I agree with a lot of this, but I think a few things are overlooked in the balance rollback, and a few things we can do as players that can solve some of the other problems.
-------Balancing-----------
Overall, I think dev-time is better spent on other features and game world issues. But if this truly would bring old players back too, then this is a close 2nd in priority
I think there are some good balancing changes that are worth keeping.
+The speed increase (and subsequent HM reduction, but higher than original) is good to let players spend more time doing things, less time walking.
+Mass increase to plates: awesome. If you want to be demob resistant, you also got to be slow.
+Surface size/hit dispersion increase on medium weapons: also great. Hard to hit small targets, can't one shot demob bots; good!
-The tuning changes are not good, and have catastrophic effects on the pvp landscape, and will tank the PVE/material market if there was enough player density to exploit it. The metis outperforms a riv mk2 in mining simply because of an additional high slot. Most use T2 smalls for mining and harvesting, instead of T4 mediums to take advantage of the exponential bonus explosion and to cut down the accum cost. The gropho has the best alpha and dps, sustainable dps at that because of the low accum cost on the base weapon. Its just all silly. Now green fits are not about variety, but about max-dps. Thats the opposite of what the tuning change was supposed to do!
I agree with the syndicate buff. However they should be the best in-their-role, but not better than a mk2 in another role (like the metis miner/harvester fit I describe). And to an extent they do this, and serve unique roles. I would advocate creating a real niche for syndicate bots. The ewar syndicates should get unique bonuses to demob or... something..
Surface size and slightly better signal doesn't really catch anyone's attention as a worthwhile consideration over mk2s.
----------Game world/PVE------------
Red spawns on Alpha 2's = good. Static or isolated areas so movement is possible, but where some mining and assignments would be disrupted or at least require combat support (what?! cross-profession cooperative play?!).
Agreed: squad missions need to be brought back. I routinely advise new players to drop squad when they run assignments because it benefits no one. It cuts their earnings, they take on more difficulty, and 9/10 of the payout disappears. Even if we participated: it takes longer, the payout is less, in nic, tokens, rep, everything.
If you are worried about inflation from assignments, id look at how quickly I grind 1 bil nic harvesting with a Metis, or how fast a DPS gropho wipes a combat spawn.
---------Things we can do: player initiatives------------
For things like opening beta outposts, and market. Players can do this!
Hell I'll open Initia.
Red vs Blue also introduces opportunities for new players to get onto Beta and have some guarantee of reasonable access and fights. RvB could go NRDS, who knows!
The market, this too is easily combated with players that login and play the game. I've already begun to seed non NPC supplied goods (T2-T4 and bots), and Jasdemi's donations have radically increased these volumes now on the general markets and brought down prices.
The reason I advocate for the community taking these things on is:
A) it makes you *** log on and play-- I know how awful...
B) Dev-time can then be more focused on things players can't do (like seed Red spawns)
