Genetic Modification

EVE Technology and Research Center Player Features & Ideas
1

I’d like to propose a game development idea aimed at enhancing player engagement while maintaining simplicity. Presently, there exists a gap between alpha and omega clones within the game. To address this, I suggest introducing a feature called “genetic modifications.”

The concept is straightforward: players can augment their clones using genetic modifications, but this choice would preclude the possibility of incorporating cybernetic implants into the clone. These genetic enhancements would be applicable across all clones for a particular character, including jump clones, ensuring consistency after character death and rebirth.

This system would enable players to tailor their characters to suit specific playstyles. Moreover, these genetic modifications would be factored into kill mails, introducing a strategic element to gameplay.

To ensure balance, I propose permitting players to create one-shot gene mods for their clones, which could be made permanent using plex (affecting all clones associated with that character). This approach would provide alpha account users with the opportunity to enhance their characters without transitioning to omega, ultimately enhancing the gaming experience. It’s crucial that these options be accessible to all players rather than confined behind the omega paywall to foster a more inclusive community.

This system could motivate alpha players to utilize their clones more effectively, establish goals, and derive a sense of accomplishment from their gameplay. It could also prove beneficial to omega players, especially those who intermittently switch between alpha and omega, preventing abrupt skill point loss due to subscription lapses.

Furthermore, this concept could synergize with the expert systems introduced earlier. Players could purchase expert systems and employ genetic modifications to make these enhancements permanent, resulting in a more immersive and personalized gaming experience, all without expending unnecessary skill points.

Additionally, this idea addresses recent discussions on character identity and name changes. While character transfers have addressed some of these concerns, genetic modding could further intensify the connection players feel with their in-game personas, thereby enriching the overall gaming experience.

To counter potential abuse, I recommend that each successive genetic modification for a character comes at an escalating cost. For instance, if you upgrade one alpha clone for 10 plex on an account with three character slots, and then switch to another character and upgrade it for 20 plex, when you return to the first character, the second genetic upgrade would cost 40 plex. This cumulative and progressive cost structure discourages the accumulation of upgraded alphas on a single account, incentivizing players to focus on a specific character for their gameplay needs.

2

Got any examples of how this might work? Some idea of what these genetic modifications would look like?

Or is it just a mechanism to make Expert Systems permanent?

You don’t “lose” SP going from Omega to Alpha. You can just no longer access those skills. They’re still there, waiting for your subscription to renew.

3

well i was thinking that we could take almost everything as a cybernetic now and switch it out into a genetic modification, but even i’m sort of pulling my gums back over my teeth on that one.

one idea is to make expert systems permanent but that will be down to the devs and higher ups to decide because honestly i don’t recall what expert systems there are or even if they’re in the game any longer, so my mindset towards that was more along the lines of making use of what has already been produced.

I guess my examples which honestly i don’t think are great, would be steered more towards be allowed to skill point retention or perhaps a higher buffer for the omega players to play with when training up.

many moons ago the game had learning skills, so i did think about bringing that back as a genetic modification, maybe focusing more towards permanent attribute increases, but i sense this starts to mess with the games balance, so truthfully I’ve got very little to contribute on that front.

at least at the moment, maybe in time some inspiration will hit me or maybe someone on here will chime up with an idea or maybe in time another idea completely irrelevent to this will spring up and the two could be combined.

from a personal aspect I’ve never been a fan of implants in game, especially expensive ones which simply become a grind to achieve especially for a full set, i think paying for a gene upgrade for your clone, brings back that old school notion of “upgrade your clone” to the game and in a sense can make genetic profiles almost a fashion statement in the game, a little bit “repo, the genetic opera” style, instead of buying clothes from the NES store, you could buy (for plex) gene mods or complete profile sets.

4

This is already possible through the mechanisms of “paying for a sub” and “training the skills”.

I feel the Alpha program is very generous as it stands. If you want full omega benefits, sub your account.

IIRC there was mention a while ago of removing attributes from the character sheet altogether. So no more remaps or finding yourself inefficiently mapped for certain skills. Not sure how attribute implants would be treated under such a system or if they’d go the way of the dodo.

The nice thing about implants, and the current mechanics of having multiple clones in one station, is the ability to tailor your clone for your current role.
Off roaming? Snakes. Flying a heavy armour ship? Amulets. Active shield ship? Crystals. Etc. My worry with your idea is either A: having multiple, stacking bonuses gated by how much you’re prepared to shell out for it, B: being limited to only one kind of bonus.
Implants aren’t really that expensive unless you’re going for high grades. A set of mid snakes is around a billion isk. So long as you know how to save your pod, you shouldn’t be losing them all that often.
Granted, I’ve lost numerous sets of hg snakes over the years and my capacity to find new and ever more stupid ways of losing Virtue pods appears to know no bounds (the last set was lost by me jumping into a Sabre in my virtue pod, i still haven’t lived that down).

5

So its what implants do already but it costs plex?

6

but this isn’t about getting FULL omega benefits

i remember this too but i haven’t heard anything extra about it, i suspect the project was shelved or pushed back

as i mentioned the idea of revamping implants as gene mods was one idea, i didn’t say it was a good one, even i’m not for it.

tbf i don’t know what would be the correct way forward with this and clearly the “make implants gene mods and now we pay for them” (then again with this idea that would only be if they’re permanent)

i feel like theres merit to the idea but i don’t really know what would be good

extra skill points, retaining skills, learning upgrades like the old learning skills maybe.
but idk for sure.

it would be nice if the gene mods would allow you to fly one single omega ship while as alpha because you’ve paid for that, not capitals of course, but i sense thats not going to fly.

out side of my inital post i genuinely have nothing to progress this idea with.

genuinely hoping someone will contribute something to move it to the next step.

the only thing i can think of is making expert systems permanent via gene marker

tbf alpha is very good at letting you generalize, if i wanted to specialize but not have access to the full game content, instead of a discount omega, i should be allowed to upgrade my clone, a little bit of real cash with a increasing cost, so eventually it makes it so you might of well subbed but meh, thats all i got.

buying plex gives you 500 plex, shame you can’t spend 100 on one upgrade, 300 on the next one and sell the last 100 or simply use them for game time for extra skill growth.

but genuinely i got zip at this point.

7

No one, including yourself, seems to know what this is about.

In any event, my opinion on Alpha accounts is pretty firm: you get a lot for free, you want more that that, pony up and sub (or grind isk until your eyeballs bleed if tou can stand it).

8

that seems unnecessary especially considering I think my point is rather clear.

there is a demand for something between alpha and omega status, by using gene mods and upgrading your clone you could achieve this, how specifically i don’t actually know, but that wouldn’t be my call as i’m not a CCP employee, i have made some suggestions regarding expert systems, but if there is a better way to utilize this concept then it could be done.

this would:

  1. Address the gap and also player demand between Alpha and Omega clones by allowing players to augment their clones using genetic modifications.
  2. These genetic enhancements would be applicable across all clones for a particular character.
  3. Ensuring accessibility to all players rather than restricting it behind the Omega paywall.
  4. Encourage Alpha players (specifically new bros) to utilize their clones effectively and enrich their gaming experience.

While Alpha accounts do offer a lot for free, I believe it’s also important to explore potential ways to make the game engaging and enjoyable for a wide range of players. This proposal aimed to provide an option for Alpha players to have more customization within certain limitations, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and dynamic community.

true those skills are still there, but you lack access to them, so in this case it would be to prevent the loss of access to skills

its a very obvious premise i’m surprised you don’t get it.

9

Of course. People always want free stuff.

CCP is a business. They need income.

If your ‘concept’ was implemented, then for a one-time payment, permanent upgrades to the Alpha system would be applied? I don’t see that as a sound business idea for ccp. Here’s an example of how this could be easily abused (Note, the lack of detail in your proposal is, once again, staggering, but using Expert Systems as a guideline).

I pay for the T2 Cruisers, Recons and Cyno upgrades for my Alpha accounts. I now have a “free” cyno alt I can deploy. If I do this across multiple free Alpha accounts, I now have cynos across the cluster that no longer require a sub. The one time, say 1,000 PLEX cost will rapidly “repay” itself.

Instead of looking for ways to improve the Alpha system, ccp needs to look at ways of convincing alphas to sub.

10

and instead of constantly attacking my posts and picking holes in it, why not find a way of building on the idea in a constructive manner, its very easy to apply a “no cynos” “no capital” policy to this idea.

following that mind set

got any examples of how this might work? some idea of what these genetic modifications might look like?

considering I’ve used expert systems as a base mark, if you can think of something outside the box which i haven’t please feel free to add it here, that would be constructive

11

I’ve given you an example of how this might work. Which is exactly one more example than you, as the ideas man, have provided.

I have no idea what these genetic modifications might look like.

I personally have never used an “expert system”, I have little idea how they work.

This would be a lot easier to do if there was some detail in the original post of how it would work. Just a basic framework. Your lack of any sort of examples or details make it very hard to work with you to develop.

We’ve had this argument before. It’s your idea. If you can’t express it or demonstrate how it works, don’t get upset when the rest of us fail to understand what you intend.

Supplying an actual example or two with the idea would go a long way.

Word to the wise: if any game mechanic can be exploited for gain in any way, EVE players will 100% find it and dutifully exploit it.

12

Overly complicated and confusing.

How about this.

Remove alphas all together and go back to a 2 week free trial. After that, it’s subscription time.

That removes all disparities between alphas and omegas. No more “I should be entitled to the same benefits that a person paying for omega gets on my free mooch off the system alpha status.”

And this gene thing sounds like it’s taking one more step towards EvE becoming pay 2 win.

Which, if you remove the free alphas, that solves that problem. It becomes pay 2 play.

1 Like
13

Just restrict alphas to t1 frigates and haulers of their starting race.
If they enjoy the game, they’ll sub sooner rather than later.
Or make it a 28 day trial, 14 is too short.

1 Like
14

players that don’t pay anything constantly are not going to get anything they already have a bot problem as it is if you’re able to buy genetic upgrades that allows you to use a mining barges on an alpha clone it would ruin the games economy even further we would just have a bunch of bots genetically modifying themselves to mine or do some form of PVE this idea will never happen

Alphas are gimped for a reason if they weren’t the game would be flooded with Bots and cheaters

15

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.