Actions should ALWAYS have consequences. It's what seperates EVE from most other MMORPGs out there.

Instead of lowering the price of clones and removing a useful ISK sink and system to balance risk between new and old players, it might be a better compromise to allow older players to drop skills they no longer find useful or enjoyable. This would both lower the cost of future clones, and narrow the gap with noobs trying to interact with vets in meaningful ways.

In a sandbox your character is the sum of the choices you make, you can have both ice cream AND cake if you want it, but you'll be stuffed if you eat it all. Want to be more nimble? Change your gluttonous ways.

My clones are only 13 mil and it's not a trivial sum to my wallet. It may not prevent me from PVPing that combined with 40+ mil in implants does affect how I play and the risks I take and I'm not a particularly risk averse player.

I had honestly expected a more rational position from you. As I stated up thread the idea that these mechanics serve any purpose other than to discourage risk taking is idiotic. All they do is discourage people from playing and encourage blobbing and ganking. If you've ever been pissed about getting blobbed you have no business supporting either of these stupid mechanics.

People are too damned risk averse in this game, Hell it's the source of most of the bitter vet tears, "OMG, why won't those carebears won't fly under my guns and give me easy kills."

Gee maybe just maybe stupid outdated poorly thought out mechanics that discourage playing the game might have something to do with it.

Personally I'd far rather that vet with the 45 million isk clone spend that isk on 10 fitted rifters that could actually generate some game play than in the service of some silly e-bushido "people must risk **** for my game to have meaning" bullshit.

If an isk sink is so damned important just bump the market transaction fees a fraction of % it would have a far greater affect on the isk supply than what people spend keeping their docked clones up to date.

EvE 101 says: Don't fly what you can not afford to lose.

There is however also a counterargument, lowering clone costs would significantly increase power projection via death clone jumping.

He idea of forgetting learned skills has some merit.

Take PI as an example. Most if not all jumped on it, how Many regret wasted time on it.

If you had an option to pay to forget a skill it is a an isk sink for ccp and should you wish to train again you have to purchase again.

Players win by getting rid of unwanted skills, ccp benefits by getting isk out of players. Win win

Reducing high-end clone costs would likely create a bigger ISK-sink in the form of increased PvP activity from ISK strapped old characters going out and exploding more often.

It's significantly more inviting to go suiciding about and having fun with random ships when you know that getting podded isn't costing you an arm and a leg. For those with low ISK, 20-65m per clone can be quite a lot.

Just throwing this out there... You know you dont HAVE to upgrade your clone. So you dont HAVE to pay that isk.
Also stay away from the super blob fights and you tend to find your pod survives quite a bit.

Pod loss is the only ISK sink in PvP. Everything else is either ISK-neutral or creates ISK (insurance)

I'm not against risk. I'm against pointless risk. What's pointless is that the risk increases as the character gets older for really no reason at all. Not to mention this also only really applies to players who do PVP in nullsec or wormhole space.