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Returning as an Alpha

Author
Chainsaw Plankton
FaDoyToy
#21 - 2016-12-18 18:40:05 UTC
Iria Ahrens wrote:
Vorgx wrote:


when i started to play this game like 8 years ago there were like 60k players online, this days i only see 30 or 35k, so something is not working either in that business model


8 years ago it wasn't 60k players. It was 60k accounts. The great majority were alt accounts because the old meta basicaly required alt accounts.

if we go back 8 years to Dec 21 2008 we get 43,697 as the record for players in game in 2008, makes me believe there were more than 60k accounts. Although back then I could plex an account for ~4mil/day, if I could plex for 4m/day I'd probably have a few extra alts going right now. Then again now I have characters with way more SP so I don't need as many alts either. Looking at other years it looks like 60k was pretty rare and only happened a handful of times.

Overall the alpha limitations seem pretty fair, I'd like to see a few tweaks but hey that's eve, stuff always needs tweaking

@ChainsawPlankto on twitter

Iria Ahrens
Space Perverts and Forum Pirates
#22 - 2016-12-18 23:22:03 UTC
Chainsaw Plankton wrote:
Iria Ahrens wrote:
Vorgx wrote:


when i started to play this game like 8 years ago there were like 60k players online, this days i only see 30 or 35k, so something is not working either in that business model


8 years ago it wasn't 60k players. It was 60k accounts. The great majority were alt accounts because the old meta basicaly required alt accounts.

if we go back 8 years to Dec 21 2008 we get 43,697 as the record for players in game in 2008, makes me believe there were more than 60k accounts.


My point was that the active player metric didn't actually measure active PLAYERS. It was, and still is, logged in accounts. At the time most players were playing with 2 or more accounts active at a time, with many multiboxing 5 to 10 accounts. So the 40k active players was probably only reflecting about 20k or so active PEOPLE.

With the introduction of multi-account training and sp trading, the number of active accounts dropped dramatically, but CCP's income did not decrease significantly, so the active account decline of the last few years does not indicate a massive exodus of players.

My choice of pronouns is based on your avatar. Even if I know what is behind the avatar.

Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#23 - 2016-12-19 12:25:17 UTC  |  Edited by: Joe Vjeverica
hello guys. i played eve really hardcore from 2003 to 2010 then finally quit since i saw it chewing my life away. Now i saw the alpha stuffz and said why not, ill give it a go....

so far my alpha experience is that i only have motivation to log in on the 2 accounts i made to put skills into training...what im really wondering is... why would an alpha have a 2x slower training time? is seems like its bait ccp made ...if you sub you train up 2 times faster blabla so sub right now... because for me the plan is to get some skills first to actually start playing the game properly....so now i need what, 6 months to train up the full skills of alpha and then maybe think of a sub? why not speed up the tempo....i might resub 3 months earlier if i maxed out my alpha skills faster, plus i would explore the game again much faster too and keep interest in it more since im getting more toys faster....kinda feels like a 2x slower training for alphas backfires a bit here....and especially for returning players that have basically seen it all in eve already....

second, and i kinda support the op's idea....15€ per month is a bit steep for a noob account....i like the idea that you could pay like 3€ per month and get the lets say 7 mil sp package...5€ for 13mil sp etc etc....with 15€ being the full skillset of the game if you want it....at low skillspoints it feels like the game is just not worth the full subscription when your running around in your little destroyer for 4 months with your d!ck out playing with your colouring pens with the other kids in the kindergarten...

i always thought this game would go bananas in popularity, population and overall fun factor if the subscription was like 40-50% cheaper in general...and i know many others that would still play it if it was, if nothing else to skill up their chars...but that always means that they are sooner or later back in the game...this way alot of people just quit since its not worth it being a part time eve subscriber.
Iria Ahrens
Space Perverts and Forum Pirates
#24 - 2016-12-19 15:51:38 UTC  |  Edited by: Iria Ahrens
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
hello guys. i played eve really hardcore from 2003 to 2010 then finally quit since i saw it chewing my life away. Now i saw the alpha stuffz and said why not, ill give it a go....

so far my alpha experience is that i only have motivation to log in on the 2 accounts i made to put skills into training...what im really wondering is... why would an alpha have a 2x slower training time? is seems like its bait ccp made ...if you sub you train up 2 times faster blabla so sub right now... because for me the plan is to get some skills first to actually start playing the game properly....so now i need what, 6 months to train up the full skills of alpha and then maybe think of a sub? why not speed up the tempo....i might resub 3 months earlier if i maxed out my alpha skills faster, plus i would explore the game again much faster too and keep interest in it more since im getting more toys faster....kinda feels like a 2x slower training for alphas backfires a bit here....and especially for returning players that have basically seen it all in eve already....


You're doing it wrong.

Eve is a game where player skills trump character skills. Two day old characters can go out and blow up 10 year old characters in blinged out ships. It happens on a daily basis.

Don't fall into the waiting-for-a-skill-to-train trap. You are supposed to go out there and LEARN TO PLAY now, in cheap ships. Find a corp that welcom's alphas, they will teach you how to make a meaningful contribution to a group.

Just remember, if alphas really sucked, then corps would not want alphas, the fact that so many corps and alliances are actively recruiting alphas should tell you plainly that the belief that alpha accounts are useless until they are maxed out is misguided.

My choice of pronouns is based on your avatar. Even if I know what is behind the avatar.

Uriel Wilde
Galactic Express
#25 - 2016-12-19 15:51:55 UTC
There is only one real thing I would like to see in between Alpha and Omega clones. And that is a price point that is less than omega but lets you access multiple empire types of ships.


Before you jump in with "wanting more for free" hear me out. I, like many others, returned because of the alpha update. I couldn't afford a monthly sub long enough to re-learn the entire damn game, but I have every intention of going omega once I do and once I'm able to supplement my sub spending with a PLEX every now and then. But here is my problem: I did not always learn to fly the same ships and use the same weapons as my empire. I have an account that is entirely cross-trained...and is now useless.


Also wouldn't it help to lure new players further into the game if you let them try out different ships and different weapon types? Sure you say "roll another empire", but no established player will and no new player wants to lose everything they worked for just so they can see what a caldari frig is like compared to amarr.

Some sort of mini-plex that only expanded the variety that new and returning players could experience, but did not unlock anything that an alpha could not get by re-rolling repeatedly.

I know I'd gladly throw a couple dollars at CCP to be able to have a bit more variety with no noticeable difference in what I can and can't do in the game.
Sonya Corvinus
Grant Village
#26 - 2016-12-19 16:04:01 UTC
ShahFluffers wrote:
Seriously?

- a bottle of so-so wine or 6-pack of beer is about $10 and usually won't last 2 or 3 days (maybe not even a day if you're like me).

- a NICE meal at a restaurant is about $10 to $15 and won't last more than 30 minutes to an hour.

- a monthly gym membership is about $10 to $20 a month and, on average, people don't go to it more than 3 days a week for an hour or two at a time.

- a good night at the bar with friends will EASILY cost $50 (drinks, food, transport, etc) and MAYBE you remember about 3-4 hours of the experience, followed by hours of pain the morning after.

- a 12 pack of cigarettes is about 4 to 6 USD... assuming (conservatively) that you only smoke 3 cigarettes a day, that's 7.5 packs of cigarettes a month... which comes to about 30 to 45 USD a month.

- taking a shower in the morning costs you around 1 to 2 USD... if you take a shower every morning that adds up to about 30 to 60 USD a month.


Also... let's be honest... you have probably spent MORE money on something WAY dumber in the past.

If $10 is a "high" amount for you, you have bigger problems than affording a game... which very clearly falls in the category of "luxury service" (yes, that is what all games are, a "luxury")


Exactly...I'll spend $60 to golf for 3 hours without thinking twice. $10/mo for something that gives me dozens of hours of entertainment is nothing.
Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#27 - 2016-12-19 19:54:12 UTC
why do you guys talk about 10$ while i see 15€/usd as a price tag
Nat Silverguard
Aideron Robotics
Aideron Robotics.
#28 - 2016-12-20 05:55:04 UTC
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
why do you guys talk about 10$ while i see 15€/usd as a price tag


doesn't matter, still cheap.

if $15 is expensive to you and can't afford it, then i am very sorry but i think and feel that there are matters in your life that needs to be prioritized more.

for your entertainment since we all need and deserve it, i am sure there are alot of good f2p games out there you can enjoy.

Just Add Water

Ogmento
Og Holdings
#29 - 2016-12-20 10:38:09 UTC
Salvos Rhoska wrote:
CCP may adjust these in any number of ways in future, but that time is not now.

There is a slight arguable flaw in that high SP characters on Alphas cannot train the skills (at Alpha rates) usually accessible to an Alpha, cos of the SP cap.

But this is because Alphas are primarily intended as a replacement for trials, for new players/accounts, not 60mil old toons.


I disagree. The amount of emails I kept getting for me to come back meant that CCP was hoping for at least some of us to come back. I think letting me re-assign skill points would have led me to find out the limits of Alpha sooner rather than later. As it is, I am not ready to sub because I haven't found any showstoppers from me having fun as an alpha. I think if I haven't drifted off by the time I reach the Alpha's upper limits. I might subscribe again.

For now, I have sold off most equipment and ships that I can no longer use. So far, I miss using my salvage drones the most. It is really an odd mix. I can still fly a Navy Comet, venture, and vexor but salvaging the ships is now a bit more of chore than it was before.
Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#30 - 2016-12-21 07:14:55 UTC
Nat Silverguard wrote:
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
why do you guys talk about 10$ while i see 15€/usd as a price tag


doesn't matter, still cheap.

if $15 is expensive to you and can't afford it, then i am very sorry but i think and feel that there are matters in your life that needs to be prioritized more.

for your entertainment since we all need and deserve it, i am sure there are alot of good f2p games out there you can enjoy.



it aint about the 15$....its about the principle.....you could say hey, if you dont have 30$ to buy this box of matches then you have other things to worry abotu in life....thats not the point, point is value for your money....you aint gonna pay something 100 times more than its worth although you can technically afford it right? i feel eve sub of 15$ per month aint worth it until you get to the later game, and maybe even then its questionable if its too high for the general population of part time players.
ShahFluffers
Ice Fire Warriors
#31 - 2016-12-21 17:41:51 UTC
The sub price drops if you pay more up front (I essentially pay $10 a month because I bought a 12 month subscription up front).

And while you are correct in that you will not pay more than what an item is worth, I think your perception on how much a massive, multi-faceted MMO is worth is more than a bit skewed.

I find it fascinating how people will drop 50 to 60 USD on a game with only about 15 hours of playable content.
Granted, you can keep running the same content over and over at your leisure... but it is still the same content.

Then those same people will drop another 30 USD on another 5 hours of DLC content. And run that into the ground for a year or two until the next edition comes out... at which point they drop another 50 to 60 USD.


What you pay here for EVE is the equivalent of a face-sized burrito per month. Or a cinema ticket.
Really think about that.


And no... there is no "later in the game" or "endgame" in EVE.

Skills and ships simply give you more options and makes things a little easier / more comfortable. Nothing more or less.

If you want to go out and do something, DO IT. The game is not mechanically holding you back.
Nat Silverguard
Aideron Robotics
Aideron Robotics.
#32 - 2016-12-21 18:07:16 UTC
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
i feel eve sub of 15$ per month aint worth it until you get to the later game,


this is just BS, lol.

Just Add Water

Sonya Corvinus
Grant Village
#33 - 2016-12-21 18:33:00 UTC
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
it aint about the 15$....its about the principle.....you could say hey, if you dont have 30$ to buy this box of matches then you have other things to worry abotu in life....thats not the point, point is value for your money....you aint gonna pay something 100 times more than its worth although you can technically afford it right? i feel eve sub of 15$ per month aint worth it until you get to the later game, and maybe even then its questionable if its too high for the general population of part time players.


How many hours/month do you play?
Ogmento
Og Holdings
#34 - 2016-12-22 07:05:24 UTC
Iria Ahrens wrote:


Eve success and longevity is BECAUSE it is not like Most MMOs.


I think that is why keep coming back; I used to play wing commander, and my favorite was privateer. Then, I played above and beyond (founder decal and all). I love this genre and this is the best game in it. It just can't keep for long because it gets so dull at times.
Lena Crews
Corporate Navy Police Force
Sleep Reapers
#35 - 2016-12-22 16:58:43 UTC
I was trying to think how a "premium" level might work in eve (for those who've paid before but are now alpha).

The only thing I could think of that seemed reasonable (and not leading to farmable alpha-alts) was to have those who've subbed have access to ALL the alpha skills of all the races. So... no PI, nothing above cruisers... but you could fly Amarr/Gallente/Mini/Caldari cruisers if you've subbed an account in the past and let it lapse to alpha.

Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#36 - 2016-12-23 13:42:59 UTC  |  Edited by: Joe Vjeverica
ShahFluffers wrote:

And no... there is no "later in the game" or "endgame" in EVE.

Skills and ships simply give you more options and makes things a little easier / more comfortable. Nothing more or less.

If you want to go out and do something, DO IT. The game is not mechanically holding you back.


its not mechanically holding me back? whaa? thats exactly what it does....thats exacrtly why ccp limits alpha accounts and thats exactly why they want to sell me full sub - so i am not mechanically held back in the game.

ok dood like i said....i played for 7 years about 10 hours a day....spare me the lectures......if you wanna test it lets do a test.....ill play your account for a month youll play mine....and tell me its tooootally the same for you to play a 500k sp char flapping hid d!ck in highsec/lowsec in a t1 fitted rifter or your 30+ million one thats already heavily integrated into the game tropugh the years and can fly mostly everything there is and fit any role ....yea...there is no later game...nope...zilch...toooootaly same

were talking abour returning players here.....that have basically seen it all in the game...and no, they aint gonna be impressed again for a loong time.
Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#37 - 2016-12-23 13:43:45 UTC
Nat Silverguard wrote:
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
i feel eve sub of 15$ per month aint worth it until you get to the later game,


this is just BS, lol.


read my post above
Lena Crews
Corporate Navy Police Force
Sleep Reapers
#38 - 2016-12-23 15:22:59 UTC
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
hello guys. i played eve really hardcore from 2003 to 2010 then finally quit since i saw it chewing my life away. Now i saw the alpha stuffz and said why not, ill give it a go....

so far my alpha experience is that i only have motivation to log in on the 2 accounts i made to put skills into training...what im really wondering is... why would an alpha have a 2x slower training time? is seems like its bait ccp made ...if you sub you train up 2 times faster blabla so sub right now... because for me the plan is to get some skills first to actually start playing the game properly....so now i need what, 6 months to train up the full skills of alpha and then maybe think of a sub? why not speed up the tempo....i might resub 3 months earlier if i maxed out my alpha skills faster, plus i would explore the game again much faster too and keep interest in it more since im getting more toys faster....kinda feels like a 2x slower training for alphas backfires a bit here....and especially for returning players that have basically seen it all in eve already....

second, and i kinda support the op's idea....15€ per month is a bit steep for a noob account....i like the idea that you could pay like 3€ per month and get the lets say 7 mil sp package...5€ for 13mil sp etc etc....with 15€ being the full skillset of the game if you want it....at low skillspoints it feels like the game is just not worth the full subscription when your running around in your little destroyer for 4 months with your d!ck out playing with your colouring pens with the other kids in the kindergarten...

i always thought this game would go bananas in popularity, population and overall fun factor if the subscription was like 40-50% cheaper in general...and i know many others that would still play it if it was, if nothing else to skill up their chars...but that always means that they are sooner or later back in the game...this way alot of people just quit since its not worth it being a part time eve subscriber.


Most returning players already have the skills.

I played for a couple of years back in 2006/2007. I got an alpha account through steam and after playing for a few hours I thought... "Yeah, I miss having STUFF." So I managed to reactivate my account and had pretty much maxed alpha skills (other than new skills that weren't there in 2007 like mining frigates). So I jumped right past that "6 month skilling" window because I WAS a returning player.

A week later I resubbed because I wanted to fly my space potato again.

I don't think returning players are the issue with training... as most will return to their existing account (why train at ANY speed if you already have the skills?). It's more of a "new player" question.
Jinn McKellin
Ascendance
Goonswarm Federation
#39 - 2016-12-23 15:42:59 UTC
Joe Vjeverica wrote:
ShahFluffers wrote:

And no... there is no "later in the game" or "endgame" in EVE.

Skills and ships simply give you more options and makes things a little easier / more comfortable. Nothing more or less.

If you want to go out and do something, DO IT. The game is not mechanically holding you back.


its not mechanically holding me back? whaa? thats exactly what it does....thats exacrtly why ccp limits alpha accounts and thats exactly why they want to sell me full sub - so i am not mechanically held back in the game.

ok dood like i said....i played for 7 years about 10 hours a day....spare me the lectures......if you wanna test it lets do a test.....ill play your account for a month youll play mine....and tell me its tooootally the same for you to play a 500k sp char flapping hid d!ck in highsec/lowsec in a t1 fitted rifter or your 30+ million one thats already heavily integrated into the game tropugh the years and can fly mostly everything there is and fit any role ....yea...there is no later game...nope...zilch...toooootaly same

were talking abour returning players here.....that have basically seen it all in the game...and no, they aint gonna be impressed again for a loong time.



Then bio-mass your char and leave the game. Tired of listening to whinny Alpha's wanting more for less.
Joe Vjeverica
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#40 - 2016-12-24 10:24:31 UTC
that is probably the most viable option....thanx for hearing me out and good luck getting more players (back) to the game
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