Sure, the purchase allows ships in day one access, but those of us who bought the cheapest will still be able to get those nicer ships through gameplay. I like the idea- because it ensures variety and a great player environment on day one of release, instead of everyone trying to do the same thing to advance. There appear to a number of guilds and I would like it if those of us here could have a SimHQ one.

I just purchased and yes it looks like Arena Commander is all you can do ATM. It's useful for discovery tactics and practicing run and gun and using the environment to your advantage. SO far there isn't a startup/shutdown procedure that I'm aware of, just the AC thing. I'm excited for planetside and the FPS as well. Those should be awesome. The PU I think will push the release date far into 2017 as its requirements will be the most demanding- FYI fleet vs fleet battles, with multiple crewed cap ships and their fighters attacking one another. Rest assured that those who have purchased ships above the hornet haven't been able to fly them yet, so they really have nothing more than a pre-order for something they have idea how to use. I doubt it will be an unfair advantage.