With the warbarge there are modules that make sense such as :
-Market module:seeing as this is passive and not actively effecting the merc
Think stock exchange.
-Sp module: Rerouting unnecessary neural routes in the mercs brain to make them more efficient
However,each route was caused by an event that linked it to a memory,and altering these routes would mean frequent loss of memory. AKA Your merc becomes a slave to the whim of the warbarge.
These are passive.
There is one module that seems excessively out of place.
Damage increase:Active damage increase to a weapon.
Firstly,how? With a beam the merc can't see?
How can the warbarge increase damage at all?
Short answer? It
can't.
IMHO,this out of place module was added for forced consumption.
What is forced consumption?
When you lose gear you 'consume' it.
So,more damage equals more gear destroyed,and subsequently more gear lost.
While this module seems to benefit the merc with augmented abilities,it in reality forces players to buy more to replace that which was lost.
Put in terms of AUR,it benefits only CCP.
For example,if CCP wanted to counter it why isn't there a module for repair tools?
Weapons
already have a nearly
400% advantage,yet repair tools get nothing and weapons get
more?
Switching subjects...
Please note:I have 0 problems with CCP monitizing,these are just my observations about the possible end results if they keep monitizing the way they have.
First it was loyalty ranks,ranks not based on actual loyalty (like logging in and playing consecutively),but based on money thrown at the game.
This implies heavily that CCPs loyalty will last as long as the cash keeps coming. AKA they can be bought.
This created a small gap between ISK users and AUR users,nothing too big.
A perk here,a backrub there.
Next is the timewall locked warbarge.
While the idea behind it is sound,it actually carries a very hefty cost to free players.
How? You may ask.
Time,i reply.
Can you buy a day of life for yourself?
A minute?
A second?
With a billion dollars?
A million?
A thousand?
A single bill?
Inb4 sarcastic idiots not taking this seriously.
The answer is no.
And this is why i am glad warbarges are "optional".
I have quotes around optional because the damage increase makes it necessary.
But this all sums up to a slowly widening gap.
And by all means,give players stuff to buy.
But unless a balance is put in that actually favors ISK over AUR,you'll have a pool of ever decreasing players at the far-side of this soon to be canyon.
Left only with themselves to fight (like in PC) knowing exactly what their enemies will do,in terms of strategy.
This will make the game stale and stagnant for CCPs most AUR invested players,players that
still want to buy things.
And,as most know,when a game becomes boring it's time to find another game.
And if those willing spenders go,all future purchases go with them.