EVE General Discussion

I've been playing EVE on and off for quite a long time. Started as far back as 2006, played on and off. I couldn't always afford the monthly payment as a kid, and when I got older, I didn't always have the time to really put into it to get enjoyment from it.

This was, and is a problematic issue with EVE. For the vast majority of people, if you don't have time to no-life EVE, there's alot less to do, and you'll be earning far less, due to the golden rule of EVE. Never fly what you can't easily replace.

This creates a "soft cap" so to speak. I had the ability to fly Dreadnoughts, could fly a fully tweaked out tier 3 ship if I wanted, but simply didn't have the time. I barely could afford a Battleship for the time I could invest, so, that didn't matter I had the skills up to those points. Battle-cruisers were where I was stuck.

That in and of itself is fine, but we'll come to that point again later.

With the game opening up to "Free to play", I thought I'd give it a go during a point in my life I simply don't have a ton of time to invest. So consider this feedback and worries from a long term EVE player, stuck in a Free to play new to eve situation.

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My first question is this to CCP... What is the REASON for alpha clones? Atm it feels like an advanced version of a free trial with no time limit. This to me is a massive mistake. One which I'll explain in a bit.

Would it not be better to make Alpha Clones be able to enjoy the game, while being a small driving force in the economy and community of EVE Online, while still having soft, and hard limitations to the account? Because that's not what Alpha Clone is atm.

One overwhelming point about EVE, is that it really wasn't focused for PvE. Sure you have Incursions, rats in belts, some really simplistic, boring, uhhh what was that mission about? ah this mission again for the 9th time in a row, PvE missions to run, etc. All of it was more of a time sink, or way to net some more credits for your PvP fit.

Non PvP players could enjoy crafting, mining, exploring, but again, never focused much on PvE combat.

The new story new players are put into is a refreshing nice change, that does teach new players about EVE far better than the no direction, vague descriptions it used to have, but once that's over.. there again is almost nothing for an alpha player to really do that will Keep them playing.

This is the main point I wish to discuss, and why this is.

CCP I believe you should be giving alpha players enough to feel like they've been given a good idea of the game in whatever direction they want to go, but put the stop there. Again I'll explain this later.

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First though. The objective I believe CCP is missing out on. The objective for Alpha clones I think should be this.

"To be a limited account, with limited accessibility, but at the same time allow a player to experience EVE in all its forms to a limiting degree, and have enough substance to ensure continued enjoyment of EVE, and be an active member of the in-game community and economy".

If this is done fairly, and accurately, not only would high sec, and low sec space, become more populated, but we'd see the player base rise as well, which is always a good thing, as that puts more money in CCP's pocket once those F2P players decide to use the store a bit here and there for ship skins, and cosmetics.

But how to get to that point?

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PvE Combat, Missions, and Stories

This is the biggest flaw, and issue in EVE. This has been sorely out dated, and lacking behind everything else EVE has to offer. It's a dated, relic of a mechanic balanced for how the game used to be played 10 years ago, but not today.

Other MMO's which offer PvE content far out shine EVE in this dept, and the few things which are available and interesting such as Incursions, etc. are far out of reach of Alpha Clone's reach.

If we step back from Incursions and look at the Missions, and storylines, the more branching, and advanced storylines are agian, out of reach of Alpha Clone's ability due to being limited by skills and ships to such an abusive extent.

This forces a player who's more interested in PvE, and experiencing the lore and world of EVE Online and not PvP, to be seriously gimped right out of the gate. This isn't going to make them want to spend money to open up the game, when they don't even know what everything behind the pay wall has to offer.

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My suggestion is to really focus on the PvE. Add new missions across the board for ALL professions, Mining, Hauling, Combat, Exploration, etc. and add new main story lines with high risk, high reward, that Alpha Clones are able to do as well.

Also go more in depth with explaining influence, and reputation.

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Professions, Skills and Ships

What can an Alpha player do? well, not much as it turns out. Simple PvE missions, some of the simple starter story lines, maybe get into a little PvP match with another alpha clone, and do some simple trading as a trader. that's about it.

When I first jumped in, I wasn't expecting to be able to fly my Hulk with max mining skills like I had. But I was expecting something.

Now this is where I go into the explanation of giving Alpha players a "good taste" of the experience,, leaving them yearning for more and that's where you put the stop.

Using my Mining Character as an example., Alpha characters can only ever train into the simple little mining frigate the Vulture. This gives you a tiny taste of mining, but before the player can even truly experience what its like being a useful member of the industry economy of EVE, you've already stopped them right at the entrance and demanding money to experience more.

-Continued-

TL;DR?

I'm guessing it's along the lines of "give alphas more free stuff".

Where the hell were you over a month ago when CCP asked for your input on how Alpha clones should be implemented?

PS: I started back in 2008 and dove into a wide range of professions. Fleet roams, mining, mission running, suicide ganking, market trading, and even just solo roaming in low-sec. From what I see, Alpha clones can still do a lot of those things even now. Don't see where Alpha clones are missing out.

Pretty much this.

Alpha clones are ok the way they are. Like I said, they can participate in many parts of what makes Eve great. Suicide ganking, market trading, fleet roams, faction warfare, mission running (with a buddy if running higher level missions), etc. The fact that an alpha clone can fly a cruiser and industrial means that the clone can do a lot of things in Eve.

That's a whole lot of reading comprehension failure. Did you even read? Or did you skim and think that was enough? Here's a tip:

1) I never said Alpha clones should be able to do incursions.

2) I never said PvE alone is needed to make EVE great.

3) I know it's an unlimited trial, which is unfortunately not going to do jack for anyone or anything in the long run. It may bring a few loose threads back, but that's it.

If you'd actually read, it's quite obvious I'm talking about a missed opportunity of CCP's. There are plenty of MMO's that have a free and monhtly sub choice where the free version doesn't retract from the extra quality and extra glitter of the paid subscription option, giving the paid version well worth the money, while not limiting the free version too much either.

The If you'd actually read, again, you'd also see that I think what you think. Give too much and the reason to upgrade won't exist, which is not what i'm doing, or wanting.

TLDR: read the damn post, or don't post at all.

don't kid oursleves OP, you and i both know that whatever crap you posted in here won't happen anymore.

this issue have been discussed enough already and your 'bright' ideas are actual not.

so you either sub up to omega or not. quit or play. it's up to you.

don't worry about EvE, we got this. infact, in my corp alone, most of our newbro recruits have already upgraded. just worry about yourself, ok?

with that wall of text and alot of 'suggestions', you are definitely posing yourself as one.

what, do you really think you are the first one who cried for alphas to be able to fly barges?

wrong thread.

A month old market alpha probably has more market related SP than I do :(

Mining Alphas will see the devastating rate Omegas empty rocks at, and will thus be encouraged to go Omega.
PvP Alphas will get tired of being frequently outskilled/outshipped, and want some of that.
PvE Alphas will see BS clearing out L4s and posts on blitzing income, and want some of that.

PI is necessarily excluded, as the result wouls otherwise be potentially thousands of PI Alpha alts flooding the market.

The less restrictions there are on Alphas, the more rich vets will exploit them.
That could potentially snowball in undesirable ways.

It has always been necessary to sub in EVE to get full access.
I see no reason how this is any different now.

It was nice to stack "Recruit a Friend" with free trial days before, but that too required subbing.

Now you can play EVE for free, indefinitely, on as many alts as you want, doing whatever content you want with what you have available.

Sometime in the future, who knows, CCP might raise the cap on alphas or reduce restrictions.
But that would be a really really bad indicator that CCP is winding down development and resigning the game to zombification.

Citation needed.

The reason PVE in this game is generic and repetitive is because it's not the focus of this game, PVP is. If the PVE is too interesting, it would divert people from the PVP. The PVP itself needs to be the most interesting thing to do to drive more PVP. And it is.