During the Ship balance Keynote during the first day of Fanfest they showed off an interesting diagram of how they plan to rebalance the current EVE modules in the game.

Current Modules :
http://i.imgur.com/DeaYN7F.jpg

Tiericided Modules :
http://i.imgur.com/BkRq41M.jpg

So leveling up in a particular module or weapon type would open up variations of said module instead of having direct power ups as is the current norm for the majority of modules in EVE. One can specialize in a more defined role and require significantly less of an investment in order to do so and as a result things like the new player experience are improved dramatically.

Immediately I'm reminded of Dust progression and the state of tiericide as it exists in our game. The way I see it we're flirting with two different extremes :

Dropsuit side is far too based on the linear, "higher meta level -> higher direct effectiveness" that we see in the current modules in EVE.

Vehicle side, while definitely having elements of tiericide, does little to incentivize the use of higher tiered tiericided modules because the only difference them is cooldown reduction. So there's not enough variation within the tiericided modules overall.

I love the idea of module tiericide and the notion of having a non-linear progression system, I just hope the idea can be further fleshed out as it exists in its limited form in Dust. We certainly have elements of it already and ways that it could be adapted right now (Weapon variants, old Turret variants) but we also have a lot of the other extreme where SP is king and the new player can do next to nothing to get a foothold against the established players in the game.

We'll see I suppose.

Vehicles modules need tiers back, and some missing skills for vehicles.

Vehicles modules need tiers back, and some missing skills for vehicles.

No Foundation!

Not you too!

I've implied that I'm a supporter of something like this multiple times in squad, there's an issue with the gap between Proto and Standard that would be immediately addressed if something like this was in place. And the addition of further module specializations allows you to further define a role in the suit or vehicle you're wanting to make. Vehicles are already tiericided to a degree that's comparable to EVE but what they lack is the interesting additional specialization routes (right now its purely reduced cooldown which is kinda lame) for individual mods that make fitting ships in EVE so interesting.

Ok, I can tell my argument is failing. You guys have successfully countered almost all of my points. But there is one point I stand by, and it is that reason alone that I believe we should ditch the concept of tiercide.

That feeling of progression is what keeps players in this game. That feeling when you unlock a new weapon and you feel like you can take on the world. That feeling of when you level a suit up from level 2 to level 3, and all of a sudden your options and power increase dramatically. That feeling know you can now equip more modules, and that you are now closer to the vets who's shadows have been cast upon you for so long. That feeling is what keeps this game interesting and alive.

You cannot tell me that getting a 5% bonus to something decent is more exciting than getting that 5% bonus as well as 1 or 2 more modules, maybe even an equipment. Everyone knows it is pretty boring when you unlock an advanced module, because it is only providing a small benefit and your suit isn't really changing.

But it is that feeling of advancement, that sensation of going from standard to advanced, and advanced to prototype, that really makes the game not only interesting, but unique.

I know most of my previous arguments didn't make much sense, in fact looking back they don't make much sense to me either. But if you are going to deny that tiercide is going to take a lot of the fun out of this game, then you should go watch paint dry or something, because to people like you anything like that should be entertaining too.

Thank you for your time, and thanks for an interesting argument, but this is my closing point.

Sincerely, Glanitx / Snow

Vehicles modules need tiers back, and some missing skills for vehicles.