Quote:
Originally Posted by Buriedpast
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Because not enough people donate, and it costs money to host this stuff.
A server with a hard PNP rule set requires very little CSR.
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You are partially correct. It does cost someone something to be running this environment, yet at no cost to those of us enjoying it. The rub on this is that while a significant portion of P99's player base may agree to some form of regular subscription, technically without copyright agreements the hosts can't ask for that. Instead, they ask for donations.
The risk with this type of payment model is twofold. The hosts have no guaranteed source of income to run the environment, and probably take little to nothing for their time investment. This has potential to create a boiling point of frustration for them. Conversely, the players invest time in an environment that can't be duplicated anywhere else, and become committed to it. They have already invested time (some more than others), and some may even make a financial contribution through donation... but there is no guarantee that this environment will last. It depends on the variables experienced by the host. If the money runs out, there is no funding for the costs... if patience wears too thin, they can walk away with no liability.
It's a relationship that needs double-sided respect. We as players will likely never fully comprehend what is going on behind the scenes in terms of financial obligations or time-investment responsibilities. We have to acknowledge that these things exist, and that it is our responsibility to help them to keep it going.
They've asked for suggestions and perspectives from the player base. My perspective is that there is a huge desparity between content availablity and demand and this is by design. We are all attracted to the idea of stopping content at Velious, which won't be available for some time yet. This is the selling point outlined by our hosts, and they have delivered on this promise. What nobody may have anticipated is the popularity of this project.
Outside of our little community (small by comparison against the huge gaming marketplace), I wonder how many potential sponsors of something like this are aware of what's going on here? IMHO, this project has been a success in terms of identifying what types of games people are prepared to invest in... and it's a far cry from what's on the market. Perhaps even some copyright holders themselves would be prepared to invest in seeing how this thing plays out? A little more financial freedom could go a long way in perpetuating solutions coming to the board.
In terms of CSRs, the cost can be quite minimal because the way the old system worked... the "workers" were volunteers. Unpaid people who were granted access to the tools provided they committed a minimum number of hours per week and followed a strict guideline on how to use them. Minimal supervision is required, but it has to be closely monitored.
If nothing else, I'm grateful for being a part of what got us to this point. It's been a very interesting journey from a market-perspective.