Hi All,
I recently made my first pledge, but I plan to upgrade to either champion or VIP.
Honestly, my primary reason for wanting VIP is simply pre-alpha access. I know this benefit will soon be removed from the VIP package as it will be released before years end. I hate to make such a large monetary investment to get access to the game 6-12months early if the pre-alpha access is the only thing received. I would like feedback from current VIPs on the package. What is included with the VIP forum access? Is there anything other than the pre-alpha which you find beneficial? I want to help VR bring a game that I'm so anxiously awaiting to market, but $1,000 is not pocket change to me.
I want to know if you have spent the money, do you feel the investment is worth it to you personally?
If not, I'll make the pledge to Champion and join you guys asap for Alpha testing :)
Best regards,
~Winter
I'm very satisfied with my VIP pledge. The biggest bonus, IMO, is the VIP Discord channel. The devs spend quite a bit of time in there (although that has decreased lately while they are all-in on getting pre-alpha ready) and it's really refreshing to have regular conversations with a bunch of other people who are equally excited about the game. This is all my personal opinion of course but I would say the added interaction with other Pantheon enthusiasts has been well worth the extra money. The round tables are also a really nice bonus ... hoping we get another one soon!
Personally, I see the $1000 as an opportunity to join a team that's putting together an great game. It's a buy-in to allow you to spend 4 to 10 hours a day play testing a commercial product and help insure that it is successful.
If the extra $500 is a big hit and you don't plan to invest alot of time as a play tester, then you may want to wait for Alpha where the focus will probably be more on game play and not technical details and mechanics.
Just my two coppers.
Hi Winterpain :) The greatest benefit to my VIP pledge would be the interaction with like minded fans. VIP forums are full of individuals who are all looking for Pantheon to succeed. We have our differences but that is what brings us together in my opinion. Great ideas are found in the VIP forums, great conversations are made in the VIP discord and we get to have a first look at some great ideas from the VR Dev Team. As stated above though, if you feel the urge to have a bigger part of a great community then go for it. :) If not that is kewl too ! Either way you are already making a positive impact by just being here and cheering the team on. #communitymatters :)
I would not recommend spending $1000 just to play a game early.
I have been following and pledged to Pantheon since the kickstarter annoucement in early 2014. It's been almost 4 years now. I started out at a lower pledge level but when I knew the game was going to be a reality I dove in to show as much support as I could.
Why did I become a VIP?
1. I wanted to tell Visionary Realms that I believe in them. What better way than to empty out my wallet and throw my money at them? Their vision is a great match with what I want in a game. This isn't an "investment" this is a pledge from me saying. "I'm in."
2. This is the only MMO since Vanguard (Before that FFXI, and EQ) that I have any interest in. This is the first game that really speaks to me as a player. The developers have shared their vision and I share many of the same beliefs. (maybe this is the same as #1 but it's important ok!)
3. The community. The excitement, level of interest, and desire of this community to help VR create the MMO we've all been waiting for is just amazing. There are a few VIPs who "just want to play early" but most of us realize that we're paying a premium to be bug hunters, testers, and free labor. We all want to help build a game that we love. I love the heartfelt discussions and debates that I've had with other VIPs in discord. We don't always see eye to eye but you can tell that everyone is passionate about this game. This community really wants Pantheon to succeed and I love being a part of it.
4. pre-alpha. It's true that I wanted to play early. Who doesn't? But this isn't really the primary goal. There will almost certainly be a ton of downtime. It's very unlikely that more than one or two areas will be available for any given test. I expect there to be many structured tests where you simply run around as a naked character with no abiltiies just to see if your system will crash or not. If you want to "play" I'd wait until alpha or even beta. I really don't think we'll have anything close to the final version of the game in pre-alpha. And thats ok with me :)
Remember this is a pledge not an investment. Give what you're willing to give. Just don't expect that becoming a VIP means you have a developers ear 24/7. You'll be in a discord. They'll be listening but the developers are busy making the game. You'll be stuck hanging out with people like oneADseven and me :P
I only pledged recently but like others have said (here and other places), do not look at it as early access or getting the perks (in-game items, etc) more than looking at it as pledging to a company because you believe in their idea and want to contribute to making it happen. Pre-Alpha will not be a walk in the park. It will surely be frustrating at times as things fail, big bugs happen, crashes, periods of no access at all, etc.
I have no idea how long pre-alpha will be but it's almost guaranteed that the game won't launch until late next year so there will be plenty of testing going on. :)
Reasons to upgrade to VIP: (1) support VR's development, (2) join a small community of pretty avid enthusiasts for a cool stage in the game's early life, (3) contribute to all phases of testing, (4) minor in-game perks that do not affect character power, the best of which is probably the nameplate, and (5) early access to some information that the broader community does not get, such as roundtable discussions which have been very informative. The first three reasons were the most compelling to me, and I am glad I upgraded last year when I did.
I could afford to pledge for the KS, and sent my coin (electronically, not 100K pennies!) directly to VRi when the initial goal wasn't met. I didn't expect any goodies regardless of those listed, as there has never been a guarantee this gamble would survive until release. It was a straight up donation, to support the creation of something unique we hopefully could play for years to come. I enjoy puzzling out bugs and squashing them, but wouldn't pony up a kilo-buck just for pre-alpha testing. Nor for the dev interaction, as much fun as that may be (when it occurs).
If you are worried about the benefits, or strapped for cash - no game is worth a donation. Please save your money for more pressing wants and needs.
On the other hand, if you have the ready cash and can sleep well at night even if the whole thing crashes and burns (less likely now, but still no guarantee), hop aboard the Vociferous Inquisitive Pachyderm train, and get comfy, the journey is about to begin.
I wanted to say "thank you" to everyone for the heartfelt and non-judgmental feedback! It really is appreciated.
Sounds like I have a couple days to do some deep consideration. Honestly, still not sure which way I'll go.
Either way, I look forward to seeing everyone in the near future, and getting to know you folks in the years to come! I haven't been interested in an MMO since leaving EQ after 12 years playing. Really hope Pantheon will be able to scratch that itch that no other game has.... though the wife and kids I have now which didn't back then, surely are not nearly as excited as myself :)
Thanks all,
~Winter
Well, I upgraded to the Pathfinder level today. If they have not removed the pre-alpha by the 22nd, I'll upgrade to VIP (waiting for the next pay-day). I figure that can be my sign from the universe as to which way I should go. The idea of having access to Discord and a great group to speak with, and having access to information the second it's available sounds fantastic. But if it doesn't work out, we also seem to have a great group on these forums, and I'll have to be content with that.
I may have broken down and restarted a character on the EQ Agnarr server to kill some time while I wait. It's not Pantheon, but it's the best I currently have.
~Winter
You guys forgot to mention that we have Bards in discord!!!! And aside from the serious and emotional discussions. We also have a lot of random silliness. And if you want me to I can Meme you to death.
You'll be stuck hanging out with people like oneADseven and me :P
This! So ths!!!!
I just hope that whoever is thinking about donating enough to get the pre-alpha and/or alpha perk are wanting to do it for the right reason(s). It needs to be because you want put in the time and effort to thoroughly test the game and its mechanics so that this game can be the best it can be. Don't donate just to get early access to 'play' or, as I have seen in so many other games, people getting in early to find bugs and errors tha they can then exploit later for their own benefit. We do not need that here. So if you want to subscribe to actually test the game, please purchase the appropriate level.
Winterpain said:Well, I upgraded to the Pathfinder level today. If they have not removed the pre-alpha by the 22nd, I'll upgrade to VIP (waiting for the next pay-day). I figure that can be my sign from the universe as to which way I should go. The idea of having access to Discord and a great group to speak with, and having access to information the second it's available sounds fantastic. But if it doesn't work out, we also seem to have a great group on these forums, and I'll have to be content with that.
I may have broken down and restarted a character on the EQ Agnarr server to kill some time while I wait. It's not Pantheon, but it's the best I currently have.
~Winter
Hey did you ever upgrade to VIP?
I went Cohort several years ago like 2015 or something right after the kickstart failed and they started pledges on there own after rebuilding the company. I actually had a kickstarter pledge but I ended up canceling it because I needed the money for something else atm. I wish I would of went the full 1000 but back then after the kickstarted failed, I thought 500 bucks was alot to risk on it but I wanted ti to succeed. I'm glad I pledged tho but hindsight I would of went one more level up.
One should pledge primarily because one wants to see the developer succeed and for the released game to be great, rather than pledge just for pre-alpha as a reward. Pre-alpha might end up being fun but it'll be incomplete, bug-heavy, and there'll undoubtedly be a lot of feedback work involved for testers. If one is pledging just for rewards, $1000 is not worth it for pre-alpha access to any unproven game (which is what all games reaching pre-alpha are).
