Some thoughts and analysis on the recent MISC Hull series concept sale.
The MISC Hull Series ships (A through E) were on concept sale recently from April 24th to May 4th. This concept sale was important because it gave us a wealth of information about how cargo will work in the Star Citizen universe. This was backed up by a design post titled Cargo Interaction. INN featured an article on one aspect of this design post, Grabby Hands, as well as about the Hull Series in general.
These cargo haulers, ranging from pint-sized to gargantuan, are well designed, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, especially the Hull A:
In particular, I felt the collapsible design, which allows for these MISC ships to become smaller and more maneuverable when not hauling cargo, was a very elegant design choice. You can see a video of this animation in action below!
This article will focus on comparing this concept sale in terms of funds raised, to previous concept sales.
Aegis Dynamics Reclaimer
Funds raised from Reclaimer concept sale after:
2 hours: $206,815
4 hours: $308,545
8 hours: $436,956
12 hours: $524,973
24 hours: $734,014
48 hours: $937,421
72 hours: $1,074,118
96 hours: $1,211,152
120 hours: $1,348,664
144 hours: $1,483,283
168 hours: $1,610,823
192 hours: $1,758,553
216 hours: $1,887,216
220 hours: $1,928,276
Total raised in concept sale: $1,988,585 (227 hours @ $8,760/hr)
The Aegis Dynamics Reclaimer had a fantastic concept sale. The community loved the ship and it drove all our imaginations wild with thoughts of wading into fields of debris left over from intense battles and picking clean the bones of the dead… before grinding the bare hulls into scrap. Despite its civilian purpose, the Reclaimer is a hulking brute and an imposing sight. All of this led to nearly $2 million in sales for Star Citizen’s first dedicated salvage ship.
RSI Orion Mining Platform
Funds raised from Orion concept sale after:
2 hours: $150,809
4 hours: $222,487
8 hours: $317,615
12 hours: $400,212
24 hours: $581,792
48 hours: $743,211
72 hours: $857,592
96 hours: $954,136
120 hours: $1,066,744
144 hours: $1,167,254
168 hours: $1,326,253
192 hours: $1,510,793
216 hours: $1,696,170
220 hours: $1,731,299
Total raised in concept sale: $1,731,299 (220 hours @ $7,869/hr)
The RSI Orion Mining Platform also had a successful concept sale. The innovative design by George Hull, the same artist who designed the Reclaimer, brought life to what has been a fairly mundane game mechanic in other games over the years. This was highlighted and reinforced by the Star Citizen Careers: Mining design post by Tony Zurovec.
The Orion sale has some interesting wrinkles, because there was a Cutlass free fly week that happened partway through the sale. This may have slightly elevated the numbers due to the availability of the Cutlass Blue, but it looks as though the effect was minimal. About a week into the sale, the Orion’s cockpit/bridge was altered (with the pilot’s seat moved to the top of the ship) and this drove a significant increase in sales in the last few days which brought the final total to within $260k of the Reclaimer’s total.
Aegis Dynamics Vanguard
Funds raised from Vanguard concept sale after:
2 hours: $187,724
4 hours: $285,256
8 hours: $376,024
12 hours: $442,484
24 hours: $657,735
48 hours: $876,897
72 hours: $1,053,928
96 hours: $1,221,595
120 hours: $1,359,487
144 hours: $1,492,437
168 hours: $1,643,897
192 hours: $1,.798,183
216 hours: $1,997,690
220 hours: $2,043,262
240 hours: $2,202,675
Total raised in concept sale: $2,250,189 (245 hours @ $9,184/hr)
The Aegis Dynamics Vanguard is now the “one to beat”. The most successful concept sale to date. The deep space fighter, designed by Gurmukh Bhasin, has set a high bar with a total of $2.25 million raised over the 245 hours it was on sale.
The Vanguard had some detractors who said it was too expensive at $250 USD, but it certainly had a bevy of features to support its price and in general the INN staff felt it to be worthwhile and several of the twin engine fighters now grace our fleet.
MISC Hull Series
Funds raised from Hull Series concept sale after:
2 hours: $93,265
4 hours: $159,997
8 hours: $261,106
12 hours: $363,245
24 hours: $589,370
48 hours: $812,894
72 hours: $964,540
96 hours: $1,079,724
120 hours: $1,203,750
144 hours: $1,359,517
168 hours: $1,538,711
192 hours: $1,724,437
216 hours: $1,968,998
220 hours: $2,010,539
240 hours: $2,156,463
Total raised in concept sale: $2,156,463 (240 hours @ $8,895/hr)
The Hull Series sale started slow. I believe this is largely due to the fact that it started in the middle of the night in North America. However, after its slow start it picked up steam and surpassed first the Orion and then, near the end, the Reclaimer. While it looked like this sale would even catch up to the incredibly successful Vanguard, it faltered slightly right near the end and did not quite reach those lofty heights. Still, the sale earned a whopping $2.15 million for Star Citizen’s development.
More importantly, the MISC Hull Series brought with it a greater understanding of the cargo mechanics in Star Citizen.
Comparison:
Illustrated above is the rise of the Hull series sale from a slow start to eventually finishing as the second most successful concept sale, slightly behind the Vanguard.
An illustration of the number of Citizens and members of the UEE Fleet at the beginning of each concept sale.
Summary:
I think a few interesting things were learned from the concept sale of the MISC Hull Series:
- A concept sale with 5 ships does not necessarily perform better than a concept sale with 1 ship.
- Cargo ships, despite the above, are quite popular.
- It will likely need to be an incredibly popular and expensive ship to bust through the $2.25 million mark that the Vanguard has established.
I never really intended on being a ship collector but in my mind the MISC Hull B was such a perfect hauler for my preferred play style, that I decided to pick one up anyway. I’m excited to hire my friends to protect me as I run shipments of medical supplies to colonies suffering an epidemic, or Takuetsu ship models to avid collectors.
For more information about the MISC Hull Series:
MISC Hull A
MISC Hull B
MISC Hull C
MISC Hull D
MISC Hull E
For now, this is Nehkara signing off. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts above. If you have any feedback, please leave a comment below!
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