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[orange]

It seems a little odd; I suppose it is access to "premium content" faster, but there is still skill training before you can effectively utilize high standings.

For arguments sake, lets assume the kind of player they are looking to appeal is willing to put down some amount of money to get into the "premium content" and buy a bunch of ISK using plex sales (and sells to buy orders).   So, they can buy a faction battleship and have the standing to work L4 agents and Faction Navy Epic Arc agents (presumably quest type player End-Game content?).  Then they spend the next 2 months logging in to adjust skills until they have racial battleship 4 and barely the skills to fit it?

I don't get it.

What we should fear is the sale of skill points in exchange for PLEX.

[Misan]

Yeah, seems to be legit then after having read through that thread.

Given that standings are no longer visible, what does this affect?

• Refining tax for miners/mission runners melting stuff
• Access to agents (might be well worth it for research agents)
• Being shot at in your enemy's space (if you can lift your standings above -5)

I'm not seeing a huge game-breaker here. Can someone explain it to me?

Standings themselves are probably the least offensive option for adding as a MT feature. With that said the reason this crosses the line is CCP is proposing an option to pay for progression not vanity items. It isn't as egregious as being able to flat out buy ships, weapons, etc., but it is in the same category. Frankly in a totally F2P game some level of being able to pay for "progression" isn't something I am totally opposed to, but EVE is a subscription game. My general view is if you are paying for a subscription that should "unlock" any and all content that the game has to offer, without you having to shell out another $10-20 for some shiny thing. I'm not annoyed enough about vanity items to unsub, but the potential for them pushing beyond that is seriously making me angry. Soundwave's comment in the document about the idea of doing stuff such as charging for additional saved ship fittings makes me cringe.

To add: I believe if CCP (or any other MMO company that runs on a subscription model) wants to create additional revenue streams it is much better to offer services that players might utilize rather than selling items. EVE loses out on some of them due to the single shard nature unfortunately. But, let's look at what WoW offers to players (for a fee) that have nothing to do with buying items or in-game progression: character transfers, name changes, realm swaps, faction, race, and appearance changes. I don't think these really apply specifically to stuff EVE could do, but they serve as examples. EVE already has the portrait swap feature and they definitely get some additional revenue from character account transfers too. I'm sure CCP could come up with some others. Although ultimately I suspect they wouldn't compare to the possible profit made off MT purchases and that is why we are seeing the push towards them.

[Ken]

What we should fear is the sale of skill points in exchange for PLEX.

Well, there's a real potential for slippery slope issues.  If they turn a decent profit with Aurum stuff (that is, after they sell about six or seven monocles), the temptation to take it a step further may be hard to resist.  Let's not forget that little thing a few months back when they added that skill point 'reimbursement' system...

[Silver Night]

Not to mention someone who had enough pull to get stuff on the to-do list had already planned magical out-of-nowhere scorpions.

The basic disconnect that just the situation with Incarna shows is worrying enough - if this newsletter is genuine, then I'm seriously concerned. I've played Eve for just over 8 years, and for at least 8 years of that time, I've always assumed that I would quit Eve only when they shut the servers down. This is the first thing that has made me reconsider that position.

[Ulphus]

Standings themselves are probably the least offensive option for adding as a MT feature. With that said the reason this crosses the line is CCP is proposing an option to pay for progression not vanity items.

Is this significantly different in kind than someone being able to lay down a lump of cash for Plex and buy a character with the standings on the character bazaar, along with the fancy implants and a Marauder?

It just means more people being stupid with stuff the Player doesn't know how to fly. I forsee exploding fancy ships in lowsec.

edit: I'm not saying I'm incredibly happy about it, I just don't see that it's as world-ending as some people seem to be suggesting. CCP aren't going to get any more money per month out of me than they do now, so I don't really feel like it affects me that much.

[Silver Night]

I think the difference there, and the difference between vanity items and even, say, ammunition, is that wherever the particular player gets the ISK, and whatever they use it to buy, ISK changes hands. Things aren't jsut spontaneously appearing. You can buy a character with ISK, but that character got those SP the hard way. You can buy a faction ship, but someone found that BPC, or bought it, and built the ship.

[Misan]

It is more about the principle of it and also the slippery slope issue Ken brings up.

Buying characters is at least sourced from within the game economy and other players. As with PLEX its more of a grey area, but I feel it helps more than hurts as it removes the more black market RMT company aspect to that stuff. That is a discussion of its own though.

[Ciarente]

Given that standings are no longer visible, what does this affect?

• Refining tax for miners/mission runners melting stuff
• Access to agents (might be well worth it for research agents)
• Being shot at in your enemy's space (if you can lift your standings above -5)

I'm not seeing a huge game-breaker here. Can someone explain it to me?

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, there's a big difference between the current model of selling things that can't be created IG for cash (subscription time, vanity clothes) and allowing players to exchange them (for ISK if they choose) and the proposal of selling things that can be created / achieved / done IG for cash.

[Lyn Farel]

Buying characters is at least sourced from within the game economy and other players. As with PLEX its more of a grey area, but I feel it helps more than hurts as it removes the more black market RMT company aspect to that stuff. That is a discussion of its own though.

Maybe a little, but I highly doubt that really fixes the RMT issue. We still see it, and it is still noticeable enough.

Bah anyway, im an anti PLEX / microtransactions biased bitter vet. This one is the last straw if even it happens.

[Myrhial Arkenath]

Did CCP not say that they didn't want to upset the economy. Guess what happens when people can buy pirate faction / ORE standings and jump right into farming blueprints? Sure they will still need to deal with the locals, but that makes things a hell of a lot easier. The recent quality removal has hit all LP store sales already. Guess what this would do. Of course it's only an internal message, and someone may say "lol no bad idea", but I get kinda shaky when things like this come up. Because this being implemented would be for me a sign of the beginning of the end. As it tends to be what games do when they are dying. If CCP is in money trouble, make our subscriptions a bit more expensive, instead of pissing off your core player base.

[Seriphyn]

I feel like CCP has declared themselves Eternal President, mad with power and megalomania, and we're watching our world descend into tyranny...

I mean, seriously, it seems so unreal I'm completely blase about it, because I'm not sure how to react.

[Saede Riordan]

I'd rather like to see how poorly CCP's other internal newsletters state things, before I decide how to feel about this one specifically.

[Myyona]

I just made a post yesterday about how sad I was that faction standing still no longer are visible to others than yourself. But… if faction standings are supposed to be a personal issue only then it is perfectly fine to be able to buy them with AUR. Who would care anyhow? I cannot see your faction affiliation through standings anymore; that way of role playing is dead.

[Graanvlokkie]

I dont know people are getting up in arms about a company internal memo. These things often contain ideas and concepts that never see the light of day, and get shot down as soon as they leave a specific department.

Wait until there is a dev blog, or some oficial CCP comunication about direction, or something in the patch notes.

I will continue to play until something I dont like actually makes it into the game, and breaks something that I find fun. People stopping acounts in a fit of emo-rage are acting prematurely. Even if CCP do break their own game in a year from now, I can still extract a years worth of entertainment in the meantime.

Nothing in the memo is more game breaking than the current super capitals.

[Ken]

I dont know people are getting up in arms about a company internal memo. These things often contain ideas and concepts that never see the light of day, and get shot down as soon as they leave a specific department.

True.  I think some of it is at least a direct reaction to the tone of the newsletter.  "Greed is Good" being translated as "Let's Fleece the Players".