I think we were having player numbers issue here. The fact that I'm posting on forums suggests that I'm holding a subscription and so am mostly ok with the price.

But we two (three, with the person that liked you) aren't alone in this world. I find the whole AUR thing disruptive to normal things' pace, so limiting PLEX to only being what it initially was (game time) and maybe way to pay for fanfest and similar tickets can do a little damage control.

I wouldn't care if CCP didn't try silly things again and again to bring more people in. I've suggested a possible way to do so, without disrupting gameplay and other stuff.

P. S. yes, I'm among those considering old EVE being better than current one. And it getting worse and worse with time (even thougs some features/changes are nice).

Here's a radical solution: Pay the sub.

Break the link between PLEX and Aurum.

This is really simple:

1. In game PLEX price is a function of the market. Straight supply v. demand. Seeing as the number of player accounts has dropped and PLEX price has gone up, this suggests a drop in supply more than anything.

2. Has the recent PLEX sale increased supply and driven down the in game PLEX price? Market says no as in game PLEX price still going up. So why aren't players with jobs spending cash for PLEX? Perhaps because they already have enough ISK to do what they want?

3. Declining number of player accounts is not caused by in game PLEX price. It is caused by a lot of things but not that.

If your friends were driven out of the game by the in game price of PLEX, they ought to consider getting jobs and just paying a sub. EVE is far more entertaining that way.

When did paying real money to play a game become a problem?

Rule #1 of EvE, if you can't afford to replace it don't fly it.

If you can't afford to sub the account, don't.

Perhaps if CCP saw more realistic player behavior tied to "real" money - not isk earned - you would see behaviors surrounding PLEX (such as the mentioned aurum items) change to be more favorable to account usage.

I personally own one plex - a present from CCP at some point - and sit on it for as a rainy day fund. I don't trade in them, I don't aspire to earn them to 'play to play'. I see them as a monetary device for CCP (which is totally normal) and simply that. When I use alt accounts, I pay for them. When the cash gets short or the alt useless, I unsub them.

Why on earth would I work harder IN A GAME to pay for the game?! Some folks have an answer, I don't. PLEX prices, though, have zero bearing on this game so far as I'm concerned except in its ability to allow those of us with cash (real) to influence the game (not real)...and that is the crux of the reason OP and others like them care about plex prices.