Dear HWS Community,
if you supported us or plan to support HWS please continue to read, for all others it is still the most important meaning for us that you enjoy our server for free in your valuable time!
As some recognized yesterday, I redesigned the HWS Donation page slightly with better colors and straight links to the proper guide on the right side if you click on a donation card.
Today however not only the prices changed dramatically but also our whole Donation mindset.
Of course this process didn’t happen today or over night. It was a process over 2 years with analyzing all donations, feedback, chat or private messages we got.
Let me first list all the changes and additions with the new update:
-
[change] HWS Donator: from 15 to 9 €
-
[new] Spawn Blueprint 5€
-
[change] OCD Level 5: from 25 to 19€
-
[change] OAM lvl 10: from 25 to 19€
-
[remove] Keep 500k credits
-
[change] Keep 5m credits: from 15 to 5€
-
[new] Keep 25m credits: 15€
-
[new] Keep 50m credits: 25€
-
[change] Keep 70m credits: from 30 to 29€
-
[new] Keep 100m credits: 35€
-
[change] Keep Blueprint resources: from 25 to 9€
-
[change] S package: from 3 to 2RP
-
[change] M package: from 5 to 3RP
-
[change] L package: from 7 to 4RP
-
[change] XL package: from 10 to 5RP
-
[change] Penthouse: from 10 to 7€
-
[change] Alien Core: from 15 to 9€
-
[change] NPC Trader: from 70 to 49€
-
[change] Keep Structures: from 10 to 5€
-
[change] Donator Planet: from 99 to 77€
-
[change] Donator Space: from 90 to 69€
-
[change] Discord Channel: from 10 to 5€
-
[new] EGS Recycle Level to 5: 14€
Details
First of all we added 2 overall new packages: Spawn Blueprint and EGS Recycle Level to 5.
Spawn Blueprint is basically what you know already from your HWS Donator package. It allows you with the do:bp command to spawn your factory blueprints without waiting. This is now a separate package you can focus on or refill your existend packages with.
EGS Recycle level 5 sets its level to 5. A big request out from the last survey and the community feedback overall.
Then we removed, changed and added the Keep Credits packages to not only reflect the current state but especially looking already to Alpha 8, with bigger planets and more depth for your gameplay.
Important note on upgrading: we have an automatic function implemented which always takes the difference to the next higher package plus 2€ due PayPal fees. Please use the Keep Credits Upgrader
Example:
You have the Keep 70m credits package and want now to upgrade to the Keep 100m credits package.
This means the difference of 6€ (29->35) + 2€ = 8€.
If you do a bigger upgrade from 5m to 100m keep this in mind and use the “Custom” dropdown option calculate properly one upgrade to another.
Why the changes?
As already said, this is a big question, containing 2 years of analyzis and reflections.
First you have to understand why the prices were more “expensive” before.
It was my main mindset that the more expensive the more “secure” you feel in supporting us. It’s like buying something very expensive but you know the quality will justify the price in the long run.
While there were way more reasons for the old prices it is now about realizing and understanding what the HWS community is looking for and enjoying in particular.
We realized that way more people want to support us and enjoying all the hard work we did and do but just couldn’t afford such high prices they worked on their end hard for.
I think in the long run it just “adds up” and our high server costs are still covered only by your unbelievable support and trust in us!
The other idea / reason behind that is that I had to hire a tax consultant since germany is very strict about any money “flying” around, especially international. So with a special europe law system I have basically to pay the taxes of each donation coming in, globally.
It’s quite a big deal but I want to share with you that we are doing everything right and possible so you can enjoy your time on HWS for free all the time.
But…
you donated within the last week by the old price?
As always we are generous here and don’t want that you feel in any way “bad”.
So please contact me via PM, let me know the date when you donated and we can agree on a compensation.
We want to thank everyone else honestly for the described trust and support!
Without you, all of this wouldn’t be possible since we really feel motivated and accepted that way.
Community discussion / feedback about a new (additional) HWS Donation way: Patreon
Patreon is quite well known by now and used by people like us: individuals, having a dream, a goal and passion - spending our time for other people.
But since time cost money in this world we would need your support as a return.
Let me point out straight at the beginning: this is for now only an idea of mine. An enhancement not only for you but also for us to focus more on HWS, spending more time and love into this project which became quite successful.
So if you can participate and have time to think and discuss constructive about it, you are more than welcome. Everyone else, please feel free to leave.
Last but not least: it would be absolutely voluntary, no disadvantage for non-Patreons would exist and HWS will always be a free and non-p2w server!
So, why creating another channel of “income”?
First of all: it was suggested by HWS players in the survey and via private messages. I only researched Patreon afterwards and saw the advantages of it.
The main advantage is that small amount of money can be pledged in a regular, frequent and automatic way. Not driven by Eleon patch hypes, bored players, the weather or other inconsistent ways for us in calculating the server costs for example.
The other idea / advantage is now a quite old one. It is about the time we have spent in very specific HWS features. Mainly HWS Connect. While for new players it is just a name for old players HWS would not be HWS without it I think.
And while we unfortunately can’t create cosmetic “items” like different chat colors, skins or other deco items this would be my main goal to give Patreons in return.
Patreon pledge ideas
That said I thought a bit about some possible pledge options and milestones.
Please feel free to think about it as well and contribute.
-
Five tiers from 1€ per month up to 20€ per month while 1€, 3€ and 5€ would be the default tiers and 10€ and 20€ the high tiers giving more advantages.
-
1€ per month = you will be mentioned as special supporter in the HWS Guide and get a special role in the forum and discord (different icon / color)
-
3$ per month = above + more HWS Connect features like OCD sort by type, more Hotviews than 3, etc.
-
5$ per month = above + one custom special HWS branded Patreon Garage ship with an Alien Admin Core you can’t change, recycle or fight with. It just gives you perma HWS boss ship feeling with some advantage like infinite O2 and fuel for your garden or drilling
-
10$ per month (limited to 10) = above + your own PDA mission (idea) gets implemented to HWS for everyone to play
-
20$ per month (limited to 10) = above + one big special (different) Daily Loot package per month for everyone to get
Again: this are just ideas! I did not code any single line of code for it yet or anything.
I just know that some people requested a Type filter for their OCD or having more Hotviews or better HWS Marketplace lists. A lot is possible and could be extended.
Maybe someone made experience with Patreon already and can share more insights?
I just think it’s an interesting, voluntary way to support our work without getting any big advantages in return but just to support us automatically frequently.
IF this would be a thing and would be even successful, maybe we could go a full-time HWS road then…? Implementing more features? Integrate the community even more into everything? Expanding to other games?
At the moment Jascha has still a job and I am coding websites for customers as well.
By no means are we getting rich out of HWS at all at the moment and it’s still very hard to integrate it for us into our real life.
As I said, any serious feedback would be really appreciated!
Thank you!
Thank you for reading and supporting us! We are really every time astound that we could make thousands over thousands player happy in different ways the last 2 years and our initial little idea grew to something that big… we are more than thankful and will always try to keep it that way and improve even!
Your HWS Team
