Geez people its just not that expensive, why the whine? It will probably cost the same as one or two pizzas.
This is the gaming industry and despite what you may think, unless you're SEGA or Microsoft you just don't make *that* much money. Its why copying illegally games is different then the music industry, the amount of money is so much less in the pool that you really do hurt things.
Any sort of expansion in any other computer game makes you pay. Why do you keep saying "should have been released in the original, should be a patch". You don't want to pay for creativity and new content?
Warlords, Heroes of M&M, Baldur's Gate, Mech Warrior they released small expansion packs and guess what? You paid for them! You ALWAYS have to pay for them. And the price isn't that much.
Heck a 12 year old can probably shell out 20.00 a month without batting an eye these days, learn to manage the money if this is something you actually want to do. This is cheap entertainment in a world where 20.00 won't get you a drink and a cover charge at a bar.
The real economics of the world aren't going to change for some idyllic socialistic gamer utopia. If you like a product support it and you support it with money, that's all. Love will get you only so far, criticism if its not constructive will get you nowhere, but financial backing will allow an idea to live and maybe grow.
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Unfairness to large versus small guilds? I don't see the problem with that. Heh I'm in a guild where I am the only active person right now, I'm effectively an independent. You don't balance a game or a world to make everyone equal. You balance it to be interdependent, interesting and to give people a chance, someway to succeed, win or count. Its not a very fun game if they do make everyone self-sufficient and equal. Go play Diablo for that. It makes everyone generic and gives no reason to form bonds with others.
So maybe the little groups will build some coalitions, maybe they'll have extremely good tactical teams to take out a large groups camp, maybe the small group will hire and pay a large group to get a camp for them, maybe small groups will merge with large groups to take advantage of this and all these possibilities and more will ensue.
One of the best things about this game is that you can know your enemy, communicate with them, party with them and then in certain areas put a gun to their head. That allows for great potential roleplay if you want to do it.
No professional game that is released has EVER been perfect and bug free. No matter how much time, money or god-like programmers work on it will it ever be 100% stable. Just by putting anything online you guarantee instability and compatibility problems. Let them have that. You'll never find any other game online that doesn't exhibit those problems. People know about them they work on them, keep up criticzing and analyzing, suggesting and testing. But try to keep the juvenile language and heated passion out of it. Its a waste of bandwidth to flame like that and it doesn't make anyone's day better. Learn to campaign for issues you don't like or do like.
If you want to criticize the booster pack then take it apart. I have yet to see many people discuss logistics and scope for the land reforms, most people complain about payment and downloadability and sarcasm to point out the games other problems (which, incidentally have their own threads to complain about them).
I hate "whining" about whining. Feels like metawhining, that which transcends and makes whining more complete and these forums feel like that. The forums on this game sound like the forums on all the other online roleplay games, same gripes, lets try to be more thoughtful.
My take on the pack:
A cd, while less convenient to wait for, is better for loading on your computer then a download. Eventually my computer will corrupt or I'll need a format or the game will need to be reloaded, the CD will make that faster and keep the data better. So I'll wait for it even though I'd want it now instantly.
The price will be inconsequential and will change the scope of some parts of the world, I hope. Because I'd like to see the environment effected by players and not programmers all the time. In this way you'll know when you log off that you have made a difference others can see. That's always a good thing to my mind even if my player can't directly participate in it, it makes the world cooler for me.
The concept of military actions and reasons for militant organizations and large cooperative group efforts. I enjoy that, even though I'm not in a miliatry group. Maybe they'll see their people aren't enough and hire outside help, maybe I'll go to a party on one of their bases, maybe I'll wander through the desert and stumble onto one. Anything that brings people together is good. You may like to wander the world by yourself but its not meant for solo play. You can't roleplay by yourself unless you're severely disturbed, so anything that encourages groups gathering and roleplaying will help the game's reputation.
The ability to customize your land is something I want more information about. As some people asked already, how much can you customize it, can you add shops, buy npc guards etc.? I'd like to see speculation on that. I would love an armed camp with the luxurious home of a famous bureaucrat replete with swimming pool and landscaped gardens. Or see smart barracks and mess hall. Or have docs be able to set up experimental labs and clinics...
Perhaps you could have a military group take the land, keep the land and then bring in other clans(departments) to help develop and run the business and land for them so they can keep saluting and shooting. Sounds like a nice cooperative step to me.
How much would you like to be able to customize the mining and towers? Should you have to pay a tax to maintain it? What if a group builds a base in the middle of nowhere, then disolves and leaves the game? Is the base still out there? Does it fade away?