Leaked internal CCP documents reveal EVE's new focus on f2p and microtransactions

[Pillar]

Advantages in combat through RMT have been in Eve for a long time, long before PLEX, and the game worked okay. Like $30 gets you pimped out about as good as any individual would want. A whole lot of players can afford that but don't bother because the normal stuff is good enough and much cheaper. Those that do pay for advantages often become targets for other players looking for a big score. (How many guys in low sec have been busted up mission running in carriers?) It's unlikely to be all that different a game in terms of combat balance whether they go through CCP or other players via PLEX.

The big, serious trouble for gameplay, is the industrial and production side. Right now players getting rich from PLEX fueled ship and module sales will have the most to lose. It's a transfer of power from the established player base to the new players. That generally means they are making the game over.

And the part they might have found makes sense to sacrifice is the economic side (in game) that they have so long boasted about. As neat as a player driven economy is, it might be less profitable overall than a whole different kind of MMO setup.

I think they're noticing that a lot of people have no interest in the amount of shear mouse clicking, work, and study are involved to do well in Eve industrial stuff. So they'll find some stuff to leave for industrialists, but remove ships and ammo from their exclusive control.

If the PTW transactions are expensive enough, they will still be able to compete with CCP.

 

[Pillar]

I'll keep an eye on this thread if you wouldn't mind posting the results of the CSM meeting when they occur.

 

[Dr Zaius]

Advantages in combat through RMT have been in Eve for a long time, long before PLEX, and the game worked okay. Like $30 gets you pimped out about as good as any individual would want.

It's true that RMT has long been a problem in EVE, just as in other MMOs. But it's still against the rules and CCP can and does ban people for it.

 

[Dr Zaius]

Eurogamer -- EVE Online in crisis

Gamasutra : The Politics of Creative Ownership: EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management

Strategy Informer - EVE Online cancellations could cost CCP $1M

Rock Paper Shotgun - Eve Online’s Struggle & CCP’s Redemption

Gamasutra - CCP Working To Calm Player Anger Over EVE Online Vanity Items, Leaks

At CCP's request, the members of the Council of Stellar Management are arriving in Iceland today for an emergency meeting with CCP, though a lot of players remain unconvinced anything substantive will come of this meeting. The general consensus seems to be that the CCP devs have already made up their minds on what they're going to do and the CSM is simply being summoned to legitimize the decisions. Or, even if CCP does make some concessions, they can easily implement their microtransaction plans one step at a time in order to diffuse the situation (think boiling frog).

Requests from players for this meeting to be broadcast live or at least taped have gone unanswered.

 

[Redwolf]

"Boiling frog method" describes how software companies deal with bad changes and resulting user complaints these days. Just "stand your ground". The "nerds" complaining right now are just a vocal minority and in any case our salvation lies in people who don't know our product at all yet.

As long as you make your product easier to use they will all come to your product and give you all their money. As opposed, you know, to all the other products out there with the same aim.

 

[Pillar]

It's true that RMT has long been a problem in EVE, just as in other MMOs. But it's still against the rules and CCP can and does ban people for it.

Well anyone can buy a Tengu with real dollars, and that is definitely a balance issue and it hasn't come up in the game as a problem. Likewise, carriers and such, they just became targets for other players.

 

[Dr Zaius]

Well anyone can buy a Tengu with real dollars, and that is definitely a balance issue and it hasn't come up in the game as a problem. Likewise, carriers and such, they just became targets for other players.

Sure, you can legally sell plex to get in-game items and it's been that way for a long time. These sales help fund EVE Online and allow players who might not otherwise be able to afford a monthly subscription to play. But everyone else has access to those same items without selling plex, so you aren't compelled to use real money to get "gold ammo" or anything else. Also, while it is true CCP allows players to buy plex and then auction them off for ISK, it's a pretty inefficient way to play an MMO and the extreme expense of high value items tends to balance it out.

For instance, a Nyx supercarrier currently goes for about 18B ISK on the open market, and that's unfitted. With a typical fitting a Nyx would be at least 21B. As of this morning plex are going for 375M ISK on the EVE market and CCP is selling bundles of 28 plex for $489.00 (US). So it will cost just under $1,000.00 US dollars to buy an unfitted supercarrier. A faction fitted Tengu won't cost that much, but it will certainly be expensive.

My point it that, while it is possible to buy really good stuff in EVE with real money and still be within the EULA and CCP's rules, that's an awfully expensive investment. You could do it using illegal ISK from one of the many gold farming sites, but then you risk losing all your items and having your account perma-banned. No one is complaining about the plex system as most EVE players understand it's an acceptable system that helps everyone without compromising game balance. Your aren't forced to sell plex and the vast majority of players never do. But a microtransaction system of the type CCP is planning is a whole different animal. That has the potential to destroy portions of the EVE market or end up forcing players to regularly spend extra money in order to remain competitive.