[apache]

I do share some of these feelings. It does kinda feel like a mild form of extortion. But then I put this in perspective. I got the game a few months after it came out, christmas time Last year, I have been playing it ever since then, though not every day, while damn near every other game I had at the time or even got later has fallen by the wayside.
Also, its been pretty much a year since I assume the bulk of the sales have occured, so Aaron's income from this game is probably very low right now. He and shrapnel already provide better support for this game than any other big companies for their games, and there is no reason not to expect him to keep supporting the gold Version for at least another 6 months, probably another year. At that time we will probably see SE5 appear. This game is vastly improved from what it was a year ago. So many bugs squashed, so many features added. It seriously is a different game.
Honestly, we really can't expect them to keep giving support and adding new features indefinitely. Think of it as an expansion pack. I think the order form said you get $5 bucks off for an early preorder, and then if you get the $15 rebate, its not that bad.