Introducing Clone States and the Future of Access to EVE Onl

[Forum Admin]

http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev ... ve-online/





     

Immortal Capsuleers,

Today, we have something exciting to share with you; our plans for a new feature that will let both old and new players take part in EVE Online for free.

This is a big, fundamental change to the way EVE works, so we’d like to go over the high level concept, some reasoning for it, and the kind of help we need from you to make it solid. Then, at the bottom of the blog you can find a full Q&A section which addresses points not covered in the blog itself.

This feature is built around the complex biotechnology which originally gave rise to the capsuleers: clones. Technological advancements in New Eden have led to a new way of manufacturing and augmenting clones, unlocking the possibility for a variety of distinct Clone States. With this technology, clone manufacturers can now build and distribute clones which possess a base state, the Alpha state. They can be enhanced or otherwise altered to achieve other states, but the Alpha state will always exist underneath. The state of a given clone may affect its access to trained skills, its ability to train new ones, or the rate at which new skills are acquired.

When we launch later this year there will be two clone states available:


The Alpha Clone State is the new base state for all clones and it will be available to any character in New Eden at any time. Clones in the Alpha state will be able to train and use a specific set of skills including tech one Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers for your faction along with essential weapons and modules. Alphas will also train skills at a reduced rate compared to Omegas.

 

The Omega Clone State is obtained by augmenting basic clones using neural expanders and cerebral acceleration technology, granting unlimited skill access. Omega clone state will behave exactly as your subscribed characters do now. 


Your clone state will be determined by your account status. Characters on subscribed or PLEXed accounts will be granted Omega state, while Alpha state will be given to characters on any unsubscribed account.

You probably have a lot of questions already, and we will address many of them here, but let’s start with some discussion about why we are excited to make this change and why we’re making it now.

As you know, EVE is a very special game. Our single shard server means that every player truly affects every other, whether through economics, resource gathering, direct combat or bad posting. This in turn means that our universe is more interesting, more exciting and more dangerous with each additional citizen.

Just like you, we’ve known this for a long time and, just like you, we’ve been doing everything we can to bring more people into our spectacular sandbox. Part of our vision for the future of EVE has included more open access for some time, but with the interconnected nature of the game comes vulnerability. We knew that if the flood gates were opened in the wrong way, we could see anything from server meltdowns to the collapse of the EVE economy. Over time, our hardware has improved, code has been untangled (mostly!) and we’ve found a design we believe in.

EVE is ready for this.

Let’s dig into that design and how it really works.

Clone States – In Depth

First of all, accounts won’t be changing much. Every account has three character slots. One of those slots at a time may be used to train skills. One of those characters may be logged in at a time. Account services such as PLEX, Multiple Character Training, and Skill Trading will be completely unaffected.

As described above, any account with an active subscription (paid directly or via PLEX) will have all its characters upgraded to Omega state. Omega can be summed up in a very simple way: It works exactly like subscribed accounts always have.

Alpha State, on the other hand, will be much different. The most important thing to know about Alpha clones is that they may only use a specific set of skills and skill levels. To begin with, we are planning that the Alpha skill set will be focused on using tech one Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers. Alpha clones will only be able to use ship and weapon skills native to their faction. If you have skills trained on a character in Alpha State, which are not part of the Alpha skill set, those skills will be locked and unusable until Omega state is reactivated. Characters will start the game with the same 400,000 skill points as they do now and will be able to train freely within the Alpha list. A fully trained Alpha will have roughly 5 million skill points. You can find the full Alpha list in the Q&A below the blog.

By specifically selecting skills in this way, we can ensure that the EVE ecosystem and the value of Omega state are both protected, while still providing a wide-ranging, exciting EVE experience for Alphas. The clone state prevents access to powerful skills like Cynosural Field Theory and Cloaking, and limits farming through skills that control scaling and efficiency. We are also able to react to unexpected issues by refining the Alpha clone skill list further, should the need arise. Of course, Alphas also have enormous freedom. They will be doing everything from rampaging null sec in Caracal fleets to exploration sites in high sec to playing a major role in faction warfare.



Along with all the system changes described above, we want to make sure that the game itself does a good job showing where skills, items, certificates or activities require a certain clone state. For that reason, we are doing a hefty update to the skill section of the character sheet as well as adding new iconography across the client to let you know exactly what each state can do. Here’s a work in progress shot of the new skill window and an Alpha looking through an inventory with some Omega required items:



(click to enlarge)



Many players coming back to check EVE for free will have played before and they might have last logged out in any number of situations which an Alpha could never have found itself in, like behind the wheel of a Titan for instance. Again, check out the Q&A for more detail, but our general approach in these situations is going to be very hands off. We won’t be moving ships around or cancelling your jobs and orders. Instead, benefits from skills that require Omega state won’t be applied and modules requiring those skills will go offline.

The design we're describing is based on the combined effort of all of us here, but we need your help to make sure the Alpha experience is the best it can be. We need to hear how you think Alpha state will get used, especially if there’s obvious problems. We need to get the set of Alpha state skills tuned very carefully. And we also need to know what we can do to support you as a wave of new players come to the game looking for a home.

The CSM heard about this concept just a couple days ago--basically the same time you are, but we are communicating now specifically so that they can help gather your feedback and bring it to us for the summit in September, where we will be flying out the entire CSM for the first time. If you would rather talk to us directly, the forum thread for this blog is a great place to start and we will be opening up other channels, such as a Reddit AMA, in the coming weeks.

We are extremely excited about the Clone States feature. Soon, New Eden will be inundated with a flood of wide-eyed capsuleers eager to explore the world we've been building together for the past 13 years. And you will be able to shape their experiences. Are you going to help them fit a PVE destroyer? Or maybe have them point that destroyer towards the waiting ranks of a rival alliance? Or might you perhaps share a few rounds of that famous low sec hospitality? The choice is yours. 

Clone States are coming this November. What will they mean to you?

Signing off,

Team Size Matters, on behalf of the EVE Online Development Team

 

Questions and Answers:

Questions about how it works:

Q: Where can I see what skills Alphas will be allowed to train and use?

A: The full list is at the bottom of this page. Note that it is a work in progress and we will be adjusting the list based on your feedback.

Q: If I upgrade my account to Omega does it affect all my characters?

A: Yes, all the characters on an account share a clone state. Note that you can still only train one character at a time, per account (unless you have a multiple character training certificate).

Q: Can Alpha clones inject and extract skills?

A: You can Inject skills regardless of your clone state. Currently, we are planning to require Omega state for skill extraction and also not allow the extraction of skills in the Alpha set.

Q: Are there restrictions on simultaneous log on for Alpha Clones?

A: We have not decided whether the simultaneous log on restrictions from the current trial system will apply to Alpha Clones. The decision will partly depend on your feedback, as well as our technical investigations over the coming months.

Q: Can other players see my clone state?

A: No, only you will be able to see your clone state. We think that seeing the clone state of other players would provide too much strategic value to make it public.

Questions about returning players:

Q: If I used to play EVE, do I need to do anything to activate Alpha State?

A: No, any unsubscribed account will automatically be set to Alpha State.

Q: What happens if I log in as an Alpha but I’m in a ship with required Omega skills?

A: You will be allowed to fly the ship until the next time you dock, but any ship bonuses or attributes will not gain the benefits of Omega skills.

Q: What happens if I log as an Alpha but I have modules fit that require Omega skills?

A: Those modules will be set offline when you log in.

Q: What happens if my training queue contains Omega skills but I am in Alpha State?

A: We will pause your training queue and it will need to be manually restarted once the Omega skills are removed or the subscription is renewed.

Questions about abuse:

Q: Won’t suicide ganking using free characters be a major problem?

A: We don’t think clone states will have much impact on suicide ganking or other harassment in high-sec. But, we will be paying very close attention and if this becomes an issue we can pursue options to improve the situation such as turning safety’s on for Alphas in high sec or making changes to the allowed skills list.

Q: What about botting? Won’t it get out of control?

A: Botting and multiplexing are a violation of the EULA and will be investigated and persecuted as usual under these changes. We don’t expect a significant increase in this kind of activity but we will be amping up security to make sure we don’t have problems.

Q: What about farming on free alts using systems like industry?

A: We’ve deliberately tried to limit this behavior using the skills allowed in the Alpha list. It should be very hard to scale alt farms in a way that hurts the ecosystem. But, this is something we need your help on though so if you see the potential for abuse please let us know.

Q: Won’t lag be a huge problem?

A: We are confident that we can handle a significant increase in activity, so hopefully not. We are prepared to make design changes if this does become a problem, and as always we will continue investing in our hardware and our code base.

Questions about design choices:

Q: Why are Alpha skills limited to the character’s faction?

A: We feel that it's important to keep the allowed skills list from getting too large but would rather there was depth within their chosen faction than broad options to cross into other factions. This also reserves pirate faction ships as an Omega only option, which fits considering their power and complexity. Finally, we think focusing on one faction for new characters will help lower the early game complexity.

Q: Why are Alpha skills limited to Cruisers and lower?

A: We think this set of ships gives you the chance to have a meaningful impact on almost every activity and environment in the game without causing any problems in the ecosystem. Bigger and more advanced ships could easily lead to various forms of farming and abuse that would harm the experience for subscribed EVE players. That said, we expect to make changes based on feedback and on activity once the feature is released.

Questions about accounts and payment:

Q: Will you start charging for expansions or other new content?

A: No, we will continue to develop and release expansions and features for free as we always have.

Q: Will the price of subscription change? 

A: No.

Q: Will there be things I used to get as part of my subscription that I will now have to pay separately for?

A: No – if you are subscribed to EVE Online, you will have all the same benefits and resources available to you as you always have as a subscriber.

Q: Will customer support work the same for Alpha and Omega states?

A: We are creating and implementing concrete plans to make sure we can provide the same level of support for all of our players.

Q: Will Alphas be allowed on test servers?

A: Not most of the time, but possibly for certain events.

Q: What happens if my subscription ends while I'm logged in, will I be converted to Alpha in the middle of a fight?

A: In these cases, you will remain an Omega until the next time you log out. We won't ever turn skills off during the middle of a session.

Trainable skills in Alpha State:





Race



Skill



Level



Group





Amarr



Armor Layering



1



Armor





Amarr



EM Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Amarr



Explosive Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Amarr



Hull Upgrades



4



Armor





Amarr



Kinetic Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Amarr



Mechanics



4



Armor





Amarr



Remote Armor Repair Systems



3



Armor





Amarr



Remote Hull Repair Systems



1



Armor





Amarr



Repair Systems



4



Armor





Amarr



Thermal Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Amarr



Corporation Management



1



Corporation Management





Amarr



Drone Avionics



4



Drones





Amarr



Drone Durability



4



Drones





Amarr



Drone Interfacing



3



Drones





Amarr



Drone Navigation



4



Drones





Amarr



Drone Sharpshooting



4



Drones





Amarr



Drones



5



Drones





Amarr



Light Drone Operation



4



Drones





Amarr



Medium Drone Operation



3



Drones





Amarr



Repair Drone Operation



2



Drones





Amarr



Electronic Warfare



4



Electronic Systems





Amarr



Propulsion Jamming



3



Electronic Systems





Amarr



Weapon Disruption



3



Electronic Systems





Amarr



Advanced Weapon Upgrades



1



Engineering





Amarr



CPU Management



4



Engineering





Amarr



Capacitor Emission Systems



3



Engineering





Amarr



Capacitor Management



4



Engineering





Amarr



Capacitor Systems Operation



3



Engineering





Amarr



Electronics Upgrades



4



Engineering





Amarr



Energy Grid Upgrades



4



Engineering





Amarr



Energy Pulse Weapons



2



Engineering





Amarr



Power Grid Management



4



Engineering





Amarr



Thermodynamics



3



Engineering





Amarr



Weapon Upgrades



4



Engineering





Amarr



Controlled Bursts



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Gunnery



5



Gunnery





Amarr



Medium Energy Turret



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Motion Prediction



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Rapid Firing



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Sharpshooter



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Small Energy Turret



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Surgical Strike



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Trajectory Analysis



4



Gunnery





Amarr



Leadership



3



Leadership





Amarr



Missile Launcher Operation



1



Missiles





Amarr



Acceleration Control



3



Navigation





Amarr



Afterburner



3



Navigation





Amarr



Evasive Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Amarr



High Speed Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Amarr



Navigation



4



Navigation





Amarr



Warp Drive Operation



3



Navigation





Amarr



Biology



3



Neural Enhancement





Amarr



Cybernetics



3



Neural Enhancement





Amarr



Industry



5



Production





Amarr



Mass Production



3



Production





Amarr



Mining



4



Resource Processing





Amarr



Mining Upgrades



4



Resource Processing





Amarr



Reprocessing



3



Resource Processing





Amarr



Salvaging



3



Resource Processing





Amarr



Armor Rigging



2



Rigging





Amarr



Astronautics Rigging



2



Rigging





Amarr



Drones Rigging



2



Rigging





Amarr



Electronic Superiority Rigging



2



Rigging





Amarr



Energy Weapon Rigging



2



Rigging





Amarr



Jury Rigging



3



Rigging





Amarr



Archaeology



3



Scanning





Amarr



Astrometric Acquisition



2



Scanning





Amarr



Astrometric Rangefinding



2



Scanning





Amarr



Astrometrics



3



Scanning





Amarr



Hacking



3



Scanning





Amarr



Survey



3



Scanning





Amarr



Science



4



Science





Amarr



EM Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Amarr



Explosive Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Amarr



Kinetic Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Amarr



Shield Compensation



3



Shields





Amarr



Shield Management



3



Shields





Amarr



Shield Operation



4



Shields





Amarr



Shield Upgrades



3



Shields





Amarr



Tactical Shield Manipulation



3



Shields





Amarr



Thermal Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Amarr



Connections



2



Social





Amarr



Criminal Connections



2



Social





Amarr



Diplomacy



3



Social





Amarr



Distribution Connections



2



Social





Amarr



Mining Connections



2



Social





Amarr



Negotiation



2



Social





Amarr



Security Connections



2



Social





Amarr



Social



3



Social





Amarr



Amarr Cruiser



4



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Amarr Destroyer



4



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Amarr Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Amarr Industrial



1



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Mining Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Spaceship Command



3



Spaceship Command





Amarr



Anchoring



1



Structure Management





Amarr



Long Range Targeting



3



Targeting





Amarr



Signature Analysis



3



Targeting





Amarr



Target Management



4



Targeting





Amarr



Broker Relations



2



Trade





Amarr



Marketing



2



Trade





Amarr



Trade



3



Trade





Caldari



Armor Layering



1



Armor





Caldari



EM Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Caldari



Explosive Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Caldari



Hull Upgrades



4



Armor





Caldari



Kinetic Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Caldari



Mechanics



4



Armor





Caldari



Remote Hull Repair Systems



1



Armor





Caldari



Repair Systems



4



Armor





Caldari



Thermal Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Caldari



Corporation Management



1



Corporation Management





Caldari



Drones



3



Drones





Caldari



Light Drone Operation



1



Drones





Caldari



Electronic Warfare



4



Electronic Systems





Caldari



Propulsion Jamming



3



Electronic Systems





Caldari



Weapon Disruption



3



Electronic Systems





Caldari



Advanced Weapon Upgrades



1



Engineering





Caldari



CPU Management



4



Engineering





Caldari



Capacitor Emission Systems



3



Engineering





Caldari



Capacitor Management



4



Engineering





Caldari



Capacitor Systems Operation



3



Engineering





Caldari



Electronics Upgrades



4



Engineering





Caldari



Energy Grid Upgrades



4



Engineering





Caldari



Energy Pulse Weapons



2



Engineering





Caldari



Power Grid Management



4



Engineering





Caldari



Thermodynamics



3



Engineering





Caldari



Weapon Upgrades



4



Engineering





Caldari



Controlled Bursts



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Gunnery



5



Gunnery





Caldari



Medium Hybrid Turret



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Motion Prediction



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Rapid Firing



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Sharpshooter



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Small Hybrid Turret



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Surgical Strike



4



Gunnery





Caldari



Trajectory Analysis



3



Gunnery





Caldari



Leadership



3



Leadership





Caldari



Missile Launcher Operation



5



Missiles





Caldari



Light Missiles



4



Missiles





Caldari



Heavy Assault Missiles



3



Missiles





Caldari



Heavy Missiles



4



Missiles





Caldari



Missile Bombardment



4



Missiles





Caldari



Missile Projection



2



Missiles





Caldari



Rapid Launch



4



Missiles





Caldari



Rockets



4



Missiles





Caldari



Target Navigation Prediction



3



Missiles





Caldari



Warhead Upgrades



3



Missiles





Caldari



Acceleration Control



3



Navigation





Caldari



Afterburner



3



Navigation





Caldari



Evasive Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Caldari



High Speed Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Caldari



Navigation



4



Navigation





Caldari



Warp Drive Operation



3



Navigation





Caldari



Biology



3



Neural Enhancement





Caldari



Cybernetics



3



Neural Enhancement





Caldari



Industry



5



Production





Caldari



Mass Production



3



Production





Caldari



Mining



4



Resource Processing





Caldari



Mining Upgrades



4



Resource Processing





Caldari



Reprocessing



3



Resource Processing





Caldari



Salvaging



3



Resource Processing





Caldari



Astronautics Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Drones Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Electronic Superiority Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Hybrid Weapon Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Jury Rigging



3



Rigging





Caldari



Shield Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Launcher Rigging



2



Rigging





Caldari



Archaeology



3



Scanning





Caldari



Astrometric Acquisition



2



Scanning





Caldari



Astrometric Rangefinding



2



Scanning





Caldari



Astrometrics



3



Scanning





Caldari



Hacking



3



Scanning





Caldari



Survey



3



Scanning





Caldari



Science



4



Science





Caldari



EM Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Caldari



Explosive Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Caldari



Kinetic Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Caldari



Shield Compensation



3



Shields





Caldari



Shield Emission Systems



3



Shields





Caldari



Shield Management



4



Shields





Caldari



Shield Operation



4



Shields





Caldari



Shield Upgrades



4



Shields





Caldari



Tactical Shield Manipulation



3



Shields





Caldari



Thermal Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Caldari



Connections



2



Social





Caldari



Criminal Connections



2



Social





Caldari



Diplomacy



3



Social





Caldari



Distribution Connections



2



Social





Caldari



Mining Connections



2



Social





Caldari



Negotiation



2



Social





Caldari



Security Connections



2



Social





Caldari



Social



3



Social





Caldari



Caldari Cruiser



4



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Caldari Destroyer



4



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Caldari Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Caldari Industrial



1



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Mining Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Spaceship Command



3



Spaceship Command





Caldari



Anchoring



1



Structure Management





Caldari



Long Range Targeting



3



Targeting





Caldari



Signature Analysis



3



Targeting





Caldari



Target Management



4



Targeting





Caldari



Broker Relations



2



Trade





Caldari



Marketing



2



Trade





Caldari



Trade



3



Trade





Gallente



Armor Layering



1



Armor





Gallente



EM Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Gallente



Explosive Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Gallente



Hull Upgrades



4



Armor





Gallente



Kinetic Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Gallente



Mechanics



4



Armor





Gallente



Remote Armor Repair Systems



3



Armor





Gallente



Remote Hull Repair Systems



1



Armor





Gallente



Repair Systems



4



Armor





Gallente



Thermal Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Gallente



Corporation Management



1



Corporation Management





Gallente



Drone Avionics



4



Drones





Gallente



Drone Durability



4



Drones





Gallente



Drone Interfacing



3



Drones





Gallente



Drone Navigation



4



Drones





Gallente



Drone Sharpshooting



4



Drones





Gallente



Drones



5



Drones





Gallente



Light Drone Operation



4



Drones





Gallente



Medium Drone Operation



3



Drones





Gallente



Repair Drone Operation



2



Drones





Gallente



Electronic Warfare



4



Electronic Systems





Gallente



Propulsion Jamming



3



Electronic Systems





Gallente



Weapon Disruption



3



Electronic Systems





Gallente



Sensor Linking



1



Electronic Systems





Gallente



Advanced Weapon Upgrades



1



Engineering





Gallente



CPU Management



4



Engineering





Gallente



Capacitor Emission Systems



3



Engineering





Gallente



Capacitor Management



4



Engineering





Gallente



Capacitor Systems Operation



3



Engineering





Gallente



Electronics Upgrades



4



Engineering





Gallente



Energy Grid Upgrades



4



Engineering





Gallente



Energy Pulse Weapons



2



Engineering





Gallente



Power Grid Management



4



Engineering





Gallente



Thermodynamics



3



Engineering





Gallente



Weapon Upgrades



4



Engineering





Gallente



Controlled Bursts



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Gunnery



5



Gunnery





Gallente



Medium Hybrid Turret



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Motion Prediction



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Rapid Firing



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Sharpshooter



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Small Hybrid Turret



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Surgical Strike



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Trajectory Analysis



4



Gunnery





Gallente



Leadership



3



Leadership





Gallente



Missile Launcher Operation



1



Missiles





Gallente



Acceleration Control



3



Navigation





Gallente



Afterburner



3



Navigation





Gallente



Evasive Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Gallente



High Speed Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Gallente



Navigation



4



Navigation





Gallente



Warp Drive Operation



3



Navigation





Gallente



Biology



3



Neural Enhancement





Gallente



Cybernetics



3



Neural Enhancement





Gallente



Industry



5



Production





Gallente



Mass Production



3



Production





Gallente



Mining



4



Resource Processing





Gallente



Mining Upgrades



4



Resource Processing





Gallente



Reprocessing



3



Resource Processing





Gallente



Salvaging



3



Resource Processing





Gallente



Armor Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Astronautics Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Drones Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Electronic Superiority Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Hybrid Weapon Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Jury Rigging



3



Rigging





Gallente



Shield Rigging



2



Rigging





Gallente



Archaeology



3



Scanning





Gallente



Astrometric Acquisition



2



Scanning





Gallente



Astrometric Rangefinding



2



Scanning





Gallente



Astrometrics



3



Scanning





Gallente



Hacking



3



Scanning





Gallente



Survey



3



Scanning





Gallente



Science



4



Science





Gallente



EM Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Gallente



Explosive Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Gallente



Kinetic Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Gallente



Shield Compensation



3



Shields





Gallente



Shield Management



3



Shields





Gallente



Shield Operation



4



Shields





Gallente



Shield Upgrades



4



Shields





Gallente



Tactical Shield Manipulation



3



Shields





Gallente



Thermal Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Gallente



Connections



2



Social





Gallente



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2



Social





Gallente



Diplomacy



3



Social





Gallente



Distribution Connections



2



Social





Gallente



Mining Connections



2



Social





Gallente



Negotiation



2



Social





Gallente



Security Connections



2



Social





Gallente



Social



3



Social





Gallente



Gallente Cruiser



4



Spaceship Command





Gallente



Gallente Destroyer



4



Spaceship Command





Gallente



Gallente Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Gallente



Gallente Industrial



1



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Gallente



Mining Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Gallente



Spaceship Command



3



Spaceship Command





Gallente



Anchoring



1



Structure Management





Gallente



Long Range Targeting



3



Targeting





Gallente



Signature Analysis



3



Targeting





Gallente



Target Management



4



Targeting





Gallente



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2



Trade





Gallente



Marketing



2



Trade





Gallente



Trade



3



Trade





Minmatar



Armor Layering



1



Armor





Minmatar



EM Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Minmatar



Explosive Armor Compensation



1



Armor





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Hull Upgrades



4



Armor





Minmatar



Kinetic Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Minmatar



Mechanics



4



Armor





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Remote Hull Repair Systems



1



Armor





Minmatar



Repair Systems



4



Armor





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Thermal Armor Compensation



1



Armor





Minmatar



Corporation Management



1



Corporation Management





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Drones



3



Drones





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Light Drone Operation



1



Drones





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Electronic Warfare



4



Electronic Systems





Minmatar



Propulsion Jamming



3



Electronic Systems





Minmatar



Weapon Disruption



3



Electronic Systems





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Target Painting



1



Electronic Systems





Minmatar



Advanced Weapon Upgrades



1



Engineering





Minmatar



CPU Management



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Capacitor Emission Systems



3



Engineering





Minmatar



Capacitor Management



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Capacitor Systems Operation



3



Engineering





Minmatar



Electronics Upgrades



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Energy Grid Upgrades



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Energy Pulse Weapons



2



Engineering





Minmatar



Power Grid Management



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Thermodynamics



3



Engineering





Minmatar



Weapon Upgrades



4



Engineering





Minmatar



Controlled Bursts



1



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Gunnery



5



Gunnery





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Medium Projectile Turret



4



Gunnery





Minmatar



Motion Prediction



4



Gunnery





Minmatar



Rapid Firing



4



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4



Gunnery





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4



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Surgical Strike



4



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Trajectory Analysis



4



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3



Leadership





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Missile Launcher Operation



5



Missiles





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4



Missiles





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3



Missiles





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4



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Missile Bombardment



4



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Missile Projection



2



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Rapid Launch



4



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Rockets



4



Missiles





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Target Navigation Prediction



3



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Warhead Upgrades



3



Missiles





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Acceleration Control



3



Navigation





Minmatar



Afterburner



3



Navigation





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3



Navigation





Minmatar



High Speed Maneuvering



3



Navigation





Minmatar



Navigation



4



Navigation





Minmatar



Warp Drive Operation



3



Navigation





Minmatar



Biology



3



Neural Enhancement





Minmatar



Cybernetics



3



Neural Enhancement





Minmatar



Industry



5



Production





Minmatar



Mass Production



3



Production





Minmatar



Mining



4



Resource Processing





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Mining Upgrades



4



Resource Processing





Minmatar



Reprocessing



3



Resource Processing





Minmatar



Salvaging



3



Resource Processing





Minmatar



Astronautics Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Drones Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Electronic Superiority Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Projectile Weapon Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Jury Rigging



3



Rigging





Minmatar



Shield Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Launcher Rigging



2



Rigging





Minmatar



Archaeology



3



Scanning





Minmatar



Astrometric Acquisition



2



Scanning





Minmatar



Astrometric Rangefinding



2



Scanning





Minmatar



Astrometrics



3



Scanning





Minmatar



Hacking



3



Scanning





Minmatar



Survey



3



Scanning





Minmatar



Science



4



Science





Minmatar



EM Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Minmatar



Explosive Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Minmatar



Kinetic Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Minmatar



Shield Compensation



3



Shields





Minmatar



Shield Emission Systems



3



Shields





Minmatar



Shield Management



4



Shields





Minmatar



Shield Operation



4



Shields





Minmatar



Shield Upgrades



4



Shields





Minmatar



Tactical Shield Manipulation



3



Shields





Minmatar



Thermal Shield Compensation



1



Shields





Minmatar



Connections



2



Social





Minmatar



Criminal Connections



2



Social





Minmatar



Diplomacy



3



Social





Minmatar



Distribution Connections



2



Social





Minmatar



Mining Connections



2



Social





Minmatar



Negotiation



2



Social





Minmatar



Security Connections



2



Social





Minmatar



Social



3



Social





Minmatar



Minmatar Cruiser



4



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Minmatar Destroyer



4



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Minmatar Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Minmatar Industrial



1



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Mining Frigate



4



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Spaceship Command



3



Spaceship Command





Minmatar



Anchoring



1



Structure Management





Minmatar



Long Range Targeting



3



Targeting





Minmatar



Signature Analysis



3



Targeting





Minmatar



Target Management



4



Targeting





Minmatar



Broker Relations



2



Trade





Minmatar



Marketing



2



Trade





Minmatar



Trade



3



Trade





 

[Challu Ni]

Huh?

[McNab DK1977]

Will be interesting to see if it can help attract new players to Eve, and will also be interesting to see how old players finds ways to exploit these Alpha clones. But CCP knows they need new players to keep this game alive and i guess this might be a way.

[Bongalonga]

Well sounds good to get new people involved - I have a couple of mates that would be more inclined if they can initially play for free and then once they are addicted the switch to paid shouldn't be too hard. Very clever CCP.

Plus I can revive some old alts, train all these base skills that I skill extracted and see if making them paid again is worth it, all of this equals potential for more cashflow for CCP which is good for the game.

Now to figure out more ways to abuse/ I mean use this system to our benefit. Maybe we can add an "Alpha Corp" to the alliance and all have free accounts populated with Alpha toons in tech 1 cruisers for a bit of roaming fun + with escalation to our mains if needed. Lots of options.

[Ion Blacknight]

I think its a smart move. It will definitely mean more pilots in space, old and new, which is good for the game. Glad to see CCP making bold moves.

[Ion Blacknight]

Huh?

[Fleshgrind]

Uhh.. hi-sec will be gank fest of recycled characters. Glad I dont plan on going back there anytime soon. People will have multiple non paying accounts in NPC corps with alts in systems in deep safes that have high target potential, which happens now with people who have a lot of RL money to spend. With free accounts everybody will have them and it will be an epidemic.

Honestly whats to stop corps or alliances taking hundreds of clones in T1 ships and logging them off in enemy space because who cares there free.

It might take some time for the eve community to take advantage of it but its going to be a mess.

[Challu Ni]

I really hope this helps bring in new players, and there's a good chance it will.

I'm looking forward with amusement and a tad of concern at what kinda exploits Eve's enterprising playerbase will come up with.

[Bongalonga]

As long as people are limited to have 1 Alpha Clone logged in at a time then it should cover most bases for those thinking people will make hundreds of alts. Alternatively (and a good way to kill any abuse by current players) is to not allow an Alpha Clone to login if you have a paid account logged in from the same PC. That stops vets taking advantage but allows it to serve its design by allowing noobs a free to play option. And yes I know people will find ways around it but for the majority they just won't be bothered.

Good change I think.

[Fleshgrind]

How are they going to enforce one alpha clone at a time? Per account? Per IP address. Its a great Idea I just dont have any faith in CCP's execution.

[Dak Dallocort]

Well you already can't log on more than one trial account at a time, so I assume it'll be more of the same. Of course if you have multiple PCs you can get around that, but then why not just sub your accounts?