Skill Discussions

Hello.

Let's get some stuff out of the way first. I know this "****" pops on like once a week. I know a "simple search" would show me it is so. I know the copypasta of why "skill reset is bad"

Let's start with the latter:




Then the thread list (which I've read + several more which I haven't listed):



I find all your answers to those proposals pertinent (most of them in the range of "No." to "No ******* way!").
This is because resetting skill points for everyone is a bad idea and should never happen in EVE (barring some major systems changes) - a statement with which I concur wholeheartedly.

Having said that, I find the new player experience lacking because of this situation. In order for the game to survive, new players are needed and they're up for grabs. Currently the NPE is enhanced by a tutorial system, some tutorial missions, the opportunity system and (to a lesser extent) the mastery/certificates system.

However, the Aura tutorial and the tutorial missions (including the SoE arc) are done in probably a day, if you are new to the game. Say a week if you only play sparingly and you need instructions on how to operate a gui.

The real problem, I find, faces the new player when he tries to go beyond the early PVE part of the game and starts going into player-created content, which is a shifty ************. Doctrine ships, fitting requirements for them, t2 weapons/tank, not even mentioning the personal skill involved in piloting.

Instead of dipping his toe in everything and picking his flavor, a new player is usually stuck in boring/expendable roles - tackler, scout, etc. What if you want to try your hand at higher classes of ships, at some point? You don't even know how if flies, how would you know whether you want to commit 10 days to learning BS 4 (in one faction, mind you!) . What if you don't like projectile weapons? What if you want to use missiles, because you heard they're noob friendly?

What if you (most common, of what I saw) decide to mine because it's chill like that and at some point you end up with useless 1mil sp - I know you have a different interpretation of skill usage - but to a new player that is the difference between staying or going. I know I've been there and decided to go on, but ever time I come up on a bad decision like this it rips a piece of my heart. I'm currently at 12-13mil sp and have some ****** skills that would've best been used somewhere else.

Anyways, I digress.

My proposal is this :

• Allow for re-allocation of a maximum of 10mil sp, once per character,
• Available right after you learned those 10mil sp (not before so you don't mess up).
• The cost may be whatever (it might even be free).
• You will select which skills you want to "drain". When a skill reaches 0 sp in this way it is downgraded to the inferior rank (taking into account skill unlocking restrictions)
• If a skill reaches 0 sp at rank 1 it is deleted (taking into account skill unlocking restrictions)
• Skill books are not refunded.
• This can happen in multiple sessions until you reach 10mil sp moved around (you can even move the re-skilled ones if you're so inclined)

I think this will not allow the older characters to re-skill to something overpowered (10 mil sp is not such a big deal).
It will be only once a char so can't be abused. (may result in some tickets but I guess it's negligible)
It will only be available once you reach 10 mil sp (and that would be the prime time to use it, I guess).
It won't be mandatory, so you can save it for later.
It won't cause such an impact on character trades, implant market, etc.

Remember before you bash that, while very complex and engaging and as close to real life as a game can be at the moment, EvE is still a game, which can't exist without its players. Also, as a game, it proposes a certain user experience - while some artificial friction can be added to some parts of it (like it happens with the combat UI at the moment), I don't think this change to the SP system will impact it negatively.

Moreover, an influx and retention of new players will improve even the game of the veteran ones.

Don't hate - meditate.

I guess that could be a cost - but why would you think that would be necessary? Do you think there would be a way to exploit this?

Because the big hurdle when training up a focused alt is that remap they have to blow when switching from Int/Mem to Per/Wil.

Oh CCP, save us from the alts with all their remaps intact!

Make it so this is only available to new players and when they pass there first 10M SP and I kind of support it.

No, this idea isn't much better than any of the previous ones.

You say you have read the previous arguments against skill point resets, well maybe. But it is rather obvious you haven't understood them.

This gets a big fat no from me, again.

PS. If a newbro wants to try out something before committing on it in TQ there's always Sisi and mass tests.