
b) Very infrequently (once a month or less, reoccurring)
c) Sub-regularly (once a week to once a month)
d) Weekly
e) Several times a week

3) If you DID answer "f" on Number 1: How frustrating do you find the 100-mist “cap” on the game’s Free To Play features?
a) It is not an inconvenience
b) It is a slight inconvenience
c) It is a major inconvenience

4) How does the game’s Micro-Transaction Economy affect how much you enjoy Spiral Knights? (NOT how the 100-mist F2P cap makes you feel)
a) I enjoy the game more because of it.
b) It does not affect how I feel about or enjoy this game.
c) I enjoy this game less because of it.

5) OPTIONAL (but appreciated!): In a brief sentence or two, describe your opinion on what “Free To Play” means for Spiral Knights:

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 21:29

Agrimony

1. F 2. N/a 3. C 4. C 5. It

1. F
2. N/a
3. C
4. C
5. It is a free game, but only if one is willing to pour incredible amounts of time into it. It is no doubt entertaining, and content is another behemoth of a topic, but the gameplay is hindered harshly due to the system; obviously OOO needs to make ample profit, but the system that has been instated is innately destructive, and there are a plethora of other micro-transaction systems which make large amounts of profit without affecting the game as heavily as the discussed one does.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 21:34

Xairathan

Poll

1. E
2. B
3. N/A
4. B
5. Free to play. Optional to pay money to get advanced, but it's quicker if you do.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 21:48

Luguiru

Challenge accepted

E, though only when expansions first came out and the Plasmatech costumes
B, but only if you want it and have no other way to obtain it or work for it
A, the energy system supports casual gaming
A, it allows people to practice in the training area and learn more about the game when they are not grinding
Games which claim to be free to play almost always have some form of premium store, seeing as the game itself is not profiting the creator of the game who most likely enjoys being paid for their work. The game should still be entirely possible to play throughout or at least 90% of the content, such as how the expansion pack has limited access, but the rest has an alternative to achieve regardless of premium retribution. For example, crafting average 3*+ equipment consumes CE which can only be directly obtained through energy packs bought from Three Rings. However, we have the energy market to allow access to this content without forcing people to resort to premium payment. The energy system promotes casual gaming to prevent severe addiction, meaning less painful separation for the players when they take breaks from the game, while rewarding premium users for seeking instant gratification and profiting off of it. Long short response is long.

For those who think Spiral Knights is heavily premium user based, try Wakfu. Literally 80% of the game is premium only. The main counter against this is the two years worth of hardcore non-premium content which currently exists and is added to every couple months.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 21:54

Fehzor

1.F
2.-
3.C
4.C
5.Free To Play means 2 things. As a label, it means that you work for your gear, rather than pay for it, and that because of this, you're probably better off in terms of skill. As a tag for the game, it means that you can log in and then work for your gear if you'd like. It means that anyone can try the game, and be inconvienced by it, but can still suceed. But mostly, it means that you're bound by the tremendous paywall of energy.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:00

Exprthief

1.F 2.none 3.C 4.C 5.its free

1.F
2.none
3.C
4.C
5.its free to play the game but no specials like elevator passes or extra ce etc.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:05

Owlert

1) A B C D E 2) E 3) N/A 4)

1) A B C D E
2) E
3) N/A
4) C
5) You can experience some of the game without having to pay.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:15

Frocus

1) A B C D E 2)C 3)N/A 4)B 5)

1) A B C D E
2)C
3)N/A
4)B
5) Free to play for SK means that you can experience all but a few parts of the game without paying.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:27

Pokenuevo

1) A, B, D, E (I now do only

1) A, B, D, E (I now do only E)
2) B-C (In-Between)
3) -
4) B-C (In-Between)
5) Free to play = Playing the game with minimal paying, or no paying, while being able to access most areas with certain difficulty.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:18

Spaghetiman

1. E
2. B
3. N/A
4. B
5. You can play the game without paying money, even if there is some pay only features. In the case of spiral knights you can access all content without ever paying money, it just takes longer to get there.

Pretty much the exact same as xairathan.

~Spag

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:22

#10

Dark-Wolf-Zekero

Hi!

1) A B and C
2) E (Sad to say that I've only been playing for 4 days and I spent $100 already)
3) N/A
4) A
5) I feel like that free to play means that kids do not need to pay to enjoy the full experience to play the game.

Sat, 06/23/2012 - 22:30

#11

Nexassassin

I'll give it a shot

1. F
2. I answered F but if I did spend anything my answer would be B
3. A, I knew the energy system would limit gameplay so I played casually and played other games until I became self-sufficient.
4. B
5. F2p will always be a step behind someone p2p. In SK p2p means being ahead in the game. Less than an hour's work IRL can amount to days of Vana grinding. At least the barrier between f2p and p2p can be broken.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 01:12

#12

Axorpl

1) A D E 2) A 3) n/a 4) B 5)

1) A D E
2) A
3) n/a
4) B
5) F2P generally means that every day we welcome more and more new players. For me, Spiral Knights is truly F2P game, you can achieve nearly everything without having to pay.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 04:39

#13

Lunaice

DERP

1. A
2. B
4. B
5. It pretty much means it is a time consuming game.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 07:42

#14

Twsp

1) B, E
2) A
3) -
4) B
5) To advance in the game you have to either waste your money or waste your time.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 07:51

#15

Aureate

Processing Thoughts of You Always

1) A (through mobile phone only, since I am loath to give out bank details; only CE may be purchased through a mobile)
2) B
3) -
4) C (the lack of options other than CE via a mobile phone, and absence of game-cards in my region, makes it frustrating)
5) F2P = lots of grinding in order to get 5* gear. It takes much of the fun out of the game, to be frank.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 10:25

#16

The-Ark

1. B 2. Depends, I guess B

1. B
2. Depends, I guess B would fit best.
3. N/A (would be A though, I get enough crowns to buy CE to keep going)
4. B (a little expensive though)
5. You don't have to pay to get to the end. Yes, paying will get you there faster, but unless you have earned it, you don't deserve it. I did not spend a single penny until I got my first 5*, and I don't regret it. I buy now to support the game that has taken almost 550 hours of my time.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 10:52

#17

Dukeplatypus

Now with F2Read tirades!

1) E
2) B
3) B
4) A
5) Free to Play means that a significant portion of the game is (eventually) available for anyone to play, free of mandatory charge. It, from a business perspective, makes perfect sense to make some content only available with purchase. OOO is a developer and they have to make money somehow, and I feel that they are quite generous with how they make most (and all if on Steam) of the game's content available to be reached by the general public if they put the time into it. Elevator Passes are the equivalent of, say, Experience Boosters in other games. They are optional, purchasable items that are intended to save time. There is nothing you can do with an Elevator Pass that you can't do without one.
Personally (and I must preface this by saying this is solely my opinion), I feel like if I could make an analogy between OOO and the F2P player base, it would be as if the F2P were living in OOO off of OOO's kindness. OOO lets you do whatever in it's house as long as you follow some generic, acceptable rules (the ToS), although you are restricted somewhat because, well, at the of the day, it's OOO house and they can do what they want. If I were in this scenario, I would appreciate OOO's kindness and want to repay them for the favor they did for me (kill time, escape reality, etc.) by returning the favor (paying for the product through purchases), though mostly because of my pride and a bit of guilt. And honestly, I kinda hate the people who brag about how they "beat the system" and boast their wealth while not paying a cent. I feel like they are those disrespectful house-guests who overstay their welcome and abuse the homeowner's kindness. And if those people didn't have any redeeming personality traits, I really could not care less about them.
The F2P get their roaming ground and it's only fair that those who support the company by paying get a more lenient head-start or advantages.

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 21:37

#18

Tiasthyr

F2P4EVA

1) F
2) N/A
3) A
4) B
5) F2P means I play for half an hour after work, and then get on with my life. Crafting is the only thing that really annoys me- I've sunk 200 hours into this game, and still don't have a single piece of 5* stuff. Which is partially my own fault- I made a few questionable crafting decisions, and stopped farming JK before my eyeballs exploded. Tier 2 is plenty fun, though.

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POLL: Micro-transactions through Spiral Knights. Open to everyone!