Just another opinion of how SKINR should work
My English is not perfect, apologies in advance. Hope you still understand my ideas.
Lets talk first about why implemented SKINR system by CCP is a garbage.
30% tax on skins price is probably what makes custom skins not fun - they are just overpriced. They are even overpriced by default if you don’t buy someone’s skin but make your own, but let’s say this is the price for exclusiveness of any such skin, because hey, you can chose colors you want and patterns (well, only pattern since you can use only one, kek) you want.
And to create design template you should spend quite enough PLEX EVEN if you use only basic unlimited colors and patterns, plus add Sequencers you also need to buy on market.
Ok, if you make skin just for yourself maybe it’s fine to pay so much so you have something your own. But CCP advertised this system as “You can make your career as SKINs designer”. Sounds fun, but what’s the problem? The problem is that you need to spend same amount of resources (PLEX + PLEX for colors/patterns + Sequencers) and time, add 30% TAX that you should pay after someone buy that skin of yours and only now finally add your margin when making price for this skin. And now it makes final price for any buyer ridiculously high. Price so high for something you can make by yourself, selecting colors you prefer, and spend much less.
I believe CCP thought that it should work like Manufacturing: To manufacture ship/module you need to spend materials for each item. So why not to make same with SKINs? The problem is that ship/modules are consumables that always in circulation and yes you can make your own ship and modules to not buy it from market with overpayment but you need to have constant supply manufacturing chain for that, by the terms of gameplay this is very complex mechanics so this is why it’s easier to just buy new ship in JIta.
Skins, however, doesn’t require any of that. Moreover skin is not consumable but permanent, so thinking that most people could overpay just not to wait “sequencing time” is very bad idea.
So now a picture emerges of most aspects of how this should work. We have such ideas as:
- If you want to make your own custom skin just for yourself or for selling you should pay more
- If you want to buy ready to use skin that you cannot even edit by your preferences - you should pay less
And the only thing works now if the first one, you already pay much enough for your own design.
So my suggestion is first to split Skin Licenses and actual Skins.
What is already working right now could give you just license.
License working like blueprint, you own it, you have limited amount of Licenses that character can hold (so if you want to have more you need to destroy old one or learn according skills), you can Sequence actual Skin using that License.
Skin is what you can trade and apply to ship. The difference with current system is that it requires much less resources to sequence one skin than making License to that Skin.
For example to Create License you need to spend only Plexs, what is calculated by already used parameters such as:
- Used Colors prices
- Used Pattern prices
- Total Skin Complexity modifier
- Ship Size modifier
In this calculations Colors and Patterns prices are likely the same as currently available. So spending this amount of Plex will make you License and is instant.
Now you can use this License to finally Sequence Skin to use by yourself, to gift to someone or to sell in Paragon Hub.
To Sequence a Skin it’s now required only Colors and Patterns, Sequencer items (those that you can already buy from market) and now it requires to spend Time and also influenced by Skills that restrict amount of simultaneously sequencing Skins, sequencing Time and so on.
By this way selling Skins even with 30% tax will make prices per each skin much more available for majority of players.
But still GUI should be changed as well. At first, creator should have access to every possible Color and Pattern while making license. When editing Skin both cost for License and Sequence (including additional required resources amount) should be shown. When starting to Sequence a skin you should be able to select do you want to use stored colors/patterns (if own any) or buy now.
And to be honest, only one Pattern for each ship is not much at all. At least 2-3 should be good, anyway, it’ll just increase price.