Eh, merit is questionable, more like free entertainment.

Bottom line is CCP will do what CCP will do- it's already been announced, it will help new players and it's a really good move.

The amount of skillpoints given is pretty negligible to established players and starting threads like this isn't going to change what's already in motion. If you want to protest, the Jita monument is still where it's always been located.

We can do the whole "when I was your age" argument all day long and it really won't change a thing- it's a different time, and CCP is trying to do what they can to incentivize new players to even want to create an account. If you care in the slightest about the game continuing to move forward- you might want to consider CCP can't pay the bills with "good intentions".

5 miles, uphill, in the snow, both ways, evading wolves, yada yada.

Clearly I care about the game.
But like I said, I don't think the purpose of the update is to shorten the gap between new and existing players. If that is the case then it is a pitiful attempt by CCP. If it is to make things easier for new players, that is good. But recompensating old players for the time they spent for skill levels that are effectively removed from the game (if everyone has them, it's the same as no one having them,) isn't going to affect new players in the slightest.

Clearly I care about the game.
But like I said, I don't think the purpose of the update is to shorten the gap between new and existing players. If that is the case then it is a pitiful attempt by CCP. If it is to make things easier for new players, that is good. But recompensating old players for the time they spent for skill levels that are effectively removed from the game (if everyone has them, it's the same as no one having them,) isn't going to affect new players in the slightest.

I suspect Malcanis' Law might apply to the situation the OP describes. Not sure exactly how...but EvE players will find a way... That being said, *shrug*, CCP will do whatever they feel is best for their game I suppose. Adapt and let them worry about it, OP. Time to play Disney princess and "let it go".


On a more important note: Starship Troopers is one of the best books ever written. Too bad the "movie" was so excruciatingly bad as an adaptation. With current CGI capabilities, an actual movie adaptation of the book could be made. A guy can dream , eh?

First and most famous: the removal of Learning Skills and the refund of the SP invested into the Learning Skills. This unquestionably benefitted new players, as it removed a huge section of skill training that was required early in a characters career. These meta-skills didn't do anything in themselves, but allowed you to acquire other skills faster. CCP actually didn't so much remove them as simply give them fully trained to everyone. In fact, at the time, I thought this change did follow the Law, because all the old players received a lump sum of refunded skillpoints that they could immediately invest in whatever skills they wanted, allowing them an instant gain of up to 5,400,000 instantly applicable SP, and of course their disposable alts would now all have a +15 SP/minute training bonus, reducing the gameplay/interaction niches available for "real" new players. Additionally, older players who had already got their core skills with friendly stat requirements trained up could use those SP for skills with awkward stat combinations, saving further training time and increasing their effective advantage over the new players. Mathematically speaking I was correct, but in practice I had lost sight of the fact that not everyone is as patient (and mildly OCD) as me, and that removing the learning skills was such a vast improvement in the quality of life for genuine new players that even the very considerable bonus to older players was overshadowed. (This was one of the incidents that gave me the insight that EVE is about people first, numbers second.)--Malcanis

As a fairly long time Eve player - early 2007 I have tried to worry about CCP giving new players a bit of a leg-up so to speak.

Nope, just cannot see what the problem is.

If giving new players a few more skill points at the start of their Eve career will help with player retention, I am all for it.

Considering new players now get far less than you got...that is right, IMO.

I suspect Malcanis' Law might apply to the situation the OP describes. Not sure exactly how...but EvE players will find a way... That being said, *shrug*, CCP will do whatever they feel is best for their game I suppose. Adapt and let them worry about it, OP. Time to play Disney princess and "let it go".


On a more important note: Starship Troopers is one of the best books ever written. Too bad the "movie" was so excruciatingly bad as an adaptation. With current CGI capabilities, an actual movie adaptation of the book could be made. A guy can dream , eh?

I cannot for the life of me remember what I got, but I do remember 'training skills to train skills' I hated it, but just accepted it as part of the game.

I hope your comments on starship troopers were just jokes.


To whomever says that they aren't removing anything...

I'm utterly amazed at how people cannot understand this basic concept. If you give every single player a skill that gives a 8% boost to turret dps, then they have effectively removed the skill and raised the dps of all turrets by 8%, with an option to train for 2% more. There will be effectively 1 skill level of gunnery, the other 4 are redundant and removed.

To put it even simpler, if CCP made everyone have every skill to V, the the skill system would effectively be removed. Is that really THAT difficult to understand?

In Apocrypha the New Player Experience was extensively overhauled, with new characters receiving only 50k SP compared to the approximately 800k previously, but with a bunch of free skill books from the revamped tutorial missions. This was paired with a 100% skill training speed until the character reached 1.6m SP.

Ain't that some hot **** then huh? Most these ol money aint even had it half as bad as a new player gunna have it with all this big help we gunna git. Then they gotta come up in this and talk about how everyone "entitled," like we aint payin. SMH

Actually, I believe Malcanis himself noted that the removal of learning skills was one of the few changes that actually violated the law,

I hope your comments on starship troopers were just jokes.

...

Yeh it do come across at cryin when ol money tells us we need to earn that bred they got strait up for starters. What you talkin' about after all this honda-man? You tellin me I gota pick up my sandwhich at the back door cuz you don't want no new players havin that 800k you got out with? Don't need to remind us ya'll dun got a few mil throw back atcha along the way. We know how yall do.

When did we decide that it was okay to let someone troll around as an 1880s wannabe Jamaican house servant?

This is beyond nuts.

Someone needs to shut that **** down. In 8 years of EvE that's the first thing Ive seen that i thought was offensive.

Racist.

Racist.

In before the lock.

Eff you to. That Jim Coal character is a troll. I live and work with Jamaicans ever day. This guy is just making an ass out of everyone. That's not how they talk. That's not how they think. This Coal guy is being a real, genuine shithead,

CCP should reinstate learning skills on your account then stall your skill queue until you train the prerequisites and the advanced skills to 4, that would make you realise just how truly frivolous your post is

I'm sad to have missed the glory days of learning skills. It sounds like that was a good time.