It seems like every fucking game is trying to incorporate features of MMORPGs.   Back in the good old days skill-based games like starcraft, counter-strike, AOE II, and CivII were kept entirely separate from grind-based games like everquest.    Then WC3 came along as an RTS with "hero units" that "level up" and all that MMORPG bullshit.   Age of Mythology did the same shit.   The civilization series felt that "veteran" units weren't enough and invented a whole BS tech tree of level-ups for units.   Age of Empires III implemented unlockable shit that totally unbalanced the RTS.   TF2 (Valve's next significant fps after counter-strike source) started out as a pure skill game but then for some inexplicable reason they decided to mingle it with MMORPG bullshit through an achievement system that unlocked additional items.  Now it is no longer a pure SKILL game, but is based heavily on how much time you spent GRINDING on achievement servers for the limited-availability items.

Now, I've got nothing against MMORPGs themselves.  I just like to keep that kind of crap SEPARATE from my FPS and RTS games.     Nowadays, almost every new FPS or RTS game throws in some unlockable bullshit that upsets the perfect balance (think original starcraft) that a game is supposed to have.   This really irritates me.  I play these games for a change of pace from WoW, not to do the same shit.

Why does a loaf of bread cost twice as much as a dozen eggs, even though ecology dictates it must take an order of magnitude more grain to feed the hens to produce the eggs?   Government subsidies?   Inefficient markets?