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over 5 years
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[Fatshark] Hedge
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Ok, ok, I was the first trashing FS for their policy change on the match-making, it’s only fair I come with something actually constructive to propose.
Because I care about the game, I think it’s a great game and I think it could become way bigger, better and popular than it is currently, and I think that FartShark is a great small indy company full of cool people who managed to deliver a game way better looking than what you’ll expect from a company of that side, BUT, I also think they are extremely misguided when it comes to what they should do with the game post release, so here’s my suggestions.
We got 2 problems:
1) The playerbase is dwindling pretty fast
2) FatShark need to money to being able to keep supporting the game and themselves.
Why is Verminitide playerbase dwindling (and that applies to V1 too)?
Simple: No patch with new content that make you comeback and nothing interesting to work toward once you are there.
So, how all successful coop MP games manage to fix both of these things?
They have regular release with new content. FREE new content that comes with new stuff to do, experience and grind. It’s the “regular content” that make people come back, and increase the total value of the game over time. Take one of these game 5 years after release, and you’ll get a way larger game than it was at release instead of a game with the same content than at release but 250 buck of DLC.
To keep your playerbase healthy is to NOT plit them. They should all be in the same matchmaking pool, that’s why usually maps are free.
But new content isn’t all, to keep players engaged you have to give them something to look forward to, something new to do, and this mean new gameplay.
Maps are where you play, but it’s still the same game you are playing, what keep the game fresh is what you are playing with and against, that’s why verminitide needs more new weapons, characters and enemies.
And I said new CHARACTER, not just specs. The more character there is, the less chance your character will already be picked.
And there’s A LOT of Warhammer character archetype that could be added, from Sigmar warpriest and Bretonnian knight to High Elf warrior (seaguard/loremaster/whitelion), Tilean mercenary or Kislevit Cossack!
Any single one of these character would be more interesting for the game than any map pack in existence.
On the enemy side you could go from simply adding enemy to the skavens and chaos warrior (Jezzail, Censer Bearer, Warhound and Wolfrat, etc etc), to adding whole new enemy factions like Beastmen (cmon, we all know you are already working on that… do you plan to lock them behind a paywall too?), Vampire Count or Greenskins!
Releasing a whole new faction would be the perfect HYPE event.
And since we are on the topic of stuff that needs to be added, let’s talk a second about the cosmetics:
Go WILD on the skins, give people COOL stuff that they would be hyped for, something that doesn’t “look kinda different” from the base skin. Give Krubber a Blazing sun[img00.deviantart.net] set, give Bardin a Long Drong skins[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]!
Make flashy stuff, and make these things tradable on steam. It has been proven time and time again that skin trading on steam is a major boon for any games.
ALL these things should be free content, BUT it doesn’t mean you can’t still monetize them, on the contrary.
You see, to keep your playerbase active just throwing stuff at them isn’t enough, you have to give them goals, stuff to work toward and that’s why you can lock all that content (minus maps and enemies) behind some form of grind. That way, not only you’ll look like good guys buy letting people get stuff “for free”, but more importantly than all, you give people stuff to look forward and that will make them want to keep playing which mean you’ll have a solid (and potentially growing) playerbase.
Right now, there’s NOTHING to look forward or grind in Vermintide 2.
There’s only 2 things you look forward in your boxes, either a red (if you don’t already have them all) or a hat (probably for that class you never play anyway, you know the one), and both of them are not game changing or different enough to make you go WHOA I REALLY WANT THAT.
Once you have maxed your characters, their item level and gave them decent stats roll and unlocked their pimp character frame, you are pretty much done, which mean that the boxes you get are almost no value, which means you don’t really have any incentive to get more of them.
Here comes your new content:
- To unlock the new weapon on your character, you need to craft “blueprint” that will cost a lot of crafting material.
- To unlock the new characters, you’ll need to craft a key to open their room in the Fort that will cost A TON of crafting material. A ton yes, but still something a dedicated player can unlock if he try moderately hard (don’t go full EA on the pricing).
- To get skin you could craft a special chest containing a random piece of cosmetic, for A LOT of crafting material.
I can see you Fatshark, saying to yourself “ok that sounds cute and all, but how will I feed my starving cats with that?”
Well pretty simple SELL these stuffs on steam. Do what other successful game did and make money on the “pay to skip” model like Rainbow 6 Siege, Killing Floor2, Payday 2 or even Team Fortress 2!
Sell new weapon blueprint for real money.
Sell new Characters for real money.
(Take notes from mobas and make them accessible via real money only for the first 2 or 3 weeks before making them craftable.)
Sell skin boxes (if you want to go for the steam trade community route) or just sell skins directly for real money (to avoid the “lootbox” ban that will probably come at some point. Put some cool seasonal skins in your already existing time limited event, this sells like hot cakes.
A new character is ready to be released? Put on sale for a limited time a special pack with the character with a special set of a frame, a skin, a hat, 2 weapon skins and a special paint for your fort (yeah, remember thos?)!
Released a new enemy faction? Release with them a couple of thematic skins and put them all in a special time limited pack!
The possibilities are endless, and you can do it without selling trashy rngbox that could be banned tomorrow or by harlocking behind paywall all the content you’ve worked hard on.
And don’t hesitate to do some small fillers release inbetween big stuff, weapons are great for that.
Because I care about the game, I think it’s a great game and I think it could become way bigger, better and popular than it is currently, and I think that FartShark is a great small indy company full of cool people who managed to deliver a game way better looking than what you’ll expect from a company of that side, BUT, I also think they are extremely misguided when it comes to what they should do with the game post release, so here’s my suggestions.
We got 2 problems:
1) The playerbase is dwindling pretty fast
2) FatShark need to money to being able to keep supporting the game and themselves.
Why is Verminitide playerbase dwindling (and that applies to V1 too)?
Simple: No patch with new content that make you comeback and nothing interesting to work toward once you are there.
So, how all successful coop MP games manage to fix both of these things?
They have regular release with new content. FREE new content that comes with new stuff to do, experience and grind. It’s the “regular content” that make people come back, and increase the total value of the game over time. Take one of these game 5 years after release, and you’ll get a way larger game than it was at release instead of a game with the same content than at release but 250 buck of DLC.
To keep your playerbase healthy is to NOT plit them. They should all be in the same matchmaking pool, that’s why usually maps are free.
But new content isn’t all, to keep players engaged you have to give them something to look forward to, something new to do, and this mean new gameplay.
Maps are where you play, but it’s still the same game you are playing, what keep the game fresh is what you are playing with and against, that’s why verminitide needs more new weapons, characters and enemies.
And I said new CHARACTER, not just specs. The more character there is, the less chance your character will already be picked.
And there’s A LOT of Warhammer character archetype that could be added, from Sigmar warpriest and Bretonnian knight to High Elf warrior (seaguard/loremaster/whitelion), Tilean mercenary or Kislevit Cossack!
Any single one of these character would be more interesting for the game than any map pack in existence.
On the enemy side you could go from simply adding enemy to the skavens and chaos warrior (Jezzail, Censer Bearer, Warhound and Wolfrat, etc etc), to adding whole new enemy factions like Beastmen (cmon, we all know you are already working on that… do you plan to lock them behind a paywall too?), Vampire Count or Greenskins!
Releasing a whole new faction would be the perfect HYPE event.
And since we are on the topic of stuff that needs to be added, let’s talk a second about the cosmetics:
Go WILD on the skins, give people COOL stuff that they would be hyped for, something that doesn’t “look kinda different” from the base skin. Give Krubber a Blazing sun[img00.deviantart.net] set, give Bardin a Long Drong skins[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]!
Make flashy stuff, and make these things tradable on steam. It has been proven time and time again that skin trading on steam is a major boon for any games.
ALL these things should be free content, BUT it doesn’t mean you can’t still monetize them, on the contrary.
You see, to keep your playerbase active just throwing stuff at them isn’t enough, you have to give them goals, stuff to work toward and that’s why you can lock all that content (minus maps and enemies) behind some form of grind. That way, not only you’ll look like good guys buy letting people get stuff “for free”, but more importantly than all, you give people stuff to look forward and that will make them want to keep playing which mean you’ll have a solid (and potentially growing) playerbase.
Right now, there’s NOTHING to look forward or grind in Vermintide 2.
There’s only 2 things you look forward in your boxes, either a red (if you don’t already have them all) or a hat (probably for that class you never play anyway, you know the one), and both of them are not game changing or different enough to make you go WHOA I REALLY WANT THAT.
Once you have maxed your characters, their item level and gave them decent stats roll and unlocked their pimp character frame, you are pretty much done, which mean that the boxes you get are almost no value, which means you don’t really have any incentive to get more of them.
Here comes your new content:
- To unlock the new weapon on your character, you need to craft “blueprint” that will cost a lot of crafting material.
- To unlock the new characters, you’ll need to craft a key to open their room in the Fort that will cost A TON of crafting material. A ton yes, but still something a dedicated player can unlock if he try moderately hard (don’t go full EA on the pricing).
- To get skin you could craft a special chest containing a random piece of cosmetic, for A LOT of crafting material.
I can see you Fatshark, saying to yourself “ok that sounds cute and all, but how will I feed my starving cats with that?”
Well pretty simple SELL these stuffs on steam. Do what other successful game did and make money on the “pay to skip” model like Rainbow 6 Siege, Killing Floor2, Payday 2 or even Team Fortress 2!
Sell new weapon blueprint for real money.
Sell new Characters for real money.
(Take notes from mobas and make them accessible via real money only for the first 2 or 3 weeks before making them craftable.)
Sell skin boxes (if you want to go for the steam trade community route) or just sell skins directly for real money (to avoid the “lootbox” ban that will probably come at some point. Put some cool seasonal skins in your already existing time limited event, this sells like hot cakes.
A new character is ready to be released? Put on sale for a limited time a special pack with the character with a special set of a frame, a skin, a hat, 2 weapon skins and a special paint for your fort (yeah, remember thos?)!
Released a new enemy faction? Release with them a couple of thematic skins and put them all in a special time limited pack!
The possibilities are endless, and you can do it without selling trashy rngbox that could be banned tomorrow or by harlocking behind paywall all the content you’ve worked hard on.
And don’t hesitate to do some small fillers release inbetween big stuff, weapons are great for that.