"They probably (no duh) expect a pretty large user base. If they let you have 3 free characters, and the rest were $1/month, pretty much everyone would have 3, so their database size would triple."

Yet out of all the myriad online RPG developers out there only ONE has even mentioned data storage as a concern. Additionally as has been mentioned here, before, and on what was a huge thread in the SWG beta forums, that space was negligable.

"By charging a nominal fee they're keeping their costs lower, and increasing revenue. I say "nominal" because, for the people who actually play with multiple characters, $1 is nothing. That's $12 a year. I spend $12 on lunch."

And in your zeal to justify their business model you have a.) missed the goddamn point which you apparently took the time to quote but not read and b.) supported my position. I'll say it again for completness sake. During the beta it came to their attention a way to seriously disrupt what they have said is the core feature of the game. Their barrier to said disruption is a solitary dollar which, as you said, is nothing. Now use your brain here...that means their affor mentioned reason for the cost per slot is bullshit. As I said before, if their gonna lie to us they can at least give us the credit of possessing some modicum of intelligence. On a small tangent, sure a buck is nothing. Also, as I said already (hmm..I see a pattern here) would you drop an extra buck on every meal you ate? On every and any transaction? The people of Washington struck down a bill that would tax coffee drinks by a whole 10 CENTS so they can help put a dent in some $8.2 billion in state debt and provide money for education. 10 cents. The key is (obviously) how much people want something which leads us right to...

"Now, for a company just starting out with their first MMO game, you're going to want to do everything you can to get people to play your game. That probably includes not charging your players extra for *anything*. Square, on the other hand, knows that millions of people out there love Square and Final Fantasy games, and they'll handily pay anything just to get their hands on it."

Umm...I said just that. Reading and comprehension is the key here.

"It's called business. This is also called the "business high-road post" in your sadly typical "why all game companies are out to ream their customers" thread."

Golf clap for you, genius. My first post actually had more to do with the fact that PEOPLE are willing to lube up and receive than whether a company is "out to ream their customers". They can charge whatever the fuck they want; it's their property. They can proffer up whatever reason (or in this case bullshit) they want as well. I can still call them on it.

Of course, feel free to just ignore all of this too and spam out some more rote responses from your "Defending blatent company lies for lackies" guide. I'm compeled to the same. I think we know what kind of sadly typical post yours is, and the stench is overwhelming