I just logged out of my steam account to check steam pricing.
Escalation is $29.99, and it comes with the base Ashes game, as far as I know.
So essentially, if you're a new player, you pay $29.99 and get Escalation + Ashes (full experience).
Now, you can alternatively buy the Ashes base game at $13.
If you do so, I believe you can then purchase escalation at $19.99.
This would be pretty silly, since it would cost you ~$3 more than just buying escalation.
Your total price for Ashes + Escalation wold then be ~$33
I guess the benefit of this package is that you might get to play Ashes for a few weeks, until escalation releases... A $3 value, apparently.
(Actually, I'm not sure whether purchasing escalation actually gives access to Ashes immediately. I am wondering if this really makes sense, and would certainly recommend a price adjustment of the base game down to $10, so that buying piecemeal doesn't punish you during the sale).
The third possibility -- which includes me -- is that you already own Ashes.
If you already own Ashes, you probably bought it for either ~$40 or ~$20.
If you're in this category, lucky you.
For the same game experience of Ashes + Escalation, you will have paid even more.
If you're fortunate, you paid only $20 for Ashes, which means:
- you will have paid just $10 more than brand new players who are purchasing only escalation (perhaps can't play yet, but will receive both products)
- you will have paid just $7 more than the players who in the next few days buy Ashes first and then escalation
On the other hand, you might have paid the full $40 retail, which means:
- you will have paid $30 more than brand new players who are purchasing only escalation (perhaps can't play yet, but will receive both products)
- you will have paid $27 more than the players who in the next few days buy Ashes first and then ecalation
Then there are apparently other founders -- not the real founders -- who paid even more... I've heard ~$60
They're the luckiest of all.
(Well done, gents.)
I guess I'm just saying that, while I understand the company needs to break even (at least), this doesn't seem like a terrific way to go about the pricing.
It seems really backwards.
It punishes the people who jump on board early and stay loyal.
I realize that there are costs to software production, but this is quite a bit of variation in a matter of months.
And the game is still buggy and undergoing improvement.
Maybe consider some extra DLC or something to even the score?
Frogboy: Seriously. I hear you. Perhaps now is your chance to give something away. 
