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Originally posted by Jenuviel
I've been following the game for awhile now. It's really the only game I'm looking forward to, and it has been for over a year. That said, the tiered pricing really, really rubs me the wrong way. Despite the calm, logical, patient, and occasionally patronizing arguments by its supporters, I still just can't make myself feel good about it. Of all the features that have been announced, or even guessed at, hard zone borders and tiered pricing are my only two issues with the game at all..but they're major issues. The zones might be less of an issue than they seem in my mind (if they're done well and are infrequent), but I just can't foresee any situation in which I feel good about being on the bottom rung of the financial ladder in a video game I play to escape that caste system. Perception is reality to the individual, and my perception of tiered pricing is one of haves and have nots.

As I said, I'm in love with the idea of the game itself; I'm not an angry, raving forum poster with foam at the corner of her mouth. What I am is a low-income hospital admissions clerk trying to get the most out of her money. As strange as it may sound, I'd rather sacrifice features for equity than I would equity for features. I'm fully aware that Bill Gates eats in a better restaurant than I do in real life because the best food, the best service costs more money- that's the way the world works. I'd always enjoyed that MMOs were exceptions to that rule, however. I hate the class disparity in real life, and the fact that it's now following me into my "fantasy" life is an extreme turn-off.

Anyway, I don't know if I'm in any way a reflection of other gamers. I doubt it, since I'm rarely a target demographic for these games. Even so, the pricing scheme is absoultely a significant hurdle to overcome for me, and I'm just not sure I'm up for it. I'm almost certain to give the game a try (I've been following it for too long to just give up on it entirely), but this nagging sense of classism isn't going to diseappear no matter how terrific the game turns out to be.

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