Unusually open, but not "new".

Purely off the top of my head, Bioware sold unique weapons as DLC in both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. Although unique aesthetically, they were also distinctly superior to standard weapons - in some cases for a particular stage of the game, in some cases throughout the entire game. They also included endgame level unique items within story DLC packs which, for no logical non-P2W reason I can discern, were added to the inventory of all new characters at start once unlocked.

Skyrim had its horse armour (albeit many people considered its benefits and/or horses to be pretty useless in combat at release). I've known IOS games like Plague Inc sell cheats as IAP.

I could go on - point is that all of these were single player games with a P2W element attached either openly or indirectly. Most people had no fundamental problem with it, those that did can loosely be grouped into four main categories;

1) Buying in game power, even in a single player game, is fundamentally wrong and should be opposed because it undermines competitive accomplishment (e.g. achievements, challenges)

2) The DLC is stupidly overpriced for the in-game value they gave. This is fundamentally wrong and should be opposed

3) This is an evil slippery slope towards the next game being released as a partially complete game, plus day 1 DLC, plus lots of extra slivers. This isn't paying for extra development time for extra content, it's about nickel and diming to keep the headline price the same / lower while stealth charging more for the full product. This is fundamentally wrong and should be opposed

4) Someone on t'interwebs said this was P2W and so I came here to add my rant because P2W is fundamentally wrong and should be opposed. No, I have no clue whether this is *actually* P2W or not, I've never even played the game. Jeez, you expected me become informed before spewing out my opinion? Hah. Noob.


Much the same groups appear against P2W in PvP competitive games, although 1 becomes a lot louder and more common because it affects other players, and 3 tends to focus more on the gameplay impact of whales on non-whales in F2P games - again, because it affects other players.

day one dlc is one of the worst: because someone can understand a dlc after 6-12 months: it's like the old expansion: instead buyer feel like the developer cut a piece of the game and sell back for extra money.

Personally I think that Heresy Era skins (for Models and Vehicles) are more than enough for Space Marine and Chaos players, they offer the kind of exclusivity that Founders want and the idea that they get old era stuff for buying early has a certain charm about it.

That being said, I feel that even slight game-play advantages (or even just adjustments that are balanced) will be negatively received by the community. What happens if you've only just heard about EC after the founder's program is closed, you'll never be able to get access to this or that item that you desperately want. No, I think players should only be able to get versions of items with the same mechanical advantage and play style as another item in the game. If you do want some kind of mechanical reward for being a founder, simply give them access to it earlier. eg. Give an assault marine access to their variant power sword a few steps before the basic one is available for non-founders. It doesn't even have to look cooler, just different, such as a falcion as opposed to a broadsword.

P.S. I'm interested in seeing what the plans are for Eldar and Orks in regards to the Founders program, not just the marines.

I say "Ok" but only if the stat changes are very miniscule. I understand that when it's weapons like a bolter or a plasma gun a simple model swap isn't enough and stats need to be changed as well but I don't want to see where one weapon is more powerful/versatile/useful than the other. Same with a two seater land speeder versus an attack bike. Normally I would expect the speeder to be the slower yet preferred vehicle but if it's founders only it should be 2nd pick to the assault bike when you're main goal is to get kills.

All the stat changing stuff necessary in order to bring unique items in game should be underpowered and the main focus being the "fun" factor of it. Take out the "competitive" part and everyone's happy. Except for trolls. Trolls are never happy.

I'd rather have a fun, flexible, and powerful vehicle that everyone has access to, over a weak, overbalanced, and underdeveloped vehicle that only I can drive.

i know that SWTOR sold weapons that was purely cosmetic but could be enchanted to have the stats for your level. Could be something for the founders maby?

No 'levels' in EC per say but maybe something like an extra item mod slot perhaps ? Or with one of the unlockable/craftable weapon upgrades already pre-installed maybe.

No, this is an awful idea. If you don't get your balancing right (you won't), you'll be giving founders a huge advantage over other players.
Do not give Founders access to additional vehicles, weaponry, or heroes, or you'll see your game get stamped as P2W and lose players.

As a founder I would be more than happy to just have more interactivity with my Strike Cruiser. To access and interact with parts of the ship others would not be able to. Also something that is fun but doesnt necessary affect PVP. Some unique PVE dungeons to explore perhaps?

Well, seeing as everyone (including myself) is against Pay to Win, here's something that I think founders should get. [I believe founders should get something for paying early, other than just fancy colors and decals...]

Looking at it from a different perspective, maybe founders could get something that saves them time -- that makes the game a little bit better. Specific vehicles, heros, weapons, and the lot of that stuff isn't what should be given to them, but rather housekeeping stuff. Perhaps more on-character storage space. Perhaps a "Seal of Passage" that would usually have to be earned, but is available right from character creation (maybe to traverse the map easier, idk). Perhaps even a 5% boost to exp progression across all their characters.

Again, I'm just spouting ideas -- but these ideas aren't impacting the gameplay at all. You can make a great founders package that focuses on making the gamer excited about leveling up and playing the game smart rather than give a clear-cut advantage to founders in the game. This way, founders won't have more power per say, but will have things that will make people say "Jeez, I wish I was a founder..."

My two cents anyways...