Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I think the thing that a lot of people forget when they say that "EVE is a game of choices" is that EVE is supposed to be a game without a skill or level grind. CCP removed the learning skills and it made a better game. Removing the implants might also make it a better game. Just because some feature in a game gives you a 'choice' doesn't mean that it makes the game better, more fun, easier to play, or a little less harsh on the new players.

The only thing keeping you from making 2k+ isk/LP without ever leaving high sec is your own laziness and incompetence.

I'll answer this for you. First off, being in null gives you the same training speed as being in high sec. We can use the same implants and we train at the same skillpoints per hour. So there really isn't any kind of difference in training speed. Training speed is completely independent from your location in space.

I can understand your point though, implants are expensive and by being in null you put those investments at risk 24/7. That is just the inherent nature of being in null isn't it? Risk.

You have a very high risk, but you get much better rewards. You can construct supers, you have much easier access to better sources of income, you own your own station, you make your own rules of what goes and what doesn't in your space. I think it's important to note that during all this time, you do in fact also get to use the same +5s I use and you do in fact train at the same speed I train at.

All this wealth and all these advantages have as price the added risk on your investment, in this case +5 implants. You run a greater risk of losing them and having to purchase them again. Risk is the trade off you make, for being in null and have all the advantages that come with it.

I know people who roam through whs into null with HG snakes. You can use learning implants in null.

No level grind means that there is no leveling through direct game play. It means that, and nothing more. A five year old character in a bling fit Machariel clearing L4 missions like no one's business accrues SP no faster than a month old character who struggles with L2s if they both choose to remap and plug in +5s. I'm not 'grinding' when I remap my attributes and plug in implants.

Your greater reward doesn't come in the form of more skill points, it comes in the form of more income, which should allow you to replace those implants easier in the first place. You could always use you know ... +3 or +4 implants. The difference is extremely small, and the price difference is considerable. You could use jump clones, etc etc.

This idea is ripe to fall prey to an altered version of Malcanis' law. Space rich incomes will determine the market price point of these proposed boosters, and they will end up costing no less (and likely far, far more) in the long run than plugging in a set of the same learning implants. Instead of making the added attributes easier to obtain, they will obsolete them.

So what if someone goes on vacation for 2 weeks, not everyone has the time to log in every 7 days and go buy a booster and so on. Are we back to setting alarm clocks at 4h30 am because a booster is running out?

I'm also a little confused by your risk/reward reply with regards to null sec income.

Personally, I use +4s on my "main" character and +3s on this one. Do I feel like I'm missing out? Maybe a little. What I do know for a fact though, is that I can't afford to replace +5s, should I plug those in. RvB has 10+ wars going on at the moment, so I wouldn't exactly call high sec safe. For that reason I fly around with cheap implants. Should things go south, I can easily afford to replace 5 mill implants.

If I was to use +5s, I would definitely go broke. I'm not arguing against your idea because it would hurt 'me'. If anything I would benefit from it just as much as you. I can't afford to replace +5s either so yea sure. bring on faster training. I'm all for it.

On the other hand, I don't think we should trivialize the advantages safe NPC corps have, over the player run 0.0 or low sec alliances. They have many disadvantages compared to the player run ones, and this just happens to be one of those things that works in their advantage. I'm OK with that. Safety on their implant investments and pretty much a guarantee they wont be blown up, are really meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Besides, the training speed difference between +3s or even +4s compared to +5s is extremely small while the +3s and +4s only cost a fraction of the price +5s cost. If you can't afford +3s every time you're getting podded, you are doing something wrong.

I agreed that implants are like ball and chain to shackle new players in high security space. New players should be encouraged to explore and try new activities in various space. However, I don't like the idea of adding new boosters. I would like to see complete removal of training implants instead of introducing a new set of disposable implants that puts more weight on the shackle. Character attributes or required skill points could be adjusted to accomodate the change.

OP states the proposal is intended for null pilots.
People reply to him that he should fly in pod-safe low or hisec RvB instead.
I like these boards.

Don't forget that real time training of EVE is intended not only to set average progression speed no matter what, but also to allow you to train for enything regardless of what you do in the game, retaining some fun factor. Implans kinda counter that point because it puts 0.0 people, especially dedicated PvPers at disadvantage when compared with pretty much any hisec or low pilot, ensuring that you get more risks with no additional rewards for that when it comes to SP gaining speed. Way to treat what's intended as the most iconic and sandbox-y space of EVE.