New Lesson Package

Xenthos

ANNOUNCE NEWS #2322
Date: 4/8/2014 at 1:43
From: Estarra the Eternal
To  : Everyone
Subj: New Lesson Package!

Starting sometime tomorrow, a new option will appear on
www.lusternia.com/credits whereby you can purchase up to two packages of
1000 lessons per character for $10 each. You may not purchase more than
two of these packages on the same character. Note that this is not a
promotion but will be a permanent purchasing option for players, though
meant as an introductory offer aimed to help new characters trans their
first skillsets. We'll announce again when it goes live!
 
Penned by My hand on the 22nd of Avechary, in the year 380 CE.

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This is actually pretty neat; cheap purchases that have a large impact on a new player's life / ability to get into the game.  Good job.

Cyndarin

Awesome!

Karlach

Things like this, and membership are the kind of low budget money spinners that I encourage. There's often criticism that the game is too focused on large cost investments. Micro transactions like this that are restricted (once per month membership tick, maximum two lessons purchase) but give a higher return than their value in credits are great for newer players trying to get a foot in the door without large initial investments.

Would like to see more things along this train of thought in future, great decision.  :-bd

Xenthos

Yeah, that was my post in the previous thread on the subject; anything that can help draw new players in and spread the investment around amongst the playerbase instead of farming a small handful of individuals for large amounts of cash month after month is lovely.  It may also help bring in new players, too; the cost investment issue has been one that's been talked about a lot.

I'm just really glad to see something like this happen.

Kagato

Absolutely love the idea, though I'd like to see one of three potential things done to prevent abuse of this new addition:

1. The promotional lessons being tagged differently to regular lessons so that they can't be converted using CURIO CONVERT LESSONS (2000 lessons @ 30 lessons per curio means a LOT of curio pieces)

2. The removal of CURIO CONVERT LESSONS (let's face it, the main reason people did it was to get czigany coins for the wheel or to liquidate their lesson pool when they left Lusternia)

3. Increasing the amount of lessons needed to create a single curio piece, possibly to 100 lessons per piece.

Xenthos

Kagato said:

Absolutely love the idea, though I'd like to see one of three potential things done to prevent abuse of this new addition:

1. The promotional lessons being tagged differently to regular lessons so that they can't be converted using CURIO CONVERT LESSONS (2000 lessons @ 30 lessons per curio means a LOT of curio pieces)

2. The removal of CURIO CONVERT LESSONS (let's face it, the main reason people did it was to get czigany coins for the wheel or to liquidate their lesson pool when they left Lusternia)

3. Increasing the amount of lessons needed to create a single curio piece, possibly to 100 lessons per piece.

What's wrong with generating curio pieces?  They can only turn into a (very small) bit of gold now.  For 2000 lessons you will get a whole 72 curio pieces.

You are better off buying and using the lessons instead of converting them, especially given how many pieces there are out there by now.  The chance of getting ones you need are pretty small.

Acrune

I like the idea. Good for new players, good for old players who want to try something new on a new character but don't want to spend a ton of money right away.

Lavinya

The reason the ability to convert lessons for curios was brought in was so those people who have transed all their skills yet still have lessons they can do nothing with can actually do something with them. Even I am almost at the point of transing everything including every trade I can have, and with a doctoral cord making skillflexing free, what will I do with my superfluous lessons I earn every day from elite? The nerf to the wheel and coin drop rates already dealt with the abuse.

I think this is a great idea, lacking skills is frustrating for new players/characters, and most people are more inclined to spend a little more often than ever make one big expensive purchase.

Karlach

Thinking on how to evolve from this. Small artifact packages that are for sale on a permanent basis. The ability to (for example) pay for 5 glassworking runes and 3 pipe runes at a price that's cheaper than the credits you'd have paid to get them in game.

Most importantly, keep it to things that won't have an impact on the power creep, but the kind of things that while not "essential" are pretty much the first artifacts anyone buys because they're useful from day one. Glassworking runes, pipe runes, lips, ikons (for gestalt making/consuming) None of these have major costs to them or combat value.

Xenthos

I'm not sure about lips, but being able to buy a set of glassworking / pipe runes to kit out a new character would be an excellent package to have around as an any-time purchase.

Something to do with being able to buy a (limited number) of bound credits would also be neat I think; being able to make up to 2 purchases of bound credits, per character, for $20 at the $0.29 rate of the highest package would probably be useful for new players as well.  Maybe even a slightly better rate, since they are bound (untransferrable) and limited to 2 purchases max per character.

Karlach

I'm just thinking lips as they're roughly the same price as vial/pipe runes, just cheaper artifact items that people can make use of from the get go. Certainly a glass/pipe combine should be put in though, I was trying to think of similar packages in terms of useful to new players/characters without making them overpowered.

As far the proposal of 2 maximum purchases of bound credits, would you have them count towards credits bought and then bound for bonus lessons? 

Xenthos

Doesn't matter to me either way.  You could make it not count though, given that it'd be a good rate; you would then be able to choose the lesson packages, the credit packages, or both depending on what you're looking for.

Siam

Yesssssss.

Shaddus

I get this feeling all my alts are getting fed like whoa.

Siam

Feed me, Overmind @Shaddus.

Ileein

Something I saw on the Achaea forums, where Matt Mihaly was discussing the impetus behind these packages: apparently it will be possible to purchase them as gifts for others, though that will count as one of their two purchases. Wanna really make a newbie's day? $10, boom, how do you like that second bashing skill?

Daraius

I'm liking this better and better with every post. Way to go IRE.  

Shaddus

This is really a good marketing strategy. I've been known to buy newbies credits to pique their interest and see if they'll stick around; this would help them a lot more. Well played, IRE.

Shaddus

Do mentors/orgs get a % of this like normal purchases?

Do memberships give a bonus to this?

Neos

It was said by the Aetolia producer that no bonuses apply.

Rialorm

Oh my goodness, this is the best thing ever. Seriously, all of my raves! Like others have stated, these are the kind of deals we want and need, and despite already dropping money on a 1k lessons pack this month I'm looking forward to drop money on this when it is up. Thank you whoever came up with this

Cyndarin

I'd have bought them as a newbie in a heartbeat instead of holding off for one of the credit packages like I did. I'll buy them now just so I can have hexes and healing. Mwahahaha

Xenthos

Ileein said:

Something I saw on the Achaea forums, where Matt Mihaly was discussing the impetus behind these packages: apparently it will be possible to purchase them as gifts for others, though that will count as one of their two purchases. Wanna really make a newbie's day? $10, boom, how do you like that second bashing skill?

/swoon