Dude, surely you realize that the "massively" aspect of MMO's implies that such games have many aspects - missions, socializing, crafting, badges, bases, PvP, even movie-making. What may not be important to you may be vitally important to the next "dude."

I had played nonstop since April of '04, and just because I was passionate and then bitterly disappointed does not mean you were DISpassionate because you were not similarly disappointed.

However, you have been deluded if you believe, as they state, that they cannot afford to travel or hand out conventional swag at conventions. They are SELLING closed beta access - it is not a gift, not a reward, and the motive is pure profit. Money from these things are going to the shareholders. The cost of conventional swag - a case of t-shirts - is not going to fund any significant development of the game.

The answer is not to relax and trust these clowns. They aren't trustworthy - they've had plenty of negative feedback on this issue, and not onluy continue down that path, but make it worse!

Things like this erode the player base, and you will see, as the competition begins to hit next spring, that they will reap exactly what they have sown - a player base that will treat them as disposable and interchangeable, just as they treat us.