Pharaoh

anyone who wants to get into the game a spend time playing on a casual basis need never spend a dime on the game. only by the time you have played hundreds (if not thousands) of battles would you know whether you would like to invest some real money into the game. a 'premium' sub cost under $15/month as, as mentioned, increases credit and experience earning rate by 50%. some tanks can be bought with real money, but are actually less combat-effective then their earned counterparts, except that they earn more credits.

before anyone jumps on the 'pay2win' bandwagon, i will concede that purchasing gold ammo does grant an advantage on the field, but it is so expensive, it it used almost exclusively in tournament play, and you would rarely see it in the public matches (it is frowned upon, really) that occupies your play-time.

if you want to jump right into matches with the big boys, then you would really have to buy your way there with real money, but would likely find yourself so outmatched in tactics, that you would do poorly without earning your way to the top. i play in tier IX and X matches now, but never bought a tank with real money, and still spend time with some of my first few tanks because it is still very fun to play them, too!

anyone can show remorse for actions committed while under the influence, even one as well-written and seemingly genuine as this one. apologies can be sincere and accepted by those who may have been affected or by the institutions in charge of enforcing the rules & laws.

even as an on-and-off EVE player since 2005, i have no personal stake in any of the politics that takes place in null-sec space for the most part.
but the actions of this elected player representative transcend the game of EVE, and he should no longer hold this position nor perhaps even be allowed to maintain his account. an accepted apology does not equate to accountability. what he did at that conference was little better than getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, given his 'condition'.

CCP can hardly afford more negative public relations issues given what it has been through in the last year already.

i began playing EVE back in 2005, and have subbed off and on since (i have about 12m skill points). i recently have been contemplating a return to check out all the positive changes and also because the very large online community where i am a member has a pretty active division in EVE. i've spent parts of the day reading some posts here, on MMORPG, and even the EVE forums.

really it just comes down to the fact a prominent elected player representative of EVE (and by default CCP) used the most public forum he could possibly find to say something humanly and morally irresponsible. one of his posts on the official forums in response to the understandable criticism was "deal with it~"

despite the fact that many goonswarm alliance members rallied behind his drunken actions and that EVE is by its very nature a GAME of politics, deception, espionage and ruthless PvP, his actions bled way over the line into real life, and a position that allows him this kind of vocal leverage should be forfeit.

i won't be spending any money on EVE again until 'the mittani' has been removed from his chosen platform to elicit even more reprehensible behavior. it is the only power I CHOOSE to wield as an online player.

been playing FE (and still paying for it) for about 18 months or so. like justin, it is not my primary MMO, but i still play it several hours a week, and always feel comfortable there. it is a game where i feel no particular rush to advance (still only level 32), and spend more time exploring and crafting than i do actually engaging in combat, which takes a little getting used to. dual-wielding large magnum pistols is as gratifying as knowing i personally crafted everything on my back and even built several motorcycles (even though i still occasionally ride my horse instead).

i, too, like the compromise in structure, and the freedom to engage either in a little developer-generating questing, or set out to gather crafting materials and kill mutant beasties, religious fanatics, or players of rival factions.

the game continues to evolve, and new content or improvements arrive semi-regularly. the help channel is great for newbies and almost always moderated by a GM and vets willing to answer questions. it has one of the fairest F2P systems in the market. a totally polished product? no. a fun to play alternative to other titles? yes.

and...the sunsets really are spectacular.

strangely enough, i wandered away from the wastelands in Fallen Earth for a while, but returned as well, and have been a paying subscriber for well over a year now, even after the F2P transition.

but i suppose if there is one title that i regret leaving, it is EVE. at this point (after first subbing in 2005), i would have had more than more than enough skill points to pilot every craft (at least caldari) in the game and become entrenched in the politics and subterfuge for which the game is so famous. eh, perhaps not. i do occasionally view my time in EVE with those very rose-colored glasses, but also i remember that most of the time it just wasn't very FUN.

also, i look back on WWII online (Battleground Europe) very fondly and wish i'd stuck around for all the graphical & model improvements and other gameplay developments. steep learning curve for that game, too.

@Azaetos

not sure how you mean "pay-2-win" with respect to fallen earth. certainly you can't be referencing the crafting and gathering speed enhancements, or experience buffs, vault space or vanity items. show me the cash shop item you can buy that gives you a combat advantage in pvp or pve, and i'll lend a little credence to your outrage.
in the meantime, i'll have fun playing the game and looking forward to the faction changes and all the other things the developers have been working hard on to improve this nice little niche game. cheers!

i understand the initial limitations, but i would like to have seen at least one variant of the Fw 190 between tiers V and VII. so much love for the Bf 109 is understandable, i suppose.

i usually have the intention of capping my first character as quickly as possible, but that simply never transpires. it took me three months to reach level 60 in WoW, for example. in rift, even though i had participated in beta, i found myself not rushing to the end-game either.

i vowed swtor would be different. but despite playing in beta since april, my alt-aholic tendencies have me with three characters between levels 25 and 35, and a few more just off each of the four starter planets. there are plenty of people in my guild to enjoy the game with at every level!

maybe i'm missing my designations somehow, but where is the Hellcat (F6F)? since it was the most successful (with the F4U Corsair) combat aircraft in the pacific with over 5,000 enemy planes shot down, it would seem a no-brainer in the american tech tree...