These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

EVE Information Portal

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
 

Dev Blog: Exploring The Character Bazaar & Skill Trading

First post First post First post
Author
Don ZOLA
Omniscient Order
#4121 - 2015-10-20 18:09:50 UTC
K04 78 wrote:
I'd really like to know, whats CCPs actual intention behind this feature.

- Is it to simply gain more $ out of the current playerbase? ( I can totally understand that and as a player, I support that, as a broke CCP can't deliver me the game I love. But please not in this way.)
- Is it to help new players? (Please do so without Pay-To-Win!)
- Is it just to add new "features", because someone wants new features for the marketing charts ?
- Is it just a really nice trolling to the community ?

No really: What is the idea behind it? What do you guys want to archieve with that feature?
If the community knows the intention, then we maybe can help to get better ideas.
I would really like it way more to help, than to just rant about how sh.. your idea is


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

If even 50% of said is truth, I think we can understand where does the change come from. And I am not referring to the need for money, but to chaotic organisation and no clear vision.

There are 2 rules in a successful life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know

Levi Belvar
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#4122 - 2015-10-20 18:17:04 UTC
Dror wrote:
Levi Belvar wrote:
Dror wrote:
Levi Belvar wrote:
[quote=Dror]That's sorta a main problem with extrinsic rewards like SP.

https://youtu.be/sbHqFgn4SOw?t=10m42s


My rewards are the things i Kill, the things i build, The challenges i overcome i have never viewed the skill mechanic as a reward but the means to get where i am now.

So? It still is a reward.. for subbing or for paying lots of money for a character and such. That's a huge turnoff for apparently 99% of the potential EVE market. The demographic which agrees to paying a subscription for a hugely limited amount of content in ratio of the game's potential is quite the minority. Such windowed specialization is uninteresting. There's no real interaction with the sandbox design (especially production and invention) -- the very feature list of the game. Maybe setting this out clearly makes it seem as simple as it is.

Here's a great post about why SP is barely an RPG mechanic.
I still cant get my head around 1 point you cant really answer at all. 1 /2 / 3/ 4 / 5 -12 years, I can see why the young characters think holy **** balls, yeah i'll pay to advance they just see shinies all the more quicker, but if its so abhorrant to the old player then why have you continued to play it,why did you continue to play after a few months and think this aint for me can't get anywhere fast and quit. what kept you wanting to play it originally thats so different now you can use alot of content

What, the reason that the game is played at all? ..The reason that the game had a positive PCU trend, then all of a sudden negative?

Some posts here imply that the game (originally) only having the basic, T1 ships promotes a decently balanced playing field. That makes sense, but there're also a lot more games on the market.

More games coming from crowdfunding and free game engines devalues the whole industry's base price -- especially because a lot of games are just free. There's, as well, a decent percentage of sub potential that's already invested in those crowdfunding games. That's no reason to imply that it's a huge percentage, nor that those would give little attention to a game like EVE. So, it's completely about the reception of the game per sub; and lots of information is aplenty for what develops interest. There's no game like EVE, honestly, so there must be something preventing immersion; and that must be the limitations on experiencing the game.


Please dont take this the wrong way that was very informative and a good read but didnt actually say why a player would stay any length of time if a core mechanic of the game was such a problem they would continue to play for anything upto 12 years .

“Stupidity and wisdom meet in the same centre of sentiment and resolution, in the suffering of human accidents.”

Gully Alex Foyle
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#4123 - 2015-10-20 18:22:07 UTC
Don ZOLA wrote:
K04 78 wrote:
I'd really like to know, whats CCPs actual intention behind this feature.

- Is it to simply gain more $ out of the current playerbase? ( I can totally understand that and as a player, I support that, as a broke CCP can't deliver me the game I love. But please not in this way.)
- Is it to help new players? (Please do so without Pay-To-Win!)
- Is it just to add new "features", because someone wants new features for the marketing charts ?
- Is it just a really nice trolling to the community ?

No really: What is the idea behind it? What do you guys want to archieve with that feature?
If the community knows the intention, then we maybe can help to get better ideas.
I would really like it way more to help, than to just rant about how sh.. your idea is


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

If even 50% of said is truth, I think we can understand where does the change come from. And I am not referring to the need for money, but to chaotic organisation and no clear vision.
You're right! Transsexual extractors need more PSSSSSSSHHHHH!

Make space glamorous! Is EVE dying or not? Ask the EVE-O Death-o-meter!

knowsitall
Native Freshfood
Minmatar Republic
#4124 - 2015-10-20 18:26:59 UTC
If this change was to happen there is a few, admittly edge cases, to consider

1) Removes the only real penality for rich player (either in or out of game) to flying a T3

2) Tournaments implications :
a) Basically become mandatory to have a maxed out character for what you are planning flying.
You could agree this is already available in the character bazaar, and to a degree it is, but to a very different supply profile. There are only so many perfect at flying X with fit y characters available at a given time. But with this mechanic (admittely at a cost) there is all the character available to allow me to fly x with fit y perfectly.
b) As tournament and meta changes team would stockpile SP packs to ensure they could fly everything in short order to meet the meta.

KIA
Aerasia
Republic University
Minmatar Republic
#4125 - 2015-10-20 18:27:31 UTC
Levi Belvar wrote:
Please dont take this the wrong way that was very informative and a good read but didnt actually say why a player would stay any length of time if a core mechanic of the game was such a problem they would continue to play for anything upto 12 years.

The numbers aren't public, but I'd imagine most people who trial EVE don't sub.
50% of those who do sub are gone within a month.
90% of those who do sub are gone within 6 months.
What represents the overall churn for EVE? 99.9% no longer playing? 99.999%? More?
Of that small percent, 25,000 characters are purchased each year to skip the SP grind.

"A vanishingly small, nearly imperceptible percentage of people can stomach the SP system and therefore it's fine." isn't a convincing argument.
General Lootit
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#4126 - 2015-10-20 18:29:03 UTC  |  Edited by: General Lootit
Levi Belvar wrote:

Please dont take this the wrong way that was very informative and a good read but didnt actually say why a player would stay any length of time if a core mechanic of the game was such a problem they would continue to play for anything upto 12 years .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=h-jfvjMoe9Y&list=PLQvKSs1k6DLOiGGb44McruXcndTtzUUlu#t=1002
Because theirs ships blown up and they will seeking for revange Twisted
Dror
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#4127 - 2015-10-20 18:35:36 UTC
Levi Belvar wrote:
Dror wrote:
Levi Belvar wrote:
Dror wrote:
[quote=Levi Belvar]My rewards are the things i Kill, the things i build, The challenges i overcome i have never viewed the skill mechanic as a reward but the means to get where i am now.

So? It still is a reward.. for subbing or for paying lots of money for a character and such. That's a huge turnoff for apparently 99% of the potential EVE market. The demographic which agrees to paying a subscription for a hugely limited amount of content in ratio of the game's potential is quite the minority. Such windowed specialization is uninteresting. There's no real interaction with the sandbox design (especially production and invention) -- the very feature list of the game. Maybe setting this out clearly makes it seem as simple as it is.

Here's a great post about why SP is barely an RPG mechanic.
I still cant get my head around 1 point you cant really answer at all. 1 /2 / 3/ 4 / 5 -12 years, I can see why the young characters think holy **** balls, yeah i'll pay to advance they just see shinies all the more quicker, but if its so abhorrant to the old player then why have you continued to play it,why did you continue to play after a few months and think this aint for me can't get anywhere fast and quit. what kept you wanting to play it originally thats so different now you can use alot of content

What, the reason that the game is played at all? ..The reason that the game had a positive PCU trend, then all of a sudden negative?

Some posts here imply that the game (originally) only having the basic, T1 ships promotes a decently balanced playing field. That makes sense, but there're also a lot more games on the market.

More games coming from crowdfunding and free game engines devalues the whole industry's base price -- especially because a lot of games are just free. There's, as well, a decent percentage of sub potential that's already invested in those crowdfunding games. That's no reason to imply that it's a huge percentage, nor that those would give little attention to a game like EVE. So, it's completely about the reception of the game per sub; and lots of information is aplenty for what develops interest. There's no game like EVE, honestly, so there must be something preventing immersion; and that must be the limitations on experiencing the game.


Please dont take this the wrong way that was very informative and a good read but didnt actually say why a player would stay any length of time if a core mechanic of the game was such a problem they would continue to play for anything upto 12 years .

It does: the game's initial design is that of frigates taking on T1 BSs. What's more is that the market is so full of much less expensive experiences.

"SP is helpful for the game?" Here's all of the research on motivation -- it says the opposite! What purpose does it serve, then? Starter corps are non-competitive. Sov is unchallenged. "Fix sov!" you say? Remove SP.

Morrigan LeSante
Perkone
Caldari State
#4128 - 2015-10-20 18:38:50 UTC
You know, the thing that both amuses/worries me in equal measure is that it's obvious that a great many of the proponents both here and on reddit (and boy are they militant over there) have absolutely no idea even how it works, how the abuse cases can be manufactured trivially, how likely this is to be done by old players.

What there are, however, are seas of people who stand to profit and genuine newbies who think the voices against this are just old dinosaurs trying to keep them down.

This is going to be like freighter rigs, like crimewatch, trollceptors, like a million other changes - the loudest voices can't see past their own din to understand how this will be turned around and that they will be put to the sword by the very mechanic they clamor for. When the old guard advise caution or that it is a bad idea, out come the rabbling pitchforks and they are drowned out by sheer weight of noise.

Then 6 months later, the same bloody people come crying about the mechanics they kicked, screamed for and well damnit just downright DEMANDED be put into place.

If you let this genie from the bottle, there is no getting it back in. None. It's going to create a metashift like allowing a second ball on the pitch on your game of choice.
Dracvlad
Taishi Combine
Astral Alliance
#4129 - 2015-10-20 18:40:42 UTC
afkalt wrote:
Moac Tor wrote:
Dracvlad wrote:
Moac Tor wrote:
Dracvlad wrote:
Waited a bit before bothering to look, can't see any issues

You know as well as I do Drac that this will be exploited to hell by goons and PL and won't be to the benefit of new players.


Everything will get exploited by people like Goons and PL, its their nature. It will certainly make assessing threat levels by past killboard history a bit hit and miss which will make it easier for them, but still I see the 6 month to 2 year old players as the most likely to quit, so this may help...

I think that is the intention alongside making loads of money for CCP, but in reality I can't see it helping them. The big money players will use this to create alts on a whim and prices will be driven above what a new player can realistically grind for.


This. Clearly they've tried to mitigate it, hence the diminishing returns. But, BUT this doesn't account for the alts.

However I cannot believe this would be an oversight, perhaps initially, but not for long. Which means either people don't care, or the income takes precedence.

I dislike either option.


Its a good point, those big money players seem to have screwed over the plex market, so yeah they will definitely do it here.

When the going gets tough the Gankers get their CSM rep to change mechanics in their favour.

Blocked: Teckos Pech, Sonya Corvinus, baltec1, Shae Tadaruwa, Wander Prian, Daichi Yamato, Jonah Gravenstein, Merin Ryskin, Linus Gorp

Gully Alex Foyle
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#4130 - 2015-10-20 18:55:48 UTC
Dracvlad wrote:
afkalt wrote:


This. Clearly they've tried to mitigate it, hence the diminishing returns. But, BUT this doesn't account for the alts.

However I cannot believe this would be an oversight, perhaps initially, but not for long. Which means either people don't care, or the income takes precedence.

I dislike either option.


Its a good point, those big money players seem to have screwed over the plex market, so yeah they will definitely do it here.

The 2 markets will be closely tied together. A TSP will cost about 1/4 plex maximum. Maybe less, never more.

Make space glamorous! Is EVE dying or not? Ask the EVE-O Death-o-meter!

Jeremiah Saken
The Fall of Leviathan
#4131 - 2015-10-20 19:51:21 UTC
Dror wrote:
So? It still is a reward.. for subbing or for paying lots of money for a character and such. That's a huge turnoff for apparently 99% of the potential EVE market. The demographic which agrees to paying a subscription for a hugely limited amount of content in ratio of the game's potential is quite the minority. Such windowed specialization is uninteresting. There's no real interaction with the sandbox design (especially production and invention) -- the very feature list of the game. Maybe setting this out clearly makes it seem as simple as it is.
Here's a great post about why SP is barely an RPG mechanic.

I don't know what part you are trying to bite. Is it that EvE has subscription but it doesn't provide anything? Old skills system? New players caught by illusion they can't compete with vets? Salpad is partially right (and wrong with lvl 7 skills, you don't extinguish fire with fuel), you can't create your own class in EvE, but you may choose your path, how to train your clone, what direction you choose and what you may achieve by that. It's a sandbox. Now we comes to the second part:
Motivation
It's how you perceive the game. It's a sandbox. If you don't have motivation to undock 500mil skills clone won't do that. "My training implants prevents me from pvp..." What makes me undock? Training system that works even when I'm not playing? (It was good when my clone was young, I set up training que and next day when I come back to the game with skills already there, I don't have to grind exp like in other games "bring me 500 strider legs"), competition with other players? friends? EvE is a niche game not only because SP system. Players comes here without idea "what I want from the game?" If I have all best items in D3 from a start I won't be playing it as much as I do now. I maxed wizard to the point I have nothing to do with her. Guess if I'm playing further?
I'm fully aware that system is flawed and speeding up is needed, but I can name propably dozen of things why players don't stay here.

"I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas..." - Herman Melville

Dave Stark
#4132 - 2015-10-20 20:10:57 UTC
the difference between games like diablo 3 and eve are that the only thing to do in those games is grind gear. if all there were to do in eve was grind skills then all you'd do is set a skill queue and never log in. you can't say "if i start with all the gear in d3 i won't play"... no **** you've exhausted all of it's content.

accumulating SP isn't the only thing to do in eve, unlike diablo where the only thing to do is grind for gear. this is why elite dangerous was such a terrible game - it offers nothing to do but grind for the sake of grinding (there isn't even anything to spend money on except to grind money faster).

you're comparing apples to oranges.
Mara Rinn
Cosmic Goo Convertor
#4133 - 2015-10-20 20:37:12 UTC
If CCP is looking for more of a cash grab, removing SP would be a better idea. Then new players can engage in the fantasy that buying a battleship makes them powerful (said battleship funded by PLEX sale), and gradually learn that bigger is not always better, and that there's more to combat in EVE than bringing the biggest gun.

Another option for the cash grab is to have more reasons to buy PLEX (e.g.: special offers with custom skins or limited edition ships, or whatever).
Mara Rinn
Cosmic Goo Convertor
#4134 - 2015-10-20 20:41:21 UTC
Another option for skill extraction would be to extract a skill, rather than raw skill points. This would mean that certain SP (Engineering 5) are more valuable than others (Mining 5). The extracted skills would effectively become skill books with non-0 skill level.

Thus the benefit to the player selling the skills comes at the cost of losing a skill that is actually valuable, rather than whichever useless skill they've got the implants and neural remap set to train the fastest.

I'd still prefer removing SP altogether.
Tyberius Franklin
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#4135 - 2015-10-20 20:49:40 UTC  |  Edited by: Tyberius Franklin
Mara Rinn wrote:
If CCP is looking for more of a cash grab, removing SP would be a better idea. Then new players can engage in the fantasy that buying a battleship makes them powerful (said battleship funded by PLEX sale), and gradually learn that bigger is not always better, and that there's more to combat in EVE than bringing the biggest gun.

Another option for the cash grab is to have more reasons to buy PLEX (e.g.: special offers with custom skins or limited edition ships, or whatever).

Doubtful it would work out like this. All those vet accounts subbed with no real intent to play regularly but not wanting to miss out on training would suddenly have the SP addiction removed as a reason to stay subbed. Add to that the likely outrage this thread evidences for any change to the SP system and "invalidating years of training" and you'll probably kill off any notion of an increase in subs or plex consumption.

Edit: Maybe my experience is highly atypical but I never actually made the line strait for BSs. They were a tool of necessity for PvE due to being actually better for that purpose. And even then there was no hurry either, getting 500m for the ship + fitting was trivial with all the time I spent before even injecting my first BS skill.
Levi Belvar
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#4136 - 2015-10-20 20:56:07 UTC  |  Edited by: Levi Belvar
Mara Rinn wrote:
If CCP is looking for more of a cash grab, removing SP would be a better idea. Then new players can engage in the fantasy that buying a battleship makes them powerful (said battleship funded by PLEX sale), and gradually learn that bigger is not always better, and that there's more to combat in EVE than bringing the biggest gun.

Another option for the cash grab is to have more reasons to buy PLEX (e.g.: special offers with custom skins or limited edition ships, or whatever).


Remove attribs from game, have it so all skills train as if you have +30 to all
Uncouple frigate / destroyer / cruiser / battlecruiser / battleship lockins - Dont have to work up the chain
Uncouple Missles as above
Uncouple Guns as above
all T2 variants should still be skill governed

If the skillpoint monster is to go ahead then i dont think you should cannibalize any form of player or let it be governed by the players as there is so many ways it could be abused, which just leaves it for CCP to sell TSP for a pre determined figure.

EDIT: Im really against that last part but i'd rather it be that way than what could happen in game.

“Stupidity and wisdom meet in the same centre of sentiment and resolution, in the suffering of human accidents.”

ColdBeauty
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#4137 - 2015-10-20 21:05:29 UTC
Tyberius Franklin wrote:
Mara Rinn wrote:
If CCP is looking for more of a cash grab, removing SP would be a better idea. Then new players can engage in the fantasy that buying a battleship makes them powerful (said battleship funded by PLEX sale), and gradually learn that bigger is not always better, and that there's more to combat in EVE than bringing the biggest gun.

Another option for the cash grab is to have more reasons to buy PLEX (e.g.: special offers with custom skins or limited edition ships, or whatever).

Doubtful it would work out like this. All those vet accounts subbed with no real intent to play regularly but not wanting to miss out on training would suddenly have the SP addiction removed as a reason to stay subbed. Add to that the likely outrage this thread evidences for any change to the SP system and "invalidating years of training" and you'll probably kill off any notion of an increase in subs or plex consumption.

Edit: Maybe my experience is highly atypical but I never actually made the line strait for BSs. They were a tool of necessity for PvE due to being actually better for that purpose. And even then there was no hurry either, getting 500m for the ship + fitting was trivial with all the time I spent before even injecting my first BS skill.

My main from 2007 can't fly BS or use any large guns, never been an issue
Dror
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#4138 - 2015-10-20 21:06:18 UTC
Jeremiah Saken wrote:
Dror wrote:
So? It still is a reward.. for subbing or for paying lots of money for a character and such. That's a huge turnoff for apparently 99% of the potential EVE market. The demographic which agrees to paying a subscription for a hugely limited amount of content in ratio of the game's potential is quite the minority. Such windowed specialization is uninteresting. There's no real interaction with the sandbox design (especially production and invention) -- the very feature list of the game. Maybe setting this out clearly makes it seem as simple as it is.
Here's a great post about why SP is barely an RPG mechanic.

I don't know what part you are trying to bite. Is it that EvE has subscription but it doesn't provide anything? Old skills system? New players caught by illusion they can't compete with vets? Salpad is partially right (and wrong with lvl 7 skills, you don't extinguish fire with fuel), you can't create your own class in EvE, but you may choose your path, how to train your clone, what direction you choose and what you may achieve by that. It's a sandbox. Now we comes to the second part:
Motivation
It's how you perceive the game. It's a sandbox. If you don't have motivation to undock 500mil skills clone won't do that. "My training implants prevents me from pvp..." What makes me undock? Training system that works even when I'm not playing? (It was good when my clone was young, I set up training que and next day when I come back to the game with skills already there, I don't have to grind exp like in other games "bring me 500 strider legs"), competition with other players? friends? EvE is a niche game not only because SP system. Players comes here without idea "what I want from the game?" If I have all best items in D3 from a start I won't be playing it as much as I do now. I maxed wizard to the point I have nothing to do with her. Guess if I'm playing further?
I'm fully aware that system is flawed and speeding up is needed, but I can name propably dozen of things why players don't stay here.

Seems Dave's got this one lined up. Really getting the benefit of motivation research comes from checking out exactly what science defines as motivational. Through that picture, the ideas are basically mastery, inter-relatedness, and freedom. So, here's a critique on WoW for example. It probably requires no explaining, but the game's problems include everything being linear and predictable and shallow because it's just sorta getting a few sets of gear until the instanced content is completed, with the remainder of the game providing basically nothing.

A neat idea coming up on some forums is that WoW could really benefit from sandbox gameplay. If gear would become irreversibly worthless as a consequence of poor play or overwhelming odds, there's so much room for interesting gear affixes and for designing further engagement through this. The game can keep its instanced content and its arena PvP, but giving the community something to do in the fields is a reason to come play. This, obviously, has the benefit of requiring crafted replacements, and that sets up a whole economy. This also completes what's shown with intrinsic motivation -- mastering the map control for resources.. or the positioning for controlling engagement, the choice of multiple gear affixes and gameplay styles (e.g., mobility and buffs through the multiple crafting professions), and the cohesion of the market and its requirements.

So, the problem with EVE, with this same idea, is just that the depth is completely inaccessible, and this scales completely throughout the game. This is about reasons to log in and play. If subs can't be competitive with ores and refinement, why? They should -- it's why they're here. If they feel like adventuring through the development of ships, modules, and innovations, that's completely within the game's parameters to supply. In fact, with completely trusting very established ideas of this motivation theory, there's absolutely no reason for SP -- and every reason for its inexistence. If it's providing nothing for our explanation of motivation, it's just preventing.. initiative and creativity and diversity and exploration and stories, thus sub and referral potential.

Thereof, gaming is played for feeling competitive.. especially for outplaying those in the sub's crew (for everything in which they're interested).

Tyberius Franklin wrote:
Mara Rinn wrote:
If CCP is looking for more of a cash grab, removing SP would be a better idea. Then new players can engage in the fantasy that buying a battleship makes them powerful (said battleship funded by PLEX sale), and gradually learn that bigger is not always better, and that there's more to combat in EVE than bringing the biggest gun.

Another option for the cash grab is to have more reasons to buy PLEX (e.g.: special offers with custom skins or limited edition ships, or whatever).

Doubtful it would work out like this. All those vet accounts subbed with no real intent to play regularly but not wanting to miss out on training would suddenly have the SP addiction removed as a reason to stay subbed. Add to that the likely outrage this thread evidences for any change to the SP system and "invalidating years of training" and you'll probably kill off any notion of an increase in subs or plex consumption.

The truth of commonality shows a very clear path to interesting design. It'd be great getting some criticisms on the idea.

"SP is helpful for the game?" Here's all of the research on motivation -- it says the opposite! What purpose does it serve, then? Starter corps are non-competitive. Sov is unchallenged. "Fix sov!" you say? Remove SP.

Niko Lorenzio
United Eve Directorate
#4139 - 2015-10-20 21:56:37 UTC
Don ZOLA wrote:
K04 78 wrote:
I'd really like to know, whats CCPs actual intention behind this feature.

- Is it to simply gain more $ out of the current playerbase? ( I can totally understand that and as a player, I support that, as a broke CCP can't deliver me the game I love. But please not in this way.)
- Is it to help new players? (Please do so without Pay-To-Win!)
- Is it just to add new "features", because someone wants new features for the marketing charts ?
- Is it just a really nice trolling to the community ?

No really: What is the idea behind it? What do you guys want to archieve with that feature?
If the community knows the intention, then we maybe can help to get better ideas.
I would really like it way more to help, than to just rant about how sh.. your idea is


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

If even 50% of said is truth, I think we can understand where does the change come from. And I am not referring to the need for money, but to chaotic organisation and no clear vision.


You don't need to read the guardian article for that. It's pretty damn obvious from the dozen directions this company and game are being pulled in.

The CSM XI Election are now open until March 25th, 2016. Consider Niko Lorenzio for CSM XI.

CSM matters, your voice matters, your vote matters!

Kairg
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#4140 - 2015-10-20 22:42:10 UTC
I think this SP trading idea is terrible, and I was shocked to read that dev blog.

Having a long standing character myself, the accumulated skill points (which at present) can only be obtained through subscription time has a big value to me. It's something which can't be taken away or made less valuable. I could lose all my in game assets and ISK but my skill points would remain. It's the one single thing which will stop me from ever cancelling my subscription should I get bored of the game.

I am however open to the idea of using the proposed system to exchange skill points within the same character. The skill "packets" would be character locked or not be an item at all. This system could be used to exchange skill points from unwanted skills into wanted ones, without changing the skill point total at all. This would of course still need to be limited as proposed, else the years of carefully planned skill training in eve-mon would have been a waste of time.

If all else fails and the original crazy idea goes ahead, at least place a hard cap on the consumption of these packets so they can't be used past 80 mil SP or something.