Maken Tosch
DUST University
Ivy League
9761
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Posted - 2014.10.16 04:29:00 -
[1] - Quote
I like this. For as long as nearly 2 years I have been a strong advocate for overhauling the academy but I always ran into a wall on how it could best be overhauled. There didn't appear to be a general consensus back then. But things have changed and so far your proposal seems more practical. Now to bring up some points listed below.
AUR Fits and Rewards
On the one hand I understand why CCP implemented Mk II Special Issue Starter Suits to give new comers an idea on what the next-level items feel like via AUR items, but on the other hand I do agree with you that the presentation of such fits is sending the wrong message. There are players out there who think Dust is forcing you to buy AUR items but in reality that's not true. That can hurt the image of Dust in the long run. So I would recommend either removing them as starter suits or sending a clear message -- perhaps as an automated Dust mail for new comers -- that AUR items do have ISK variants and that the AUR items are only meant to give a taste of what the next level stuff can do. They are not meant to force players into paying cash.
As for rewards, the reward system in Dust is already built into the client via one of two ways. The reward item assignment UI in the character selection window after picking a character to log in as is one such built-in feature that can be used. This is often used for assigning redeemed items given to you for free in a regular newsletter on you email account and possibly the recruiter rewards which are still a thing right now. The other built-in UI feature for rewards is what you get when you complete a tutorial for the first time and you are awarded with extra items to get you started. These two UI features can be used to reward players with the Mk II Special Issue Starter Suits if they meet certain conditions in the game. Therefore, there should only be a hotfix needed for this and no client-side update required.
Academy 2nd Tier Game Mode
If what the CPM says is true, this might not be possible to implement. However, I see a possible workaround. The Special Contracts section listed on the bottom of the Battle Finder window. Hardly anyone here remembers using it and that was during one CCP-backed event. So perhaps this can be used to implement the 2nd tier you suggested without needing to change the UI.
Minimum SP to Graduate
5 Million SP to completely graduate -- especially on the 2nd tier -- from the academy seems reasonable enough. At least two and a half million SP is usually needed to fully spec into a suit or train up two suits to level 3. Another two and a half to maybe three million SP is usually enough to accommodate a handful of the core skills as well. Sure, there might be weapons and modules to account for, but the veteran players all agree that core skills take priority over weapons and even suits.
On Twitter: @HilmarVeigar #greenlightlegion #dust514 players are waiting.
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