You didn't coz that player will be able to get same item just a bit later. Your example of grinding 3 weeks is a bit much.
Thing is in Planetside 2 you can grind for weapons or buy them straight. But even then all weapons that are sold are situational.

In certain situations Attack bike will be quite superior to Rhino and that is OK
The thing is non subscriber wont have smth similar to Attack bike and founders will in those situations have clear advantage over non founders.

And Miguel also said that you want know how situation on battlefield will go on. Well that is not true once META is established you will clearly now when to use your overpowered stuff and when not to.

There is always someone who will, such as people who don't like to use a shotgun and want a bolter for CQC. Moreove, some will buy it only because they think it looks cool and they want one. You don't want to, your choice, no one is forcing it on you. Like myself, I content with just melta for CQC, I don't need another fancy bolter for that job, as long as ppl who bought it don't have any advantage over me, then it's fine by me. Beside I'm just making a point how this sidegrade idea can work, my idea is not that of the dev's. We still have to take it up with them to make sure that they don't have any P2W secret ingredients inside the soup.

Well said and imagine what kind of bad press this ''side grade'' stuff is going to give the game, once it gets attention of bigger audience. Its already hurting the game.

I am all for variety. I agree that if balanced right, sidegrade weapons that offer no advantage hidden behind a paywall could not only implemented properly but well. That said, it will still reflect negatively on the games review & will deter (no exaggeration) hundreds if not thousands of players. Its a very fine line. A line that of my 23 clan members only 8 were willing to cross & become founders until development is further along & more information is available. These are avid gamers & 40K nuts. How do you think it will be received by players outside of our circle of interest or your average gamer? All I am getting at is this is all the ammunition critics need to turn away large target audiences. Even if its well implemented. Its controversial. Even as a HH founder with all exclusive weapons, I'm not afraid to admit that.

Then that's because of the class specialty, not the weapon itself

Well, that's why we need the dev to decide as soon as possible if this is really the bridge they want to cross, they may cross it safely, but there's big chance the bridge will collapse and drag the whole game, the dev and us down with it.

I can't agree on that. If I buy stuff with cash and sport it when others have a long way ahead to grind for it (believe me, this way may be very, very long in some games), it means I have somewhat better chances against them, but mostly it means that I (my group, my strike force or my race) will be a bit richer on in-game resources, without having to spend them on equipment, but buying it straight with cash. It counts, is it not?

The way it can be balanced is that you need to unlock the gun in game to be able to buy its 'sidegrade', and importantly, with cash you only unlock this 'sidegrade', not get it. So, to equip the 'sidegrade' you need to spend in-game resources on it the same way you would spend them on a basic gun.
But even in this scenario the idea of sidegrades is not good, as under certain circumstances the sidegrade will be better than basic weapon, and normal player does not get that option.
Better to sell cosmetics, skins and such stuff.

And it will be a damn shame if they let that happen, this game got it all right gameplay wise, no forced factions like WAR and Dark Millenium, gore, grim dark style, tps space marine like combat.

The only negative thing about this game is P2W and man it can destroy game before it even launches.

I am aware it was your idea, not theirs However given that they compare a Rhino and a bike as a side grade, I have my doubts that the weapon side grades won't, equally, be quite extreme.

There's simply no need to this side grade debacle. People will indeed buy for the cosmetics, so why create this mess in order to, well, I'm not actually sure what it achieves. At best it looks like they're a bit naive about how players will perceive this, at worst they're trying to pretend P2W isn't P2W by inventing a new term for it.

This game is already struggling to get noticed in the market or by the press. I can't imagine it'll be doing EC any favours when they finally do get some notice, and the news is focused on side grades and $450 founders packs, rather than the game itself. It looks like the sort of things that shitty cash grab FTP games do. They are fortunate that it's 40k themed, but that'll only get them so far.

I don't know why the dev are so into this sidegrade thing. Does making just usual cosmetic items like skins, helmets, decoration seem too boring for them or that they want themselves to be unique in online cash shop market? Why taking a huge risk with sidegrade while selling only cosmetic is an easy, profitable thing to do? On top of that, the game is B2P, the need of having to sell shop items is not that stressful like other F2P games.

I don't quite get what you mean, an apothecary or soccerrer will only have a bolt pistol and a melee weapon, they don't have any access to bolter at all, so it doesn't matter what kind of bolter that is they won't have it. Their possible ranged weapon then is not blocked by a pay wall, it's blocked because of their class choice.