Devblog: Vexor Navy Issue and Alpha Clone Drone Skill Changes

Honestly, the very simplest way to deal with this issue is to limit the number of combat anomalies that an alpha character can run… I would think that 5 anomalies per day would be a great place to start. If they want to run more, they can get omega status so they can run unlimited. Taking away skills is not the best answer for this issue. If you want to stop the alpha botters from making so much isk, don’t kill the ship, limit the activity of the limited account without taking away something that has been paid for or granted already.

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Preface - New pilots are not the problem, it’s the abuse of not-new pilots using Alpha accounts.

That being said, I’m sorry but Alpha should have NEVER had access to non-T1 anything from Day 1. It was meant to try EVE and work up to Omega if you enjoyed the game.

I do not envy CCP, this will be horrible no matter how it’s handled. The fault lies in the original allowances for Alphas.

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I see a lot of people crying because they cant afk now. This is said to target botters but lets be real… VNI was the mainstay of null ratting for a long time with more than just botters. These changes are well deserved and honestly well done. Making a drone brawler is a good move. As far as taking those skills from alpha toons, thats just part of the game. Alpha is FREE status. Its your choice if you spent money for skills but at that point why not just go omega and use all the skills? TBH I think they need to just go back to what alpha clones started as with the heavy restrictions.

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I’m afraid you are correct.

Allowing alphas access to T2 drones and modules on top of faction ships was just a bad idea. I might see a point in not going back to the racial restriction as they simply cant train enough SP to abuse that but definitely should not be fleets of alpha VNI, Machs, Gilas, etc.

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this is the wrong fix exploration is a joke with all the information provided in “the agency” tab get rid of that and at least the botters will have to go to each system and look for sites instead of being able to see them from 10 systems away.

The Agency was designed to assist new pilots in finding “things to do”. It’s not perfect, but at least it was a valid attempt by CCP to explain EVE better to new pilots.

If you want to talk really bad ideas, have a seat. I have a long list. :slight_smile:

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Really bad changes, not happy about this. In general stop nefing ships. Develop new content to counter.

No, my position is: “CCP should just leave it alone and learn from their mistake” rather than going through all the convolutions.

No one outside of CCP knows the minutiae of the conversations that led to this decision. I would like to trust this was the best bad solution they had to a problem they are trying to fix. Going forward I hope they, at least, have learned from their mistake.

I entirely agree. Even with the considerable flexibility of flying faction no alpha player should really be complaining. Seriously they don’t even need to rat to get an excellent taste of the game–one could even earn enough to buy their skills with project discovery for a hour or less if they wish. They can even try another race with other ships or play styles. Alpha shouldn’t be a road to richest or just a skill farm for omega players.

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yes. aside from botting, it’s just as much about discouraging single players from making half a bil an hour by playing a few minutes an hour and running multiple vni characters. If one ship was the main problem–that ship should be changed…KISS principle in action.

KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid (for you younger pilots) lmao

As far as the SP goes, give them back under the unallocated SPs. They paid (by whatever means) for the use of a skill that CCP now took away. For a legit new player, even a small amount of SP is handy. They shouldn’t have to pay to use skills they paid for expecting to not have to pay to use them.

I’m not happy with skill injectors far more than I am about Alpha accts. (Meh, “que sera sera”) And I also think they should be restricted to T1 equipment. Giving them access to T2 just enhances the bottiers.

What worries me most about the ship nerfs in general is “When are they going to nerf the ships I fly?”. I’ve been through a couple of rounds of ship nerfs and I am getting tired of logging in only to find my favorite ship looks like Swiss Cheese. While I agree some changes were needed for balance, it seem quite a few are responses to abuse by the player base. A certain area it seems! :wink:

Can anyone guesstimate the number of bots on vs real players?

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Maybe because microtransaction in this case is one time payment? People buy what they want and move on.

Omega on the other hand is regular payments.

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dear CCP, you seem to have forgotten your last experience of this kind of change? look at the statistics - profitability and activity of players. remember how many players retired from the game after you “killed” ishtar, and turned the drones for the first time. 1/3 for six months. part of then returned but only “alpha.” and it’s not that it has become more difficult to play or earn ISK, and that people had their own style of play brings pleasure, and they are used to it, and you are trying to force them to impose their ambitions… any downgrade pushes players away. and there are no normal alternatives in the game, most of the ships require serious revision. Yes, and “killing” VNI you will please even more AFK, for him at least as it was necessary to monitor, and for what the players sit now - you need much less attention. Good luck

this argument goes back to the tos, to the detriment of players they may make changes if its to be better for the game… ALWAYS there will be when one thing changes for the good, it impacts people. Wholers are a prime example. how many times have they been ■■■■ on, just for the sake of the rest of the game? Some people these changes will immensly benefit, while others will get no benefit, but a loss. ■■■■ happens.

I do not care how many conversations have taken place in CCP - the least bad solution, or learning from their mistakes, are not grounds in law for cheating their customers.

The solution lies in their hands - either do not make these proposed changes on alphas, or give them back the points. Alphas no longer equal free to play. CCP’s fault, not the customers’ fault.

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I suggest CCP step up and prevent loopholes in their programming that allow people to use bots, rather than punish the alpha clones by reducing their drone skill capabilities (5 to 4) on ships that we have been using properly and within the rules (like the tristan and algos).
CCP, these changes suck, you are punishing users because of your lack of capability to prevents bots from abusing the loopholes you left.

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I like that one it’s pretty nice. My question is is it going to be a good shift to reciprocate those who are able to sit at a station and you will not be able to have a chance to defend yourself.? Chance to help yourself so you can survive at least one or two of those kinds of attacks?

“This revamp will carve out a new and different niche for the VNI, allowing it to remain an exciting and powerful ship without dominating the world of anomaly ratting.”

Will NOT open! and NO choice! to learn that one thing takes a lot of time and is not learned - no use! you’re just kidding with the change. the main account 2006, learned only drones and missiles ideally. 5 years of the game could not get out, paid for a year in advance immediately, and then began… and you still can’t stop. The players you are paying for one for something to aspire to, and you they slip forever sovershenno another and FORCED to rush to extremes. themselves ditched the profitability of the project - decided to survive at the expense of the Chinese - killed the game finally influx of bots.