Alpha experience is too restricted to hold players long term. Being an Alpha is often described more like an infinite trial period than a true free experience, and our data seems to back that up. New players decide if the game is right for them very quickly, then either leave or subscribe rather than playing as an Alpha long term. Of course, more Omegas is fantastic but we think many of the players who leave might be willing to stay around if subscription didn’t feel like a requirement.
That’s where the new skill list comes in. By expanding the amount of skills available to Alphas, the free experience will be much deeper and more powerful. We hope that with a stronger free experience, we see more players staying around to play as Alphas even if they can’t subscribe right away. This makes EVE even stronger for all pilots, for as we know players are the content in New Eden.
CCP’s goal with Alphas is to provide more content for Omegas as well as an opportunity for Alphas to go Omega if and once they feel they want more features but state more Omegas is not their goal, they also clearly state the goal is not to have it as an extended trial either, instead to be a viable way to play the game even if limited.
It is clear they want more population and content in the game and Alphas are their way of achieving it.
And they can. It’s their game, they have made multiple decisions in the past that I don’t agree with, but so what? I would like it differently, but thats just my personal opinion.
They need something to fit, do they? Else the ship would be pretty useless. And of course T2 and Faction, Deadspace etc. would be excluded. Only pure T1 and the T1 Meta variants to get certain fittings done. Alphas should just see that there are different variants of an item, with different stats for different purposes. Thats enough, if they want more power: sub.
Bricktanked Cruisers are the first class of ships that allow even a newbro to take part in a somewhat bigger brawl without dying instantly. He can be held up by logistics and at least survive long enough to learn a thing or two about combat. I may agree to include Battlecruisers as well, since both are M-weapon platforms for the most part and BCs basically exchange more tank and firepower for less mobility and higher cost.
Everything that you can use with Cybernetics III and Biology III. As said: I would limit every skill to Level III for Alphas.
They will be no matter what. They shouldn’t be able to “compete” in whatever way. They should only be able to participate at the most basic levels and then see every minute of the game how much Alpha Status sucks and how great Omega Status is.
Fake “indy” players like to gatekeep. They run 20 accounts because 90% of the time they don’t know what they are doing. Not a chance in hell they want alpha accounts to learn.
edit alpha accounts need to be able to do EVERYTHING omegas can but on a smaller scale. They need a chance to learn everything. Just because its a small scale doesn’t mean it should worthless. Alpha players spend time testing a learning they should get paid for it.
Kids shouldn’t play sub-games like EVE anyway. There is enough free stuff around for kids. EVE is teen rated for a reason (heavily monetized and addictive) and if a teen can’t get 10 bucks a month together, it does something wrong.
When I was young, we offered all the neighbors to help them with little things, walk the dog, paint the fence, clean the cars, mow the lawn, do the shopping for an elderly/disabled couple and whatnot. And they all gladly gave us a few bucks if we did a good job. Even as a teen you can work for 3 months of “sub costs” on a single afternoon. The earlier people learn that most things in life, especially luxury goods like subscription based video games, aren’t free, the better.
I think getting T3 mining ship(s) would be an awsome idea. They can either go the route of the T3C and utilize subsystems. This would make the ship stuipid expensive but provide the pilot the flexability to set it up how ever they need. Or it could go the way of the T3D where it has modes the ship can enter. You mine asteriods, there is a mode for that, Mining ice?, Gas?, Moon goo? Would not give nearly as much flexability but makes sure the ship stays in its role of being an indy ship.
boo whoo you indy people don’t need xyz.. Ya ya, Hey it gives you something new to go hunt down and blow up and collect tears. Make it expensive hurt too.
Personally I would lean towards subsystem style T3 for mining barges. T3 mining frigate I would have it head towards the path of the T3d. With different modes it can enter, asteriod, gas, ice, travel.
Have the hull and subsytems at around 500m before you even start fitting the ship. Hey Look its a new T3 mining ship. Its probably around 1B lets blow it up.
