ezdoc,
Look how quickly and openly they've responded to this issue. It's a pretty good indication that they believe in the course of action they've choosen. Based on what I've seen so far I'm certain they'll act logically...based on what results they get from their "survey".
Now lets look at the most reasonable alternative...WB's...they've had the luxury of a large income stream for how long? What benifit have the long time subscribers gained over the last year?
Has the overall product been improved over the last year?
Has the server/connect issues that apparently exist been reduced to any degree?
Has the product been updated to reflect user desires? If so, how often?
Based on what I've heard I'd say no to all the above...but please correct me if I'm in error. So either WB is not really profitable or they're not reinvesting at all in the product. Now I know that AH has to still be in a "boot strapping" mode. Cutting subscriber fee's by any significant amount might really hamper continued evolution of the game...but then again, maybe it could be offset by greater numbers. That's what I believe they're trying to resolve here.
I do have 1 question...and an observation for the AH community.
Question: Is supporting the pace of development worth paying a premium for (the $5 difference in current pricing)?...this does not condone permanent "tier" pricing and assumes setting of a single rate after "survey" offerings are finished.
Observation/question:
I have seen no indication that AW or WB is actually committed to ongoing development of essentially mature products. This is inspite of the fact that the initial expense of development has been recovered and the base infrastructure paid for. The other new offerings remain "teasers"...long on eye candy but not even in open beta yet...SO...with the old gaurd committed to maximizing profit and minimizing outlay while the "new breed" is still months or years away...why not give these guys the time they need to settle in to a reasonable BUSINESS model. We all know they're committed to the game, give em time to prove they're committed to us. I seriously doubt they'll make the same mistakes the WB folks did. By the way, all you WB folks that read this BBS ought to send a 1 time donation to AH....they did save you guys a lot of money...didn't they

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