Well, I don’t think I have ever botted, so these changes mean little to me. On the other hand, I continue to be amazed by people who pay real money or ISK to NOT PLAY the game. I suppose some folk use bots to earn ISK to play “free” so they can have some super PvP character, and there are always people who like to cheat.
The one area of effect I regret is that I helped some other folk when I was a much more active player to make Typhoons with Rapid Heavy Missiles and medium drones that stretched the alpha pretty far, into nearly 1000 dps at 49km to run level 4 missions solo. Yes that was for an alpha with maxed skills. That will no longer be viable, but then I had misgivings when I made the fit, wondering whether it would contribute to the community or not. I thought it was a way to keep alphas interested long enough to get hooked, as well as a way of earning ISK to supplement what they could afford in real money to maintain Omega status, and building back up as an alpha to buy some more Omega time. That was what I hoped, and since it was security missions I did not see a large botting problem because the range limitations and tank and reload period vulnerabilities required active play.
Now I see even that ruined by botting with alphas on another front, done by folk who use multiple email addresses and masquerade behind multiple IPs so they can run multiple alpha bots.
I salute the CCP staff in their efforts to dampen (well call it what it is) cheating with careful thought on the effect on the game.
They do this switch on purpose, fully knowing what the consequences are going to be in terms of skills.
An alpha account that has some of his skills deactivated by a nerf has in no way made this choice voluntarily, it was imposed on them and despite your generous assumption with no indication of compensation.
I do not want to convert my alphas into omegas. I do not want to spend money consistently on extra accounts beyond my one omega.
If an omega stops subscribing and reverts to alpha, that is because they have chosen to do so, knowing that will be the consequence of no longer subscribing.
If an alpha buys alpha injectors with real money, they do so in the expectation that they will be able to use the skills on which they have just spent their hard-earned cash. If CCP suddenly reneges on that deal, they are breaking the implied contract.
There is all the difference in the world between denying an alpha injected skills, and reverting an omega who has stopped subscribing.
That is a direct consequence of CCP offering us alpha injectors in return for cash. Maybe it was a mistake, but they made their bed, now they must lie in it.
And for what - to “combat botting” rather than actually employ proper means to do so?
Dang, cut the drone bandwidth in almost 1/2??? Maybe a decrease to 100 would be justifiable, but dang…
I would be all for keeping the current drone capacity and stats and balance other capabilities to push it more into a drone boat only role. I love flying a “small carrier” with an army of drones to do my bidding
Disclaimer: I love the current VNI, and no I don’t afk rat with it
That is a personal choice to buy injectors. And my point still applies, free accounts are a way to get people to sub, or invest in micro transactions. Or both.
If I remember right alpha accounts used to be far more limited then they are now. We should complain about that too.
Alpha’s getting screwed over again and again and again. CCP really needs to rethink what it actually wants to do with the Alpha clone experience. Because as a F2P game (which is how Eve is currently advertised) it’s just a horrible experience that feels woefully handicapped.
To a level that I can simply not recommend this game to friends or new players, who will typically refuse to pay cash for a retarded subscription model: The Alpha progression is simply too hampered, too much is behind paywalls and Omega is basically blatant P2W.
This is what CCP should do IMO:
Alpha: Time-unlimited free trial mode. At least make Alpha’s competitive in something and have full frigate skills and ships unlocked to them. No SP cap, just limit skills available.
Delta (new): One-off 40 dollar/euro pay-to-play, can’t be bought with PLEX. Forget retarded subscription models, this is what the current gaming generation is typically willing to pay for a PC game. It should unlock all ships and content and skilling time should be double to Alpha. So basically, the current Omega clone.
Omega: Subscription for the hardcore enthusiast. On top of Delta, this mode should unlock unlimited Delta accounts, multi-character progression, multi-boxing, and other non-gameplay stuff to justify the monthly investment.
Either something like this or actually going proper F2P: CCP really needs to do something, because the current monetization model simply has too much of a negative impact on the player experience.
Oh dear, you really do not get it, do you? If I invest in microtransactions, I expect to be able to retain the benefit for which I have paid. Alpha injectors - rightly or wrongly - were introduced as a form of occasional subscription. Alpha plus if you like. An alternative to omega subscription that still nets CCP money.
So if CCP now reneges on that deal, they should expect complaints, alienated customers. As I have said above, who will now invest in an alpha injector, or rather pay cash for plex with which to buy them, if the company can not be trusted to honour said deal?
Well, there’s nothing wrong with the Ishtar having 125 as it’s a t2 ship, IMO, but for a t1 (even navy) ship to have 125 always did feel weird, yes… especially when the Myrmidon was limited to 100.
When CCP first conceived of drones, they didn’t think of them as a primary weapon, only as a support weapon. That’s touched on very lightly in the devlog back in 2014 when drones received a major overhall:
So I don’t think there is any reality in which they hate drones. The Gecko was conceived by Fozzie, the Gila and VNI have been major PVE and PVP ships for a long time. Ishtar’s Online was due in a significant part to its drone bonus at the time. Dominix’s of old were a major platform due to sentries that could hit out to 100km, etc.
They have to keep rebalancing, not because they hate drones, but because we find ways to use them that dominate particular metas.
You do still retain those benefits. You dont lose those skills. Just have to pay for omega now to use them. Or use skill extractors and move those SP. I understand it seems unfair, but it still is essential a free/ trial account. I got no problem with CCP doing whatever they want to it. Personally I think free accounts have to much freedom. Regardless of micro transactions, no skills over 3 and t1 cruisers max, no navy ships or t2.
For drones the Myrm is a step down from the current VNI: same drone bay, lower bandwidth. If you want a drone boat, may as well go straight from the Vexor to the Dominix or Ishtar once the VNI goes away.
The problem with ‘anti-bot technology’ is that it would indiscriminately hit all the bots - including those being run by all the guys with 10+ subbed account to keep them rolling in billions and trillions of ISK.
CCP doesn’t want to tackle botting, because that would mean hitting people who pay for subs they can bot with. CCP just wants to occasionally publish a news blurb showing they banned some accounts (which they screened by hand first to make sure they weren’t banning too many sub whales), and then use “buh-buh-but ALPHA BOT HORDES” as an excuse for any other move they don’t want to be up-front about.
Whenever a ship becomes this dominant in a specific role, it has the unfortunate side effect of crowding out other options and making the choice of what ship to fly less interesting.
Yeah this logic has been used by CCP before as a excuse to re-balance barges. Just let point you in the direction of the Catalyst. Is this logic consistent CCP?
Sigh, what a load of garbage, should be addressing Drone DPS, Drone Mechanics and the Drone UI, not just 1 specific ship…
This whole issue arises from the addition of drone damage mods & the fact that drones can be set to auto attack… Prior to the addition of said mods and the changes to the drone boats (vni and gila) the ratting ship of choice was the raven…
As for ship, vexor, VNI, ishtar and Myrm should only have 50m2 bandwidth with the difference & flavour difference made with the bonus’s for example the myrm should have a drone hitpoint bonus, the ishtar a double damage bonus.
and of course you need to address the ishkur… because its currently better to fly the tristan…
