Customization question

[Xiones]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if all customization in this game is micro transaction. I logged on for the first time since i bought the game a few months ago and realized that it looks like ALL character customization looks to be micro transaction. Honestly, I feel cheated. I have never bought a game and had to do micro for any part of it. Honestly, i expected this only out of a free to play game, not something i bought for over 10$ on steam. Sort of a deal breaker for me. Really disappointed by this.

[N-Sunderland]

There are various ways to unlock cosmetic items that do not require you to pay:
     -When you level up, sometimes you'll unlock items in the Progress tab
     -The devs often give out a free item for big events and holidays, e.g. Christmas, Halloween, that time that Pewdiepie did a video...
     -The devs hold matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 PM EST. If you beat them, then you can send an e-mail over to them and they'll give you an item from the store.
     -Competitive tournaments usually have cosmetics as prizes.

Also, keep in mind that Muse is a really small company, and the paid cosmetic items are a big part of what keeps them going. That little bit extra is what allows them to continue paying their employees so they can deliver new gameplay content.

[Deltajugg]

Well, for starters, no, not all customisation is micro transaction. Every class has separate reward path for leveling it up, and every one of those classes give you some items to customize your character and ship, whether it's costume pieces or dyes. Unfortunately there's no official list of the available rewards depending on the level, and noone decided to put any effort in making one as well, so I can't really tell you what will you get. All I can say is that you can get the costumes through leveling, so just keep playing!

Also, every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm CEST there's an hour of DevMatches, where you have a chance of getting into if you type down the password that's gonna show up on globacl chat fast enough to join the lobby. If you win during those games, you can take a screenshot of your victory, send it to proper developer via e-mail (currently greyt@musegames.com) and ask for one of the items from the store that you could otherwise purchase.

Other than that there are also costume pieces that Devs give to everyone once in a while. If you buy a GoIO 4-pack you(and your friends) are rewarded with a single costume piece for every class. There are also event-related items that everyone gets, like a halloween mask or christmas hat, as well as stuff given to everyone as a celebration of f.e. Pewdiepie's video about Guns of Icarus Online.

Keep in mind, though, that MuseGames is not as big a company as Riot Games, Square Enix or even Hi-Rez Studios (YET), and they need the support to keep the buisness going. Even I, being a person from rather poor country with really bad currency ratio, spent a little bit more on costumes to help the guys (despide the fact I could get it from DevMatch rewards, being on almost every DevMatch since January), they do deserve it :>

[Xiones]

Gotcha, just didnt expect micros. Will keep playing.

[redria]

(also, micro-transactions are only for cosmetic purposes. Gameplay itself is completely unaffected by both level of the player and amount spent in the store. You cannot buy or unlock any guns, ships, or upgrades, so the money thing quite literally only affects how you and your ship look visually in game)

[GeoRmr]

You unlock a male and female non-purchasable hat when you reach level 5 in a class, a male and female non-purchasable face item when you reach level 10 in a class, and a male and female non-purchasable costume when you reach level 15 in a class.