The Skypark: Introducing Costs

by Edson Soriano, Managing Director //42

When last interviewed by FSElite they asked about the introduction of costs into the platform now that we introduced Game Modes. To be completely transparent, since our early access launch “What can I use my money for?” has been the number one question. My answer to Calum was one that really might only make a lot of sense to me until the feature is publicly released, at which point it makes sense to you. Let’s revisit that statement…

“We can’t build a roof on a house with no walls or do electrical without at least studs standing. Just because you see four walls, a door, and windows from the outside doesn’t mean we are all done inside. For Early Access, we put up a functional and very sexy facade for you all to enjoy while we build at the core. A few critical load-bearing beams are now in place, allowing us to build the roof.

The game modes feature is the rooftop. Under this rooftop, we can now begin to layout The Skypark’s interior with the concept of parallel universes. Game Modes enable us to please those who want an open and unconfining layout and those who want all the confinement of walls and well-defined rooms.”

I’ve highlighted the raw answer to the question without additional context, or what some might have thought was avoiding an answer. Discovery Mode users don’t care much for fees and fines, they want to explore the world. Endeavour Mode players however crave that challenge. Today we’re excited to introduce the start of that challenge to keep your operation from bankruptcy…

Introducing Oceanic Air

A new partnership with Oceanic will begin by providing relocation flights for pilots of The Skypark. In the future, we hope this partnership expands with additional benefits and the potential for passenger contracts in the future. Oceanic Air… What goes up must come down.

Relocation Costs!

ClearSky has been covering all relocation costs regardless of pilot levels for the platform’s initial launch. Today ClearSky begins a partnership with Oceanic Air to provide transport for pilots worldwide to new contract locations. New pilots at level 5 or below will receive a 90% discount on all travel.

Estimates & Invoices

When browsing contracts, you’ll see an overview of fees; these are ESTIMATES. Saved estimates are subject to change based on travel distance from your last known contract completion to the starting position of a new one. Work your way closer to the departure airport, and travel costs decrease. Connect the dots and avoid them altogether!

Estimates become INVOICES for your final approval when you commit to begin a new contract. Relocation Travel fees are finalized at this time, allowing you to see a more accurate prediction of potential Profit upon successful completion.

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The addition of costs required some rather large app updates and feature additions to accommodate the new workflow. Most were behind the scenes, but Contrax received a few key UI updates that we hope you’ll love…

CONTRAX: Relocation Rings

Contrax has been updated to display an overlay of rings which will provide you with a visual approximation of relocation costs. This new tech will allow pilots on Endeavour Mode to make educated decisions when accepting new contracts.

CONTRAX: Tabs

With the introduction of pilot costs, each contract now needs to display more information on the job both before you accept it and when you’re ready to begin. You’ll find a new tabbed layout on each contract that brings content first, followed by your To-Do’s, and last but not least important, a Fees tab that will house all the costs associated with the selected contract.

Also included in this release are a few updates to make life on The Skypark a little easier for all.

Are you feeling lucky?

The random contract dice feature has stepped onto center stage in Contrax. You can now roll the dice from the main interface, and you’ll now be provided with five contracts to choose from. Don’t worry; we still provide travel estimates for you to consider!

Park to Unload

We have updated the requirements to unload cargo on all contracts. You will now only be required to park your aircraft to unload. Brigit received quite a few pilot complaints about inefficiency due to asking pilots to do a complete shutdown.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

This is an exciting milestone for us at //42. Now begins the delicate balance of introducing more gameplay while producing a challenging environment that won’t get “rebalanced” by increasing pilot pay to an unrealistic million+ dollars per flight like others have done in the past. Ever play Monopoly™? Flying on The Skypark is similar, we go round and round the world, sometimes collecting $200, and sometimes we lose money, in the end, it’s always a thrill and fun for all. Make good decisions and keep afloat, or risk it all with Coyote runs; the choice is yours. With the mechanics in place for adding costs it’s easier for us to add more, but don’t expect a waterfall, more like a steady stream. 😎

The Skypark, One World, Unlimited Adventure: https://parallel42.com/products/skypark