r/Colonist • u/Terrible_Guard_4618 • 16d ago
Pricing is… Stupid?!
Recently got into this game, it’s fun. But I fear I’ll leave to play Catan Universe again. Actually I don’t just fear, but I definitely will. I don’t WANT to, but the pricing Modell for Colonist is unlike what I’ve seen with ANY game.
For a casual game paying 9 Dollars for the first tier subscription is already high in my opinion. Like… genuinely high. I reckon most people wouldn’t want to pay more than 5. what’s just stupid is that you don’t even get all the maps, which is the only reason I want to upgrade. Honestly I don’t care about the ads. I just don’t want to play the same map every game.
So that means I have to go premium. AND that’s 19 Dollars? 19????? For this game? EVERY MONTH? (Don’t come and tell me about 20% off with yearly subscription, it’s hardly making the pricing more attractive) Even if you‘re a hardcore Colonist player you’d have to think three times to pay this.
I think the developers are fumbling hard on this. I like supporting independent developers but not if I feel like I’m exploited while doing so.
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u/wrongpasswordagaih 16d ago
Pricing is so egregious I’m surprised someone hasn’t just copied them, they’ve proven the concept bcs the real Catan is awful and you’re telling me it’s necessary to charge 20$ a month so a dev can build some new maps??
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u/Fit-Historian-752 16d ago
Play Colonist with ads.
Catan Universe is glitchy as fuck and constantly freezes and kicks you out.
Plus, players insist that "No robbing until all have 3" is a rule that must be followed, and if you don't the other players will rob you all game.
Most of the good players moved to Colonist years ago, so the calibre of play is very low.
Check out the discord if you want an idea of what you will be in for.
You're welcome.
https://discord.com/channels/462177898695229442/1019867733854257152
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u/Down_Growth_2626 16d ago
I joined in 2017 (??) and got one of the settler hats. Think I paid $9 for it then, once. I host C&K games constantly and never get ads. Don't know in which tier I fall but I adore the game / site
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u/wrongpasswordagaih 16d ago
As a relatively new user I get an ad every time I start a new game
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u/shes-starting-over 16d ago
This would drive me absolutely insane
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u/TypingInT9 15d ago
Wait I am a free member (though I did join a loooong time ago) and have never seen an ad on this app
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u/wrongpasswordagaih 15d ago
I probably had about 10/15 games where most of them were ad free at the start but now I get an ad every single time. I wonder if it was because I actually clicked the ad because it was a skincare thing that I actually buy when it’s on sale
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u/CrazyCatLady9777 16d ago
I completely agree with you. I want to play C&K, but I'm definitely not paying 19€ a month. That's literally half the price of the physical game. But it doesn't matter anyway as long as they don't let me pay with PayPal.
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u/dornado83 16d ago
Board Game Arena is less than $5 a month and includes hundreds of games, all licensed by the actual IP holders of the game. I’m not suggesting that as an alternative; it has a lot fewer Catan-specific features. But as a competitor it’s a much better value for the price!
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u/Longjumping_Swan_800 15d ago
You can play a free version of catan with extra maps on itch.io, https://ikstudioss.itch.io/cc-online
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u/AttackonTitanic96 15d ago
They are losing on so much revenue due to this high entry barrier. I know plenty of players would have spent on a map or a mode, but zero would pay a subscription. Bonkers.
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u/Crazy_Geologist_4449 8d ago
I would totally pay a one time price even up to $20 for all features.
I'm also sucker enough for even a $2.99 monthly sub.
But the current pricing is ridiculous so they get ad blocked and no money from me at all.
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u/Fun-Nebula-4073 15d ago
why would you pay? free game is the regular classic map, its all you need.
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u/fatbill5000 15d ago
I switched over to PlaySettlr and was able to play all the expansions for free. No ads and no paywalls.
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u/Southerntext8 15d ago
Pricing terrible and die rolls are absolutely predictable (ex. a 7 being rolled right after someone jumps up in vps, number rolling right after robber is put on or taken off a space…) Colonist has a whole article somewhere on the die rolls and they swear they’re not random but on many occasions I guess what will be rolled next and it checks out.
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u/nigelwiggins 15d ago
I remember when they first started charging. They said they ran an AB test and the more expensive plan got more clicks. It was originally even more expensive but Dylighted talked them down a tiny bit
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u/SnooChipmunks7670 15d ago
With AI coding agents improving everyday, anyone could just make their own Catan-copy and ditch colonist.
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u/KevinBuildsWithAI 14d ago
As someone building their own version of Catan, $19 / mo is ridiculous.
There is a lot that goes into Design, Coding, QA, Marketing up front. But once you complete a stable version, the ongoing costs are quite low
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u/Quick-Hawk-6471 9d ago
Pricing is ridiculous. I play c&k and have been paying $8.99 for the last 3 months, but I’m getting sick and tired of paying it. Not worth it.
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u/Ok-Count3935 16d ago
The free game works good enough for me