Sleepy Shadow wrote:I would also like to add that if CCP takes preventive measures the impact of farmers can be greatly reduced.
Starter boosters GÇô all CCP has to do is change the name and mark these as non-transferrable (or rather create a new booster that is given to new players). The ones that are out there right now will run out eventually. Initially there will be a lot of them on offer but they are consumable and since the source is cut off, you cannot get more of them.
Newsletter items GÇô these items are only available if your character was created before the newsletter came out; so these are only available to old characters and only once. Creating new alts is pointless. And as those boosters above, these are consumable. After a while things settle as people cannot get these anymore.
Keys GÇô these can only be obtained by playing the game so there is nothing wrong with GÇ£farmingGÇ¥ these. You cannot get them free so it is fair game to have people trade keys. Same goes for boxes. Even with several alts you cannot obtain that many per day as you actually have to work for them. Unless the farmer is a total no-lifer who never sleeps but I doubt we have too many of those.
Warbarge components GÇô these are the only real issue with alt farms. IGÇÖd like to see them tradable (as I would never spend a single AUR on these damn things) but I can see why CCP fears it. But I seriously doubt there are that many dedicated farmers. At most people would get them every now and then from their own alt and some would sell these but I do not believe for a second that the sale of these would ever reach the biblical proportions CCP fears. But if nothing else, make these non-tradable.
Experimental weapons GÇô it takes time to get the factory and you cannot dictate what you get. So you cannot farm 50 experimental Mass Drivers, it is random what you get and to get any decent amount of anything takes so long that this is not really a viable farm. In 50 days you might have two of each weapon, not really that profitable as bulk is what farming is about.
So what is left to farm? Starting ISK has already been reduced, you cannot really profit with any of the starting suits and most sellable items are salvage. I may have overlooked several things but these are the ones I could think of now.