In reference to Lyter's post and the ensuing comments that were made, I just wanted to make a personal statement of my own on the matter.
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(1) I understand that people are mad and upset that the game is taking longer than expected to develop. If we are all being honest with ourselves (that include the Administration and Development Team as well), those that want to stick around will. There are trolls in any organization, business, or game. That is what life is about, sorting the trolls out from the people that actually matter. Luckily, in the realm of the internet, we have tools that can allow for those trolls to be removed from our experiences. In real life, doing this is much more complex, but that is a discussion for a different time and place.
(2) Everyone has worked for the money that they have spent on this game. Personally, I have spent $250 at least getting the game for myself and for others. I know plenty of people in the community that have spent MUCH more than I have. I know that the game is being developed, but that is why I paid a premium price, so that I could be apart of that development and hopefully leave some sort of impact somewhere on this game that will be played by thousands of people.
(3) The community as a whole is great. There are however like I have stated above, there are people who make the time spent in the community unpleasant and make the energy that we all spend building a core group of individuals (since that is the only way to really play the game at the moment) meaningless sometimes. I would like to see a more democratic and representative movement in this community. I think that it would bring it together rather than driving it apart. There is no need to have everyone under one roof when it comes to organizing companies and regiments and all that jazz, but here on the forums we should all be equals.
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Anyone who has spent money on this game in its pre-release form has done so in order to help the Administration and Development Team. Anyone who thinks that they deserve their money back for the simple fact that the game is not what they thought it was should have waited for it to come on out Steam so that they could use the refund system that is installed there. We have all committed time, money, energy, and yes, even some blood and some tears, into this. So let's focus on fixing the bad, highlighting the good, and making this a more united community.
Yes, this is a game set in the American Civil War, but that does not warrant the division, the hatred, and the criticism that has been whirling around lately. To quote Abraham Lincoln, "A house divided cannot stand." To quote Jefferson Davis. "Obstacles may retard, but they cannot long prevent the progress of a movement sanctioned by its justice and sustained by a virtuous people."
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