Short Form:
While I do believe that the folks at Gamigo are being sincere in their promises to make ArcheAge great again, I know there is a large part of the potential player base that is still very wary of buying into it. I think it would be extremely beneficial if they could post an official statement in regards to P2W in ArcheAge: Unchained, including a detailed definition of what they consider to be P2W in a game like this and a promise that those elements will never find their way into this version of the game.
The only time I've asked for anything in any MMO that I've played over the past decade of my life was when they destroyed the Growling Yawl in legacy, and it wasn't because I felt cheated or entitled, it was simply because I loved it to death, and it broke my heart to see something that had been so precious to me and my guild completely torn apart in that way. This game has the ability to do that to people, that's how amazing it is, truly.
So please, post a genuine, official statement on the matter. Be 100% upfront with that sincerity you've been showing thus far. I believe that it would not only put many minds at ease and draw in many of the people that are still on the fence, but it would also allow the community to be completely on the same page regarding pay-to-win, and would give you a great place to collect more feedback on the matter. Post it on the front page of your forums and your discord, anywhere and everywhere someone might look for news or information regarding the game, and I guarantee you would see an immediate wave of support from the community.
Because, let's be honest, even despite the high hopes I think most people are still expecting this version to eventually become P2W, because we've seen releases like this before. It could be that you're simply saying what everyone wants to hear, to lure people in with the buy-to-play price tag and then introduce P2W elements later as a way to milk ArcheAge of every one of its last drops. Or perhaps you are sincere, but your contract with XL still only allows you so much freedom to make choices, and eventually you will be forced into P2W when Unchained isn't hitting the revenue markers they want.
Either way, an official statement and promise would, at least for me, completely quell these fears. I understand that it can be scary or even impractical to make bold statements like that, but I honestly don't care at this point, I think ArcheAge and the community that it fosters are amazing enough to warrant a risk like that. Besides, unless you have ill intentions or you know you can't rule out the possibility in the long run, there is absolutely zero reason why you can't offer this to your community.
Anyways, sorry for the wall of text, if you can't tell I'm really passionate about the success of this game, I truly believe it can be the greatest sandbox MMO of this decade and rise up to compete with the top titles like FF14, GW2, ESO, etc. (All of which have completely fair business models, as a small FYI). Let me know if you guys agree or if I'm just being a naive fool. Any official response to this would be a blessing as well, although I expect this will fall off the front page within a day anyways, but I thought I might as well try.
