|
Pick one, Cyre:
1) The RL cash incentives in Achaea don't have a noticeable effect on the equality of the playing field. You can excel without them. If you pick this one, you'll need to explain why people pay so much money for them, when they have no real effect on the experience.
or:
2) The RL cash incentives on Achaea do have a noticeable effect on the equality of the playing field. If you pick this one, you'll have to accept that while you can play Achaea for free, you'll be accepting a second-class-citizen role compared to someone who dumps a couple hundred bucks into their coffers.
There's nothing wrong with the business model, but it's disingenuous to claim that those $100+ purchases on their website don't strongly tip your game experience one way or the other.
I'm just happy that my favorite game provides a level playing field for zero dollars and zero cents. I'd play it if it was pay-to-play (or de facto pay-to-play, or free-to-try-but-pay-to-play, or however Achaea views its model), but when the staff doesn't demand salaries/etc., a MUD's expenses can be quite low, and there's no need to charge the players for the basics.
|