Excellent idea. I think I'll pass that one off as mine..
We have discussed this at length.. here our are current thoughts:
1 - Have a server similar to the tutorial server, but with restrictions in place like - Max Tier of say 3, and an object cap of maybe 200 ships. This server would only be available for free players.
2 - Have the signups for a game open to free players the last few hours before the game starts. Free players would be restricted to the following:
- No chat or renaming objects/planets.
- They would have an object limit imposed maybe 200 objects.
- They would only be able to train to Tier 3
3 - Have a server similar to the tutorial server once again for free players that resets every 3 days.
We'd be open to hearing input on those ideas and see how everyone feels. We have no desire to go freemium. We would really like to keep the game a fair playing field for everyone.