Low Toner or Color Communique Ship Cards

[JimDauphinais]

For Communique (only), ADB has moved from color ship cards to low toner ship cards.

[Jean]

Jim, do remember that more people communicate with ADB than through just the Forum. This straw poll will prove only how many of the fans on this site have a preference.

[Drew Klenotic]

Oh, nevermind. If I knew it didnt matter, I wouldn't have bothered.

That said, does the low toner version really save that much toner vs someone just using draft mode on their printer?

[Mike]

I guess to each, their own, but I've printed out 600dpi versions of just about all the color cards from Communique without using *that* much color ink. Of course, those are minus any non-Alpha octant ones that I care nothing about.

[Jean]

Apparently, some of the colors don't play well with the text if the colors are not colors but some shade of gray. I was telling SVC that some headings needed to be green and he told me that instead the green ones needed to be gray.

[MajinAku]

I registered simply to say I'm quite disappointed at the change.

1) Are enough people really that cheap that they complained enough to get this changed? Come on people...

2) Wasn't there such a huge push just recently to find a way to get us color Briefing #2 SSD's? (Now through e23)

Just doesn't make any sense

[Kang]

Mine's a 'feel' kind of opinion. I just think that Communiques now lack that 'pizazz' with low-toner ship cards; the coloured card were much more pleasing to the eye.

[Jean]

Re-posted/Edited from another thread

First, MajinAku welcome to the Forum. I'm sorry that it was disappointment that drove you to participate.

Second, while the decision to change from color to low-toner was made based on customer requests and actions, I have to say that sales of the Ship Card packs on e23 have been mixed. The packs with new color cards have been good. The ones of the high resolution, re-edited color ones that were in early Communiques have not paid for SVC's time (in my opinion). Five packs of the Gorn cards sold, and after e23 takes its cut, that isn't much when you consider that SVC spent several hours doing it, I spent several hours checking them, SVC and I spent an hour making changes, and it probably took me nearly an hour to do the announcements. That doesn't count Mike West's time checking them or Leanna's to get them to e23. That would be at least 9 man-hours to produce something that brought in less than $25.

While SVC made the decision based on what he heard from customers, I would have to suggest to SVC that this change would have to be financially beneficial to the company and I feel sure that Leanna would agree. Nine man-hours that would bring in $100 to the company or the same amount of time bringing in $25 -- what would you choose in my shoes?

By the way, the older Ship Cards take a good chunk of time to be "Jeaned". They are not "free money." PH1s become PH-1s; 360 gets its degree sign, the weapons track gets arranged to make me happy (A B C 1 2 3 X Y Z), titles get italicized, notes get changed to the current standard, "windshields" on the shuttles get turned gold, and bunches more. (SVC is so well trained now that he tries to catch most of what I always want changed before I even get the cards.) There is a reason that one of my nicknames at ADB is "She Who Gets What She Wants" and I want the Ship Cards to meet current standards.

As for thoughts that the Ship Card packs on e23 are completely recycled, don't forget the counters are new. Those are mostly SVC and Mike West magic with me sometimes saying "How come they are numbered 5, 7, 8?"

Do think of the fact that ADB provides two free newsletters. In Hailing Frequencies, you get a Command Note each month as well as serialized fiction and information about the other games. Communique is tailored just for you and has new ships and a new scenario. Both of these take time from SVC, Petrick, and me.

I used to think that these things were just whipped out in a few minutes, but I've come to realize while working with SVC and Petrick how time-consuming they really are. While I miss the zing of color, I also cannot begrudge the company the income to stay afloat, especially since we are trying to make the e23 SHip Card packs easily affordable to our customers.

Gentlemen, the company needs to stay in business. No matter how crass it sounds, that means we need to bring in money. I cannot in good faith advise SVC to print color Ship Cards in Communique when he has requests for the low-toner ones and it kills sales. I cannot change the requests from customers. Only you can change the sales and prove me wrong.

Don't get me wrong -- the change in Communique was driven by customer requests. It just happens to back neatly into marketing which is driven by customer decisions on e23.

[MajinAku]

In "protest" I've purchased all of the ship packs from Briefing #2 as well as the reference rulebook off e23

[Scoutdad]

In "protest" I've purchased all of the ship packs from Briefing #2 as well as the reference rulebook off e23

<channeling Webmom>Don't forget to rate them!</channeling>

Back to the topic at hand...
After playing SFB since 1980, our group is used to the back/white SSDs, so the LT versions don't matter much to us old-timers.
The newer members of our group OTOH, are a bit disappointed. They have gotten used to "free" full color versions of the ship cards. But, since we are almost all adults and in the business or management end of things in real life, we understand the requirements of a business.
To that end we say, "Thanks for continuing to provide us with free materials for our favorite game!"

[Steve Cole]

Remember that BBS/Forum participants are only the "10-20% most elite players" and that their opinions of what they want and what should be done are often very different from those of the overall gene pool.

for example, 90% of BBS F&E players use "all the expansions" and think everything should be designed and based on the assumtion that "everybody uses all the expansions" while in the total customer pool less than half use any of the expansions.

[gar1138]

While I can certainly understand the business decision, I am still very disappointed to see the color ship cards gone from Communique. Having color cards was one of the huge benefits that drew me into Federation Commander in the first place.

Garrett

[JEGoodrich]

Its not that hard to color a low toner card.

And its pretty calming too. It takes me back nearly forty years to a time before I knew about taxes and bills. Just pretend its a coloring book.

[Jean]

Here BTTY, BTTY, BTTY. Let me turn you dark blue ....

[Kang]

Remember that BBS/Forum participants are only the "10-20% most elite players"

<blush> Gee, thanks Steve Nobody's ever called me 'Elite' before (however indirectly), at least not since I finished the eponymous computer game....