Something else that concerns me and should concern all of you as well as PGI is how this can profit them indirectly. Leading to possibility of the Sarah Mech being seen as a grab deal for PGI. Using a dead girl as means of generating revenue. Which is bad business for everyone involved.
Say 100% of the proceeds goes to a charity. Even say that the overhead costs and out of hand variables are eaten up by PGI. Such as royalties for the Cry engine. Which are contractually obligated to get a cut of any micro transaction from any game using their software.
What about the cost of the mech itself?
All Hero mechs have a set price of 75MC per ton. So we already can roughly figure that the Sarah mech would run actually 2,625MC. If they use the same standard. This amount means having to buy the most basic MC bundle three times (1250x2=2,500MC. Must grab deal again) or going up to the next level instead of donating a specific amount. Which brings up the next point.
What about the cost of the MC being used to purchase the mech?
If you've done the math. You will notice that the price of MC is not static, but becomes cheaper as you purchase larger amounts. The lowest investment is 1250MC for $6.95. Or roughly 1.80MC per cent. The other end of the spectrum is the 25,000MC for $99.95 which will net you 2.5MC per cent.
So which standard will PGI use? Will they donate the lowest MC per dollar or the highest? If they do not set it at the highest value they would be making up the difference in their own pocket. This then brings up the issue of them once again assuming the cost themselves or just passing it over and hoping no one notices?
Not to mention the mech bay it will have to reside in. Will that be given out for free or will that be another angle of profit that will funnel additional funds into PGI all for the sake of a cancer victim?
So many damn variables that do not work well with their current transaction system when dealing with a charity case like this. I truly hope they scrap the entire idea and give us a simple, free, easily created, and tasteful cockpit item. Something we can adorn to honor Sarah in a respectful way and then have an external link to give directly to a Sarah fund or cancer foundation of the Family's choosing. The player's hearts may be in the right place. PGI's as well but these is just so much potential for this to be a morally corrupt and PR shitstorm situation. They'll have to bend quite a few rules and make some unprecedented changes as well as absorbing additional costs. Whole thing is a bit too complicated for my liking.
Edited by Huge, 06 June 2013 - 10:29 PM.