Microtransactions
A Microtransaction is a small one-time payment to purchase items or incremental upgrades for a game. This is an increasingly popular method used by game developers to help sustain the profitability of their products.
In DragonRealms, SimuCoins can be purchased and spent on upgrades to both characters and accounts. The cost is in addition to the subscription fee.
SimuCoins can be purchased at the DR online store.
Notes
Foremost, it has been said that account prices will not change due to this system, nor will any abilities be removed. It will be an optional way to add on to existing accounts, eventually letting players purchase selected perks previously only available with a Premium-level subscription or higher, and other benefits. It has also been mentioned that this will not impact the availability or quality of items available through special in-game events, such as auctions and quests.
It has been mentioned that some SimuCoins will likely be given out to continuous subscribers of DragonRealms, though none will be awarded for status prior to the system's introduction.
Microtransactions would not replace the Premium LTB system, but instead complement and parallel it.
For those who want a more in depth view of generic microtransactions and how they affect games, take a look at this YouTube video.
Currently Available Items
| Current Items | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item | Price | Done |
| Permanent weapon bonding potion - Limited quantities | 2,000 | !! |
| Permanent shield bonding potion - Limited quantities | 2,000 | !! |
| Temporary weapon bonding potion (30 uses) - Limited quantities | 350 | !! |
| Temporary shield bonding potion (30 uses) - Limited quantities | 350 | !! |
| Premium-style home (30 RL days) | 500 | !! |
| Premium-style bank book (90 RL days) | 300 | !! |
| Premium-style bank book (90 RL days) | 300 | !! |
| Birthday altering potion | 100 | !! |
| Portable forge wand (30 uses) | 750 | !! |
| Home storage furniture (50 items) | 1,000 | !! |
| Sapphire Teleportation Earring (60 uses) | 250 | No |
| Jade Teleportation Pendant (60 uses) | 250 | No |
| Malachite Teleportation Medallion (30 RL days) | 250 | !! |
| Onyx Teleportation Pendant (60 uses) | 250 | !! |
| Ruby Teleportation Amulet (60 uses) | 250 | !! |
| Silver Teleportation Ring (30 RL days) | 250 | !! |
Possible Items
Note that some or all of these may require ongoing costs, rather than one time purchases. It may be based on time, or number of uses, or some other metric.
Most of these items are transferrable to allow selling of them for in-game currency.
Items Proposed
- Quests, allowing some or all of the price to be offset by SimuCoins. This would also allow last minute additions to quests, as there would be no need to go through a third party financial system.
- House storage items with tens of slots for items.
- Wands that summon other crafting equipment.
- Crafting storage vaults.
- Additional blocks of vault storage space.
- Golem type assistants that perform a variety of functions such as carrying, item repair, healing, or other tasks.
- Refreshing draught that would boost stamina, mana or other pools.
Items Under Consideration
- Custom character LOOKs.
- Name changes (would be heavily monitored to prevent abuse).
- Freeing up a name from a cancelled account for personal use.
- Character portraits, either from a SimuTronics contracted artist, or possibly allowing third party art.
- Limited use crafting blueprints.
Free to Play
One of the proposed systems that may eventually accompany the microtransaction system will be a free account method. This account will be highly limited, with caps on most major systems, to discourage the creation of mule accounts.
The proposed limits are lesser learning rates, circle and/or skill caps, exclusion from areas except P1, limits on vaults and bank accounts, and no access to signiature guild abilities, such as ressurection and moongating.
Under this system, some or all of these limitations could be lifted with the appropriate purchase, though it is intended that a basic subscription would be cheaper than purchasing separately.
Purchasable limitations reduction would include:
- Experience boosts (to basic subscriber level)
- "Normal" Bank Account
- Vault access
- Homes
- Provincial Passports
- Increasing your circle cap
- Access passes to certain hunting areas
- EXP Drain while logged out
- Access to global chat (once available)