Challenge to the community: unfreeze the skill progression

[Doer]

Originally Posted by The Elf

well, MA finally responded to my support case with some song-and-dance routine about how they're seeing more people starting new accounts.
it got me to thinking, maybe what they're really after is an ever-changing playerbase built on a revolving door concept, wherein people start out, play for a while making deposits, then cash out long before they ever attain anything that resembles a break-even mark?
seems like an awfully limited long-term plan for a business to have your players targetted for planned obsolescence.
on the plus side, at least they didn't list the case as 'closed', so it's still marked as 'in progress'...
maybe they are starting to get a few more cases??

C'MON!! EVERYBODY SEND YOUR BEST-CASE SKILLING OUTLOOK TO MA

Thanks for reporting, Elf. My original case is still untouched, the second is "in progress".

I've shared this story before, but this seems a good time: Once upon a time cellphones were taking the USA by storm. Everyone and his dog was starting to get one, and cellphone companies were booming. One little company called AT&T Wireless thought it would be great for business to not waste money on customer service or retention, focusing instead on squeezing everything possible out of those who were unfortunate enough to sign on the line. They sold out unpaid contracts with spurrilous and often incorrect fees added on to dubious collection agencies and generally acted like there was 1) an endless fresh supply of new customers and 2) they had two ass-ends and no eyes.

Well, AT&T Wireless went belly-up due to a huge loss of market share.

Then, three or so years later, Cingular (who had once been bitten by AT&T Wireless and were overcome by the vampire retroviruses) morphed into AT&T.

Well that last part is completely irrelevant except that i found it strange that they thought it worth another go as a cell company with that name. However, the rest of the story has a moral somewhere.

[Teilk]

Originally Posted by The Elf

well, MA finally responded to my support case with some song-and-dance routine about how they're seeing more people starting new accounts.
it got me to thinking, maybe what they're really after is an ever-changing playerbase built on a revolving door concept, wherein people start out, play for a while making deposits, then cash out long before they ever attain anything that resembles a break-even mark?
seems like an awfully limited long-term plan for a business to have your players targetted for planned obsolescence.
on the plus side, at least they didn't list the case as 'closed', so it's still marked as 'in progress'...
maybe they are starting to get a few more cases??

C'MON!! EVERYBODY SEND YOUR BEST-CASE SKILLING OUTLOOK TO MA

Actually, its an admirable long term outlook from a corporate standpoint. Every time someone deposits or withdraws, MA makes money. Every time someone chips out, they decay many dollars worth of ESI's, and MA makes money. Every time they list those ESI's on the auction, MA makes money, (and even more when people bid them up). If they can ensure that the influx of newer players outweighs the ones cashing out, they have a very lucrative future. It is unrealistic to not plan for a player mortality rate, and to find a way to capitalize on that mortality rate is, well, clever.

[Doer]

Well folks, in light of the new VU i'm going to let this thread die.

It's clear that a large majority of the players really don't care all that much (see eg the soap-op threads that get 10x the views and posts in a day or two compared to the total on this one) and those who do care often misunderstand what has been done and why it is a poor way to do it vs. alternatives -- including MA. It's easy to exploit people when they don't fully understand what's happening, and that's why i try to promote knowledge here. "Knowledge is power" is more than just a buzz-phrase.

I really appreciate the thoughts expressed by all the posters and the support from those who gave it.

My support cases are still pending; there's still a slim chance MA will step up and make final alterations to the system to slow down progression without shutting everyone out, and then show some spine by declaring it done. I have two last things to say as i let my project sink. First, no more deposits from me. It's symbolic, mostly, to say that. Second, you can link this thread for my epitaph: It may be sooner, it may be later, but this is the issue that will make me buy a ticket back to Earth.

[P-J]

I think a lot of people care about the skill nerf...of the people I know a number were waiting for the VU update and a few have already voted with their feet.

[Shining]

That is exactly the point.

When I started to do colouring, my dream - and ONLY dream - was to beat one day Sarah (insert any name of an elite player) in her skills.

Tell me one thing: If there is no, absolutely no hope, to reach them ever in a reasonable way....why should I continue to even do one single more colouring? If it is not possible, then I do not see why I should colour, hunt, mine, craft, whatever except chatting and some sweating. Additionally, not only the skill leads to success, it is also knowing people, PR, and much else. But if the overall quality of work/sucess cannot be archieved.....then no reason to think further.

Another thing that is linked close with it: I do not see _any_ investment security. For example: Shops. Why spending thousands of USD, just to see some time later a change that ruins your investment?
Or hangars: I saw one for 60.000 ped in the auction. To say first: I would indeed spend 6000 USD(!) for such thing, but not if I have to fear MA will add a "lift" or something like that 6 months later. Not, if I need at an investment of 60K and presumed 4 flights a day, 5 days per week, 8 hours per day, about 1.5 years just to return my investment. Running costs not included, ingame and RL.

True, there are exceptions. And globals do not count, since that is gambling, nothing else.

In other words: No investment security means that no reasonable businessman would even consider spending a reasonable amount in it.
And even if some of the people do not concur, but: If i spend several thousands USD in something, I have a businessplan, it means full work (and not "gaming") and I expect to have a chance to get it back. There is only one exception: If the balance between risk and possible profit exists. High risk? Ok, no problem, but then I expect high possible gain.

Hm, I went way offtopic now....I am sorry if all this sounds like a big complaint. At the moment, I changed my view of Entropia from "Interesting for longterm engagement and yes, I deposit, the limit is the sky" to "I sweat now and then, trade a bit, use up the few PED excess, but thats it".

Originally Posted by P-J

So if you ever dreamed of being able to compete with Sarah on colouring - forget about it - you wanted to sell furniture in competition with Buzz...well just pack up your dreams and go elsewhere. They have skills which you will never be able to attain which mean they will always be able to undercut you on cost.

[Jimmy B]

Thread at request of thread starter.