[Psitticine]

As usual, I'm a bit short on hard facts and the like, but there are some things I can say with confidence.

I've been involved in several projects for Shrapnel. One was a patch for TWE with so much new content that most companies would labelled it an expansion pack and charged for it instead of giving it away for free. I've never seen them just grab the money and orphan the product, unlike so many other game companies do. That's one of the reasons I hang around this place the way I do.

Shrapnel has always been great about continuing to support their products. I think they are very aware of the value of a satisfied customer, which also leads me to believe the pricing of Dom II might not be entirely a matter of choice.

As I've mentioned, I was involved in the text editing. I didn't do the ingame text (although my partner edited the unit descriptions) but I did do the item and spell lists. Those lists are to be printed, in color if my info is still correct, and that is a LOT of printing cost. I suspect, but cannot confirm, that having this extensive hardcopy documention is what has boosted the price above Shrapnel's norm.

It's a great game, and I can't find anything in the stores around here that's cheaper (except for the grab-bag "day old" sale products, which can either be overlooked classics or just plain turkeys.) When it comes to quality, I have come to expect a price of $50 or more, which makes me feel $45 for Dom II is a good deal.

(Oh, and for those who are thinking "what does he care? He'll probably get a copy for being a beta-tester!", I should mention that I'm going to be buying several copies to give as Christmas presents this year, so the price is a viable concern for me as well.)

Let me add that I do think the game needs more of a tutorial, however, and am hoping there will be downloads to assist in closing that gap. The idea of "starter" games seems like an excellent move in that direction.