Do you think im fair with my patreon tiers?

[AlmightySpoon]

Good day!
First of all im not native english so pardon for any mistakes.

Little about the project:
Im working on my very first game that will be strongly based on people ideas and demands. Im making it in unity with koikatsu assets and its like a visual novel rpg (sandbox,animations). I made my system very flexible so i can implement anything, like really anything (you see vn first but if you want it can have platformer parts too). When i collected enough people around the project i will make a discord where they can share their ideas and vote on ideas and on game changing decisions.

Right now im allmost done with the feature showcase version, so i started making a patreon page for that and i want to be sure i will be fair with everyone from the start.

i want to ask your opinion on this tier list:
(at the start there wont be anything about discord)

1$ Tier 1:
-Discord access
-Special role on discord
-Vote on ideas
(they can vote on ideas on discord)

3$ Tier 2:
-all previous reward
-Special role on discord
-Share your ideas
(they can share their ideas in a special discord channel)

5$ Tier 3:
-all previous reward
-Special role on discord
-Access to each update 1 week before the public!
-Access to vote poll thet help me decide on content.
-Cheat Codes!

10$ Tier 4:
-all previous reward
-Special Role on discord
-Access to each update 2 week before the public!

20$ Tier 5:
-all previous reward
-Special Role on discord
-Your name in the game! (If you choose so)
-Bigger impact on votes. (your vote worth 2)

If you have any other advise for me, it would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[fidless]

Drop the 1$ tier. You're getting a small ammount of it, unless you're okay with 50% going to the payment processors.

 

[Machinist]

will be strongly based on people ideas and demands.

Reading this really puts me off, it usually doesn't work for long.

Remove 1$, put votes on 3$ and scrap the early access is the better choice imo.
Good luck!

 

[khumak]

Something I've seen some devs do that I like is allowing some of the higher tier patrons to request a hi res render for a scene they'd like to see even if it's not ever going to be in the game so it can be something crazy that you don't think really fits with the game or would require a path that you're not going to implement.

To me that's a nice way to give Patrons something extra without doing something like putting sections of the game behind any sort of paywall (which I really think is a bad move). So they can have a few nice wallpapers or whatever that the general public doesn't get.

 

[215303j]

Early access and cheat codes will end up here anyway, and I think your low-tier supporters will feel a bit cheated if that happens.

Sharing ideas is fine, BUT! it's your game. Personally I would take any suggestions that I think improve the game and I would reject any suggestion that I think makes the game worse. I would not care if it came from a $20 Patron or a $0 Pirate because what would matter to me is to try and make the best game and/or tell the story I want to tell.

khumak 's idea of custom renders is much better.

 

[Joshua Tree]

Some things that is really "off putting" for me at least. If I decide to pledge lets say 5 bucks to a creator because I like the game he/she is making. And then the game just end up under creative control of someone that pledge a higher tier. Then Ill just check out and pass.

As someone said, early access tiers, cheat codes whatever. Usually surface on this site regardless.

Why not just have a couple tiers. Then you wouldn't have to come up with so much different jizz for each tier as rewards.

As someone mentioned, paywall content based on tiers. That would feel a bit cash grabby. Make a good game and people will come... Don't let the circus run the show... -)

 

[khumak]

Some things that is really "off putting" for me at least. If I decide to pledge lets say 5 bucks to a creator because I like the game he/she is making. And then the game just end up under creative control of someone that pledge a higher tier. Then Ill just check out and pass.

Yeah this is basically game design by poll and almost never ends well. It's fine to do polls and take suggestions but anything you personally don't like, turn it down. Doesn't matter who suggested it and doesn't matter how many votes it got. Make them choose between things that you personally like. If you're not into it, you're not going to do a good job developing it. Either you'll just hate it because it's repulsive or you won't understand the fetish so even the people who like it won't get anything out of it because you focused on the wrong thing for that fetish.

 

[Joshua Tree]

Yeah this is basically game design by poll and almost never ends well. It's fine to do polls and take suggestions but anything you personally don't like, turn it down. Doesn't matter who suggested it and doesn't matter how many votes it got. Make them choose between things that you personally like. If you're not into it, you're not going to do a good job developing it. Either you'll just hate it because it's repulsive or you won't understand the fetish so even the people who like it won't get anything out of it because you focused on the wrong thing for that fetish.

Also hate games with multiple paths where higher tier patreons can vote over what path get a update. I rather keep my money and pirate your shit for free, if you put me on grass for a year before give a update I'm interested in. You didn't want my money anyway (at least the feeling left with).

Or someone who want to make a .. sigh (This is like call for Beetlejuice ) NTR game, but since such games usually doesn't do to good when it come to support, they add some more paths with some more popular fetish's to attract more pledges, but put them on the backburner and treat them like a ugly stepchild

 

[AlmightySpoon]

wow, so many usuful feedback, thank you!!!!

Im not planning to lock content behind pay wall, only the incest content will be locked behind a code that i will share here, because of patreon ofc.

Joshua Tree
okay, how about i let my heigh tier supporters vote on content i shoud work on. Its gonna be a sandbox manage your life kind of game so they can vote on things like, i should work on a new
area or make the job system more complex.

Thialf
The idea sharing is only for collecting data on what people want to see in games, maybe it will end up in this game maybe in the next, ofc im not planning to force everything into my game. The idea i built the game around will let me put any kind of thing onto my game. Little spoiler: 4th wall breaking, drasticly change the word around you kind of life simulator , its still undecided if i will make it into a game where you can lose or not, maybe i will make both difficulty.


I know that early acces and cheat codes will end up here, but with early acces i will have little more time to fix bugs and can have time to decide on the next update i will work on. Cheat codes still a reward i can give away, its up to them what they do with this.

 

[215303j]

The idea sharing is only for collecting data on what people want to see in games

One of the things I like about F95Zone is the free sharing of comments and ideas.

I think that the comments from someone who is not financially invested in your game (aka a fan) may be even more valuable to a dev because there is less bias. Therefore I think it's not a good idea to have people who are more invested on your game more power, because they often just want more of the same.

 

[AlmightySpoon]

One of the things I like about F95Zone is the free sharing of comments and ideas.

I think that the comments from someone who is not financially invested in your game (aka a fan) may be even more valuable to a dev because there is less bias. Therefore I think it's not a good idea to have people who are more invested on your game more power, because they often just want more of the same.

you can see others ideas here but you cant see how many pople think the same way, thats why i want people to leave reaction on ideas on discord. i give discord access to tier 1 coz i will be the only one moderating my discord server, at the start at least and i dont want random people to cause poblems.
Voting wont ruin the game, i will allways choice 2 thing that is needed in the game and they can choice what should i make first, or they can choice wich character should arrive first in the game and things like that. i will give them power but not enough to drive the development in the wrong direction.

 

[Joshua Tree]

Joshua Tree
okay, how about i let my heigh tier supporters vote on content i shoud work on. Its gonna be a sandbox manage your life kind of game so they can vote on things like, i should work on a new
area or make the job system more complex.

Just an idea.....

How about create a "think tank", of which you can hold meetings on your discord where they can interact with you in person. Not just leave messages there.. This could be a perk for higher tiers. You invite these to brain storm ideas. Discuss current progress and development of the game. Ask for feedback, critique etc. Then you use this as inspiration in your work. You invite your higher tiers to get more involved in the game, but without make the rest feel like you have given creative control to the mob.

Imho, for supporters over all. I think its important to make them feel this is "your game and creation" Remember, people that pledge to projects doesn't necessary pledge based on how much they think the creator deserve, but how much they can afford to pledge. They can still be just as excited over the game, and help spread the word as someone that pledge a higher tier,

 

[Akamari]

-Bigger impact on votes. (your vote worth 2)

Personally, I consider weighted polls unfair and I wouldn't support a dev that has them. Everyone should be equal in a poll. It's fine to have polls exclusive to higher tiers. A lower tiered patron shouldn't get to feel second rate when participating in one.

 

[AlmightySpoon]

Akamari
Joshua Tree

Okay, how about i remove the "-Bigger impact on votes. (your vote worth 2)" from 20$ and give them a special discord channel to communicate with me? i like that "think tank" idea.

 

[DbatRT]

Joshua Tree
This does not solve anything, but only creates problems. A high level does not mean that the person understands what they say and what they want, it means that the person paid for this level and they expect their participation and their ideas in the think tank to be noticed, you can't ignore their wishes and criticism, otherwise why do you hold these events at all?

And at the same time, people who can really make the game better and give a normal assessment of something will remain in the shadows.

Just imagine if there are 30 people who pay you $20 and they are all idiots who give you a headache, but you can't do anything about it, you can't refuse to participate in their idiotic conversations where they waste your time and effort, you can't even refuse this level and the people in it, because all the other supporters will not appreciate your variability, today you promise one thing, and tomorrow another. You will lose your reputation and trust.

 

[Joshua Tree]

Joshua Tree
This does not solve anything, but only creates problems. A high level does not mean that the person understands what they say and what they want, it means that the person paid for this level and they expect their participation and their ideas in the think tank to be noticed, you can't ignore their wishes and criticism, otherwise why do you hold these events at all?

And at the same time, people who can really make the game better and give a normal assessment of something will remain in the shadows.

Just imagine if there are 30 people who pay you $20 and they are all idiots who give you a headache, but you can't do anything about it, you can't refuse to participate in their idiotic conversations where they waste your time and effort, you can't even refuse this level and the people in it, because all the other supporters will not appreciate your variability, today you promise one thing, and tomorrow another. You will lose your reputation and trust.

No, the idea behind such a thing is to make the people who pledge at a higher tier get a chance to come with input, without give them direction in form of polls and votes. Even so all of them turn out to be morons with no rational thinking at all. What you give them a chance to is to get heard and make feel involved. If you participated in a think thank, or in a group brainstorming ideas before you would know...

 

[Joshua Tree]

Akamari
Joshua Tree

Okay, how about i remove the "-Bigger impact on votes. (your vote worth 2)" from 20$ and give them a special discord channel to communicate with me? i like that "think tank" idea.

Be able to communicate with creator is more meaningful as tier reward than weighted polls Imho -)

 

[RanliLabz]

Be able to communicate with creator is more meaningful as tier reward than weighted polls Imho -)

Any creator should be prepared to communicate with all their Patrons of all tiers anyway - at least up to the 1000 mark.

It's worth noting that only about 10% of my Patrons initiate communication with me at all, and only about 5% do so regularly; whereas as least 50% take part in my polls.

Weighted polls are a crazy idea though - it's not a Patreon feature, so you're going to need to do it manually with a spreadsheet. As the number of Patrons increases, this will become increasingly onerous work.

 

[Joshua Tree]

Any creator should be prepared to communicate with all their Patrons of all tiers anyway - at least up to the 1000 mark.

It's worth noting that only about 10% of my Patrons initiate communication with me at all, and only about 5% do so regularly; whereas as least 50% take part in my polls.

Weighted polls are a crazy idea though - it's not a Patreon feature, so you're going to need to do it manually with a spreadsheet. As the number of Patrons increases, this will become increasingly onerous work.

Of course, communicate with your "community" is the best way to grow it and take care of it. Seen often people say X make so so, game and have more support than Y that make better game and deserve it better. It's more to it than just make the game, building a community and make people vested into it just as important. If you make your higher tier backers feel more special about hang out a few times a month listen to feedback, brainstorm ideas and such, that is way more worth than some weighted polls.

Imho, the worst thing a creator can do is start listen to the vocal minority and make changes and take direction from that. Could really upset the silent majority that is perfectly happy with how things are coming along. As you said above, 10% initiate communication, but at least 50% take part in polls.

 

[AlmightySpoon]

RanliLabz
I would do my polls on discord and there are bots for that wich can give bigger vote power to roles. But after all this, i dont think thats a good idea anymore. I want all my future patreons to be happy.