To Member+ or Not To. (and my other questions about groups and names)

[starlord]

So I was wondering... What benefits does the member plus users have compared to a normal member like me? I was wondering because it is tempting to purchase one even for a trimonthly subscription. 

 

[Andar]

1) lower prices in the forum store (not in the main store)

2) Monthly bonus resources

3) Member Blog on this site

4) Previews of future products

 

[starlord]

I bet those monthly bonus resources are worth it. But I'm not yet convinced though. :/

 

[Matseb2611]

As a Member+, I'd say the discounts on store products are probably the best bit (they're usually about 40% off). If you're planning on buying a lot of resource packs, the discounts that you get will outbalance what you've paid for the Member+ membership.

 

[whitesphere]

I would second what Matseb2611 said.  If you plan on purchasing a lot of Resource Packs from the store, you get a good discount.  And, when you buy from the forum store, the artists get a lot more of the money (Steam takes a good chunk).   And from what I've seen, it is a LOT of work (hundreds of hours) to create, say, a new tileset, so the artists should be well paid for their hard work.

Also, some Resource Packs include neat little bonuses only in the forum and RPG Maker store versions, as an incentive to buy from the store.  For example, the Rural Farm Tiles include character pieces for the Game Character Hub.

If you have the Steam version of RPG Maker, you can use the Resource Packs from the store.  Just drop their contents into a new sub-directory in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RPGMaker\dlc.  That is also where the Steam version drops the Resource Packs you purchase.

However, the Member+ resources are also nice, and you can legally use them in commercial and non-commercial games.  I think the ReStaff resources can only be used in non-commercial games without purchasing a license.  And you can't get the Member+ resources elsewhere, although I've heard they've been trying to figure out a way to package old Member+ resources up and sell them.

I'd say it's worth it if you want more exclusive resources and want to support the artists who make all of these resources.

 

[Gothic Lolita]

I can say, character generator parts are allways missing in the steam version. :/

But if I listen to all of this, it is really worth to get a monthly Member+ subscription. (\s/)

 

[Matseb2611]

I think the ReStaff resources can only be used in non-commercial games without purchasing a license.

With ReStaff it usually depends on the contributor. Some can be used commercially, others require a license. That's why there are separate T&Cs files in each contributor's folder.

 

[Galenmereth]

It also gives you mad rep points. And a golden nick in the members online list!

It's why I got it, at least. Makes me feel like a special guy.

 

[djDarkX]

I thought it was worth the investment.  I still think that.  Exclusive resources, sneak peeks at various projects yet to be released and even free edits to paid resources that can't be posted here on the regular forums.  Maybe the price is off-putting.  It can be if you're looking for the yearly sub, but try the tri-monthly.  It's cheaper and still worth the price.

Try it out for the three months and if you're satisfied, keep getting it.

 

[starlord]

It also gives you mad rep points. And a golden nick in the members online list!

It's why I got it, at least. Makes me feel like a special guy.

That's my first reason why I should buy the member+ subscription. XD

Do you guys also know how some people have the green color in their name? The Early Ace Adopter? I know the blue is for the resource staff, gold for member users, Violet for Moderators and Red for Web Staff. I'd just like to ask why some users have the Early Ace Adopter thingy in their name. How do they enter such groups?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I think those are for the people who bought Ace when it was still on it's early days...

And oh well, getting a Mem+ subscription means you're also helping fund the community itself. :3

@dj - the total price of the yearly is less than the price of 4 tri-monthly (which is 1 year too), so I wouldn't really call the tri-monthly as cheaper

 

[starlord]

Oh, they were pretty early. So that's why they had that. Another question, how do user get awards? (I'm sorry, I'm pretty new here, even though I'm not).. Those are from events right? 

 

[whitesphere]

The forum hosts events and competitions every so often, and winners and sometimes participants get the awards.  I received one of mine from participating in a "Everyone works together to make a huge game map" event, the other from a "Create a little game using randomly generated RPG Maker sprites"

I would say purchase the $14 tri-monthly subscription if you're on the fence about it.  If you decide you want it, it's a lot cheaper to purchase the yearly --- you basically save $14, since it would be $56 for 4 3-month subscriptions, but only $42 for a year.  That's $3.50 a month.  So, if you purchase, say a resource pack every 2 months or so, you'd probably end up ahead, with a ton of Member+ resources thrown in to boot.

Member+ also gets a blog on this site (I've never used it) and greater storage space in the Uploads area.

 

[starlord]

The forum hosts events and competitions every so often, and winners and sometimes participants get the awards.  I received one of mine from participating in a "Everyone works together to make a huge game map" event, the other from a "Create a little game using randomly generated RPG Maker sprites"

I would say purchase the $14 tri-monthly subscription if you're on the fence about it.  If you decide you want it, it's a lot cheaper to purchase the yearly --- you basically save $14, since it would be $56 for 4 3-month subscriptions, but only $42 for a year.  That's $3.50 a month.  So, if you purchase, say a resource pack every 2 months or so, you'd probably end up ahead, with a ton of Member+ resources thrown in to boot.

Member+ also gets a blog on this site (I've never used it) and greater storage space in the Uploads area.

Oh.. Got it. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Matseb2611]

The Tri-monthly vs Yearly thing also depends on convenience. I personally have tri-monthly one which I've let to keep auto-renewing for the past 2 years, simply because it's more convenient for me to be paying $14 at a time, than a huge chunk of $42. Another aspect to this is you don't know about your forum activity. You might buy a yearly one and then end up leaving the forums for half of that year (for whatever reason). So it's all up to you.

As for rewards, in addition to what Whitesphere said, you also get them when you contribute to ReStaff releases, and also when you give feedback to ReStaff each time a new release comes out.

 

[starlord]

Speaking of ReStaff.. They release ReStaffs at the end of the month or after the month?
Another question, how do some users have a gif as their profile picture? 

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Restaff sometimes has a mini release every month, but on a usual release it will be one large release every two months. As for the second question. I would try just uploading the .gif from your file browser first.

 

[Scinaya]

With ReStaff it usually depends on the contributor. Some can be used commercially, others require a license. That's why there are separate T&Cs files in each contributor's folder.

Exactly, some ReStaffers allow it, others you need to ask. But the Members+ bits are not ReStaff resources, even though some are made by same people. as far as I know, the Members+ are meant to be all up for commercial use, as well. At least, back when I contributed.The early adopter is the title for people who preordered Ace, when it came out. Most of them were also among firsts here on the official forums, when they first came up about 3(?) years ago.

 

[starlord]

Lucky for those who preordered ace, they have a lifetime green name here in the forums and a green badge of some sort.... 

 

[Matseb2611]

The golden one feels pretty good too, and you can get it at any time, and who knows, maybe someday it will turn into something else.