I've been a fifteen year veteran of Gemstone, and like everyone else here, I know what kind of enjoyment can be found playing it. In many ways it can be more satisfying than any of the new MMOs like World of Warcraft.
The major issue I've had since Gemstone left AOL is that the tiered pricing starts at an unreasonably high point for new player entry. I have told many, many people about Gemstone over the years, but have been unable to convince any of them to come try it out because it required a starter subscription of $15. They just chuckle and say they'd rather be paying that for Warcraft.
Shattered presents a brilliant opportunity to completely change the marketing environment for Gemstone. Not only will Shattered have a larger appeal to the general gaming audience with less roleplay and more action, but it is going to be a fresh world where a new player can experience the same thing many of us die-hards experienced during the AOL days.
It was extremely disheartening to hear that Simu is releasing Shattered as a sideline attraction at the extra cost of $5 to existing accounts. The logic of this decision is difficult to understand. Existing subscribers who want the Shattered experience are going to be paying the $5 regardless of it being a "tacked-on" fee or a separate subscription.
In offering Shattered as a separate subscription, Simu could reinvigorate interest in Gemstone from thousands of former and new players. There are many, many potential customers out there who could provide an entirely new income source. Instead, however, we see a pricing decision which is difficult to comprehend... There cannot possibly be any new accounts generated with the current plan. It will be doomed to the same slow decline that Prime has unfortunately undergone.
If not at least an affirmation that this may be considered, could the thought behind Simu's pricing be discussed? We want Simu to be successful just as much as Simu does!
Shattered Pricing Plea (From Officials)
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Originally Posted by Kitsun
