As someone who doesn’t live near a trade hub this lazy option of being able to buy skillbooks directly from the character sheet does feel like a welcome QoL update. It even seems to be sensible move for streamlining the new player experience for skillbook acquisition. However, the ‘instant-buy anywhere’ experience does step on the toes of regional traders.
There are several approaches in my mind to maintain a player economy while introducing this purchase feature;
Option 1: Introduce an added NPC surcharge for remote delivery. Additional X% of skillbook value. Minimum and Max ISK thresholds on payments.
Option 2: Remote delivery of skillbooks to player owned station with variable transit time. Rework existing asset delivery mechanics for delivery of NPC order skillbooks. Standard NPC shipping times (e.g. 3 days) with additional options for expedited shipping to player owned station with payments of PLEX.
Option 3: Instant buy with remote delivery fatigue cooldown. First order is instant delivery with subsequent orders taking longer to arrive. Delivery fatigue timer appears in top left. Boosters may be purchased from New Eden Store to speed up NPC delivery recovery.
Option 4: Remove all NPC skillbook sell orders in high sec (including rookie ststems) and seed cheap books into low sec event agents (undocked in space) using code from most recent Guardians Gala that had players pay the structure ISK and a key in return for items. Players have the option to buy from resellers or buy direct from skill sheet at further markups.
I had some dicey encounters as a young capsuleer trying to get those shiny skill books from lowsec stations. At the time I was feeling pretty indignant and certain that the events served no purpose, but now I think of all the people I talked to because it happened to me, and all the people I talked to because it happened to them, and then I think maybe that was the point all along.
I know you can get your skills without doing this, but young’uns, those like I was at any rate, aren’t yet swift enough in the ways of Eve to know what might be lurking on the other side of those lowsec gates. These days I appreciate those things that light up local for a short time, and complaining is a ubiquitous conversation starter in almost any setting.
That is true and it appears from the test server notes that those skillbooks bought with LP or acquired from anoms/abyssal space will not be available for remote purchase.
Additionally, it is more than likely that is feature will be (temporary?) exclusive to Eve China.
I didn’t ask for this ‘lazy option,’ sure I’ll take advantage of it when it’s switched on. CCP presented it and it appears in the Tranquility game files now despite previous discussion with the player base on regional trading impact. The company’s goal are changing in how they wish to cater to new players and it appears remote buy is something they want to implement (even if it’s only to Eve China).
Consideration now seems to be how to adapt the incoming feature in a way that doesn’t totally bypass player logistic / market tycoon roles.
I truly understand the desire for this, but as long as there is a market for buying, moving and then selling skill books at trade hubs and away from npc sellers we shouldn’t change anything.
And there is definitely a market. I keep buying overpriced skill books out of laziness.
I also don’t think we should create the inconsistencies between skill books from npc’s and skill books from lp stores. Players will be left wondering why some skills can be bought this way and not others.
Thirdly, how do i buy skills for new players of the normal way of getting them is by using the skills window.
Buying off the market as normal but allowing remote injection may be a good middle ground. I can see myself buying a bunch of skills for new players at a trade hub or starter system and then transferring them via office/contract to new players and telling them to remote inject. But visibility of skills via the market, moving skills to other areas and price competition all remains similar to what we have now.
Edit- and it’d be nice if ccp could remove or somehow highlight skillbooks that every player already starts with. Keeping a list and constantly looking at it is annoying.
I have no problem going to a station to inject a skill book. I don’t think this change is needed. If we start with skill books, then where does it end.
It’s a little vague, but the OP expects this is a feature because of lines in TQ client files, and is trying to either caution against it or add limitations to it to favor buying them in the region markets instead of taking the ‘lazy option’.
Introduce a market skill for certain items to be purchasable within X number of jumps from their location? As in I’m in a system 5 jumps from Jita but I bought a book from a player there and it’s in my cargo. Or simply allow them to be remote injected like Plex and skill injectors
Option 4: Remove all NPC skillbook sell orders in high sec (including rookie ststems) and seed cheap books into low sec event agents (undocked in space) using code from most recent Guardians Gala that had players pay the structure ISK and a key in return for items. Players have the option to buy from resellers or buy direct from skill sheet at further markups.
