EVE Information Portal

For anyone who doesn't know, this is all you need to read to understand the reasons behind idiotic ideas like this:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/05/world-of-darkness-the-inside-story-mmo-ccp-white-wolf

a question aside ... are there other aspects in the game in which microtransactions could be integrated in a way everyone is happy with? A way that motivates the majority of the playerbase to establish additional cash flows to ccp?

Then problem with that, is then it becomes the exclusive domain of those with a juicy credit card. At least a traded item is accessible to all which I've always considered to be one of EvE's strong points.

Yes, there are plenty.

Some games disperse their premium currency (PLEX, basically) through allowing consumers to complete whatever the advertisement companies are interested in. That includes providing information and interests, filling out surveys, trying products like Netflix, and even referring for products or such.

Obviously, supporting actual advertisements in the game would probably develop much less of a response than making everything in a subscription game microtransaction based.

There's also just more subs. As stated on these forums, there are some 18M+ fresh internet users every month, and the PC gaming demographic includes some 900M on a report. Even Raptr (a very niche program) lists about 1.5M fresh users per month, which apparently can include 0% from China (seems relevant for our shard).

Maybe try setting your logic aside, try not using that sort of logical approach when looking for a corp, hell the goons will take anyone try to enjoy the game. Why this worry of isk and its generation you will always be chasing that one. Even NPC corp like SWA have there pvp roam groups now like SWArm who you could hook up with at weekends. Missioning is not a primary, its something used for fair income generation, socializing / helping rookies with rep and gaining rep for other area's of the game.

Not sure if being intentionally aloof, or just dull, but it's simple stuff like emails or zip codes.. That's obviously less beneficial to a company than most data, so it ordinarily rewards less.


If you'd recall, the game gets a lot of leeway for being an interesting experience, and if it actively devalues its own feature list, how is that helpful? You're reductions are poor and unbased.




You've switched from discussing how the game effects retention to anecdote.

Maybe what's needed is some sort of compromise:

Be able to extract Skill Points but only allocate them back to the original character from which they were extracted. Additionally, have a steep penalty with SP loss in this process that makes this feature make you think twice.

I have a feeling that CCP is pushing ahead with its original plan but some kind of middle ground should be reached due to the overwhelming negative response to the original idea.

Additionally, CCP mentions something about not being able to change the name of a new character that you've acquired. Is a name change feature also a part of their plans with this?

No i asked your view on the game and i was continuing that, in all fairness the only thing you state that is actual fact is that EvE does not live up to your expectations. Your floundering of research, statistics demographics mean nothing without individualised case studies of a niche market product. What is fact is you can't fly a titan, you dont agree with skillpoints so something is wrong, you watched some video's and expected to do what you saw on joining, Your ability to infer we have to prove why you think something is wrong. - as stated before proof gaming.

If you put as much effort into the game as you do of whining it might open your eyes.

How odd it is supposing that SP supplies depth and "areas of the game" while also removing those.

Again, you're assuming that limiting progression and depth and variety and competitiveness allows sub interest and their referrals. If it really only takes 5% increased retention to increase profits by 25-95%, some unsubbing (after it's announced for feedback that this seems like the best option) over something that absolutely makes the game shallow is fine, replaced with those interested in playing the game.

You obviously can't refute the relevance of motivation science, and it's less than obvious why you try with more anecdotal arguments? It's just bias.

Game experience is not bias, it is opinion formed from actual play of the game we are discussing, not some findings from a study which I have no doubt will be contradicted by another study somewhere else and is also very generalized (one size absolutely does not fit all in psychology/motivation etc).

Again I'm not assuming anything, I'm relating my experience in various games where progression is a key component of the experience. Many other people here have agreed with this. You on the other hand are assuming that the removal of a core component of a game will instantly make it more fun, increase subs, improve retention, improve NPE, have people forking out tons of cash to fly ship x, y, or z etc etc etc.

If it takes a 5% increase in retention to increase profits by 25-95% (again I bet there's studies that refute this) then what would happen to profits if 25% of the long term players unsub due to their game being gutted? How long do you think CCP could sustain the loss in profits whilst waiting for new player retention to ramp up (assuming it did)?

The SP mechanism works well, it has players thinking about what they want to do in game, guides them in a direction to follow, rewards subs without grinding. It does not stop players from doing what they want, they just have to work towards it through other areas of the game. Would HALO be as much fun if you could just start at the end level with the biggest guns on your back? Would super mario have been fun if you could just drop in the boss level at the end with whatever power ups you could have?

This is simplifying things down but the point is the same. How much fun is there in being handed everything on a plate? Much of the attraction of Eve comes from having to earn things if you want them. That comes from planning, good choices, gameplay and luck. You are proposing the removal of the first two to a large degree. You are also overestimating how much extra fun people will have by being able to simply do anything in game (along with the impact that will have on others who *have* invested a lot of time and effort in getting to that point).

You are also still seemingly ignoring the fact that CCP have outright stated the importance of SP as a core part of the game. This in itself ends any discussion of SP removal which isn't what this thread was t discuss in the first place.