At the moment, the system index creates an annoying game-play mechanic where manufacturers have to try to distance themselves from other manufacturers. In fact, often, some people with enough alts have to bounce between systems just by themselves to try to keep the system index down. It’s both frustrating and counter-intuitive.
I thought we were working towards player retention?
I can’t have a group of friends working together in industry because it is more profitable for us to each split up and spread out across different places for index issues.
Is this system here to try to spread people out across space and play industry solo, or what? What is the goal of this? Since you removed teams, it’s just got more and more agitating over time.
The cost indexes was made to counteract the unlimited job-queues in stations, which as you have experienced, causes increased job costs the more a system is used and thus also forces capsuleers to spread out their industry activities, so that they may keep their costs to a minimum.
Before the introduction of system cost indexes and the unlimited job-queues, stations had a hard cap of around 10-20(?) - unsure about the exact limit - these were shared by all of new edens inhabitants. Meaning that it could take days, weeks or even months before you would be able to get your industry started.
The system replaced not counteracted the job-queues system. The Queue system was removed because it was very much anti newbie for blueprint research and lesser so for manufacturing. Cost Index was to put as an isk fee on manufacturing and force the cost of building to be not the same everywhere. CCP didn’t want Jita to build everything in game for the same cost as building in some backwoods system.
The problem with Index is its calculated on job hours but charged on job value. The issue is most apparent with reactions because relatively few reactors are installed.
It’s a little more complicated than just calculated on just the job-hours of a specific system.
The system cost index is calculated by the number of system-job-hours, divided by total-universe-job-hours, and then square rooted for better numbers. - wiki.eveuniversity.org
I really do not see the problem in this, if a system becomes overworked it can become very expensive to use/stay in such a system. So if you really want it to change then you have a few options, limit you usage of the system and expand into neighbouring systems, try to drive competitors (if there is any) out of the system one way or the other, or maybe perhaps you would be better off finding a less used system (maybe you can find a small cluster of systems to use).
If you have or come up with some ideas about the System Cost Index, you are more than welcome to make a post in the Player Features and Ideas Section