EVE Information Portal

it occurs to me that freighters are another ideal thing for this (well, besides that they will now die en masse)

you train up your npc freighter alt, fit bulkheads on it, and then let it go alpha

you lose the ship bonuses but whatever, you can still use bulkheads and as long as you're still in the hull you can fly for free

Really? How do you accomplish this magic?

8,760 hours in a year (non-leap year).
8,760/12 = 730 hours for your "average" month.

To get 4 extractors you will have to skill at about 2,740 SP/hour.

Implants? Well, the theoretical max there is 2,700/hour.

You are just short of covering your average monthly sub costs for the second month.

Further, your argument is basically a market timing argument. You'll be able to tell when selling skill injectors is going to be profitable 30 or so days in advance.

In the end, all you'll end up doing is covering your sub costs more or less once you incur that initial $1,495 cost (possibly $2,990) to start the subs.

Edit: And I don't recall the requirements for attribute enhancing implants, can those be trained on an Alpha account? If not, then you'll definitely spend nearly $3,000 on this scheme.

I'm agreed on the "one alpha per player" suggestion, too much potential for zerging otherwise.

Possible abuse off the top of my head:
Step 1: Create X number of accounts and give them 5.5 million SP in skills unrelated to alpha set.
Step 2: Switch to alpha mode, training all alpha skills to max, while researching BPO's.
Step 3: When alpha skills are maxed, PLEX account and use 10 skill extractors on alpha skills.
Step 4: Give skill injectors to main and either use or sell them.
Step 5: Repeat from Step 2.

Right now the plan is you cannot extract the alpha skills.

So, as currently proposed, this will not work.

Well then. That's certainly something.

I'm going to voice what is apparently an unpopular opinion. I think this extended, indefinite trial needs a few more restrictions, then it'll be a good feature. I think a lot of people should calm down, think about it, and try to keep an open mind.

After reading the first 15 pages of this thread, I sent a message to a friend of mine. I tried to get him on EvE about four years ago, but it didn't take. 14-day trial is nice and all, but at the time had a full-time job, a fiance^ (no I don't know how to make the special character there), and everyday family obligations. So, during his 14-day trial, he got to play around two or three of those days, and each time, for only about two to three hours each. Heck, his first day alone was completely taken up by learning how to interact with the game, me helping him adjust overview settings, etc etc. He never really had time to really lock into the game. He never subbed, but it wasn't that he didn't like EvE. He just didn't have enough time to figure it out. He also expressed a viewpoint that he would probably only play the game when I was also online to play with him, which only happens about once a week.

So, I sent him a message. I told him about this, and that in November, I hope he'll choose to fly with me in EvE again. And I expressed my hopes that with this indefinite trial, he'll have time to really learn the game, enjoy it, maybe even start to subscribe himself. And maybe, even enjoy it enough to play without me. I don't do much in this game, I admit, I really hope he eventually wanders off on his own to experience all the things I don't.

I also thought about all the things I can do with an Alpha alt that I would never have paid an extra sub for. Not all of them are as nefarious as people have theorized. I've had an interest in trying out Faction Warfare - for the fighting, not the LP farming. But I have only one combat character who is already in a corp and has obligations. So, this is something I'd like to "dip my toes in" with an alt. I can certainly fund that alt's supply of cheap frigates and fittings. And it'll allow me to experience more of the game that I've been unable to commit to.

Another thing I want to be able to do is merely scout ahead. Having an Alpha alt, requiring no subscription payment for the luxury of doing so, to scout ahead a few jumps ahead of any major movement of mine. Also, to check out gates. Yes, I can and have been doing this with my "Omega" characters, but even if the gates and routes are clear, it's a big pain in the rear to land somewhere, shuttle up, fly a few jumps ahead, fly back, repackage shuttle, reship, continue on. Now I can scout for myself much more effectively and quickly.

This also opens the door to freighter pilots who have oft taken to the forums to complain about their lack of options for keeping their ships safe. And through the years, gankers have always told them to just web themselves into warp. The pushback against that was 1: no friends willing to donate time, 2: friends not trustworthy in regards to possibly tipping off ganker groups or secretly being a part of one themselves, 3: not willing to pay for an alt to do it. Now, freighter pilots can take ten minutes to create themselves an Alpha alt to web themselves.

Theoretically, this means that CCP can also revert the bumping timer thing they did a few patches ago, since there's no excuse left to not web themselves into warp. Heck, *I* might even buy a freighter now. I certainly have plenty of stuff to move and years of paying attention to the forums and game have given me a pretty decent idea on how to keep myself as safe as possible. Now it's easier than ever.

I think there are many legitimate concerns over this system that will have to be addressed. Most of those relate to industry and trade. But no alliance is going to be able to create a swarm of alpha alts to harass blues, because 600 guys will not be able to keep their mouths shut. Besides, spies and all. I don't think swarms of gankers will be any real problem either, other than perhaps a spike at the beginning of this due to the novelty of it for those trying for the first time. Also, have YOU ever tried herding cats? It's just not going to be the big deal people think it is. Anyone who's wanted to gank already has such a character anyway that can put out much more damage thanks to better skills.

Overall I think this has immense potential for everyone to expand their experiences and enjoyment of this game, newbie and veteran alike. I am, for the time being, cautiously optimistic.


Apparently I just don't do short posts

are you for real

My suggestions for changes from what's been outlined so far:

1. Alpha clone skills can be extracted, but only if in omega state. The reason being is this. I've bought characters on the bazaar to turn into SP farms and production alts. As the production skills I inject grow, I extract all those needless spaceship command, gunnery, etc. skills.

2. Only one alpha clone can be logged in per IP address to prevent lots of free gank alts.

Only been playing 18 months... Got bitten by the PI bug and started a second account about 4 months ago... only plexed it LOL.

Some ideas for exploits that can be watched.
1) Use alpha to get an account to 5 million sp ( whatever max is) ... then Omega it and use SP extractors and selling to keep it plexed... or to speed up main account if can be done efficiently enough.

2) SOV space ( or anywhere) .. Intel would be good... park an alpha in every station with local open you want to be able to watch.. hm... tactical spymaster maybe... either to watch given routes for safe freighting or say for capital ratting but keeping an eye on surrounding sytems... could be copying BPO or doing industry for free isk if worth it LOL

3) an alpha salvager to follow my Omega around when ratting efficiently... or several... or running 4 or 5 accounts to clean u in anoms after corp has done them... hard to scan down.. low effort while salvagers get the job done so can flick around freely.

4) a) alpha industrial ( Gallente) everyone should be can mining with this alt shipping ore out.... so Procurer mine rather than risk others because ore hold limitations don't mean anything anymore..
b) rat killer alpha to protect main miner ( in 0.8 or 0.7 sec maybe...vexor could do it.. drones set to guard miner)
c) multiple Vexor ratters in null.... bring in omega VNI but have several vexors orbit a LONG way out with drones assigned to.. guarding... VNI... extra 20 medium drones would be useful :-)

5) fleet battles.... suicide ships going in just to provide cover for bombers... like in flocks of birds... easy to kill but can't target all at once... could be good against carriers to chew up their missiles on fighters by forcing them to use them faster/earlier... maybe.

6) In theory .. could be a real pain... a fleet of free Venture miners chewing rock and can mining... hard to warp scramble and with fleet warp may be hard to kill ... not really efficient but if it can be maxed somehow it will...

7) POS / Structure killing... they don't add a lot of DPS but rather than the hassle of a fleet... a bunch of Alphas could work if the Omega was decent. can I trade mark "Super BLob" .. 3 or 4 people with multiple alts hammering timers... hmm

Only thinking quickly but thats where I would see most advantages or possible hassles... and probably industry but not really expert enough to see all angles there.

hope it helps people have a think of more that could be manipulated before it comes in

Cheers

While I don’t think that this latest round of changes will be the “final” nail in CCP’s coffin, I do wonder how much longer this game can survive the dumbing down of a game that, when I first started playing back in 2010, was designed to be challenging. Those that couldn’t make the cut went and played WOW or some other game.

Personally I think CCP should take a serious look at Why the seam to be in this downward spiral. Back in 2010 when I started playing I remember seeing 50k players logged in and thinking “wow I have to learn this” now 30k players is extraordinary. CCP has continues this spiral from a thinkers game to a pay to win pvp only game. When they get there the minds that made this game great will all be gone and EVE will be left to go the ways of games like Conquer and similar games.

Maybe they should look at what kept people logging in back when they had 50k players logged in most of the time and the spikes could climb to 75 to 100k players logged in instead of tiring to “gimmick” there way it keeping a dwindling player base from leaving the game all together.

If my PC and net connection can handle 50 accounts, then I'll run 50 Alpha Ventures. Honestly, my (very shoddy) net connection is going to be the ultimate limiting factor on how many accounts I can run simultaneously.



Yup. Without some kind of multiple Alpha log-in restrictions, expect to see thousands of the little bastards.


edit: I still think CCP is onto a winner with this idea, it just needs some minor tweaking is all.