A Word on Gold Membership

October 3th, 1997 - The introduction of Gold Membership yesterday has lead to speculation, and I feel the need to clarify the situation. As discussed earlier on Wef's Metal Board, Mario and I are now working full-time on the game to keep on improving it. As a result, the game has greatly improved and you should expect even more great enhancements in the days, weeks and months to come.

Of course, this means a lot of new expenses, and, as you can imagine, we can ill afford to drop in the red zone... ;) That's why, for the benefit of all gamers, I am changing the pricing policy. I am very confident, based on all the comments I received to date, that it's the smart thing to do at this point. And guys, I also know that I have your support on this. For that, I feel very lucky. ;)

But there are people who can't pay much for the game. This new price ($24 USD) is still way below any other similar game! And it includes NetMetal access as a one-time fee. Just look around! What big company gives you all of that?! That's because I don't do it for the money (Eh! I should be working for one of those companies! :) No, I want everyone to be able to register the game. And to make really sure, a Lite Version is also available with nearly the same benefits!

On the other hand, there are people who can afford a little more. And that's good! There's a lot more we can do here with those extra bucks! That's why, for those who pay a little more, I'm offering a Gold Membership. Please note that Gold members don't have any extra features that would affect gameplay. It's more like a special mark. What Gold Members will have over normal players could be that they get the new releases a few days in advance, a special stats, a special icon, etc. Player Shartog quite read my mind earlier today when he wrote:

"It simply boils down to this: Gold membership, if offered here, is a token gesture of appreciation to Skyven for the hard work and patience exhibited for a lot of temperamental players (I'm on of 'em) that want things their way. [...] I think we all can dig deep and skip this month's comicbook purchases and send a like amount to Skyven for all his hardwork AND perhaps some additional hardware and upgrades to ensure the excellent playability of this fine game."

All this to make sure Metal Knights grows strong and remains a popular game, accessible to all. I didn't make this game alone, lots of people helped me, either by giving time or money and for that I'm very grateful...

Thanks,
Skyven