In this TL;DR post, I will defend pay-to-win (P2W), at least as regards skillpoints; i.e. I will defend the idea that players ought to be allowed to purchase skillpoints. This argument is on principle, and will not take into account possible existential side-effects (e.g. players quitting because they irrationally hate p2w). My argument is that there is really no critical difference between buying skill points and the current method of training them during one's monthly subscription.

Let's assume that a person can train 1 million SP per month. Let's further assume that to buy a million SP from a cash shop would cost 20 dollars. consider the two scenarios:

-- Person A pays 15 dollars a month for a subscription, and over a year of play ($180) trains 12 million SP.

-- Person B buys the game, and then spends 240 dollars for 12 million SP.

Strictly in terms of cost, person B has paid more for the same amount of SP. One might say that Person A "earned" his or her SP in a way that Person B did not; but this seems specious: Person A simply set his or her skill bar to train every few days (at most). One might also say that Person A had to wait on his or her skills, while Person B did not. True, but the flip side of this is that Person A has more entertainment bang for her buck: she received 12 months of playing a game and 12 million SP. Person B spent more money for significantly less value.

-- Person A pays 15 dollars a month for a subscription, and over a year of play ($180) trains 12 million SP.

-- Person B buys the game, and then spends 240 dollars for 12 million SP.

For starters you haven't factored in the time investment into this

Adding pay to win to a game that didn't start with it trivilaizes the efforts and time of your older players

And before the "but someone had to train that SP" crap. Who cares. I PERSONALLY DID NOT HAVE TO TRAIN A THING!! I am paying to win.

Actually, I quite clearly discussed this notion, and dismissed it. The only time invested in training skill points is the time you spent every few days setting your skill queue. The rest of the time you were just playing the game, or doing whatever else it is you do during the day when you're not playing Eve.



Older players did not expend time or effort to get said skill points.

My argument is that there is really no critical difference between buying skill points and the current method of training them during one's monthly subscription.

Strictly in terms of cost, person B has paid more for the same amount of SP.

GǪ the flip side of this is that Person A has more entertainment bang for her buck: she received 12 months of playing a game and 12 million SP.

Person B spent more money for significantly less value.

Older players did not expend time or effort to get said skill points.

Actually, I quite clearly discussed this notion, and dismissed it.p

The only time invested in training skill points is the time you spent every few days setting your skill queue.

The rest of the time you were just playing the game, or doing whatever else it is you do during the day when you're not playing Eve.

Older players did not expend time or effort to get said skill points.

existential side-effects

This thing all thing devours;
birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
gnaws iron, bites steel;
grinds hard stones into meal;
slays kings, ruins towns,
and beats high mountains down.

........

There is something else of value that you are ignoring, it is the answer to the riddle posed above, and is a word that you have not mentioned. The fact that you have so thoroughly skirted around the word implies to me that it has value that you do not understand.

Do you know what the thing is that I am talking about? What is it that has more value than money, and many people don't pay attention to until it is too late? What is it that many wage slaves wish they could have more of to spend on their children?

There is something else of value that you are ignoring, it is the answer to the riddle posed above, and is a word that you have not mentioned. The fact that you have so thoroughly skirted around the word implies to me that it has value that you do not understand.

Do you know what the thing is that I am talking about? What is it that has more value than money, and many people don't pay attention to until it is too late? What is it that many wage slaves wish they could have more of to spend on their children?

is really no critical difference between buying skill points and the current method of training them during one's monthly subscription.

0/10

Nothing worth seeing here on to the next thread.

Adding pay to win to a game that didn't start with it trivilaizes the efforts and time of your older players... and it isn't going to win you any friends. If you're in that much of a rush... as was said above you can go buy someone else's character.

Let alone those who remember getting up at 3am change a skill cause there was no skill queue.

Don't we already have a character bazaar?

And what about the often used argument that SP doesn't matter but your in-game knowledge and experience is far more important?