Upgraded tier system (Patreon)

Hello again, everyone! Your beloved development team is back online and ready to tell you about the new changes to our Patreon. Some of you may not know, but most people should remember that around mid-autumn we changed our approach to our Patron tier system and rewards, and basically, that was preparation for what's happening now. We recently hired another talented person, a new Community Manager to help make our community and game even better!

"That's all well and good, but what about the Patreon page update?" - you ask. It's simple: we've decided to tweak the system for your convenience. The last change was in the right direction, but we identified some flaws and now we want to show you what we've got. These changes should better inform you about each reward for each support tier. And of course, reduce delays between Patreon and public builds.

So let's go over the changes in more detail. Let's start with the update release schedule.

The public release of a new version of the game is exactly 10 days after the initial release for patrons, which means that in just 10 days the public version will be available to everyone;
Zergling Tier get access to an update 2 days before public release;
Hydralisk Tier get access to an update 6 days before public release;
Ghost Tier and above get access as soon as an update is ready.

Now there'll be even less time to wait for a public release, you know exactly how long and when to wait for the release of a new update. Also, the update changelog will be public, with a slight delay - you will always know where to read about new content in SlutCraft, but with this, we are also changing the approach to the bonus code: it will be different with every update.

Furthermore, we slightly changed the rewards and some other things:

• Drone Tier is perhaps one of the most enticing for new patrons and we must mention it. This role, as before, will not be receiving bonus codes, the rest is the same. It will still have access to the walkthrough and our development notes. Also, Drones cannot take part in polls.
• Zergling Tier became quite popular recently, to no surprise. This tier is the most popular among new patrons and we aren't going to change it up much. This tier won't be able to take part in upcoming content polls, but the most important reward for this tier is access to an update 8 days after initial release.
• Hydralisk Tier. Its main feature is significantly earlier access to an update than the Zergling tier, and, of course, the ability to take part in polls conducted here, on Patreon. Hydralisks get one vote per poll and can get close up and personal with an update just 4 days after initial release.
• Ghost Tier. This role is unchanged: immediate access to an update, Work-In-Progress stuff, walkthrough and bonus code access, as well as 2 votes per poll, meaning twice the impact on development choices.
• Abathur was renamed to Cerebrate. The new name also brings a new reward - "Receive an archive of full-size HD art used in our games", which previously was exclusive to Overmind Tier (50$) and above. Now more people will be able to enjoy high-quality drawings from our dear artists. And, as Tychus says: "Hell, it’s about damn time!" Also, supporters of this tier have the most impact on polls, 3 times the default voting power.
• Overmind Tier became cheaper and is now $30. Overall, the rewards didn't change much. It still has the ability to beta test updates 24 hours before their initial release, but now for less cost!
• Xel’Naga Tier became twice as available, the new cost is $50. Again, the only change was the donation amount to join the tier, the rewards are the same — beta test access, personal thanks from our team, and access to the Ulnar channel in our Discord.
• Lastly, a new tier has been added: Shadow Portal Insider. This is the ultimate power concentrated in your hands. Even the abyss kneels before you. Okay, well, seriously... this role is for those who want to support us really, really hard! We thank you for appreciating our project so much!

Ah yes, there will be some cosmetic changes here on Patreon and on our Discord. But these are all the changes we wanted to tell you about for now.

The new tier system is designed to better inform patrons about what they receive for their support. The clearer wording and descriptions of all the rewards in each level should prevent frequent questions about rewards a certain role grants. We hope the changes make it easier for you to navigate and understand the rewards and how to interact with them.

All of this together should help our team grow, which will help improve the level of quality in both the development of our games and their maintenance. Together we will reach our goals in 2021!

Thank you for staying with us.
Yours,
Shadow Portal Team.