Pledge Manager Clarity Needs

[Stormfury]

I know that this has been requested before, but I'll second (or third) it. Could you please show us exactly how the Advanced Stone Add-on set is used? Please give examples, more than one.

I believe the best examples we've seen is in the barbican photos shown here:
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=7709&start=10#p102124

A specific example:

[gkramer]

1. I'd like to add my vote for knowing what if anything is a KS exclusive. And I'd hope that none of it is (given that part of the KS is to pay for the tooling), but would accept different/more expensive configurations at retail later.

2. I'd love to see the stability of tower levels (both 4" and 6") when built with quarter-rounds. Can you remove whole levels/move them/replace them easily, with them holding together? You've previously shown still photos where they are built with halfs, but I'm worried about the stability of the quarter pieces. This also might be tough if all you have are prototype pieces and magnet size/strength/placement are subject to production changes.

[zenmaster]

The GC pledge was a bit problematic from the start because of the lack of choice to integrate or not integrate the watchtowers. Instead, the GC pledge *should* have been marketed as a package deal consisting of a Citadel, 2x Watchtowers, and a Break-In pack to integrate both towers.

The Break-In pack should have contained all the pieces needed to integrate both Watchtowers, including the specific crenellation pieces as well as the Castle Corner Cut Out pieces.

Why would this have been better?
a) you would not have to offer a Break Out pack
b) increase modularity of the GC build concept
c) you don't have to offer tower-specific crenellation pieces in any other add-on pack
d) you make it easy for your shippers/handlers to pack pledges into boxes

In all other ways, GC and Citadel would share add-on packs when it comes to inside walls, crenellations, battlements, double-thick feature. Double-height is a bit of a different beast because you may need to consider integrating existing towers.

Also, this way, someone could have ordered a proto-RS just by buying a GC + 4 Watchtowers + 2 Break-In packs. Easy-peasy.

Agree 100%!!! The GC level was somewhat poorly constructed from the start. GC pledgers are being "punished" somewhat by having to buy strangely constructed wasteful packs just to get the transition pieces (indents, cren-to-battlement). Nate has acknowledged the issue, and I'm crossing my fingers with pacarat!

To "transition" into the thread topic: +1ing requests to see these transition pieces in action with 4",6" towers and various crenellations and battlements (including KS3 ones). Also, it would be helpful to see the MWOD showing the M part in different ways than previous pics.

[Law]

Agree 100%!!! The GC level was somewhat poorly constructed from the start. GC pledgers are being "punished" somewhat by having to buy strangely constructed wasteful packs just to get the transition pieces (indents, cren-to-battlement). Nate has acknowledged the issue, and I'm crossing my fingers with pacarat!

I'm a little confused. I can understand frustration from people who already own a lot of KS3 crenellations -- it makes a ton of sense that they'd want things like the indented crenellation and nothing else, sure.

But that's not people who want to break out the towers -- that's people who want just the GC as-is, but with crenellations for it. Right? Am I missing something?

But if you are just talking about people pledging for the GC and having to buy the break-out add-on, I don't see the issue. It contains precisely what you need to make your watchtowers standalone. And by making it separate, you don't have to pay the $50 for those extra pieces if you really just want to build the castle and plan to use the watchtowers connected all the time. (Plus, if I'm understanding how it all works, you could still build a shorter watchtower separately ANYWAY, even without the pack -- but you couldn't build two, and you wouldn't have a whole castle leftover)

What's the problem?

[bernyleung]

The problem is mainly logistical. How do you get the stuff packaged and shipped to your customer with a minimum of hassle?

All I'm saying is, the GC could have been it's own pledge level, BUT it didn't have to be it's own separate package. The GC could have been a Citadel (it's own pack) + 2x Watchtowers (each their own pack) + a special Break-In package (a general Break-In add-on that could have included all corner cut-out walls and special indent crenellations). The GC is a problematic package to put together because it neither has a full Citadel, nor has 2 full Watchtowers, therefore it requires its own complicated pledge package. Which makes it more difficult for shipping and handling, and therefore more profit margin is lost.

Expanding upon this issue, the RS could easily have been a combination of other modules following this same concept. For example: A GC, 4x Watchtowers, 2x Break-In packs (assume each breaks in 2x 6" towers), 2 Wizard's Outposts, 6" Fortified Tower add-on, 6" Palace Tower add-on, C/GC inner wall pack, and C/GC crenellation pack, plus a unique pack that has the components required to build the keep. As it is right now, the RS is going to be a bit of a nightmare to package and ship, because it's not made up of a whole number of smaller pledge packages.

[Audles]

I'm really hoping they get the Barbican level / add-on in the PM.

[Law]

The problem is mainly logistical. How do you get the stuff packaged and shipped to your customer with a minimum of hassle?

All I'm saying is, the GC could have been it's own pledge level, BUT it didn't have to be it's own separate package. The GC could have been a Citadel (it's own pack) + 2x Watchtowers (each their own pack) + a special Break-In package (a general Break-In add-on that could have included all corner cut-out walls and special indent crenellations). The GC is a problematic package to put together because it neither has a full Citadel, nor has 2 full Watchtowers, therefore it requires its own complicated pledge package. Which makes it more difficult for shipping and handling, and therefore more profit margin is lost.

Expanding upon this issue, the RS could easily have been a combination of other modules following this same concept. For example: A GC, 4x Watchtowers, 2x Break-In packs (assume each breaks in 2x 6" towers), 2 Wizard's Outposts, 6" Fortified Tower add-on, 6" Palace Tower add-on, C/GC inner wall pack, and C/GC crenellation pack, plus a unique pack that has the components required to build the keep. As it is right now, the RS is going to be a bit of a nightmare to package and ship, because it's not made up of a whole number of smaller pledge packages.

I see. That does make sense. In general, I think this set is going to be tricky to store (and to ship). The curved pieces don't "nest" the way basic KS1 walls do. And everything's got a magnet in it -- even assuming (as I think we can) that all the KS3 magnet issues are solved, I still worry about storing things with magnets touching, since that's not great for the long-term life of the magnets. I've got a big pledge with a lot of stuff, and it seems like it's not going to store very compactly. KS3 is tricky enough - I'm still working out the best way to store things. :/

[dice4hire]

Storing those half tower pieces is gonna be space intensive.

[Vegomatic]

I see. That does make sense. In general, I think this set is going to be tricky to store (and to ship). The curved pieces don't "nest" the way basic KS1 walls do. And everything's got a magnet in it -- even assuming (as I think we can) that all the KS3 magnet issues are solved, I still worry about storing things with magnets touching, since that's not great for the long-term life of the magnets. I've got a big pledge with a lot of stuff, and it seems like it's not going to store very compactly. KS3 is tricky enough - I'm still working out the best way to store things. :/

I think it will store ok. The 6 inch curves should nest, the 4 inch curves can nest into each other and fit inside the curve of the 6 inch. With regard to the magnets store the pieces alternating top and bottom... er... I think I said that right. So place six inch tower sides first one up side up, the next one up side down and so on... the magnets are then at least a wall thickness away from each other. Same with the flat walls... I believe the magnets are in the bottom half, so it just means paying a little closer attention when packing up. Maybe use the trick of coloring the top edge one color and the bottom edge another... then you can tell in a hurry if one needs to be flipped.

Overall I think it will probably all pack pretty tight. The roofs and half tower pieces will be the hardest to deal with, but maybe the decorative bits can fill some of space around them. Perhaps the half towers should be stacked flat edges down... so that from the side it looks like an intersection symbol... or a lower case 'n' without the initial down stroke.

Just some idle thoughts...

[geekjeff]

I think it will store ok. The 6 inch curves should nest, the 4 inch curves can nest into each other and fit inside the curve of the 6 inch. With regard to the magnets store the pieces alternating top and bottom... er... I think I said that right. So place six inch tower sides first one up side up, the next one up side down and so on... the magnets are then at least a wall thickness away from each other. Same with the flat walls... I believe the magnets are in the bottom half, so it just means paying a little closer attention when packing up. Maybe use the trick of coloring the top edge one color and the bottom edge another... then you can tell in a hurry if one needs to be flipped.

(Posting here as someone who re-packed a whole bunch of resin Tower bits to entrust unto the delicate, responsible hands of airline baggage carriers.)

Half-tower pieces, whether 6 inch or 4 inch, do not nest much at all. They are going to be a pain, no doubt about it. Might be best off just storing them as full circles with other stuff in the openings, we shall see.

Quarter-round 6 and 4 inch tower pieces nest just beautifully. No issues at all there.

Walls and wall spacers of course, stack wonderfully. Very efficient, it's like an IKEA flat pack castle.

Wall platforms with the corbels stack pretty ok, the resin prototypes with the clips glued on were a little delicate but the single-piece ABS plastic ones should stack up just fine.