The unprecedented flow of new blood into the game is a welcome sight. Both for pro-newbie organizations like HERO, and for the oldest of bittervets eager for new victims to pop. The trailer has had the wonderful effect of drawing THOUSANDS of new players into HERO alone, and creating a boom within EVE the likes of which hasn't been seen in quite a while.
Seriously, HERO EWAR fleets are exploding in size now. And in a couple of months the already ludicrous number of subcaps they field will grow. I smell a T1 tackle nerf a comin'. But HERO's interesting growth is not the subject here. The growth of EVE as a result of new players is.
Some are seeing this growth as a boon for the game. From having a whole new set of PVP pilots not only creating combat content, but also providing a huge boost to the EVE economy. Some may see this as a bad thing. As some of the new players will undoubtedly fall into the stereotypical selfish "wow player" that EVE players are so fond of. The fact of the matter is, that most of the bad eggs will be weeded out by the competitive nature of the game, and those that remain will be better for it.
Many people are speculating about the long term economic impact of having so many new players, some of which will contribute to the already high levels of inflation for certain items in the economy. In the real world, population growth is often intricately tied to inflation. But this is not the only factor. The amount of currency and valuable items like PLEX matter even more so to EVE than the amount of active players. As there is no absolute limit and regulation (that I know of) controlling the money supply in EVE, there are only so many ways CCP can control the money supply. And I would be lying if I said that I didn't think drastic economic changes are on the way.
The implemented changes to nullsec and coming SOV changes will necessitate some form of rewiring of the economic engine of New Eden. as there are some quite obvious sinks overflowing, while at the same time, there is also a disparity in the ability of new players to earn ISK should they choose certain play styles.
The next point of speculation, and need for improvement of EVE is tutorials. It's well-known that CCP has made some of the worst tutorials in gaming the standard for EVE, and they do plan to change it. How and when remains to be seen.
When asked about the influx of new players CCP Manifest did say this:
“We’re seeing a great amount of old and new players inspired to take another look at Eve and we hope the recent changes and those coming in Rhea convince them to stay. Putting a direct number on total subscriber/trial amounts now would require a lot of knocking on wood, but sufficed to say it’s making us happy space universe janitors. Instead, we’ve focused on supporting these new players as they are still testing the waters in Eve.
Admittedly, we do a pathetic job when compared side by side with the heroic efforts of players who have embraced this new wave of fresh blood in ways we haven’t ever really seen including after Asakai and B-R. It’s kind of heartwarming to see how active vets of all types and alliances are trying to lend a hand with advice, guides, humor and the like. It really makes a difference.”
Given that many newbies are finding a home among various organizations in EVE, while returning vets are also shuffling around trying to find the most engaging experience, it remains to be seen exactly what will come of these new players. How they will affect the game is still an unknown, but hopefully it's drastic enough to make EVE more popular. I personally would love to see the face of the game change to a more newbro friendly atmosphere, while retaining most of it's hyper-competitive edge.
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