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Lab Rats 2 Patron Rewards

Now that Lab Rats 2 is approaching it's first official public release version I think it's time I laid out my plans for patron rewards.

First, I want to make my goals behind patron rewards clear. I don't want to use patron rewards to gate content, slow down non-patrons, or otherwise use Lab Rats to extort people who play the game. Lab Rats is, and always shall be, an open and free game available to anyone who wants it. 

On the other hand, Lab Rats wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the amazing support that I've received, which has let me devote a significant portion of my time to it's development. Patron goals are a way of celebrating supporters by letting them impact the game and leave their mark on the finished product. Here's a look at the patron reward structure I'm thinking about using. All of it is subject to change, and I'd welcome any criticism about it:

$1 - The one dollar support level will stay basically as it is. This will give supporters access to all my patron only posts, which will be where all the NSFW posts must be due to Patreon rules.

$5 - The five dollar support level will also stay the way it currently is. Patrons will receive access to a test build of Lab Rats 2 a week early, with the hope that they are a little more forgiving of bugs and thorough in their reporting than the general public will be.

$10 - The old ten dollar support level gave access to the Lab Rats Art Book. For Lab Rats 2, this level of support will let the patrons add a name to the table of first and last names for the random name generator. They will also be able to take part in a monthly thread to suggest new clothing items, accessories, serum traits, and other items to be added to the game. I'll take the most popular ideas each month and make sure as many of them as possible make it into the game.

$20 - The old twenty dollar support level let patrons suggest scenes from LR1 that should be given a full colour art commission. For Lab Rats 2 I want to make sure the content stays within the game and is accessible to everyone. Once per month each patron at this level will be able to use existing assets in the game to design an outfit or character. These outfits and characters will be used in game to stock a premade character list and a premade outfit list, which will help ensure both look well designed instead of completely random. Players will be able to choose from completely random characters, premade characters only, or a blend of both.

$50 - Lab Rats 1 didn't have a fifty dollar patron level, but I see no reason to turn away the generous support of those who want to give it. Patrons at this level will get to design an entire character, including name, background, appearance, and starting outfit. Each month they'll be able to add a new outfit to their characters wardrobe. Characters will be designed using existing assets, but can be updated as more things are added to the game.

Let me know what you think, if there are any problems with the proposed structure, or if there are some perks you think I could offer that I haven't mentioned.

Comments

Yeah, I'll be sure to do a little bit of curating for the different rewards to make sure there aren't any issues. That's the main reason the random list for first and last name will be split - to make it harder to match up names that are intended to be either annoying or offensive.

Vren

At the $20 mark you are defining a preset character or set of clothing items that look good or have a specific purpose, to help me build a library of premade things that look good in the game. If you drop to a lower level of support, all your previous contributions will remain in place. The $50 mark is where you can define an entire premade character with name, background, physical description, and so on. For each month you're able to support me you can add a little bit to the character: a new outfit is the current plan but I'll be looking to widen the scope up a bit as we go. If you drop down to a lower level, your character will just stay as they are (and will still be included in all future releases).

Vren

How 'bout ability to just suggest a name for a character?

TextileMonster

Curious about the twenty dollar reward. What if a patron can only afford to go 20 for a month, or a few months, or such? How would that work? Because I'd be interested in making a character, but I couldn't afford to go that high for more than a few months or so.

Kedokata

I second that. LR should not become some kind of revenge porn platform... Apart from that I am completely OK with everything you suggest!

srksrksrk

Hmmmm.. Thinking you might run into an issue with people providing character names. Suppose they submit names that they don't have permission to? Or they submit a silly name that cheapens the game - "Donald Duck", "Chad Sexington", "Dirk Diggler", etc. YOU should always reserve the right to refuse any submitted names. But, if you do refuse, you might create a Patron who feels slighted, and leaves? I would take name submission right out of it.


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