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Would it be possible for CCP to make Eve Online free to play?

First post
Author
Malt Zedong
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#101 - 2015-09-06 20:36:46 UTC
Webvan wrote:
Val'Dore wrote:
The people who will multibox already multibox.
Oh heck no, no way, face reality on that one. Most people would suddenly have suicide ganker alts scattered throughout highsec. No effort suicide ganker alts swarming all areas of the game, ready at a moments notice within a few gates.

The way it is now, when the month is up, those alts become unusable. But make this game f2p and you will have swarms of deadly suicide gankers coming at you every day until you either join them or quit.

And what is CCP going to do about it, remove PvP? This game would turn into friggen My Little Pony Online!

This thread is one of the most irrational topics that keep popping up every other month until locked. And I recall a video where CCP said they could never do it, not unless EVE was designed that way from the start, so really it's just a troll thread topic. F2P is impossible for EVE, period.


You can easly use the buddy program to get an alt to provide a double plex for you. You get one account, and instead of plexing that account, you plex a buddy one and get 30 days for both. It doesnt matter if you paying in IRL money or ISK. You have 60 days which from the spoils of ganking and general mobbing, you can fund easly a group of people with dozens of alts, without even paying IRL money.

The base problem there is just that in EVE the crime does pay, much more than not doing it.

WorldTradersGuild.Com [WTG] - We are here for the long haul.

Vortexo VonBrenner
Doomheim
#102 - 2015-09-06 20:44:54 UTC
Omar Alharazaad wrote:
Funny. When I came to EVE after playing games like EverQuest and Earth & Beyond my response was 'Wait, you mean I don't have to drop sixty bucks for the game, and then thirty every six months on expansions in ADDITION to the monthly fee?!? NEAT!'
The game and content updates are already free, so the monthly subscriptions are a more than reasonable cost to play.

In order for the game to survive as 'free to play', it will become 'pay to win'. Which will kill it.

I'd recommend your friends stop trying to negotiate for more and either take or leave what's offered.

Agreed . Considering that and the fact that really per hour EvE works out to be cheap entertainment, EvE is far from being a scam / ripoff.




Sovox
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#103 - 2015-09-06 20:56:08 UTC
CCP's pay model is fine the way it is, even a casual player with one account can eventually plex it every month with little effort.
Just my opinion : EVE even its current state (Fozzie Sov) of being broken that ends up making a huge number of ships irrelevant, EVE is still the best game on the market and has been for many years I do not see any reason for CCP give it away for free when the plex can give you the option to play for free. I wish more games followed the CCP model tbh.
The VC's
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#104 - 2015-09-06 20:57:08 UTC  |  Edited by: The VC's
This is always going to be the case until there are many other true sandbox games on the market. Players of other games will have trouble notionally understanding Eve as there is no precedent. It's unique.

Coming to Eve, everything you ever thought you knew about gaming isn't of much use.

Like a previous poster said, it's more of a hobby.




ed. It also has an older crowd, with jobs and stuff. Three hours U.K. minimum wage and you have your sub payed for and a billion isk to blow. Don't get me started on those unemployed nullbear shut-ins who brag about all the isk they make to plex when they've put 30-50 hours in to do it. You can work a real job for 1.5 hrs and get the same.

Get a job. You might have more time to get a girlfriend too.
Webvan
All Kill No Skill
#105 - 2015-09-06 20:59:33 UTC
Malt Zedong wrote:


You can easly use the buddy program to get an alt to provide a double plex for you. You get one account, and instead of plexing that account, you plex a buddy one and get 30 days for both. It doesnt matter if you paying in IRL money or ISK. You have 60 days which from the spoils of ganking and general mobbing, you can fund easly a group of people with dozens of alts, without even paying IRL money.

The base problem there is just that in EVE the crime does pay, much more than not doing it.

It would be a whole lot worse. I could stake out say 10 systems reasonably, station a few suicide ganker alts in each system, then multi-box them in at a moments notice. I could have those alts there for years, pulling them out on my whim, fully trained for what they can do. That's a lot of effort as it is now, unless you have unlimited ISK or unlimited money, which no one does. And that's just casual ganking with say ~30 accounts, the hardcore ganker would likely have 100's of accounts covering regions as they roam.

I'm in it for the money

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F12

Schmantoo
State War Academy
Caldari State
#106 - 2015-09-06 21:03:16 UTC
Webvan wrote:
EVE is not the game for them.


Eve is not the game for most people looking at the login numbers. CCP can either try something different, or ride it strait into the ground.
Val'Dore
PlanetCorp InterStellar
#107 - 2015-09-06 21:29:04 UTC
Webvan wrote:
Val'Dore wrote:
The people who will multibox already multibox.
Oh heck no, no way, face reality on that one. Most people would suddenly have suicide ganker alts scattered throughout highsec. No effort suicide ganker alts swarming all areas of the game, ready at a moments notice within a few gates.

The way it is now, when the month is up, those alts become unusable. But make this game f2p and you will have swarms of deadly suicide gankers coming at you every day until you either join them or quit.

And what is CCP going to do about it, remove PvP? This game would turn into friggen My Little Pony Online!

This thread is one of the most irrational topics that keep popping up every other month until locked. And I recall a video where CCP said they could never do it, not unless EVE was designed that way from the start, so really it's just a troll thread topic. F2P is impossible for EVE, period.


That is certainly a consideration.

Trial accounts can't use T2 ships or weapons, no T3 ships, no capital ships, no jump clones, no mining barges, no freighters, no cynos, and no cloaks. As well as a lot of other skills they aren't able to use. They can't even have AWU.

If ganker seeding is your worry, maybe that is more a personal problem than an actual problem.

Star Jump Drive A new way to traverse the galaxy.

I invented Tiericide

beakerax
Pator Tech School
#108 - 2015-09-06 21:44:20 UTC
A few microtransaction ideas to help the OP's suggestion along:

  • hats
  • the obligatory gold Raven
  • entosis links run on Aurum
  • Concord protection goes to the highest bidder
  • rename yourself or others with PLEX
  • hats
Verstal
Incredibuilders United
#109 - 2015-09-06 21:54:12 UTC
beakerax wrote:
A few microtransaction ideas to help the OP's suggestion along:

  • hats
  • the obligatory gold Raven
  • entosis links run on Aurum
  • Concord protection goes to the highest bidder
  • rename yourself or others with PLEX
  • hats


I know you are making a joke and I did laugh but you did hit on something.

I think renaming your own characters is a great idea this concept used by other companies people pay 5 dollars for it

Also add to that clearing corp history, so that if did invest you could have a clean history and name you wanted.

This could also be used by spies, which is good for them, they pay to be better spies or of they have really clean history you might suspect them more then a normal person. Anyway it would add game play for a small amount of money.
WASPY69
Xerum.
#110 - 2015-09-06 22:29:37 UTC
Verstal wrote:
I think renaming your own characters is a great idea this concept used by other companies people pay 5 dollars for it

Also add to that clearing corp history, so that if did invest you could have a clean history and name you wanted.


This would conflict with what EVE is all about though. Remember the butterfly effect trailer? Everyone helps shape the history and events of New Eden, sometimes unknowingly. The decisions you make in EVE will ripple one way or another. And that's one of the reasons we all love EVE so much. Actions have consequences. No "contained" gameplay or safe areas, be who you want to be, be it a lone wolf, a pirate, a great leader etc.. People will (hopefully) remember your name for good or bad.

If you're desperate and have really ruined your name and corp history you can always start fresh and create a new account. Then pray no one recognizes your voice on comms etc.

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Verstal
Incredibuilders United
#111 - 2015-09-07 00:34:41 UTC  |  Edited by: Verstal
WASPY69 wrote:
Verstal wrote:
I think renaming your own characters is a great idea this concept used by other companies people pay 5 dollars for it

Also add to that clearing corp history, so that if did invest you could have a clean history and name you wanted.


This would conflict with what EVE is all about though. Remember the butterfly effect trailer? Everyone helps shape the history and events of New Eden, sometimes unknowingly. The decisions you make in EVE will ripple one way or another. And that's one of the reasons we all love EVE so much. Actions have consequences. No "contained" gameplay or safe areas, be who you want to be, be it a lone wolf, a pirate, a great leader etc.. People will (hopefully) remember your name for good or bad.

If you're desperate and have really ruined your name and corp history you can always start fresh and create a new account. Then pray no one recognizes your voice on comms etc.


The butterfly effect video you are talking is about 6 year old and another CCP hype video not quite based on reality because the chances of a player having that exact experience in under 3 months are about a billion to one.

If you watch this years fan fest they spent special time to talk about the hype video creation issue they have had and why they used real players for this latest video a video that has more views then any they have created before.

Now people have seen this latest video have interest in the game, want that experience. Maybe the rookie missions could end with an NPC titan with large NPC fleet around you as the player a large event they take part in. You know a scripted Death star moment. For a pay off. Good idea ty!

All missions should have a scripted ending which extends the eve fiction so they can do one mission an evening and get a larger and larger pay off if they want to focus on that aspect of the game, dam I would do all the missions again and all the races again to get this pay off. And all the content and scripting system has been created to do this work. Ty sir!

ADD++ The idea above solves many new player issues right now when you end a mission the text changes from one color to another and the text changes, but with a scripted event system where the player feels they are apart of a greater story they would get much more satisfaction for finishing any mission, even the early rookie missions. Even hauling missions would have a cool Han Solo ending moment. This idea wouldn't change the sandbox it would just be content engage the player to spark interest. This might be enough for people to start paying as the 20-30 second cinematic would be created to draw in that player and they would always feel like the hero at the end. This has been very successful in FPS games forever.
WASPY69
Xerum.
#112 - 2015-09-07 01:43:01 UTC
Verstal wrote:
The butterfly effect video you are talking is about 6 year old and another CCP hype video not quite based on reality because the chances of a player having that exact experience in under 3 months are about a billion to one.

If you watch this years fan fest they spent special time to talk about the hype video creation issue they have had and why they used real players for this latest video a video that has more views then any they have created before.

Now people have seen this latest video have interest in the game, want that experience. Maybe the rookie missions could end with an NPC titan with large NPC fleet around you as the player a large event they take part in. You know a scripted Death star moment. For a pay off. Good idea ty!

All missions should have a scripted ending which extends the eve fiction so they can do one mission an evening and get a larger and larger pay off if they want to focus on that aspect of the game, dam I would do all the missions again and all the races again to get this pay off. And all the content and scripting system has been created to do this work. Ty sir!


The rookie event is actually a pretty cool idea. Perhaps send them on a scripted story arch that ends with two great powers having a slug fest or something and you can decide to either be a spai, FC, F1 pusher, or logistics/industry etc...

I see where you're coming from though, that the old EVE initiation of "Welcome to EVE! Here's a spaceship! **** you!" is still very much there. I guess that's the way of a true sandbox game.
Today's generation expects near instant rewards, and the old-school model of working towards something and figuring out things without being hand held is pretty much obsolete. Sad but true.

I think the NPE is the most important focus CCP has, and imo it needs to put more emphasis on joining a corporation. Not sure what the best approach would be, but somehow make newbies join bigger, established ones.
It makes me so sad when i see newbies join small "Do a little bit of everything, with a CEO that's afk" kinda "new player friendly" corps, and then quit after a week because they get bored, or get wardecced and drop to an NPC corp and spend the rest of their EVE days mining or running missions in high sec..


TL;DR
I really hope CCP improves the NPE a lot more.

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Webvan
All Kill No Skill
#113 - 2015-09-07 01:49:58 UTC
Val'Dore wrote:
If ganker seeding is your worry, maybe that is more a personal problem than an actual problem.

Hah that's a good one, sidestep the obvious logic and make it some personal issue.

I have no issues say with CODE. or Goons etc. blap away! But I do have a personal issue with turning my game into a trash f2p and the hoards of 12yo suicide gankers that will invade. Anyone in their right mind would have an issue with that.

I'm in it for the money

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F12

Unezka Turigahl
Det Som Engang Var
#114 - 2015-09-07 04:35:01 UTC
Frostys Virpio wrote:


If only all newbies had 3+ years of in game knowledge when they started. Then they would be able to do just like you.



The ones mentioned by the OP had an 8 year old player to guide them.

And players who start with no friends have google and youtube.

But I guess people are too lazy. And they start in NPC corps, where they have a lot of people telling them they can't do anything except mine and mission as a noob.
Tippia
Sunshine and Lollipops
#115 - 2015-09-07 05:54:37 UTC
Schmantoo wrote:
Eve is not the game for most people looking at the login numbers. CCP can either try something different, or ride it strait into the ground.

They are trying something different. In fact, they're trying many different things — EVE is just not one of them. That's probably for the best since, if you have a secure income stream, making it insecure before you've fully managed to diversify isn't the smartest of moves.
May Arethusa
Junction Systems
#116 - 2015-09-07 06:29:12 UTC
Quote:
jump on to Eve and try to remember where all the buttons are


What kind of elite, top 5 percentile gamer forgets where F1 is on their keyboard? I guess standards are much lower in other games.
Pryce Caesar
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#117 - 2015-09-07 06:39:00 UTC
The VC's wrote:
This is always going to be the case until there are many other true sandbox games on the market. Players of other games will have trouble notionally understanding Eve as there is no precedent. It's unique.

Coming to Eve, everything you ever thought you knew about gaming isn't of much use.

Like a previous poster said, it's more of a hobby.




ed. It also has an older crowd, with jobs and stuff. Three hours U.K. minimum wage and you have your sub payed for and a billion isk to blow. Don't get me started on those unemployed nullbear shut-ins who brag about all the isk they make to plex when they've put 30-50 hours in to do it. You can work a real job for 1.5 hrs and get the same.

Get a job. You might have more time to get a girlfriend too.


Some of us either do not have or do not want that kind of luxury involved in the game. I find it would be more satisfying to earn the ISK in-game in order to be able to buy PLEX and extend your game time.

As for us "nullbear shut-ins", you probably should take about 20-40 hours off of your projections, since I've heard that the high-experienced Null-Sec players with the proper skills can rake in 100 million ISK/hour off of anomalies alone (or hit the jackpot, like I once did. Lol)

Essentially, one just has to set some time aside throughout the week, and they can rake in the amount of ISK necessary to buy PLEX easy (if only it wasn't so expensive. Cry)
Josef Djugashvilis
#118 - 2015-09-07 06:40:44 UTC
Yes, for the short time it would take CPP to go broke.

This is not a signature.

Ima Wreckyou
The Conference Elite
Safety.
#119 - 2015-09-07 07:05:54 UTC
Val'Dore wrote:
If ganker seeding is your worry, maybe that is more a personal problem than an actual problem.

Know this:

If EVE ever becomes free to play, you opened a box for us that you should have left closed. Even the Skiffs will burn if a fleet of rookie ships descends on them and blasts them into oblivion. More ganker chars means cheaper ganks and more damage output. Also 15min timer? no more! I just login another fleet of alts!
Tipa Riot
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#120 - 2015-09-07 08:00:56 UTC
Rewards, success, achievements ... what is it worth to win against stupid NPCs or solve scripted events (if not for cash only)? The NPE instead needs to more involve player organizations, e.g. have a prominent opportunity to join one of the NPSI fleets and score a kill with at least 5 other people on the killmail.

I'm my own NPC alt.