I dont see what was wrong with old CRPG. It was great.
Yeah, noob tincans spamming around never blocking while ur weapons were bouncing off them... sure was fun!
No but seriously, the upkeep is there to make sure there is no "old versions of Lady gaga's" (full plated knight on plated charger every single round). The upkeep is here, and it's gonna stay that way. cRPG is a lot better that way.
Also, the upkeep is not a problem if you don't crutch on ur equipment and you use less expensive gear in 1-2 multies and keep ur best gear for when ur in 3-4-5 multi. I use an average/light gear and im getting richer and richer every round, even in 1x.
What you can do if you want that much to be in ur crusader gear:
1- make a single gen using only light gear.
2- pile up money.
3- Retire.
4- Sell ur heiloom point.
5- Get even more money.
6- Enjoy ur full gear cuz ull be rich.
But again, u can enjoy the game with no money worries as long as u dont wear expensive gear at 1-2x.