One of the problems new players have (if not using PLEX to generate isk), it takes quite sometime just to be able to fit +3 implants. As soon as they're fitted they can't afford to get podded, so they have to play safe.

Jump clones need to be far easy to get hold of earlier, that doesn't mean leaving an NPC corp to get one through another player's solution. They need to be easily available for all pilots without the need to leave their corp.

Also replacement clone cost could do with being cheaper towards the top end of the scale.



If it was me, I'd also do away with learning implants and just add the points to the other skill base points, the skill tree is too long anyway (time wise). Don't see why we need 10 implants in our head, when 5 combat/mining ones is more than enough.

At least if learning implant were removed, PvP would be more affordable and there would be no difference in learning speed between PvPers and PvEers.

The title says nothing about solo PvP

Why on earth would anyone do that if they had a choice?

One other thing: EVE's skill system means that even if two opponents are using the exact same fit -- T1 frigate, meta mods, etc. -- the more skilled player will still almost always win because of the stat advantages conferred by skills and implants (and off-grid boosters, leader ship bonuses, etc.).

What I'm saying is that combat in Eve is a huge hill for a noob to climb, and CCP has done a lousy job of making this hill fun for a noob to get over, and that includes a lot of PVE combat. Incursions are almost impenetrable by noobs; FW requires mastering a lot of meta-game skills (how to successfully navigate in losec being a vital skill); WH space offers practically nothing to noobs.

So what does that leave noobs? Low-level mission-running and mining and exploration. None of which offer enough ISK/hr to make up PVP ship-losses very quickly.

I think if I could go back in time and change one thing about Eve, I'd change the real-time skill training system. At least an xp-based skill system would reward all the grinding you have to do early on and get you combat-capable in a week instead of a couple of months.

Yes, a T1 frigate can kill a T2 frigate -- sometimes, occasionally, when the other player screws up. But this only works when the player in the T1 frigate has a level of skill and knowledge about ships and fittings that a noob is unlikely to have. And this presumes a straight 1v1 fight, furthermore, which few PVP engagements are. At minimum, you're dealing not just with another ship, but also the other player's logi alt or off-grid booster alt.

The point here is that these theory-crafting T1 fits that can kill a T2/faction/pirate ship don't work during actual play for one simple reason: player skills. Noobs don't have the skills to fly a T1 frigate very well, let alone a faction or pirate ship (even if they had the ISK to buy such a ship). And they don't have the game-knowledge to use the skills they do have to good effect, as a rule. (I'm in the middle of rolling up a new combat toon, and I'm always shocked at how bad the toon's tracking, cap management, navigation, etc. are compared to what I'm used to.) Like I said, it takes about a month to get a combat toon skilled well enough to do frigate PVP decently well and have a chance of surviving.

This is my main beef with the lousy Eve NPE (New Player Experience). It does almost nothing to teach a new player the ins and outs of fitting, faction/meta mods, and the differences between PVP fits and PVE fits. Passive vs active tank, the use of drones, etc. The game does nothing to prepare a new user for PVP, and unless the user joins a good corp or Eve Uni, there are precious few players willing to expend the time and effort needed to hand-hold a noob into the PVP world.

Sure, if you don't mind being used as a scout, a bait ship or a cannon-fodder tackler in a fleet fight. I don't find that very fun, but whatevs.

Yeah, shame on a new player for actually wanting to have fun in a game they paid for. Eesh.

You know when people accuse Eve players of being elitist d-bags? This is what they're talking about. I know you probably didn't mean it that way, but come on, man. New players shouldn't have to wait for weeks and weeks to play the game they were shown in all the youtube clips and promos that CCP runs.

The game is promoted and sold as "Giant fleet battles! Grim PVP death-matches! Market shenanigans! Spying, subterfuge, and treachery!". Well, great: a new player joined the game to get into that stuff. What they get instead is mining and shooting at little red X's. Or trying to explore out of hisec and getting killed in two seconds by someone you never even saw. Or getting into a corp and finding out that you don't get to do any fun stuff; until you reach some arbitrary skill-level, you're the Eve equivalent of a prison punk.

Like I said before: I don't expect CCP to do anything at this point to improve the NPE, for the simple reason that Eve is a fully mature game now and probably won't attract all that many brand-new players. It's more a wish for what might have been than anything else. I do admire groups like RvB and Eve UNI though, because they did what they could to rectify shortcomings in CCP's own game.

It can take weeks just to get enough for a set of +3 implants.

Also consider that most new characters (not alts) are in NPC corps and level 1 missions don't pay much and you can't really consider mining as a way of making money as you would be learning the wrong skill sets as it's PvP we're talking about here. Of course you could argue join a player corp, but the fact is at the start a lot are just finding their feet, plus most corps. won't want them anyway as they don't meet the sp requirement or could be spy alts.

PvP is expensive in general, if it wasn't then many of you wouldn't need alt accounts just so that you could raise the funds to be able to afford to PvP. Which we hear people saying on this form many times over the years.

I wouldn't say your corp. is typical of most.


Also blitzing level 2's won't happens until you've done further train, you can't do them with the basic starter skill set. Anyway I doubt even blitzing level 2's would raise enough in one day. missioning ALL day, one way to get completely bored with the game.

Dude, you can fit a decent rifter for 1M.(fit named modules instead of T2)

Try to join public PvP roams like RvB ganked, Spectre fleet (or bombers bar for bomber fun). There you will learn that PvP can be so ridiculously cheap that even grinding L3 missions can pay your PvP bills

Good luck