I don't have a problem with Cryptic charging for a ship, even the excessive amounts of money that they do. My issue is that they seem to be cranking out Tier 7s (in all but name) at an astounding rate and justifying the fact the cost is double that of a Tier 6 by adding misc filler to the pack instead of just selling the ship.
For example:
A single T6 Multi Mission Explorer costs 3000z.
A three pack of T6 Multi Mission Explorers costs 6000z.
The 9 pack cross faction set of T6 Multi Mission Explorers costs 12000z.
The Temporal Agent pack costs 15000z and includes:
- 7x T6 ships
- 5x Tier 1-5 ships
- 6x outfits
- 3x Tech Upgrades
- an EVA suit
- and a BOff
Or we can buy a "Legendary" pack (and I question the use of the term legendary for some of them) for 12000z which includes:
- 1x T7 ship (plus all lower tier skins)
- 1,000,000 Energy Credits
- 1,000,000 Expertise
- 250,000 Reputation Dilithium Vouchers
- 5x Specialization Qualifications
- 5x Enhanced Universal Tech Upgrades (no Dilithium cost to apply)
- 36x Inventory Slots
- 12x Bank Slots
- 6x Bridge Officer Slots
- 2x Starship Slots
- A FULL SUITE of Very Rare (Purple) Mk XIV Ground Equipment and Space Equipment
- 6x Very Rare (Purple) TOS-Era Bridge Officers
Now we can compare the cost of all the filler material and I'm sure it would come to more than 12000z. But half of it is only really useful to a new player (who is unlikely to want to shell out a ton of money early in the game), while a long time player probably doesn't need half of it. I've not maxed out a single character yet, but it just doesn't strike me as worth it. Especially as with the collapse of the exchange the only way to purchase it is with real money, and it's a lot of money in a single purchase for a bunch of pixels.