Topic: Revert the kernel nerf.
Quite simply revert the kernel nerf (-50% drop rate) that was put in with today's patch.
Getting knowledge from kernels is a tedious process. A grind even, it cannot be called anything but a grind because that is what it is - tens of thousands of kernels need to be farmed to progress to a level where you are/can expect to be competitive in PVP or PVE.
The corps currently in-game are already hemorrhaging members left and right as people get fed up with not having stuff to do in-game. While the Kernel nerf is effective at its "intended" purpose which is slowing down the game so in theory, it gives people something to grind for while you finish making the fun new content, in practice it just makes it a very intolerable grind.
What is there currently to do in-game? Mine ore (grind), do assignments (grind), farm kernels (grind), harvest noralgis (grind), wait for PVP to show up (yay fun stuff... for 5 minutes every ~6 hours).
Consider the current corporations now in-game, what benefit is there for them to continue to struggle on grinding for kernels when they can just as easily merge into another corporation with higher technology knowledge, and live as a corp-within-a-corp? My own corporation has already received 2 inquiries from 50+ member corporations, not few hours ago after the patch went live.
Consider the new corporations yet to come to Perpetuum, what benefit will there be for them to even contemplate getting their own corporation off the ground? They have a massive assignment grind ahead of them to get access to Beta missions, a massive Kernel grind to get relatively competitive to try and gain access to Beta, and on top of that they have yet another massive Kernel grind to get T2+ medium weapons when/if they win access to Beta.
Now consider that there are corporations in the game that have the entire technology tree already researched. M2S is the one everyone knows about, and I'm sure there are 2-3 more Beta corporations who most likely knew this was coming and farmed their technology tree up as well.
Kernels were already a 50,000+ kernel grind, now you've simply added 50% on top of it. As things are now, new corporations starting on Alpha and getting to the competitive level for PVP (minimum T4 frame, T4 repper, some other stuff) will have to spend at least ~6 months grinding on Alpha, or get really lucky. How many new corporations do you think will stay together, when they can simply join a Beta/higher Tech corporation; or go off and play another game?
In all honesty, it needs to be said that you've gone over the top with this. Consider making the game more newbie-friendly instead of making it more difficult progressively for the new guy to do anything in the game that could make him competitive with PVPers on Beta.
We all already have stockpiles + EP advantage, we really don't need more advantages. I mean, there's a video rolling about with M2S deleting 0.13G of HDT out of pure boredom; that people are doing this at all should be rising alarm bells about encouraging more players not putting roadblocks with landmines for them.
The game NEEDS more players. Revert the kernel nerf, and make the new-player experience more relevant then "Welcome to Perpetuum. Here is your Bot. You will spend the next 6 months grinding, then you can consider conquering some territory and most likely failing miserably because you won't have any PVP experience."
In all honesty, I was feeling sorry for new corporations with regards to having to join an alliance to get Beta access, now I downright pity them. I personally would never subscribe to Perpetuum at this point if I was a new player and knew what Kernels really were.