I'd gladly buy cryptic points just to get the set pieces that came with the lifetime subscriptions. Any chance we'll have these pieces available to the regular subscribers? They're some of the best looking pieces in the game.

From what the Devs said, the lifetime parts will "never no way no how EVER!" be sold in the store, as well as the 6-month presub parts. If that changes though...

General sound of things though is that these are a few parts that are "exclusive-exclusive" to the people who got them when they did.

Most of the time "exclusive" comes with a time limit. Would you happen to have the interview or post where the devs stated that? I was really hoping to get a deco set. Wish I would have heard about the lifetime subsriptions earlier. :(

I'd definitely guy these if they were available. Of course I'd probably plop down for a lifetime sub, too. But those aren't available either.

I wasn't paying attention to champions when it came out. As a result, I feel a little penalized. The character creator is still one of the best aspects of the game. It's a big part of what attracted me and a big part of why I'm still here. The more costume combinations I have to play with, and the cooler I think my creations look, the longer I am likely to keep playing (and buying character slots.)

Do us Lifetimers get to have something new that's special? Do we get to suggest what it'd be?

I don't really even use most of the special costume parts.

What a shame. :(

Look at this way after 12+ months you get to laugh at all of us still paying for the game. I know the game needs more content and some balancing, but overall it's a fun game. By the time that 12+ months is up the game will be in a much, much better place (hopefully). Also keep in mind you can take that $15 and buy 3 cheeseburgers in a month. Do you know how hard cheeseburgers are to come by in this day and age with the economy. As far as I'm concerned you're already a rich man. Lol.

I really don't care if they gave it a steep price btw. I suppose that would make lifetimers feel like they got the better deal.

I find it ironic that I'm coming down on the side of the issue that I am, so I should probably explain something:

My arguments against opening up the Lifetimer rewards to non-Lifetimers without some kind of compensation for the original Lifetimers aren't based on my in any way thinking I'm "better" than the non-Lifetimers. Perhaps quicker to throw support, yes, and with slightly more spending money than others, at least at the time. But not in any way do I feel "better" or "superior" or somehow "above" non-Lifetimers. Given that I barely use the things at all, it'd be ridiculous to say that I need to feel special somehow because I have a Lifetime account. I'm actually not that dumb, believe it or not.

On the other hand...

There would be something of a feeling of having something taken away if the Lifetimers didn't get to have that costume set be exclusive. In my case, it'd be minor; in the case of others, it'd be nothing, and in the case of still others, they'd get royally hacked off about it. It was something that was offered as an exclusive part of paying for a Lifetime Subscription, so having it be available to everyone would feel very much like Cryptic was going back on its word.

On the other other hand...

I can definitely understand what it's like to know that there's a costume piece that really works with a concept you have, but because of something you missed out on, you can't have it. It's especially annoying when missing out on it was something that was little to no fault of your own. This same thing happened to me with the Preorder exclusive items; had I known what they would turn out like, I wouldn't have preordered from the place that I did.

So maybe a little compromise might be interesting:

Every set period, say on the anniversary of CO going live, the current Lifetimer Exclusive costume set becomes available to the general population, through whatever means. At the same time, a new costume set replaces it as a Lifetimer Exclusive, until the next anniversary rolls around, when it is replaced, etc. It doesn't even need to be costume parts - it could be a neat Device, which would, at rollover, become craftable, or a reward for UNITY or Perk points. Just as long as the general quality of the current Exclusive items remains the same, or perhaps improves, this plan might serve as a reasonable middle ground - the Lifetimers get exclusive access to something for a period of time, while those who are not will eventually get it, so long as they're patient. A variant of this could even be done with the Preorder items.

Just a thought.

Add quarterly rewards like CoH. Let the lifetimers stay 3 months ahead of the rest of us.

Personally I think the whole lifetime subscription thing was a bum deal anyways. They offer it, pull it and then limit it. By the time I found out about it it was long over with.

You did make an excellent point about players feeling locked out on concepts. I know I have a character that would go great with the art deco costume. Perks and store items are one thing. I can have something if I'm willing to work or pay for it. Being locked out on the other hand leaves no alternative.

I just hope the devs don't see your post and think, "this is why we don't do it". Hopefully they find a way to compromise w/ both parties.

If they ever sell the Lifetime peices they better damnw ell sell them for 100 dollars. If they sell it for anything less than 75 dollars Or I want a hell of alot of my money back since they were labeled exclusive just like the pre order items.

They offered in the same limited time etc etc that ALL other games that have offered it ever did. It would be business suicide to make it a neverending offer.

Come on now. You didn't pay that hefty price tag just to get exclusive pieces did you? It's not like the offer didn't come with other benefits (see no subscription fees for life). I can see "hefty" being two or three times the price of normal sets, but $75-$100. Lol.

I know a lot of the lifetimers are all gloom and doom about the game. They were expecting something fresh out of the box with content as rich as WoW 5 years in. They fail to see the whole picture. Most big mmos start out small and become rich over time. Even the subpar mmos have managed to stay alive for 5+ years. Point is you can pick up and drop the game at anytime without ever having to pay a cent again. That alone is a luxury that most of us don't have.