A few months ago we introduced Pilot Relocation Costs. Soon after release, we enriched the experience with accurate worldwide holiday rates, and peak travel season price hikes. We’re not done with Relocation Cost mechanics yet, still remaining is a workflow for pilots to relocate themselves.
That push was an exciting one as it was our first “money out” scenario. But that’s why it was exciting to you. Internally it was exciting because in order to process that transaction we needed to build an entire invoicing system and workflow. With that invoicing component now in place, it’s time to move on to build another “money out” scenario. That’s where Daily Expenses come into play.
Invoices are forward-facing transactions that require the presentation of pre-calculated information to pilots before they make decisions. Daily Operation Costs are a bit different in that they are intelligent transactions that occur on schedule or scenario triggers. They also occur in the background, similar to paying your staff or dues in GTAV. You’ll essentially get a notification in the top bar, and a transaction record in Holdings App when applicable.
Of course, these costs follow a general storyline as well. This starts with the introduction of a new company on The Skypark: Bobs Aero Service. See below for the official announcement to pilots presented by Brigit outlining the first daily cost: Loadmaster Staffing.
Brigit — 09/16/2021
Hello Everyone, Time for another update from ClearSky HQ. This one might hit a bit harder on your end as budgets get tighter around here. I promise I won’t always deliver bad news, it’s just the cost of doing business is rising; it’s almost as if people don’t want to go back to work!
Let’s talk about Loadmasters. These team members work long, hard hours and follow your lead around the world. They don’t get the comforts of a pilot yet are the very reason a cargo pilot is successful. A company named “Bobs Aero Service” provides staffing in addition to other services. It’s not likely you’ve heard that name before, mainly because since the start of ClearSky Logistics, we’ve absorbed these costs on our end.
We’ve now reached the end of our launch agreement with Bobs, and it’s time to pass those daily costs onto you. We’re excited to share that new pilots below Level 5 will continue to receive coverage. OK, let’s go over the details of what you’ll see in the next update..
NEW TERMS: Loadmaster Daily Fee, All pilots at Level 5 or above will now absorb the cost of having a Loadmaster.
When you begin a Cargo job, “Bobs Aero Service” will withdraw $250/day* from your Stranded Holdings account. This charge only applies to actual gameplay days, not calendar days, and only if you start a cargo contract within that period. The Loadmaster will take 21 seconds to load in your cargo; this will be a real-time delay in Skypad before you can depart. For safety reasons, if the aircraft moves, loading will stop.
We’re also working with Bob to provide staffing options that may be faster or have lower pay rates in the future via a new app. This app is not yet available on Skypad.
-Brigit
*Occasional union strikes may cause staffing prices to skyrocket as we fill positions with temp / non-union loadmasters.
There are some nuggets of info in there if you read well between the lines. The Loadmaster is very much a branch of gameplay development that will continue to grow. However, the big win here is the creation of the Daily Operational Costs framework, which as you can see, also allows for time delays. We begin with Loadmaster costs and will expand from there. Onto the next foundation brick!
The Skypark, One World, Unlimited Adventure: https://orbx.to/skypark
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