Just an observation here..
I am by no means a rich man but, if I get a deal in which I feel I have been ripped off for, say, $30, I do not think I would still be moaning about it a year later.
It's obviously not about the $30, its about the emotional investment.
For the RO hardcore, of which I used to class myself as a member (along with hundreds of others who were still playing RO up until release of RO2), RO wasn't just a game, it was THE game. It satisfied an itch that no other FPS was really satisfying at the time, nor has satisfied since. A steep learning curve, an intense immersiveness, simple but well balanced game mechanics that lead to great tactical play, a fine balance between realism and playability, a slow and methodical pace that occasionally became frantically exciting.
I, like many others, looked forward to RO2 with great anticipation. I followed it all through the development cycle (back when it was just game 2), I played RO:OST for years, I pre-ordered RO2 DDE (and got an extremely rushed beta btw).
I was on the forums when the RO faithful were concerned about some of the concessions being made to a casual audience (the unlocks, the bandages, the radar, the progression, the speed). We were told a true RO experience would still be available, and that the casual aspects would be just a lure to a wider audience. Instead nearly every facet of the game was turned down to be more accessible and many realism elements were lost entirely (not to mention all the glitches and botched jobs).
I remember Wilson and Ramm saying things along the line of "Come on guys, have some faith in us, we're not going to sacrifice what makes RO great just by making the game more accessible, wait till you play the game before complaining!"
You can't milk on that kind of public reputation and then expect no hard feelings when promises people pre-ordered on where not delivered. They weren't listening to concerns before launch, and they weren't listening after.
TWI only started to listen at all when it became clear that their lunge for the casual market had backfired tremendously and their only remaining customers were the old base. Then we got another half hearted job with Classic mode (even at this time there was STILL efforts being made to make the game even MORE accessible to casual gamers, with the infamous crosshair incident, that TWI had joked about doing in the past).
The entire RO2 fiasco can be summed up in one phrase: If you chase two rabbits, you'll lose them both. It's the disrespect shown to loyal followers that people are bothered by, not $30. It was clear from the way the launch was handled that if RO2 had been a hit with the casual market, TWI would have been totally unconcerned that RO fans didn't get the experience they wanted and was promised.
As evidenced by how much complaining TWI did about unhappy customers, and how many complaint threads were getting locked, and how much justification they made that no, they were doing everything right and if you have a problem with the game its your fault for not realizing the game is better that way. "The customer is always wrong" seemed to be the motto for a long while. They didn't used to be like this, but became like this when it was clear the base was very unhappy and they just didn't want to deal with it.
If I was willing to pre-order the DDE, instead of just waiting till RO2 went on sale, then clearly its not about the money. I also recommended many of my friends to pre-order RO2, as I was certain it would be brilliant. I'm willing to pay for a good experience. However I've been burned by my experience with RO2 and am still not happy with the state its in, so I'm understandably hesitant to pay any more money for a similar experience. If TWI don't care what I think, that's fine, but I'll certainly never pre-order another game from them if they continue with their previous attitude.
RS has the potential to form a great RO style experience from the ashes of RO2, there are many promising signs that RS is not going to pander to the casual crowd (like Japanese aren't given ****loads of SMGs just to "balance" things).
TWI not listening to the concerns people have about RS will simply confirm what many already believe, that TWI is unwilling or incapable of listening to the concerns of their true base, and that they care more about chasing dollars today than they care about keeping followers happy tomorrow. This is the complete opposite of what made TWI so loved with RO.
With RO1, TWI delivered far more than anyone expected after purchase. With RO2, precisely the opposite is true. It really is that simple.
