EVE New Citizens Q&A

OK, been doing my Alpha for a while now and got asked about it a few times in game. So I thought it needed explained a bit and brought the discussion here. So here we go:

1) are Alpha clones really free to play? Yes..but just like any other game they are restricted.
2) Can I own stations and battleships with an Alpha clone? No..Alphas are restricted to Tech 1 ships of their respected races. They can not own anything bigger than a cruiser, period.
3) Can I be a free trader, yes mining and manufacturing are allowed, and they help the overall economy too. But like anything else I'm sure there are a few restrictions somewhere, so check first.
4) Can I start my own Corporation as an Alpha? Not sure this isnt my thing so check first, it might be possible but I kind of doubt it.
5) Is there any time limit on being an Alpha clone? Dont think so I've had a character or two and even killed one off and restarted a new one, no time limit mentioned anywhere I can see.


Those are some questions I got asked about in game, so thought ti would help to put them here for people to see. I do like paying Eve even as an Alpha, but it does seem odd to me that even among Tech 1 ships we are limited to smaller vessels. If I pay to go Omega, there's a 75% chance I'll go for tech 2 ships or better in the long haul, so why limit some tech 1 ships to Alphas, letting them have a BC or Battleship that basically isn't safe in low sec anyways is a tease, and would wet their appetite for something better. Cruisers are OK but not as impressive as bigger ships, even if they aren't safe below .3 or so.

Its like one dev I talked to when I started my Alpha account. I asked about ships and weapons and he said: " its factional, if the faction uses them they are available to you as an Alpha.' I mentioned that some ships are allowed missiles or launchers but as a Alpha I couldn't train them , one example is some Amar ships have missile launchers even destroyers, but as an Alpha I wasn't allowed to rain them there, so I left Amar for other races. He said, that Amarians don't use missiles so that's why, only factional weapons count..lol. But their ships do have weapon slots for missiles and rockets, so who is teasing who? hehe

Actually most flown ships in EvE are Cruiser and down. Cruisers are the bread and butter for almost every fleet. Even though there are severe limitations what Alphas can fly, the general rule of bigger is not better but just different applies here as well. In a game with none-gated PvP, you can't balance ships via progression, but each ship and class has their own traits and weaknesses, and purpose on the battlefield.

Trade, production and mining are pretty seriously restricted on alphas. The restrictions are severe and will eat up your margins.

Alpha clones really are a 'try before you buy' option in EVE.

Tbh you're new and it's not your fault you don't understand things yet. Allowing larger ships for Alphas would indeed hurt the economy and that is in fact not a joke. You could AFK lvl4 missions in a T1 battleship, if they were allowed for a free alpha clone. This means EVERYONE in game would roll an Alpha for AFK hisec missioning (buh-bye economy). Secondly people need something to aim for, and larger ships are that pretty much. The funny thing is that T1 Cruisers are actually what the majority of older players fly especially in large fleets, and Alphas just assume they're bad because they're allowed them..

Also, EvE is hurting for cash. A dropping player count and sudden rush toward a FTP / Microtransaction based business is evidence of such.

Anyway, don't mean to sound flamey but you should play the game for at least 6 months before you start suggesting changes, especially accompanied by phrases such as "trust me people". On what basis of experience are the people supposed to trust you?

Regardless, i hope your EvE adventure continues to be enlightening and you continue to extend the (slightly misguided) helping hand to others

There are several reasons for alpha clone limitations. It comes down to balance, for example one of the questions I get asked on a daily basis in Rookie Help is "Why Can I not use a cloak?". The answer is simple:

1. Balance - If every free to play pilot could use cloaks there would be AFK cloaks in every busy system. This would grind Eve and certain activities to a halt.


2. Profit - CCP allow you access to the servers for free they also give you free customer support and access to free expansions. Development of games is not cheap so they do need subscribers to pay for all of their hard work.

The alpha and omega system was well thought out. It allows you free access to Tranquillity 24/7, however if you want access to the full features then yes you need to pay for a sub.


tldr: One account online at any time with no maximum duration. Restrictions keep the game in balance, and allow CCP to continue to develop and maintain Eve Online.

I do smile when I see people telling me...rather politely...to play a while before complaining..lol ahahahah I've been in and out of Eve for more than a decade, have a lot of different characters and killed off even more trying to find a niche I really like. The whole Alpha thing brought me back after a while away and was surprised that some of my old characters cant be played by me because they are too advanced for an Alpha, so they died..lol but you are correct, Eve is slowly going downhill, they are trying to do a lot of different things to hook in more people, Of course that only works so-so because when you deal with thousands a day you just cant please everyone. I see a day when Eve is FTP for everyone with a booming cash shop, but not yet, and people truly hooked on Eve for a long time gladly throw money at it, either to own the best of everything, or in their mind to help keep the game going. However after the decline of Eve I can see someone else coming out with a new version under a new name...after all they made a LOT of money here...hehehe.