The Shrine

So, if you pay more for the collector's edition, you get a week-long period in which you get double the experience points of the regular edition guys and a powerful gun with which to destroy them with

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/913/913526p1.html

I don't know about this. I'm not so sure the rich should have a better playing field than the poor. Seems a bit unfair. What do you guys think?

There's a line to be drawn between developers wanting to give more product to those who are willing to pay more, and giving people who are willing to pay more an unfair advantage. It's right there at the line, but it isn't crossing that line. Bad Company almost did that, but they changed their minds. Originally in BC you could buy the CE and get access to a special weapon in each class that no one else would get. After the outcry they changed it that you could get those weapons without the CE, but you'd have to work harder for them.

I don't fault the developers for offering it, and it's a pretty cool deal if you like the game that much. The people who are more likely to get the CE are the same guys who would outpace you quickly anyway. And really Zeus... you consider those who are willing to drop $20 more on a game to be "the rich" ?? Let's not get carried away here.

Warhammer Online did this where if you dropped $5 for preorder you get to level up 2 days earlier than anybody else, and if you buy the collector's edition for whatever extra that cost you get 2 days even earlier (compared to the pre order guys).

As long as there is no permanent and insurmountable advantage for paying $, I have no problem with that. WoW's recruit a friend seems to be more used by the playerbase as a way to PL yourself for $20 as opposed to actually trying to find someone else and get them into the game.

Tessian wrote:There's a line to be drawn between developers wanting to give more product to those who are willing to pay more, and giving people who are willing to pay more an unfair advantage. It's right there at the line, but it isn't crossing that line. Bad Company almost did that, but they changed their minds. Originally in BC you could buy the CE and get access to a special weapon in each class that no one else would get. After the outcry they changed it that you could get those weapons without the CE, but you'd have to work harder for them.

I don't fault the developers for offering it, and it's a pretty cool deal if you like the game that much. The people who are more likely to get the CE are the same guys who would outpace you quickly anyway. And really Zeus... you consider those who are willing to drop $20 more on a game to be "the rich" ?? Let's not get carried away here.

Again, it was an extreme comparison to make a point. $10 or $20 extra ain't gonna break no one but it's the same principle as have an unlevel playing field that rewards the rich. Look out for this "principle" thing in my posts, you'll be shocked how often it pops up.

I personally think this one crosses the line a bit. Not huge but enough to be irritating. Give them a special costume, a cool looking gun that is the same damage and functionality as another, maybe even an extra map to play on. Sure, I can see that (that's why I waited 'til I got a used GotY edition of Call of Duty 4, so I can take advantage of the multi maps during my one month of free online play when Gears 2 comes). But to give them an advantage like being stronger or a more powerful weapon? At least one foot is clearly over the line on this one IMO

It gives an advantage, but not one that can't be overcome easily in time. The other goodies in there I think make the extra $20 worth it if you love the game and I don't see one extra gun and some faster experience crossing any line. They won't be stronger, they'll just have to play less to level. They won't really have a more powerful weapon-- for all we know that lvl 45 machine gun is just one with a faster rate of fire or something.

I say kudos to them for releasing a CE that's WORTH buying... too many of them are a waste of money.

All SEs should be like Mass Effects. That was pretty good for only $10 extra

But I agree, a lot of SEs ain't worth the coin