The Store and payments in general wasn't really that big a deal for me, so getting all these reactions came a bit out of the blue for me. The game itself overshadowed it largely in my mind. In hindsight, I can of course see that it seems like a big deal, but I would've at least expected it to go relatively silent for 48 hours. :)
It was to be expected, of course, that many would be alienated from our starting to require payment for something that has previously been free. While that saddens me a bit, and while it was fun to be able to provide Haven for free, I'm sure it goes without saying that that's not really an alternative. I too have bills to pay, after all, and Haven development does require too much effort and attention to be able to do "on the side" of another job. It kinda is what it is.
That being said, of course, does not mean that there cannot be reasonable objections stated to the specific model of payment we have instituted. There may be a case to be made that prices are too high, that free time is too sparse or anything else, but if that is so, it is (despite the self-righteous assertions to the contrary that some make) not a priori obvious, and it is too early for me to tell yet.
Perhaps we should have posted about it earlier, but then again, the vitriol that is consistently unleashed on the forums at every slightly controversial statement we make has taught us to shut up until we have something firm. Also, I think that 48 hours of free play time is a generously advance statement already. :)
Our horizon of planning has never been on the immediate next hour or day anyway. We'll see how it unfolds in the coming months and take it from there.