L4 missions have never been a real end game isk option, maybe the last few people are finally figuring that out.
Should probably take into account the system effects from Invasions. Those environmental effects are definitely a deterrent to mission running.
Obviously CCP is pushing the new Triglavian Invasion content quite a bit. If there is an actual reduction of players running missions, they could just be waiting for the frequency of those Invasions to subside.
…Have you played the game in 10 years? NPC mining helps to make resources more scarce, moon mining was COMPLETELY changed, Alphas were able to run L4s for a while (and now aren’t evidently, which is good). Crimewatch and other changes to highsec PvP make these activities even less dangerous to the participant, effectively increasing the ISK faucet. PvE event missions have become more prevalent, Trig PvE is new, etc. These are just a few examples. The problem with mission running is indeed that it is stale. The reward is just fine and doesn’t need to be buffed, it has been nerfed for a reason.
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Indeed. I’ve witnessed people flying carriers and farming lvl 5 missions in FW zones. That’s how safe lowsec is.
Yeah missions really need changes ASAP. I was doing it a lot but how long can You do the same no matter the ISK…
They need to have some random elements (rats and environment), they need to have some ship limitations (not always marauder if You want best ISK/h). So sometimes You’re limited to BC for lvl4, other time You need rail fit because they sit at long range and mjd away if You try to jump on them etc.
NPCs interraction should be cooler like ships warping in or decloacking not spawning like in 90s games… Also some communications from rats like spicy messeges with avatar, screems when they’re destroyed etc.
Some jackpot moments, maybe cool faction module, or chance of spawning really good and rare rock or gas/ice field to mine.
And most important they need to be scalable so You can do them with friends and it will still be worth it
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Problem is that CCP will have really hard time selling again missions. Rewriting them from scratch will take huge amount of dev time and resources. CCP needs to get that money back at leas, but ideally they want make profit from it. That’s why missions are not changed for years.
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The problem is that CCP failed to realize that there was a sizable number of players who enjoyed mundane things like mining, mission running, and exploring. At the time, all those activities were developed enough to be considered “good enough” for the time being and more developement work went into nullsec big news generating content and development. Dev resources were also spent in developing ideas/products that ran tangent to EVE and, unfortunately, drained resources that could have spent directly on EVE. This led to a slow bleedoff of HS and PvE players over numerous years, much of it hidden by increase in nullsec population and the inability of CCP to be available to “see” this attrition due to the lack of efficient data gathering. Combined with the HS wardec problem not being addressed for years, the birthing creche of HS slowly became depleated. When NS players finally became burned out or didn’t become “hooked”, the normal supply pool of newer players had started to dry up and “replacement” players were inI reduced supply. Players turned to botting and skill farms to create both wealth and power, usually in NS, and the biosphere of EVE further became unballanced. Stratified and tribalized player groups became the norm; each trying to grab their portions of CCP’s dwindling dev resources, each ignoring the value of every other playstyle and player choice.
So now CCP has been awoken from their ignorance through being sold and the new data mining ability; what many of us have been concerned about is now at least being looked at…but, it comes at least 3-5 years too late. Hopefully AI development at CCP will quickly develope, the Devs will step up their game, and CCP management will not lose focus and divert resources and delute what development power they now have. Quantum shakeups and more rapid changes should become the norm this year as they desperately try to claw back “wasted” years of rather being inattentive to certain aspects of EVE…and both missions and exploration need a major overhaul and introduction of AI randomness and reward re-evaluation. I’m just not sure CCP really cares that much about it…again.
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So much of this is pretty much right on, I would include that the immense buffing of pve and industry in null, resulted in many people who didn’t want to live in null also leaving the game, so it wasn’t just lack of development, but also the huge advantages given to null (without the previous risk). Many t2 producers I knew just stopped playing as they didn’t want to move their extensive production facilities to null.
I can remember when every patch had mission changes/updates. This stopped quite a while ago. While the neglect of highsec doesn’t seem so bad on the surface, it’s impact was far greater. As those senior people left highsec, less people were left to interact and teach newer players. Newer players were either left to their own or told to ‘go to null’ to learn the game. I look at EvEs numbers and conclude that might not have been for the best. CCP’s current changes are a step in the right direction, but it isn’t the cure all, I just hope we can reverse the trend and start EvE growing again.
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Great OP! Bob and Veryez… you’re both spot on.
A decade long, lopsided focus on PVP and here we are…
The fixes are simple and mentioned for years but fall on deaf ears.
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You are doing something wrong. Higher lvl missions have more isk in bounties, not to mention reward in isk and LP.
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with lvl3 you will start to make some isk. but money is in lvl4’s.
Maybe others will say how looks isk/h this days.
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If you don’t really enjoy staring while you are shooting beam at rock for a hours don’t do mining. Especially as alpha and in hisec.
I suggest to try combat exploration and when you build your wallet bit more, understand game more move to lowsec for pve as others above suggested. I did some trips yesterday and actually its really easy to find dead system.
Delonewolf makes nice videos about exploration. Go watch few if you want to get some idea how it works.
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I do agent missions as I had been focusing on increasing the agent rep.
I like when there are not too many people on the same sites as there was this one time a few months back there were a few people on the same spawns and I was in a typhoon so I ungrouped my cruise missiles and targeted each one as they spawned to tag for the bounty.
I had read local and it was , , , , , ,
Like dot dot dot and I knew right then they were upset with me for tagging all.
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Destroyers are easy to make and can sell for a small profit as that is what I like to craft.
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