K24Q
DEATH'S LEGION
Dead Terrorists
8
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Posted - 2015.07.03 20:11:59 -
[1] - Quote
It's been a long time since I was a 'new bro' and I am lucky to have plenty of SP to partake in many aspect of eve ( when I have the isk :) ). Still though I feel I can at least add to this conversation by talking about areas that I feel might help the NPE and more importantly grow population.
Skills System
Going back to the early days, the skill system was touted as an alternative to the common RPG grind for experience. The idea was that you, who had to get the kids up, go study, work or whatever wouldn't be disadvantaged in the game world to those players who had lot more free time. Great so I don't have to grind to get my experience I just have to wait, oh!
Here are some of the perceived positives:
- Allows for players who are time poor to be on equal footing with players who are time rich.
- Accumulation of SP's out of game rewards player loyalty and active account subscription.
- Provides market demand for items that enhances rate of SP generation.
However the system also has I think quite damaging negatives especially for low SP players:
- SP are non refundable, once they are spent they are spent.
- The rate of SP generation is arbitrarily tied to the skill currently in training.
- Active play in no way increase SP generation, nor does it discount SP cost of skills.
- SP can be lost under specific circumstance ( T3 Cruiser ). It was worse when clone insurances was a thing.
I don't feel that there is much positive aspect from the current system, its also debatable that it maintains equal footing between players. I could spend all day grinding mission and then use that isk to buy character of the bazar. They by circumventing the original core principle.
What I think might be better?
- Players have a SP pool where their passive SP generation accumulates without player input. I.e you don't train skills just accumulate SP.
- SP in your SP pool can be assigned to skills you own, each level having a minimum required SP to unlock, this keeps the skill tree intact. Including difficulty modifiers.
- I should be possible for player to increase their SP generation when they are actively playing the game, i.e undocked.
- SP should be under certain circumstances be refundable.
So how does this help the NPE?
- New players get x amount of account SP refund tokens, these token should be limited and also not full SP refunds.
If the skill points levels are all factors of each other the one high level refund might allow for 3 low level selections. This is to allow new players to switch basic careers without incurring the time penalty which is a massive turn off. I hate mining I can take mining SP and put it in my missioning skill setup.
- I would give new accounts extra refunds if they sub for the next month ( 2 months max ) as incentive.
- When new ( and old ) players are playing their passive SP income is increased by x% Ok that means the guy/gal who plays all day gets more of a benefit but it is at least quantifiable and control able ( from game design pov).
- SP implants are not simplified you can have two slot types ( passive and active ) and then tier them. i.e %5 bonus to passive SP generation for 1 week. %5 to undocked active SP generation.
- Also having a pool based system does away with training queue, and makes getting that skill have the instant gratification without actually been instant. You log on in the weekend, open up you skills chart and spend your weeks of SP before you head out for a night of PewPew.
Having a skills pool simplifies other manipulations. Lets say you running faction missions how about SP discount for faction related skills? Could even have Corp items that give sp reductions. So you get Caldari Navy SP Docket, that allows you to reduce SP requirements for any Caldari ship/module skills. Or Ore docket for mining skills etc..
As for us bitter vets? I got a few million SP in areas I no longer use can't I get that moved around? I don't see why not.
but lets be sensible about this or the world would burn.
- Have a special station service only in a Jita station for the purpose of SP refunding.
- Have a cooldown timer for SP refund per character. ( could base this on amount of SP refunded time it took to train )
- Have a reasonable upper limit to the amount you can exchange say 2m a time.
- Have a steep isk and SP price say 200m for 2m sp - 10% SP lost.
- Require non criminal standing.
My overall point is in the beginning of your eve career you need to explore and make mistakes, the training system is too rigid to allow this for new players. You can't help feel like you ****** up 1 week in to playing this new game and you not sure if you next choice is going to be just as good.
I seen similar suggestion to this in the thread and it certainly not an 'original' idea. When you new you got little SP so you should have more flexibility as your character get older, you have more SP so you should have less flexibility to alter you course. |