Disclaimer: This isn't a hate thread, it's just critical. The idea of a subscription service isn't inherently bad, but it does feel out-of-place for this server and this particular service has been very poorly executed. The intent of this thread is to give players an informed opinion as to why I feel this is not worth the money right now. If you're looking for suggestions, click the third tab. If you want an explanation for why this deal is bad, click the first two tabs.
Anyways, for those of you who are out of the loop, "CubeCraft PLUS" is a new subscription service that acts like a second donation rank, which you pay for on a monthly basis. It has an absurd asking fee of £12.99 a month; it charges more, yet offers far less, than the one-time purchase Iron Rank which, in its current sale price, costs £11.24. Before we take a look at this new service and all it offers, I want to preface this by comparing it to other subscription services out there, ones which I use myself, as well as the similarly priced Iron Rank:
CCG PLUS - £12.99 - Offers cosmetic benefits over a 3-month period, access to a private forum, exclusive streams, an additional vote, free cubelets, additional movement options in lobbies, chat emotes, more friends, more party members, bold name in chat
Iron Rank - £14.99 (currently £11. 24) - Coloured chat, more friends, free cubelets, a prefix, map selection in multiple games, gamemode selection in Slime Survival, gamemode selection in Bingo Battle, gamemode selection in Duels, numerous vanity items upon purchase, the ability to change your name's colour
Netflix - £5.99: Offers a month of infinite streaming of various media content, including entire TV shows and feature-length films
Runescape - £6.99: Offers a month of infinite access to three games: Runescape3, OSRS and RSC
Spotify - £9.99 (£4.99 for students, £0.99 for 3 months atm): Offers the widest array of high-quality music, usable on any device
I took the liberty of highlighting the perks which actually add to, change, or enhance the content of the game in red, and I also highlighted similar or identical perks in blue. The point of this comparison is to say that even for the most avid CCG fans, PLUS just isn't worth it... yet. It's the most expensive of all the examples listed, yet offers little more than bragging rights. The Iron Rank offers very similar (and better) perks which aim to show you off to other players or give you an identity, and it offers far more perks which actually change the gameplay itself, actually adding to your experience. Notice how only one perk under PLUS is highlighted red, and how all non-highlighted perks offer no impact on the actual gameplay. Let's take a more in-depth look at every single perk that PLUS offers you for its high asking price. Keep in mind, this isn't a permanent rank; you must pay £12.99 every single month in order to maintain your benefits, and some benefits are only accessible if you've been a PLUS subscriber for three months.
+1 Vote
This to me, seems like the most compelling perk, and it's certainly a good one. But, how many times does your preferred vote option fail by a single vote (assuming you actually play a game with vote variants; many games have none), and does that number of times pose such an issue to you that you'd pay £12.99 for it? It's certainly a good perk, but it really shouldn't be the best one, since it affects only a selection of players. Keep in mind, if you're outvoted by two or more votes, this perk has no effect. If you're not outvoted at all, this perk has no effect. If you do not play a game which includes vote options, this perk has no effect.
+30 Friends
This is another neat perk. I personally have over eighty friends (Mods have unlimited friend spaces) yet only fifty spots, so this perk may sound good for somebody like me. Again, there's just one problem: None of my old friends play anymore, most haven't even logged in since 2015. When this happens, most people will just replace those friends with more active members. Again, this isn't a bad perk, but it's another one that has very specific people in mind, and odds are, you're not one of those people.
+5 Slots in parties
Yet another perk that's intended for very specific people. I struggle to see even five of my friends online at once. If you're a fan of playing big games with your friends, then you're going to struggle to find a game to put all those parties members in. If you want this perk for the private chat, you can just use Discord, which is both free and gives the host the freedom to create their own rules for the group.
Exclusive cages
This perk has no value in my opinion. First of all, to even get an exclusive cage you must have been a subscriber for over three months; you're paying almost £40 for a single cage that you're not even allowed to equip until a quarter of a year has passed. What the hell... Also, the Vanity Update has really shot this perk in the head, because now, no matter how unique the exclusive cages look, they're still going to blend in with all the unique cages that other people have gotten from cubelets; nobody is going to notice, nor care, that your cage is different.
Bold name in game
I hope you love attention, because this is a fantastic way to get it. Honestly, I don't see any shame in wanting attention as long as you're not doing anything immoral to get it, so if this is a selling point to you then who am I to judge? But attention is a hindrance when you're getting targeted in every game because you've just broadcast to every edgy player in the lobby that you pay £12.99 a month to actively hinder their enjoyment of the game, by voting on an option that they dislike. I'm not sure whether it's toggleable, but if not then that seems like a very smart option to add.
Join announcements
Yep, you get an in-chat parade whenever you join a lobby, and everybody has to see it. Yet another way to get yourself targeted in games such as Assassins or KitPvP, since you've just brought attention to your name. Also, this is a very visually intrusive perk that I can see getting very annoying, very quickly, depending on the popularity of CCG PLUS.
Elytra in lobbies
This is really coooool. We've wanted elytras in lobbies for a long time now, and though it's locked behind a paywall, I'm glad we've finally got it in some form. My only issue with this is that you'll use it a few times to explore or to show off, but afterwards it'll become really stale and you'll never bother with it again. This feels like it belongs in the Obsidian rank if anything, because you'll otherwise essentially be paying monthly for an item that you'll only ever use once. It's sorta like those hats that you'd get for buying a rank before... how many of you actually used your gold or emerald block hats, and how many of you were enticed to buy your rank specifically for them?
Double jump in lobbies
This sounds really pointless; it adds literally nothing to one's enjoyment of the server and feels like filler, to make the rewards seem more plentiful than they actually are.
Chat emotes
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the perk, but it sounds to me like you only get one exclusive emote? If so then this is pointless because the emote conveys no form of expression at all, and if not then this is a missed opportunity. Emojis in the chat would mean you can better express emotions, it'd be a shame if they were locked behind a paywall. Also, the emotes don't fit in very well in the chat.
Private PLUS forums
This feels like another missed opportunity. Private forums grant the ability to tighten the social circle so that you're surrounded with people who share a common interest or level of skill. For instance, a private forum for long-time members would result in less spam and more serious discussion, whilst a private forum for high-leveled in-game players would result in team-building and more advanced conversations, since players would presumably be of a similar skill level. This new forums has only the prerequisite of paying for the subscription, meaning the only similarity of its members will be that they're all willing to spend an extra £12.99 a month on CCG. It's another perk that feels it should've been introduced a different way. Also, a very, very small portion of the playerbase use the forums, and even fewer on a regular basis; this perk is also aimed at specific individuals, rather than the general playerbase.
Exclusive Livestreams
But... nobody watches the livestreams as it is? The last few streams I recall watching had fewer than a hundred viewers. Now, if you limit a stream to only PLUS users, it's very well possible that they'll have no viewers at all, other perhaps from those who are watching just to get their money's worth. The QnA aspect of it might be appealing, if every staff member did not already have an actively used forums account. Why pay £12.99 to get a question answered, when you can do it for free on the forums?
Monthly Cubelets
This is a pretty good perk, at least until you get everything from the cubelets, which probably won't happen for a very long time. Is it worth £12.99? Well, that depends on how much you value the potential rewards, which could be nothing but disappointment since no cubelets are dupe-protected. Also, there are so many cosmetic rewards by this point that everybody has some. Unless you play in third-person, you cannot see your own cosmetics. Unless somebody has all players enabled, they cannot see your cosmetics. Unless somebody recognises the rarity of your cosmetics, they aren't going to care about them. If they do recognise the rarity of your cosmetics, it's probably because they have your rare items themselves, so they aren't going to be jealous of them.
Forum backgrounds
First of all, see 'Private PLUS forums': Most players do not use the forums. Secondly, some of the images are too bright, to the point where it hurts to look at them. I really like the flashy 'PLUS' tag, but the backgrounds are off-putting and visually intrusive. They also look very out of place, and could perhaps do with white boxes to make it easier to read statuses, etc.
View attachment 146937View attachment 146938
If you use your profile a lot then perhaps this is a good perk for you, assuming you don't mind the brightness of the backgrounds. But, if you're one of those people who uses the forums just to check the latest update or to answer conversations, this perk is doing literally nothing for you.
CCG PLUS - £12.99 - Offers cosmetic benefits over a 3-month period, access to a private forum, exclusive streams, an additional vote, free cubelets, additional movement options in lobbies, chat emotes, more friends, more party members, bold name in chat
Iron Rank - £14.99 (currently £11. 24) - Coloured chat, more friends, free cubelets, a prefix, map selection in multiple games, gamemode selection in Slime Survival, gamemode selection in Bingo Battle, gamemode selection in Duels, numerous vanity items upon purchase, the ability to change your name's colour
Netflix - £5.99: Offers a month of infinite streaming of various media content, including entire TV shows and feature-length films
Runescape - £6.99: Offers a month of infinite access to three games: Runescape3, OSRS and RSC
Spotify - £9.99 (£4.99 for students, £0.99 for 3 months atm): Offers the widest array of high-quality music, usable on any device
I took the liberty of highlighting the perks which actually add to, change, or enhance the content of the game in red, and I also highlighted similar or identical perks in blue. The point of this comparison is to say that even for the most avid CCG fans, PLUS just isn't worth it... yet. It's the most expensive of all the examples listed, yet offers little more than bragging rights. The Iron Rank offers very similar (and better) perks which aim to show you off to other players or give you an identity, and it offers far more perks which actually change the gameplay itself, actually adding to your experience. Notice how only one perk under PLUS is highlighted red, and how all non-highlighted perks offer no impact on the actual gameplay. Let's take a more in-depth look at every single perk that PLUS offers you for its high asking price. Keep in mind, this isn't a permanent rank; you must pay £12.99 every single month in order to maintain your benefits, and some benefits are only accessible if you've been a PLUS subscriber for three months.
+1 Vote
This to me, seems like the most compelling perk, and it's certainly a good one. But, how many times does your preferred vote option fail by a single vote (assuming you actually play a game with vote variants; many games have none), and does that number of times pose such an issue to you that you'd pay £12.99 for it? It's certainly a good perk, but it really shouldn't be the best one, since it affects only a selection of players. Keep in mind, if you're outvoted by two or more votes, this perk has no effect. If you're not outvoted at all, this perk has no effect. If you do not play a game which includes vote options, this perk has no effect.
+30 Friends
This is another neat perk. I personally have over eighty friends (Mods have unlimited friend spaces) yet only fifty spots, so this perk may sound good for somebody like me. Again, there's just one problem: None of my old friends play anymore, most haven't even logged in since 2015. When this happens, most people will just replace those friends with more active members. Again, this isn't a bad perk, but it's another one that has very specific people in mind, and odds are, you're not one of those people.
+5 Slots in parties
Yet another perk that's intended for very specific people. I struggle to see even five of my friends online at once. If you're a fan of playing big games with your friends, then you're going to struggle to find a game to put all those parties members in. If you want this perk for the private chat, you can just use Discord, which is both free and gives the host the freedom to create their own rules for the group.
Exclusive cages
This perk has no value in my opinion. First of all, to even get an exclusive cage you must have been a subscriber for over three months; you're paying almost £40 for a single cage that you're not even allowed to equip until a quarter of a year has passed. What the hell... Also, the Vanity Update has really shot this perk in the head, because now, no matter how unique the exclusive cages look, they're still going to blend in with all the unique cages that other people have gotten from cubelets; nobody is going to notice, nor care, that your cage is different.
Bold name in game
I hope you love attention, because this is a fantastic way to get it. Honestly, I don't see any shame in wanting attention as long as you're not doing anything immoral to get it, so if this is a selling point to you then who am I to judge? But attention is a hindrance when you're getting targeted in every game because you've just broadcast to every edgy player in the lobby that you pay £12.99 a month to actively hinder their enjoyment of the game, by voting on an option that they dislike. I'm not sure whether it's toggleable, but if not then that seems like a very smart option to add.
Join announcements
Yep, you get an in-chat parade whenever you join a lobby, and everybody has to see it. Yet another way to get yourself targeted in games such as Assassins or KitPvP, since you've just brought attention to your name. Also, this is a very visually intrusive perk that I can see getting very annoying, very quickly, depending on the popularity of CCG PLUS.
Elytra in lobbies
This is really coooool. We've wanted elytras in lobbies for a long time now, and though it's locked behind a paywall, I'm glad we've finally got it in some form. My only issue with this is that you'll use it a few times to explore or to show off, but afterwards it'll become really stale and you'll never bother with it again. This feels like it belongs in the Obsidian rank if anything, because you'll otherwise essentially be paying monthly for an item that you'll only ever use once. It's sorta like those hats that you'd get for buying a rank before... how many of you actually used your gold or emerald block hats, and how many of you were enticed to buy your rank specifically for them?
Double jump in lobbies
This sounds really pointless; it adds literally nothing to one's enjoyment of the server and feels like filler, to make the rewards seem more plentiful than they actually are.
Chat emotes
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the perk, but it sounds to me like you only get one exclusive emote? If so then this is pointless because the emote conveys no form of expression at all, and if not then this is a missed opportunity. Emojis in the chat would mean you can better express emotions, it'd be a shame if they were locked behind a paywall. Also, the emotes don't fit in very well in the chat.
Private PLUS forums
This feels like another missed opportunity. Private forums grant the ability to tighten the social circle so that you're surrounded with people who share a common interest or level of skill. For instance, a private forum for long-time members would result in less spam and more serious discussion, whilst a private forum for high-leveled in-game players would result in team-building and more advanced conversations, since players would presumably be of a similar skill level. This new forums has only the prerequisite of paying for the subscription, meaning the only similarity of its members will be that they're all willing to spend an extra £12.99 a month on CCG. It's another perk that feels it should've been introduced a different way. Also, a very, very small portion of the playerbase use the forums, and even fewer on a regular basis; this perk is also aimed at specific individuals, rather than the general playerbase.
Exclusive Livestreams
But... nobody watches the livestreams as it is? The last few streams I recall watching had fewer than a hundred viewers. Now, if you limit a stream to only PLUS users, it's very well possible that they'll have no viewers at all, other perhaps from those who are watching just to get their money's worth. The QnA aspect of it might be appealing, if every staff member did not already have an actively used forums account. Why pay £12.99 to get a question answered, when you can do it for free on the forums?
Monthly Cubelets
This is a pretty good perk, at least until you get everything from the cubelets, which probably won't happen for a very long time. Is it worth £12.99? Well, that depends on how much you value the potential rewards, which could be nothing but disappointment since no cubelets are dupe-protected. Also, there are so many cosmetic rewards by this point that everybody has some. Unless you play in third-person, you cannot see your own cosmetics. Unless somebody has all players enabled, they cannot see your cosmetics. Unless somebody recognises the rarity of your cosmetics, they aren't going to care about them. If they do recognise the rarity of your cosmetics, it's probably because they have your rare items themselves, so they aren't going to be jealous of them.
Forum backgrounds
First of all, see 'Private PLUS forums': Most players do not use the forums. Secondly, some of the images are too bright, to the point where it hurts to look at them. I really like the flashy 'PLUS' tag, but the backgrounds are off-putting and visually intrusive. They also look very out of place, and could perhaps do with white boxes to make it easier to read statuses, etc.
View attachment 146937View attachment 146938
If you use your profile a lot then perhaps this is a good perk for you, assuming you don't mind the brightness of the backgrounds. But, if you're one of those people who uses the forums just to check the latest update or to answer conversations, this perk is doing literally nothing for you.
Conclusion
Overall, with an exception to the additional vote which has very niche application opportunities, none of the perks offer any actual content or difference to the way you experience the game. In its current state, CubeCraft PLUS is not worth your money. Personally, in the state that it's in, it shouldn't have even been released, and especially not for £12.99. But hang on...
They're also promising additional future content for PLUS members. That's gotta count for something, right? Right...? No. CCG has a terrible track record with promised content (See: Skyblock, Hide and Seek, Factions, Creative, Parkour, Party system, Quests, The Dropper, etc. etc. etc.)
A better approach than to buy the subscription in hopes of future content, is to wait for said content to arrive before paying for it. Remember, the subscription bills you monthly; if no new content comes out in a certain month, then you're paying £12.99 for a vaguely promised feature that did not arrive. It's far better and smarter to wait for the new content to actually release, before you start paying for it. As a very dramatic example, imagine if they'd promised the Party system would be coming for PLUS members in the future, thus enticing you to buy it every month. Since it took the Party system over two years to arrive since the date it was originally promised, you'd have paid over £300 for it before it even released. Also keep in mind that though they say they have lots of ideas, they've given no examples at all; you're paying for a vague promise that shows no signs of actually being delivered.
To sum it up, in its current state, you're paying £12.99 a month for some confetti and an extra vote
Overall, with an exception to the additional vote which has very niche application opportunities, none of the perks offer any actual content or difference to the way you experience the game. In its current state, CubeCraft PLUS is not worth your money. Personally, in the state that it's in, it shouldn't have even been released, and especially not for £12.99. But hang on...
They're also promising additional future content for PLUS members. That's gotta count for something, right? Right...? No. CCG has a terrible track record with promised content (See: Skyblock, Hide and Seek, Factions, Creative, Parkour, Party system, Quests, The Dropper, etc. etc. etc.)
A better approach than to buy the subscription in hopes of future content, is to wait for said content to arrive before paying for it. Remember, the subscription bills you monthly; if no new content comes out in a certain month, then you're paying £12.99 for a vaguely promised feature that did not arrive. It's far better and smarter to wait for the new content to actually release, before you start paying for it. As a very dramatic example, imagine if they'd promised the Party system would be coming for PLUS members in the future, thus enticing you to buy it every month. Since it took the Party system over two years to arrive since the date it was originally promised, you'd have paid over £300 for it before it even released. Also keep in mind that though they say they have lots of ideas, they've given no examples at all; you're paying for a vague promise that shows no signs of actually being delivered.
To sum it up, in its current state, you're paying £12.99 a month for some confetti and an extra vote
How can it be made better?
The price is too high
Let's address the elephant in the room first of all: The price is utter crap*. £5 or so a month for these perks would be excellently reasonable, but charging almost the same price as Iron, a permanent rank with far better perks, is just robbery. PLUS currently charges considerably more money than: Netflix, Runescape, Playstation, Spotify, Xbox, Amazon Prime, etc. It's not what you're getting for £12.99 that's important, it's what you don't get. To me, if I pay £12.99 then I'm missing out on both my Runescape and Netflix subscriptions, or my Spotify subscription, three things that all provide actual content. For what? Some cosmetics and an extra vote for games that I do not play enough to care about.
*First time using a "swear" for emphasis on the public forums, whoa :0 Also, 'crap' is apparently allowed so no report or else pls ty
Bad perks
A lot of the perks are just... underwhelming. Let's talk about the cubelets you get. On paper, it sounds like you'll be getting five rare items. But odds are, a lot of those items are going to be duplicates, meaning you're actually getting nothing at all once you've gotten most of the items. This can be resolved by replacing the Uber Cubelet with a new type of "Dupe-protected" cubelet, which guarantees you an item that you do not already have. It is also a good idea to add cosmetics that can only be obtained from this cubelet, as to ensure players that they'll always get something.
Two other bad perks are the bold name and lobby-entry fanfare. These should have toggle options, so that those who don't appreciate the extra attention can opt out of it.
Filler perks
By "filler perks", I'm referring to the perks that have absolutely no impact at all, and feel like they were added just to pad out the list of perks to make it seem like a better deal than it is. These suggestions aim to make the filler perks more desirable.
Let's start with the double jump: You can jump twice as high in lobbies. This doesn't look cool or interesting, nor can it help you navigate the lobby faster. A better option would be to give players the double jump from Super Craft Bros, where operating your second jump would give you a huge boost of momentum in the direction you're facing. There's even an advanced technique where by timing your second jump to right as you land, your momentum pushes you across the floor at turbo speed. It looks cool, it can be used for quick exploration, and it'll get you to the lobby's points of interest very quickly.
Now let's talk about the exclusive cages. You should not have to spend over £30 before you even see one of the cages. For that price, I'd want this cage to be a working tardis that literally sends me back in time, so that I can stop myself from ever subscribing. Give PLUS members the cages off the bat, with a new cage on offer every single month, for that one month only. Miniatures should also be offered on certain months (December sounds like an obvious choice; Christmas gifts) to boost sales, and these too should be exclusive to that one month only. People who would otherwise not buy the subscription may choose to do so, under the notion that they might regret not buying the exclusive content once it's gone forever.
Niche perks
By "niche perks", I'm referring to the perks that target a specific minority of players. These suggestions aim to broaden their appeal.
The extra vote is great for those who will use it, but the circumstances in which the additional vote will even matter is rare. I think we need a few new vote options, ones which are exclusive to the PLUS rank. One obvious example that comes to my mind is island degradation in Skywars, since it forces fast-paced gameplay without totally removing all projectiles. You could even combine this option with others, such as OP chests or Basic chests. As for those who play say, the PvP games, which have no vote options, I reckon they should be able to vote on the map of the new lobby whenever an Assassins or FFA game goes down. This could be done via the map selector interface, and limited only to PLUS users. As a former FFA fan, this is something I'd have genuinely paid for. Maybe not £12.99 a month for it, but I'd have paid "an amount" of money for it.
All of the forum and livestream perks are also very niche. If somebody is going to benefit from the forum perks, they need both a forums account and a reason to use the forums. How does bi-monthly giveaways in the PLUS forums sound? These giveaways, in my opinion, would be best if they offered points multipliers. The giveaways could range from a simple "leave a comment" thread, to a competition to see who can take the best selfie in-game, or who can upload the coolest multi-kill to YouTube before the allotted time. I've always wanted this type of community interaction on the forums, perhaps this financial motive could bring it to life.
New perks
Default lobby
You know what really trivial thing I hate? Having to select a lobby. The HUB is always the laggiest place on the server, wouldn't it be great if we could select a default lobby? The idea is that PLUS users will have access to a /default command, which when used in a lobby, will put them in said lobby by default every time they join the server.
Change your display name
The ability to change your display name is one held only by YouTube ranks at the moment. But imagine how many people would subscribe to PLUS if it gave them the option to change their names too! "But but but Soapy, people will impersonate staff!!!" I hear you type. Well, you know that stupid exclusive + emoticon that PLUS members have access to? When changing your name, that little emoticon will be displayed beside it, and when a player hovers over it, it'll display the user's real name. For example, say I wanted to change my name to JohnSlater, it'll display like this:
'JohnSlater+: Hi kids, give me your credit card details?'
Then, by hovering over the little '+' sign, my true identity will be revealed and my scam will be bust.
The Livestreams
Multipliers should also be handed out in the exclusive livestreams. The CCG streamers, with an exception to Rubik, aren't very entertaining (sorry!). There's not much charisma or sense of identity, and I really don't think many people will watch them without some sort of incentive or unique twist. How about a bowling stream? I'm yet to see that come to fruition. These streams, being restricted to PLUS members, should also show off future content and perhaps some interesting tips and tricks for new games, to give PLUS members an edge. Also, don't hesitate to give away a few point multipliers, as they're always satisfying to detonate.
Vanity in waiting lobbies
Vanity has always been, and will always be, totally useless because everybody has something to equip; simply having items doesn't make you stand out. Let PLUS members equip their vanity items in the game waiting lobbies. Being the only ones with vanity gear equipped, they'll both stand out and get more satisfaction from equipping their favourite outfits.
Custom games
You get all that extra space on your friends lists and in parties by becoming a PLUS subscriber... Why not give us something to do with it? Custom games will work sort of like how private matches do in many shooters: You select a team, spawn in, and are able to freely explore the map on your own. You can invite friends to join in too and play real matches with just them, however winning will offer no rewards nor will private matches modify your stats.
There is infinite usefulness with Custom games. You can practice against a friend, explore the maps to improve and find secrets, or just play a game of Skywars with a group of friends, without those pesky randomers showing up. Players have wanted private lobbies since the beginning of time, so it seems like the perfect incentive to boost PLUS subscriptions.
Elytra and exclusive spawn in waiting lobbies
Waiting lobbies are extremely boring, so here's an opportunity to add a vanity option that's actually useful! Spawn PLUS members at the top of waiting lobbies upon joining, with an elytra already equipped. Let them fly around and explore the lobbies, giving them something more to do than running around punching people until they go insane. It's still a vanity perk that adds little to the gameplay, but it's one that'll see constant use throughout the month as it will make the waiting lobbies less mind-numbingly boring. Just think about how much time we all spend waiting for games to fill up, and compare it to how much time we spend in the hub playing with our gadgets or changing our vanity. This perk is instantly more useful than half the perks currently on offer.
The price is too high
Let's address the elephant in the room first of all: The price is utter crap*. £5 or so a month for these perks would be excellently reasonable, but charging almost the same price as Iron, a permanent rank with far better perks, is just robbery. PLUS currently charges considerably more money than: Netflix, Runescape, Playstation, Spotify, Xbox, Amazon Prime, etc. It's not what you're getting for £12.99 that's important, it's what you don't get. To me, if I pay £12.99 then I'm missing out on both my Runescape and Netflix subscriptions, or my Spotify subscription, three things that all provide actual content. For what? Some cosmetics and an extra vote for games that I do not play enough to care about.
*First time using a "swear" for emphasis on the public forums, whoa :0 Also, 'crap' is apparently allowed so no report or else pls ty
Bad perks
A lot of the perks are just... underwhelming. Let's talk about the cubelets you get. On paper, it sounds like you'll be getting five rare items. But odds are, a lot of those items are going to be duplicates, meaning you're actually getting nothing at all once you've gotten most of the items. This can be resolved by replacing the Uber Cubelet with a new type of "Dupe-protected" cubelet, which guarantees you an item that you do not already have. It is also a good idea to add cosmetics that can only be obtained from this cubelet, as to ensure players that they'll always get something.
Two other bad perks are the bold name and lobby-entry fanfare. These should have toggle options, so that those who don't appreciate the extra attention can opt out of it.
Filler perks
By "filler perks", I'm referring to the perks that have absolutely no impact at all, and feel like they were added just to pad out the list of perks to make it seem like a better deal than it is. These suggestions aim to make the filler perks more desirable.
Let's start with the double jump: You can jump twice as high in lobbies. This doesn't look cool or interesting, nor can it help you navigate the lobby faster. A better option would be to give players the double jump from Super Craft Bros, where operating your second jump would give you a huge boost of momentum in the direction you're facing. There's even an advanced technique where by timing your second jump to right as you land, your momentum pushes you across the floor at turbo speed. It looks cool, it can be used for quick exploration, and it'll get you to the lobby's points of interest very quickly.
Now let's talk about the exclusive cages. You should not have to spend over £30 before you even see one of the cages. For that price, I'd want this cage to be a working tardis that literally sends me back in time, so that I can stop myself from ever subscribing. Give PLUS members the cages off the bat, with a new cage on offer every single month, for that one month only. Miniatures should also be offered on certain months (December sounds like an obvious choice; Christmas gifts) to boost sales, and these too should be exclusive to that one month only. People who would otherwise not buy the subscription may choose to do so, under the notion that they might regret not buying the exclusive content once it's gone forever.
Niche perks
By "niche perks", I'm referring to the perks that target a specific minority of players. These suggestions aim to broaden their appeal.
The extra vote is great for those who will use it, but the circumstances in which the additional vote will even matter is rare. I think we need a few new vote options, ones which are exclusive to the PLUS rank. One obvious example that comes to my mind is island degradation in Skywars, since it forces fast-paced gameplay without totally removing all projectiles. You could even combine this option with others, such as OP chests or Basic chests. As for those who play say, the PvP games, which have no vote options, I reckon they should be able to vote on the map of the new lobby whenever an Assassins or FFA game goes down. This could be done via the map selector interface, and limited only to PLUS users. As a former FFA fan, this is something I'd have genuinely paid for. Maybe not £12.99 a month for it, but I'd have paid "an amount" of money for it.
All of the forum and livestream perks are also very niche. If somebody is going to benefit from the forum perks, they need both a forums account and a reason to use the forums. How does bi-monthly giveaways in the PLUS forums sound? These giveaways, in my opinion, would be best if they offered points multipliers. The giveaways could range from a simple "leave a comment" thread, to a competition to see who can take the best selfie in-game, or who can upload the coolest multi-kill to YouTube before the allotted time. I've always wanted this type of community interaction on the forums, perhaps this financial motive could bring it to life.
New perks
Default lobby
You know what really trivial thing I hate? Having to select a lobby. The HUB is always the laggiest place on the server, wouldn't it be great if we could select a default lobby? The idea is that PLUS users will have access to a /default command, which when used in a lobby, will put them in said lobby by default every time they join the server.
Change your display name
The ability to change your display name is one held only by YouTube ranks at the moment. But imagine how many people would subscribe to PLUS if it gave them the option to change their names too! "But but but Soapy, people will impersonate staff!!!" I hear you type. Well, you know that stupid exclusive + emoticon that PLUS members have access to? When changing your name, that little emoticon will be displayed beside it, and when a player hovers over it, it'll display the user's real name. For example, say I wanted to change my name to JohnSlater, it'll display like this:
'JohnSlater+: Hi kids, give me your credit card details?'
Then, by hovering over the little '+' sign, my true identity will be revealed and my scam will be bust.
The Livestreams
Multipliers should also be handed out in the exclusive livestreams. The CCG streamers, with an exception to Rubik, aren't very entertaining (sorry!). There's not much charisma or sense of identity, and I really don't think many people will watch them without some sort of incentive or unique twist. How about a bowling stream? I'm yet to see that come to fruition. These streams, being restricted to PLUS members, should also show off future content and perhaps some interesting tips and tricks for new games, to give PLUS members an edge. Also, don't hesitate to give away a few point multipliers, as they're always satisfying to detonate.
Vanity in waiting lobbies
Vanity has always been, and will always be, totally useless because everybody has something to equip; simply having items doesn't make you stand out. Let PLUS members equip their vanity items in the game waiting lobbies. Being the only ones with vanity gear equipped, they'll both stand out and get more satisfaction from equipping their favourite outfits.
Custom games
You get all that extra space on your friends lists and in parties by becoming a PLUS subscriber... Why not give us something to do with it? Custom games will work sort of like how private matches do in many shooters: You select a team, spawn in, and are able to freely explore the map on your own. You can invite friends to join in too and play real matches with just them, however winning will offer no rewards nor will private matches modify your stats.
There is infinite usefulness with Custom games. You can practice against a friend, explore the maps to improve and find secrets, or just play a game of Skywars with a group of friends, without those pesky randomers showing up. Players have wanted private lobbies since the beginning of time, so it seems like the perfect incentive to boost PLUS subscriptions.
Elytra and exclusive spawn in waiting lobbies
Waiting lobbies are extremely boring, so here's an opportunity to add a vanity option that's actually useful! Spawn PLUS members at the top of waiting lobbies upon joining, with an elytra already equipped. Let them fly around and explore the lobbies, giving them something more to do than running around punching people until they go insane. It's still a vanity perk that adds little to the gameplay, but it's one that'll see constant use throughout the month as it will make the waiting lobbies less mind-numbingly boring. Just think about how much time we all spend waiting for games to fill up, and compare it to how much time we spend in the hub playing with our gadgets or changing our vanity. This perk is instantly more useful than half the perks currently on offer.
The cost of PLUS has since been reduced to £7 a month. Though this is a far more reasonable asking price, it's still a lot to pay for little payoff. Is it worth buying now? I would personally say no, it's still not worth buying at this time. The bad perks themselves have gone unchanged, and those who subscribe later rather than sooner will still get far more value out of their money. Other than the absurd cost, everything mentioned in this thread previously remains the same, but it's certainly a step in the right direction that the price has been majorly cut by almost 50%. I can actually understand now if somebody were to buy it, though I suppose it really depends on how much you value the extra vote, which is still the main selling point of the service. But if money is an issue to you, which it is to most of us over the age of around fifteen, then I'd hold off on buying it until more perks are added.
Great, now I'm mad at myself because I said I wouldn't write a thread ever again and I've just spent two hours writing one. I don't even play this server anymore! Now I really want a tardis, ughhhhh
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