TL;DR / Suggestion: let CSM negotiate with CCP a way (a lore excuse for example
) so the requirement of creating dedicated EVE Vanguard character will not be necessary in the future when EVE Vanguard, hopefully, will be officially released as part of EVE Online here to stay with us finally Forever.
As most of you probably have heard, EVE Vanguard, an EVE Online upcoming FPS module in active development is scheduled for mass test in December.
Aka EVE OPS: First Strike
To take part in it, one will be required to create dedicated EVE Vanguard character. As of now it will be effectively a fourth special character on omega account.
EVE Vanguard will be a separate executable launched from the same launcher EVE Online is. Vanguard character can be played simultaneously along other EVE Online characters on the same account.
Disclaimer: Below is a proposition of just one of possible angles of approach to convince CCP. I bet you would come up with more
Here goes…
CCP defended their decision for separate character for EVE Vanguard by pointing out vanguards are different breed of clones. They ere the grunts and Capsuleers are The Elite. I don’t wan’t to argue that
Let’s take a few steps back and look from broader perspective and find a way to convince CCP it is viable to have to birbs with one stone.
First of all we, as capsuleers are infomorphs - a digitalized consciousness that operates using the biological tissues of cloned body brain. We need that body (err. brain) to exists. And that body is specially designed to accommodate that with burn scanner in the pod to ensure safe transfer of infomorph upon present clone death to another clone …or clone jump.
Vanguards are infomorphs too. They too do clone jumps …by the thousands.
And here is a loophole in CCP defense we might try to use in Capsuleers favor
(and Vanguards’ too )
Enter new Neural Enhancement Skills
- Infomorph Warclone Interfacing
- Infomorph Capsuleer Interfacing
To use warclone technology Capsuleers must buy Infomorph Warclone Interfacing Skillbook, inject it and train at least to Level I
To use capsuleer technology Vanguards must buy Infomorph Capsuleer Interfacing Skillbook, inject it and train at least to Level I
Every fresh Capsuleer would start with Infomorph Capsuleer Interfacing Skill V trained and no Infomorph Warclone Interfacing Skill injected
(times for training new skill are a placeholder, I just pasted time from Elite Infomorph Psychology)
All Capsuleer Skills would need to be updated (all that we know and train as of now) to require this skill trained to certain level. This would also allow for easier mangement of skill gateing for alpha accounts.
Every fresh Vanguard would start with Infomorph Warclone Interfacing Skill V and no Infomorph Capsuleer Interfacing Skill injected
(times for training new skill are a placeholder, I just pasted time from Elite Infomorph Psychology)
All Vanguard Skills (all that we don’t know yet) require this skill trained to certain level.
This would allow for one Skill tree and two different starting points in New Eden and equal opportunities for both Capsuleers and Vanguards to achieve if they choose so.
How could that work?
Since becoming an infommorph capable of using capsuleer technology or warclone technology requires two very different training approaches from the start, it is obvious one trainig can’t be enough to use both. Enter infomorph mode.
So if a capsuleer would like to taste thrills of fighting podless she would need to purchase Infomorph Warclone Interfacing Skillbook and train to at least Level I. I have no idea what warclone skills would that unlock honestly Maybe a basic ability to use a warclone blanks and walk. Unarmed? 
Then further training to catch up with fresh vanguard skill level. This would be warclone mode.
Same for vanguards. If they want to fly spaceships in a pod, they would need to purchase Infomorph Capsuleer Interfacing Skillbook and train to at least Level I. That would give a basic ability to fly a pod and use a hangar. They could have their trainig queue already set up and populated with skills that would let them catch up to fresh capsuleer pilot level without the need to figure it out by themselves. This would be capsuleer mode. The one we are now in.
Infomorph jumps from warclone mode to capsuleer mode would require cooldowns before jumping back to warclone mode or to another capsuleer clone in different station. Just like regular clone jumps do. When in warclone mode there is no cooldowns between jumps from warclone blank to warclone blank upon death (no matter where that new blank is located). That’s the biggest difference between two technologies. It’s like capsuleer jump clones and medical clones rolled into one without a cooldown.
But maybe capsuleers trained into vanguards would require some cooldowns depending on their Infomorph Warclone Interfacing Skill level? Upon death in a warclone body capsuleer would need to wait few minutes (hours?) to use another one or be back into capsuleer mode. And vice versa. Vangurads upon death in a pod would need to wait few minutes (hours?) to use another medical clone or be back into warclone mode.
Finally the skill queue. I too think (as it was suggested already) that two queues need to be present. One for capsuleer mode and the other for warclone mode. As the infomorph can’t be in two modes at once so should the only one of the queues be active for coresponding infomorph mode.
All the above would certainly require ballancing and polishing obviously… and covered up by New Eden lore
Sources:
New Eden lore: The Capsuleer
New Eden lore: The Warclones
eve discord → #vg-feedback CCP Shortfall of CCP London clarifies
eve discord → #vg-general CCP Shortfall as well
FF’23 EVE Vanguard Panel summary by community member - non binding declarations and discussions ofc
