DarkFenix
Caldari
Pilots Of Honour
   |
Posted - 2007.05.04 10:37:00 -
[1]
I'll start by saying I can't be bothered to read all the posts, so I'm more or less just replying to the OP.
If skill training etc. were removed then you would remove all sense of achievement in flying any big shiny ship. I've just trained up to fly Recon ship of various races. It's taken me a month so far, and it will be another month before I can use them perfectly. But at the end of it I've achieved something. I've put time and dedication into learning to fly these ships.
If anything, the longterm health of Eve is helped by the skillpoint system, because you simply get more and more as you play. There isn't some arbitrary level cap you hit and can't do any more. Perhaps once I'm done training for recons I'll want to train for command ships. Then carriers after that, hell maybe even titans. It will take me a frickin age to train for any of those, but I can do so regardless, and it will be immensely satisfying when I do.
If you cheapen this factor, and let everyone start with everything, then there isn't an incentive to keep playing.
And you can make a difference as a newer player in Eve. I'm one of said 3 year veterans, but I'm under no illusions of invincibility to newer players. Ingame skill matters for more than skillpoints. If a 1 year player outsmarts me, he will kill me, less skillpoints or not.
As for your brother being put off by the time taken to train for a pilgrim, that's rather silly. A pilgrim is a high end ship, a tech 2 cruiser. All tech 2 ships larger than frigates can be considered high end. In WoW for example, how long would it take to train to lvl 50+ and get top grade weapons/armour? Quite a while I imagine.
Tech 1 ships on the other hand, they're easy to train for. In fact, most of the easiest kills out in 0.0 are battleships piloted by newer players. People 1-2 months into the game who really shouldn't be there, and when you warp in and scramble them, they just don't know what to do. They often don't even shoot back (even when they theoretically could win). Even most players up to 6 months old really don't have much clue when it comes to being savvy out in 0.0. They fly around in their quite well fitted battleships, not taking enough precautions for 0.0, and making bad tactical decisions when the sh*t hits the fan.
In short, the skillpoint system is one of Eve's unique qualities. It means the casual gamer (or simply the gamer who has to attend to a real life) can keep up with power gamers who play 23/7. And it makes being able to fly a top notch ship an achievement, something not that many people can do well. Removing this system would remove much of Eve's long term appeal in favour on instant gratification and would kill much of Eve's uniqueness.
In answer to your questions:
1) Discouraged? Not remotely. Eve is around its funnest ever for me at the moment. I've got enough shiny ships trained up to have fun for now, and enough ships lined up for future fun. Not to mention there's yet more upcoming content to keep me happy. I've been inactive for long periods before (ie. just keeping skills going), but Eve is one of those games that I always get drawn back into.
2) What would you do if aliens invaded Earth? That is one of those utterly hypothetical questions that really just isn't going to happen. But if it did, I would probably quit. 3 years worth of investment down the drain is quite a lot. But then knowing me after I got over the frustration I would be back into Eve 6 months later .
|