Hi, I'm ROC. Kelly posted my letter. Figured I'd stick my head in and say Hi.
I've played Air Warrior for many years, not as long as the "great ones" but long enough, almost 5 years now I think. I used to be staff until last week. Put alot of time in and my reasons for leaving Air Warrior are mine. The decision was not easy, and was not immediate.
The trouble is, I know alot of people. I have been emailed by "several" people discussing AW and other sims. As word got out that I was really moving, I responded to many that I prefered AH after trying all of them.
I have not discussed a price break with any AH staff, and am not speaking for my squad, but there may be the potential to introduce "several" new players to Aces High.
I am a business owner. I do a couple million a year in construction projects. I leverage that into price discounts. It is my nature. If I can pull together 100 or so people into a product, this warrants attention. It may or may not work, but I will always try. The post Kelly offered up is one part of about 4 conversations. The section is exclusive to the negotiation process "when" it occurs, as from my end, it has not. The reason for the secrecy is simple. When negotiating, you hold your cards close to avoid this type of pettiness, build up the base into a solid offer, and present it. I doubt anyone here would shy away from the chance to do the same.
I could have applied this same level of strategy to restoring our AW community, but it continually fell short of what I believe was any true support from all but a couple of AW personell.
I chose simply to take a few people and find a new home, as these same few felt left out and betrayed at their old stomping grounds.
The most obvious advantage I can see is the increased exposure and population of this game. Numbers work. Increased traffic equals increased revenues, and if you're smart, you manage your growth and the entire community benefits with happy staff and well funded designers. Overall spreading the costs over a larger subscription base and your price should go down. Not a bad thing, from where I stand.
$10 bucks a month is too low unless you have a massive base like AW had. This brings additional problems such as overextending your bandwidth and wreaking havoc with your delays. So you pay a bit more and, hopefully, have a more stable system to play on. I for one will sign for $30 if need be. I'd prefer to pay annually as I hate the monthly charges. But again, if an individual or group can bring in a considerable base, triggering a benefit to the game, why not.
Well, enough of that. I figured I may as well jump in with my 2 cents. Can't hurt at this point lol.
CYA in the air, somewhere.
