Guys, I've been thinking about this for a time now - the idea to set up a Patreon account for myself, which could enable me to pump out content for Discovery almost full-time.
It's a controversial topic, since the development team is about doing the work entirely for free (everyone, as far as I know in the team), so I've decided to post a discussion about it.
So, without further ado, I'd like to present the idea and get all your thoughts on it (every member of the community is welcome to comment).
1.)So, why even bring up Patreon? Well, here are the main reasons:
Making content requires lots of "free time", which I have less and less of;
With donations (even small ones), I'd be able to do dev work on a regular daily basis;
Patreons can get access to daily updates on the work that I do (and discuss it on a Patreon Chat with me);
Stuff will get done with priority;
2.)What kind of stuff can I do? Here is my skill set thus far:
3D modeling (everything from asset creation in Blender to a finished, working model in-game);
Texturing (be it an entirely new model or reworking an existing one's UV map - it's right up my alley);
Hitboxing (creating SUR files that work well in-game, even ones for models with animated parts);
CMP Animation (animating parts of models, like doors opening, engines/wings animation, even turret/gun firing animations);
Texture Animation (different from model animation, an example would be the "Sirene" Unioner Battleship's energy textures, visible in-game;
3.)What work have I done so far for the mod? Not much, but I'd like to do more:
4.)So how could this work? My personal thoughts about this:
Basically, I have a real job that is very flexible with the working hours (meaning, it's not a regular 9-to-5 job, some days are entirely free, others are half workdays and there are some full-day shifts);
If the idea is well-received from the community, we can discuss about how the work gets done and all other details;
About my dev status - I am considering stepping down, since I haven't been productive in that position overall (been sporadically doing things with months in-between);
I don't see Patreon as something "strictly money-related", but more of a motivational incentive and a way for people to chip in for the creation of content that requires lots of hours and motivation to do; A way to show appreciation that also compensates somewhat for the time and energy invested;
5.)Obligatory disclaimer:
***This is a personal thread, about something that I want to discuss as a regular member, NOT as part of the development team. I haven't discussed this with them and its personal - any negative feedback should be directed ONLY at me, not the team. They work hard as it is (for free) to bring content for everyone.
Bear in mind, this thread here is just for discussion purposes - I'd like to hear about everyone's thoughts on this;
Follow the forum rules when posting, be constructive, this is not the flood section;
tbh, such thing is long time overdue.
As long as you serve content you have the full right to deserve donations for it.
You got my full support in doing this.
And yes, I see patreon as a motivational source, too. It is a good way to honor someone, who does things for others.
I hope that such step will not divide dev team, where someone doing models might be getting patreon funding and someone doing system and story changes - not so much.
(05-08-2019, 09:56 AM)SnakThree Wrote: I hope that such step will not divide dev team, where someone doing models might be getting patreon funding and someone doing system and story changes - not so much.
Some current devs are also trying to do this.
THE SYNDIC LEAGUES
(A co-operative of Rheinland's Shipping Unions, retired from a life of piracy.)
Given I've made rather negative experiences when it comes to commissions and paying devs, I'd rather not make use of this. If anything I'd pay you for something specific directly but not a patreon for things I don't really care about.
Well, if you can get enough people to subscribe to you and make a decent profit from it, why not. If you are good at something, try not to do it for free.
However, I would only ever even consider paying my Eurobucks for development in a game if I pay for something specific to get done and have a guarantee it gets in the game and have a means of litigating this according to German and European statutes about providing digital services and I would only pay once the work has been finished to avoid situations like Geoff and Sombra have been in. Needless to say that'll never happen.
Patreons can get access to daily updates on the work that I do (and discuss it on a Patreon Chat with me);
Stuff will get done with priority;
This smells of dev bias. Something that we shouldn't want in this game. People who don't pay up will never get new stuff then since it is not priority.
Patreons can get access to daily updates on the work that I do (and discuss it on a Patreon Chat with me);
Stuff will get done with priority;
This smells of dev bias. Something that we shouldn't want in this game. People who don't pay up will never get new stuff then since it is not priority.
This pretty much sums up my feelings about the patreon thing. We already have concepts like that with companies like Ubisoft or EA or almost any other big player in the Gaming industry. No one needs stuff like that. Especially not at a minor gaming communty which was always for free. Not to mention that you are not the only one who is investing a lot of free time into Discovery.
If we want to give it a harsh name i would call this one a scam.
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It would be wrong to assume that any content you pay for is guaranteed to get in, and that kinda sucks. Everything has to go through with the department heads anyway, anyone who submits stuff without approval would get an ass slapping.