Kickstarter Cosmetic Replacements

[mighty widget]

I don't personally care about exclusivity so take this with a grain of salt, Just another suggestion thread for replacement for Kickstarter exclusives

Why?

Well, It seems like its been a trend got them to go towards being unlockable or non exclusive. Originally, All backer rewards including the Melanistic skin were exclusive to KS only. Now that being changed has been healthy for the game, but it does seem to go on from there. Hybrid was to be kept KS exclusive, Then a very rare potential way to obtain one life of it, Now it sounds like it will be far more easy. Bios are also confirmed to get an NPC to nest out 5 eggs a day, despite being a KS exclusive dragon.

All in all, It seems like a spiral, So might as well get ideas for something given in turn for what is taken, Some way to make an arrangement where the most people are satisfied as possible.

Current Suggestions:

Cosmetic Pearls:
As example, A Pearl of Midnight or Pearl of Ink for every KS that darkens the skin they currently have or adds black markings, or makes melanistic skin with it either metallic like ink or metallic with light flecks like stars. Not as overwhelming as a lot of pearls. Maybe a black eye?

Backer patterns
Patterns, rather than keeping colours paywall locked, a pattern that may be available for whatever you had backed

Cosmetic Uniform Addition:
A pattern, Paint, Or a sparkling effect, A special Emote, A pet like the jellyfish, Something but to ALL KS

KS Exclusive, PT Obtainable, All Unlockable:
A suggestion that either an existing PT cosmetic or a new cosmetic is released that has a variation for KS as Exclusive and free unlockable content. Using a PT example, PT has Gold, KS gets some sort of metallic pearl, And there is an unlockable metallic pearl, all with similar functions on skins. I would emphasize that the free version should be prioritized over the KS version, whatever the option is.

No Exclusives, Inclusion in Development:
The best example would be the time KS had with offering feedback and imput on the Bio dragon. Where we voted, and we sketched, and we had such a happy time and exciting time together on our dragon. We do not get a shiny exclusive, but we get to be included in what is to come again. Let us look at and offer suggestions on skins to come. It doesn't have to be everything, we do not need to take sneak peeks away from PT, but just some things would be fun to be a part of again.

[trail fable]

I think unique patterns or colors for kickstarters and or pt supporters would be great it would give the people who supported us and put a rewards while still keeping the game not ptw

[nimble sleet]

KS have white /grey/leuc skin + shimmers

PT have red/gold+ shimmers
We dont need more skin because we supported a game and also when the new skin crafting is coming with also pattern

[uncut geyser]

I'm on penguin's side a unique pattern is way more healthier than locking specific colors behind a paywall, let it be still available or not.
A pattern what can be aplied to any skin color would make it so that you can show off your support no matter what color of skin you want to play (altho the shimmer pearl does that now, so there's that.)
But i also agree that we need more free skins before anything more exclusive is added.
Honestly at this point i don't even mind the bio NPC, i just wish that in return the bio get a proper balance without the "but it's p2w" nonsense and gets some true form of defense

[mighty widget]

Oh yeah, If there is anything it should be pushed far down the line
Cosmetic extras are last on priority, And I want there to be great things unlockable or obtainable first

[pliant frost]

Why not a whole nother cosmetic dragon as DLC(AND ONLY COSMETIC NOT P2W OR ANYTHING FOR ANY PVP)... And dont tell me about the Mimikor. I'm not counting a dragon that costs $200-300. No. A solid priced playable like ASD or Blitz. The Kickstarters can keep their Bios. Make something accessible for everyone else that has a nice cute similar flare since apparantly thats what they want??? Seeing as how everyone and their brothers want that bio, I feel like, and sorry from a greedy perspective, that's a chunk of money missed out on now that the game has garnered more attention... remember - DLC is a choice. Cosmetics can be a choice.

[mighty widget]

That doesn't exactly pertain to what this suggestion is about, which is to replace what has already been taken from KS rewards ^^i
That would be a delightful suggestion on its own you could make, Though

[uneven falcon]

I think exclusive patterns or overlays would be fantastic. Anything cosmetic- war paints, patterns, a subtle sparkle effect pearl (in similar vein to PT metallic pearl and irridescent shimmer pearl), special emotes, or maybe an exclusive cosmetic similar to jellyflies or a special pet? And no, KS doesnt have exclusive gray/white skins, because those only count if you had specific tiers. As far as I'm aware, shimmer pearl and a title are the only two truly universal exclusives for KS support (and shimmer isn't exclusive because PT gets that too).

But it does need to be given to all Kickstarters, and ONLY to Kickstarters. So choose wisely, and then stick to your guns and refuse to give it to others

[uncut geyser]

you can't realy have a species purely cosmetic in a survival game, unless you restrict it's use to pve only, which wouldn't be enticing to the pvp players...if you don't give it any attack, or useful ability you'll get what the bio is right now, something for pvp players to target practice on without an enjoyable gameplay loop for the person playing it. But if you give them any ability at all, people will find a way to use it in pvp and then the argument starts again. And hopefuly when the zygovo releases that will fill that "cute" nieche people are after.
But as Nihil said this isn't the suggestion here, BUT it gave me an idea. What if the bio dragon becomes unlockable, but with a different appearnce? Nothing major, so it can use the same rig, but distinct enough (and not just in the skin, minor changes, like different body texture, more/different looking whiskers ect) that if you see a ks bio and a "free" bio next to each others you can recognize them...this way everyone gets the bio, and ks get to be "unique" as well

[uneven falcon]

Like a morph target kind of thing?

[mighty widget]

The cursed idea of a free bald bio Personally okay with being a unique variant but the bio unlockable. Maybe a more unique and dazzling glow for Q on the KS Bio and a tamer Q for unlockable, Brigher eyes on KS and the near pitch black on non KS, Morph target varieties also sound fine but I like the whiskers so if either have more/bigger I like KS having that

Wouldn't that be a seperate suggestion too?

[pliant frost]

Your latter half is exactly what I'm trying to suggest. I just threw a price tag on it since i figured cosmetics tend to make money in many other games and everyone seems to be frothing at the mouth for their own Bio but cant anymore unless special giveaway or you were here years ago. Lol. Why not take advantage of that. A second Bio, but one for everyone. KS gets to keep OG Bio under original support lock. They would still stand out. And yeah it's not directly pertaining to the KS replacement topic, but it was an idea to keep the OG Bios in the game and still only spawned by the KSs that got them.

As for the PVP part regarding Bio, honestly I don't play PvP, but i have read plenty of comments or people saying they use them to scout. It could still have some use lol. What if the devs put the subspecies Bio idea to a poll? Lol

Edit: why not consider this^ instead of adding the Bio NPCs? We still have time for the devs to change their minds.

[green sparrow]

Please remember to stay on topic in suggestion forums. New suggestions should have their own forums, thank you!

[crisp shale]

As someone who doesn’t have Kickstarter or Patreon, the only thing is that making something entirely exlcusive to Kickstarter means absolutely no one else can get it. Patreon is fine because you can still buy a Patreon, but Kickstarter exclusive is perms locked. It’s unfair to new players of the game, or those who didn’t have the money to invest in the kickstarter. I have no problem with exclusive patterns or anything, but please make them both Kickstarter and Patreon so new players can still access it.

[mighty widget]

The point of this is to replace the things that were promised to KS to be forKS and KS alone, Which were the reason a large number of people kickstarted in the first place, So making the replacement be in PT as well defeats the intent ^^i
To clarify, The amount of funding this game got may not have been anywhere near as much as it was if the rewards then were as they are now
Originally Black skin, Micro, Singe, Nurse, Hybrid, and Ice Behemoth were all KS exclusive. KS only, even if you donated the bare minimum, all of those were yours, and not new players'.
This was changed, and I think it was good that it was, but that is a lot that was promised to people and then changed after the promise was made.
Now, exclusive tier content like Bio is also becoming available.
So I am gathering suggestions to replace what was taken without it being high exclusivity like dragon species and entire colours, and instead being low exclusivity like a pattern or overlay.

I can understand how unfair it feels when you miss out on content because you didn't back, I have on quite a few games! But I don't ask for the content or expect it. I don't want to take what was peomised to someone else for helping make something a reality. I would hope that even if the original promises aren't kept, it still can matter to people that a promise was made, and broken, many times in fact, without discussing it or finding a good compromise. And that is more unfair to me than exclusive content as a thank you for helping fund things, and I don't even really like exclusive things- I wouldn't use the bio emotes when others couldn't use them because it felt really sad when people asked why they couldn't when I nested them in before and I had to explain to them they couldn't use them and never would be able to.

[uneven falcon]

As someone else who is not a Patreon or a Kickstarter, making something that is entirely exclusive to kickstarter is the point. KS got exclusive spawn access to all the stretch goal dragons taken away (made unlockable, which was good, but still took away stuff from kickstarters that was promised). Black skin was made unlockable too. Then it was shimmer was KS exclusive, and then it was made that PT could get that, too. Now they're making bios and hybrids unlockable in a way, as well. That's a lot of exclusive stuff that is no longer exclusive, and they really haven't gotten anything in trade. I don't think its good to lock playstyles behind exclusive paywalls; however, I do think they deserve to get SOMETHING special that shows that they believed in the game and supported it before the game was made, considering the risk involved with paying into a kickstarter campaign.

Cosmetics are a good candidate for this. Yes, it absolutely sucks to miss out, but I'm not losing anything by not being able to use KS skins or patterns. And as the game adds more skins and patterns, there will hopefully be enough variety that its not a big deal not to have one skin. Lots of other games do this, and it is OK. I will say, though, that I don't think that cosmetics that lock other parts of the game out for other players are good. For example, I don't think its good that so many skin crafting recipes require a kickstarter skin. That's part of why there's so much fuss about taking KS stuff

[mighty widget]

I will say that shimmer being a KS exclusive was a misunderstanding! On the first Kickstarter post announcing it being in the works, Which had been public at the time, It was stated that Shimmer was made for Bad Parrot alone but was decided to be shared, To supporters like KS yes but it specifically mentioned PT too, And the potential of it being nestable
The misconception was that it was announced that we got to use it, And we got it well in advance of others, Right around a touchy time where it seemed like an apology or a thank you to KS for sticking around when rewards changed, And not every KS read through the actual Kickstarter posts
So that caused a lot of upset but it wasn't technically ever just for us! Just a misfortunate circumstance because shimmer had solved many people's issue with the reward changes- One of the big reasons I am making this thread

I also want to reiterate that I don't consider any change a priority at all for this
As long as we know the exclusive will come, I am sure KS who want it will feel less cheated, More heard, More cared for
What would come first would absolutely be more free content I would hope
More dazzling skins and colours and patterns for all to earn or just have
I want there to be plenty of ways to customize your dragon and get something perfect, And to have the eventual KS bonus be something that doesn't take away from others or make them feel less important, Just makes KS feels aknowledged as well
so probably quite some time after skincrafting update

unless we could skincraft our fresh spawns with iconic/key colours id take that cosmetic function right away but im a solo player so i dont get to skincraft for myself so im biased about wanting to play with the pretty skins

[tired bloom]

+1 on the shimmer was never KS exculsive. As already said, it used to be Parrots alone, but she decided to share it with the supporters. It was never made for KS, but the misunderstanding did happen as it did occur at a touchy time and people believed it as a thank you

As for the main post topic, I'm fundementally against the idea of making new stuff - the why never made sense to me. We lost our old stuff, so we want new stuff that may also get lost, even easier because they were never fundementally promised to us?
KS rewards were never supposed to be shared to begin with, but now without our input or discussion, theyre being made obtainable more and more in ways dod said they wouldn't be. How is creating new things going to fix the issue that KS items are just being given away more and more?
Not only is it a lot of unneeded effort for the team to make new stuff, but how do we know that even if they DO make new stuff, its not going to be made accessible too? If the devs care more about giving our stuff away, I honestly do not think they will bother to give us something new.
I think we shouldn't focus on the new shiny stuff, and try to focus on limiting the old that we already have- our designated rewards as promised to us need to be kept, and we need to hold the team to it. We need mela exclusive, independent bio spawn to key holders only, and keep everything else as it is. We are kickstarters, and our rewards do not evolve and are dynamic like patreons do.
The fact we need to stand up to protect what we already were promised in the first place is frustrating.

[uneven falcon]

I think the best path is honestly a little of both. Obviously giving KS new stuff won't help if they don't stop giving KS stuff away. That's problem number 1, and I believe the other post about bio NPCs talks about that in plenty depth.

But also, I think the boat has already sailed on stuff like the mela skin. If they suddenly locked it down to KS spawn only, it would seriously tick off a lot of people who unlocked it, because they got something they had taken away (sound familiar?). And the exclusive stretch goal dragons is another example of something that was taken away from KS that I don't see them getting back for balance reasons. So giving KS new stuff I think is a good solution to repairing damage that has already been done, whether the reasons for removing exclusivity were justified or not. But that only works if they also stop actively damaging the relationship with their KS by continuing to take from them, otherwise the cycle will continue. They need to stop moving the goalposts

[rugged willow]

Hello, just a reminder to remain on topic to the forum posts and when posting to them refrain from using one word responses or emotes.

When contributing to posts it is important to add to what the current suggestion is or suggest changes you wish to see, this should be included in any feedback posted within the thread. Discussions which take place should also include bits and pieces such as aspects you like within a post but other aspects you like and so forth.

Failure to remain on topic or following the forum rules to responses for topics can result in warnings per rule 13, so we implore you to remain mindful with your posts within a forum topic

[tired bloom]

Question, what isnt remaining on topic? We're talking about adding extra customization options as per the OP
Reply to Kaspar: Sounds good, I was very confused for a bit there

In reply to Ice: 100% Step Number 1 is to stop changing KS rewards in ways that negatively affects KS.
Step 2 is up for debate, but reversing the Bio NPC decision before it gets put into the game is still possible. Other stuff like mela is possible to reverse but yeah, its already been given to people. I had an idea to make mela unlockable a swatch and make the whole mela skin an overlay pearl exculsive to KS. Generally though, I want to avoid asking the team to make more stuff for KS.

[rugged willow]

Nothing, just putting out a general reminder as there has been some inside the forums posting one response reactions. You guys are alright, just wanted to put in a little reminder for those new 👍

No ones in trouble

[mighty widget]

The more is one thing that is iffy to me too, But that's why I started off with a simple cosmetic overlay that just darkens the current skin but makes mela look different for all KS. Maybe even desaturate it a bit since the KS skins are all desaturated, not a huge effect but something unique and maybe makes the KS skins look shiny.
Its something new yeah, But hopefully a minimum effort And something some KS can use to showcase they are KS. That or I still like skincrfating fresh spawns but i haven't added that one lol.
I don't know what is best, So I put it for suggestions and discussion to see if there is a happy medium

Doesn't matter how much was taken, I wouldn't make any of it exclusive again. But peopke lost a lot and want something exclusive that now only have the title that has been mentioned the downsides to. That is why for this, that and the Bio. If the NPC is removed, then that solves that part of this. But there is no harm in preparing. Considering what may need to be considered instead of blindsiding. This should not keep happening, But it has already been announced. There is fallback and unhappiness no matter which way it goes. I want to prepare for if the downside is on KS and any other Bio Keyholder's end.

[uncut geyser]

I agree with Iceandi that it's way too late to reverse the changes, even the bio npc and hybrid nesting (tho I would love if the hybrid nesting would be something more creative than simple breeding, but that's another suggestion) since they were already officialy announced.
But I also think that wanting something instead is justifyable, and not entitled at all. Was IT a bad idea to offer species and so much more As exclusives? Deffinitely so, and I wouldn't make the stretchgoals exclusive again, but IT doesn't change the fact that a promise was made and now reversed. Tbh, I would be totaly fine with all the changes happening if they were introduced ín a respectful manner, and were discussed with us before announcing IT to the public. But the Time for that is already gone, and our efforts of keeping our existing rewards untouched was fruitless, so I totaly unserstand why people want something New instead.
I like the idea of a New skin, pattern or overlay, but i still think that the game ín general needs more customization option, and exclusive rewards, like ks or pt shouldn't be better, they should be different. For Example:

• If pt has gold metalic, ks can have silver AND let's say Cooper could be in-game unlockable.
• If pt has sky jellies ks can have fireflies AND in-game unlockable can be butterflies
• if ks has pattern A pt can have pattern B AND in-game unlockable can be pattern C-Z

If there are dozens of options to choose from then one or 2 exclusive wouldn't be so noticable like now, when (almost) all the options are exclusive...so my take is: to solve the ks problem first the general problem needs fixing.

Reply to Atomix: Oh Yeah, I don't mind the hybrid being unlockable, I just mind the method they choose, nesting is just too boring and uninspired, I liked the first version of the idea more and I would have some Other ones for IT As well, but that's too off topic (and I already shared them ín their own suggestions)

[tired bloom]

The Hybrid change I actually want to happen - limiting KS to spawn stats on a spawn dragon makes sense and is pretty fair, especially considering stats dont make or break a fight in a skilled players hands. Just frustrated it was never discussed, not once.
But the Bio NPC can ABSOLUTELY still be reversed due to its major impact on KS - its not in the game yet. What sense does it make for an announced mechanic to be the end all be all despite us first learning about it then? Plenty of mechanics that were announced and teased have been changed or tweaked prior to adding to the game.

[mighty widget]

Mind if I add the 1-1-1 KS, PT, Unlockable to the suggestion? I thought that was a brilliabt example of a fair way to do it if anything is done. I would want to emphasize that the unlockable would come first, however. Silver may not be the best option though since some PT do love the Silver skin on Leumelan skin and it may overlap that way. but i definitely do like silver more than gold. Perhaps more of a blue-silver tint? Suggestions?

As for the Bio NPC change, It can be done but it would be in general a horrible idea in my mind. I mean, Morally correct option, But non KS outnumber KS and its unfortunately a detrimental idea in my opinion to anger the swarms over the few. Even if we are the few that are having the promises broken to, Again. Which. Is sad. Beyond me being able to state. Not so much the loss of exclusivity, Just the sudden promise breaks.
It's not so much a mechanic thing, But having someone constantly show off something you want, and tell you year after year that you were too late, You can't get it. And suddenly, They change their mind. They announce that you can now.
If it was taken back again, Even if it should not have been offered as it was in the first place, I just think it will cause a larger storm than KS would cause from the same thing happening to us that happened before. Its too late in my mind because they announced it, And we didn't even get a chance to provide feedback. Which is awful.

[uncut geyser]

Sure, feel free, glad you liked the suggestion ^^ and ofc the Examples are just that, Examples, not a "must have", i'm open for Other varieties (for Example kickstarter's logo color is green, what about a metalic green for ks supporters?)

[mighty widget]

I like green better than yellow or orange (personal bias not excluding those lol), And if it works like the gold pearl the only issue I can see is that Crimson Skins would become a Christmas skin with it.

Green eyes with monochrome markings like a high-shine metallic with blackish darks and whitish brights? Or perhaps a silvery colour marking overlay but with a soft shimmer instead of metallic for the overlay?
Something like that would work I suppose?
Needs more discussion, I will edit when I get home!

[minor spruce]

I won't say much because I've already said stuff in the other thread and don't want to just argue about stuff, but just wanted to add..

"It's not so much a mechanic thing, But having someone constantly show off something you want, and tell you year after year that you were too late, You can't get it"

• this sentence perfectly describes why I see exclusive content as unhealthy to growth of a game. new players don't want to play a game where they're being constantly taunted for being too late, that drives people away and is honestly quite toxic as a mentality if the only reason you support a kickstarter is to feel superior to other players later on. kickstarters should be for supporting growth of a game.. this kind of stuff does the opposite

[mighty widget]

Yes, That line is why I would not take away the Bio NPC change now that it has been announced. It has been done already, People have been shown that what they adore can be theirs. It is my favourite dragon, And if it was announced and I didn't have the key, I know I would be so excited and happy for a chance at something I love, But also frustrated and upset about the feeling of taking away from another which feels wrong.

I am not one for exclusivity. I had figured the keys were a 'tada you always have this right away' not a 'congrats this is yours and yours alone' thing, Because apparently I don't posess the ability to read a word that was literally everywhere about it being exclusive content
I do not care about being superior, I do not care about something being mine and mine alone
But I don't like the promises that were taken back without at least talking to us first
So I am hoping to try to find a middle ground that is minor enough to those who do not like exvlusive content and are not KS, And from people who are KS

If it is okay, May I ask your opinion? If there was something to trade for all of the exclusive content that has been given, The dragon species being unlockable and the Bio NPC, What would be something that is a good thank you gift for support that you think would be the least bothersome?
An example was that there is an unlockable variant and a KS variant of PT cosmetic like the Gold Pearl or the Jellyfish pearl, So free players get beautiful unlockable content while KS gets something similar so it boosts both KS and Non KS/PT players with the ability to get something lovely on par with the paid PT and the exclusive KS content. But I want your opinion on that idea, And if not, If you have any helpful suggestions.

[uneven falcon]

What about a pearl that adds moss/grass to the topside of the dragon? Going with the whole green/Patreon thing, a unique look, and leaning into the "firstborne" thing by giving the dragons an ancient look?

Or maybe green fireflies? Or a pearl that changes eye color to green? Or a pearl that equips a string of emeralds on your dragon's neck, horns, legs, etc (with a string of rubies for Patreon, and maybe sapphires or pearls as drops in game from AI?)

[minor spruce]

personally I think the Glyde the Dragon kickstarter had a really nice setup, it had higher tier rewards include letting people help design / give input on things to be included in the game, like letting people name npcs, lower tier rewards had things like being mentioned in game at a specific place and receiving like thank you notes or such I believe from devs. tbh I think if they had "help design the bio dragon" (which it sounds like apparently they got for free anyways) instead of unlocking it exclusively then that would be plenty of a reward, it lets kickstarters help make something they see in the game, but then everyone else can use it too. so if I were to replace it with something I would swap it out with something like that, maybe they could let kickstarters design some area of the map which could have something listing kickstarters if they don't already have that in credits or something? some way of giving them mention without locking people out of content. but I think swapping it with different exclusive content is kind of just swapping one problem for another.... people are just being locked out of some other content, you can make it less valuable so there are fewer complaints but then kickstarters will be less happy....

[uncut geyser]

Exclusives happen everywhere ín the world, not just ín gaming, look at the chase cards ín any cardgame like Pokémon, digimon, one piece, or the exclusive merchandise released periodicaly by big companies, or the limited species of adopts on the internet, and so much more, exclusives are the greatest incentive to purchase, and you can't say that the game would have gotten the same amount of support what IT got (and still gets from patreon) without the rewards promised.
In the other thread you said you bought a lot of games for 30$ and compared that to us buying the bio. Did you ever preorder a game? Or bought the special edition with exclusive in-game or physical goods? Do you think it would be fair if a few weeks after release the provided those benefits to everyone for free so they don't "die out"? Or would you be satisfied if you preordered an action RPG game judging from the trailer and then receive a turn based tower defense one? Because that's what's happening with the ks rewards right now. Going back on promises doesn't just damage the trust towards ks either, but to potential New customers As well. DoD probably already lost the chance to do a New succesful ks campaign ever again, because people wouldn't believe ín the promises they make during IT, and if New players see the broken promises they Will be more hesitant to invenst ín a DLC they might not get, or not how they thought to.

We agree that IT was a bad move to make the promise to begin with, but the promise happened and just As you would be mad if they reversed the promised bio npc, we are rightful to be mad about the reversed exclusivity. As I already said ín my earlier response one or 2 exclusives wouldn't be an issue if the game had more substantial content, more customization, more dragons, more pretty stuff to look at, so don't punish us for the game's shortcomings (which Will hopefully get resolved when skincrafting is added)

[mighty widget]

Thank you for your take, Kuro. I personally loved the KS chat when we designed the Bio, It's not something that we can show off physically for our support, We can't each individually wear this, But I will be honest the designing the Bio chat was the most fun I have had on the KS. I'll add that to the suggestion if I may? The intention was for a cosmetic, But potential non-cosmetic rewards should be considered too I suppose. Though there are far too many KS for the NPC idea and I don't know if the devs would be more likely to involve KS over PT
I feel a cosmetic addition is more likely to be given at this point
And at this point, The value of the cosmetic isn't what matters, But more of a 'We hear you, We are sorry, We apprecaite you still, Have this' that a lot of KS have been wanting, They pushed so hard even for Fireflies flying over their heads only when they were sleeping which wasn't too flashy or valuable, And was directly inspired from the PT pearl where Jellies do the same so it isn't unique
I think KS just wants some aknowledgement, And something they can hold on to?
I am probably the least qualified for making this thread because I am not too torn up by the things more the promises tbh I don't know good trades or the best options I am just trying lol

For the grass/moss I think that is too far from the PT if we want equivalants so we can pair an unlockable, And sadly too useful. Like I worry it could be camo, where flashy emerald still stands out? Maybe oxidized copper, Which can be blue or green, So the bluer tints might blend better with red skins but still be green enough? No clue

[minor spruce]

(if it sounds like I'm only responding to half of what you're saying it's because I'm trying not to repeat myself)
actually I do think that some forms of exclusive stuff can be nice, often times preorders include stuff like artbook or soundtrack or like a signed souvenir or something, and I think those are nice. they're something to hold onto for those who care, but for later players they won't even know they're missing it, and it doesn't restrict them from in-game content. even many times cosmetics make for good preorder rewards (like gw2, if you miss something you can find a similar piece since there are so many, and also you would never know you're missing something unless you go out of your way looking for it. or single player games, where you otherwise just never see the cosmetic if you don't get it). I just disagree with exclusive rewards that visibly lock new players out of stuff, like a spawn menu where you can see a dragon you can no longer buy
also personally if pre-order goods became available for everyone I wouldn't care, and if they randomly reverted the bio npc idea I wouldn't be mad (although of course others would be in those situations and I acknowledge it's bad to go back on decisions after people buy)

and yeah I do think just acknowledgement is better and healthier for kickstarter stuff, optimally kickstarters are properly acknowledged in ways that just don't make others feel worse.. but ofc it's a weird situation at this point, kind of just a lose-lose whatever they do. some kind of acknowledgement to kickstarters could help though even if they decide to make stuff less exclusive anyways

[uncut geyser]

Yes, that's why I suggested adding more freely unlockable rewards on par with ks and pt rewards so people don't only see those and have Other options to choose from, and I can count a lot of games with pretty substancial preorders, for Example Revelation online's western release brought the preorder reward of a 6 person mount, the only 6 person mount in the whole game, which was a huge advantage ín transporting parties (later they released a recolor of IT, As a gacha, but that specific color stayed exclusive), or Smite doing their odyssey T5 skins, which cost 8k gems and never return after the season, or numerous Other eastern MMOs with preorder costumes with buffs on them ect. Compared to these a weak dragon without any damaging ability and so low health that anything can oneshot it, or a New skin is nothing and doesn't "lock out" anyone from the game.
But i'm not 100% against the bio npc, I just want that if we lose the exclusive spawning right then at least stop claiming it's p2w and balance IT correctly (I don't want IT to be good, I want IT to be fun to be chased). Because you can't claim both at the same Time.

[swift egret]

As a KSer mysslf, I honestly wish we had some sort of pearl aside the shimmer...

I absolutely ADORE the metallic skins from the gold overlay, its beautiful and I wish I could get it. (Unfortunately for the skin to me its just not worth it at the moment)

But as KSer who supported the game since the beginning, it would be amazing if we could have a cosmetic pearl of some kind. Being gold is metallic, maybe gem or stone related? Could have gems for horns/eyes/claws or something.

Just something to be different tbh.

[mighty widget]

If KS got Gems, PT got Metallic, What would we offer as an unlockable variant? I am a little bit torn on the other option
Taking Iceandi's comment about Moss/Grass for KS, One might be an unlockable camo for each location, Which offers far more free content, But when paired with special skins is more like a coloured accent on your dragon?
I think an unlockable camo is fine compared to an exclusive camo, Absolutely would not agree to an unobtainable and togglable camoflauge option for KS only but unlockable seems fair, And arguably gives non KS/PT a far more useful and diverse option as well

Thoughts?

[swift egret]

Honestly I would say make the camo type unlockable instead. Allow it to be for anyone to get. Gems would be nice for KS since you have "shiny" patreons with the metallic overlays. KS are rare, like gems, and should be given something of the sort.

Edit to your response:

All good, no worries!!! I would love to see it though. As a KSer all i feel i have is just the leuc skin to spawn as.. but once people have breeders of it (until skin swatches come.. but even then..) its not super rare.

[mighty widget]

That is what I am stating in my above
I am brainstorming for the unlockable variant, And if that is a good alternative for the KS Gem, PT metallic, Unlockable ??? question
Sorry if that was unclear!

[placid beacon]

If they wanted to go that route, then maybe "Polished" as an unlockable pairing to metallic & gem? (Played with some flight rising dragons just as an example of how those could all be different but similar)