I think you're missing the whole point of why Dust is having it's issues as it is: it's attempting at making a hybrid of an MMO/FPS which doesn't exactly or realistically exist. If that's the goal, then you're argument is self-defeating where skill > experience. If I gave a semi decent player 15M in skillpoints and great player just 500,000 skill points, it's really going to be hard for a skilled player to still succeed and find the game worthwhile.

Actually let's be brutally and realistically honest of what makes this game potentially breaking: no reason to invite new players. And yes I've played EvE for 3+ years and your example is really backwards; yea you can be killed anywhere but there aren't corps there actively looking to kill every newbie on the block in 1.0 space everyday now is there? That's what's wrong with your example. Likewise in a game like Dust the longer you've played, your skill points put you in a superior and dominant position. Why start a new character when it'll just get stomped all over now?

New content isn't the answer either. New stuff creates more issues of creating a balanced system. New buffs run into the same problem and events tend to really attract old players back and then they leave again.

That being said it's not like EvE in any way shape or form; you don't have a zone of extreme realistic safety where you can hone and train your skills. You don't have any means of inviting new players and keeping them here without the fear of tilting the tables to their disadvantage. You also have an endless cap which only favors the idea of long-term players.

I'll put it out there and simply say this game isn't possible to save at this stage. To put it into perspective for MAG players, it took the release of the Tamsen to really make players feel that game was running into the wrong direction and took several years before players were loosing interest in it. How far are we into EvE and we're discussing a longevity issue?

Maybe if they did a better matchmaking system accounting for skill points on a median basis rather than quantity of players, maybe if they had restricted pub matches based on skill points and value of ISK armor, maybe if they developed weapon/vehicle releases and updates more slowly to actually examine its effects on the game more thoroughly, maybe if they created a market where Dust players can sell their gains, maybe if they didn't emphasize the "mmo" aspect and more the "fps" aspect", maybe if they actually took the thoughtful input of honest and thought provoking posts more sincerely, maybe if they actually explored both the corp impact an solo play styles existing in the game more methodically.

Basically there is a ton of sh*t they could've done and they didn't. I get it, it's their game. But how long is it before it becomes "lights off" for this game because the player base decreases and the number of new players decline as well? Frankly I still think MAG was far and away a more superior game but that's me. What happened to achieving the fundamental of making a game fun, accessible to all and inviting versus elitist, hardcore-only and making it unattractive to give new players a shot?