Re: Appealing to More New Players
Blocker:
Perp has always had a time progression. Not sure if your argument that it will be a turn off to new players is valid.. EvE has a time progression system, doesn't seem to put off new players in that game. I think there are other things that would deter a new player from sticking with the game rather than time based progression.
Just because EvE does it and is successful doesn't mean that it's the EP system that made EvE successful. I personally believe it has more to do with there famous economy which EvE is known for. It would take an in-depth analysis anyways to make any conclusions there. I would also like to add that Eve's skill system does definitely put off new players. There's a very active buy&sell for accounts on EvE. Also there have been many discussions on Eve forums about it also.
Another way of looking at it though is that Eve is the only major MMO that uses a system like the EP system and is strongly successful. So the normal experience system is a viable option also considering how many successful MMOs actually use it. There is no 'rule' that Perpetuum must use the current EP system to be successful. I tried to come to a middle ground with GEPS though so that the veterans would be less upset about the change.
You might be right, there might be something out there that people are rejecting this game over more than the EP gap. However I believe the EP gap is a serious issue because it is a topic of constant debate here. I'm pretty sure if you did a small case study lining up games and find out why people didn't play this one you would find that one of the most recurring fixable/changeable issue would be the gap. Some of the data might be available already if they have a "why did you quit the game" survey. I'd be very interested in seeing what the results were on that.
Again though, most issues require a massive modification to the game (adding new features or content). It takes time and is hard to do well. What I suggest could be completed by a single programmer in less than a day. When you look at the amount of effort vs the amount of potential new players it seems like a no-brainer to me.
I want to thank you for staying on topic and being constructive though. This topic is already degenerating into the tangent of "it's not fair that a new player might have an easier time than I did leveling up."