While I understand the need for it, I have a problem paying $15 a month on top of the game itself in order to play it. And the game's useless by itself, so if I decide that I don't like the online stuff or it doesn't work for me or it's too much, then the $50 game purchase was wasted.

A lot of people say this. And i agree it's a lot to pay unless you are really into it... i'd go for an hourly model rather than a monthy any day. BUT... in our defense... it costs a TON of money to have that many server running 24/7, with support, bandwidth, and admin costs on top of it. Add to that the fact that they are continually adding content. It's not just a static game, which is one thing about MMORPG's that i do find interesting. They are adding huge new features as the game progresses. Eventually you will be able to hop in your ship, fly up into space, and go to other planets as well as do full on space battles. People don't work for free, so the money to pay all the above mentioned developers, admins, support staff, etc, has to come from somewhere, and $50/game sure as hell won't cover it. You'd be amazed how LITTLE we make out of that amount in profit.

oh, and the first month is free, so it's $50 for the game and one free month. =]