Once again as I said to Syndic, if the market is dead now, how can this have any sort of negative impact ?

How exactly might this work, obviously you would repair the bot, but I'd assume the modules would still drop as loot and they would need to be replaced? You would then use mins or nic to repair the bot ?

I'm actually not that worried about spark removal, especially as Obi said the hwy and TP network are better. I would have liked even just one spark for a gamma base, but meh I'll adapt..

yeah ok but if it allows only for small scale mining for personal or not much pvp corp use, what's the point ? We are talking about building up corps so they can make an assault on beta, ie a "war chest" so if Alpha only supports small scale personal and limited pvp supply renewal how does this encourage new corps to even try to make it to beta ?

It takes them twice as long to build that war chest up, they then lose that war chest over a few days trying to assault a beta station and head back to Alpha to start again. Do you really think that gamers these days have the stamina to keep that up when just starting a game? Personally I don't think they do, I think they will just say "bugger this let's play something else" and they are gone.

By all means change it, but personally I think that if you want people to pvp more (especially new people) you need to make it easier for them to replace their losses not harder, if you make it harder then they will just be more reluctant to risk them.

I've had my say, by all means make the changes, lets see how we go..

Yes I agree, but people have been talking recently about nerfing Alpha, reducing the ability to generate idustry. Like removing certain ores and making some of them only available on beta, reducing the efficiency of factories etc etc. That's a nerf. It will make industry on Alpha harder and move slower.

I believe this will not assist with player retention or provide encouragement to move to beta. If a corp does not want to move to beta, for whatever reason, no amount of changing mechanics to force them will actually get them to change their mind. However, while they are on Alpha carebearing it up, we still have the opportunity to try and encourage them out to beta and maybe show them how much fun pvp can be. But once they leave, they are gone and so are those opportunities.

I'm not against buffing beta and or gamma or making changes to either of those islands, We spend most of our time on beta and gamma so a buff would suit us just fine. But why reduce the capacity and/or capability of new corps starting on Alpha as well ? It makes no sense, think of Alpha's as the nursery if you like.

This is not the first time nerfing Alpha has been mentioned and also by different people. I voiced my concerns then as well as I do not believe that, in the short term, this is in the best interest of new corps/players and in the longer term ultimately for us older players.

I just listened to the round table recording and to be brutally honest all I heard was vets talking about how to make the game better for vets. Now you may not have intended that, but that's the impression I came away with.  Do you want answers based on how things are now, or how it would be if the changes talked about in the round table get implemented ?

How it is now, maybe 6 months, maybe less. There are a lot of factors.

How it would be if all those suggestions get implemented? then probably never. Because as soon as the sharks know there is prey they will hunt, and it will be merciless. Why, because your talking about nerfing Alpha and basically forcing players into pvp areas.

Can you smell that blood in the water ? How many losses do you think new corps will accept before they just go play something else ? That's really the question you should be asking..

It would have been nice to hear from some actual new players about their perspective on both how it is now, and how they would feel about the proposed changes ?

Finally I like to add that we [OTHERS] don't really care if all those changes discussed get implemented, we will adapt to suit.

[edited to make it  a bit more readable]

I'm sorry, I don't understand, what's the issue with beta2's again ? If it's an issue about them being empty then that's a perspective skewed by low population and differing time zones. We live at SI, but it might appear empty because we (surprise, surprise) have real lives, jobs, family, etc. So we can only really be active in a particular time zone, that does not mean there is a problem with any game mechanics.

I've said it countless times before and I'll say again, most of the game's issues are (lack of) population based.

I'm yet to understand how changing a station mechanic could or would cause an increase in people playing the game. I'm happy to be wrong and I'm happy to have things changed. Just don't change things based on a perceived problem that is actually exasperated by a much larger problem ie, number of players, which is also exasperated further by time zones.

The devs are on the right track by adding more content to attract people to alpha initially. Let's keep adding content to the islands. 

Just my 2 cents..

Tend to agree with this tbh.. Not so much the "easy to get around" part but certainly the Dev time part. There are much more important things the Devs could be investing their time into, like better corp/alliance features for one.

Also part of the market problem atm is low population, not the whole problem but certainly a contributor.

My 2 cents..

Just have red indy bots come along and ecm and neut the crap outa people. Have them stay on target until target either moves away or someone else comes along and kills them.

1. There is no butthurt about losing bot
2. Afk'ers and botters can get no resources cause they have no accumulator to run mining arms.

This of course wont work for people using bots to farm static spawns, but hey, static spawns are being removed right ?

Simples..

Next problem ?

I would argue that even observers are not worth chasing. Consider the amount of plasma/kernels dropped and it's value and compare that to the cost of replacing your bot should you lose it. Also superior observers are the highest difficulty NPC in the game and in that context compare the value of the loot they drop.. Given those two considerations alone, why would anyone bother with them ?

Forgot to mention the fun factor.. Need to disregard the fun factor. Some peeps find it fun to chase them down and kill them even if the loot is crap.

Yes that would be easier, however I put it to you that the easy way is not always the right way. In fact, the right way is most always NOT the easiest way.

As texas says above, let's wait and see what eventuates from the PVE patch before we all run around screaming that the sky is falling..

Can't argue with anything here..

+1