I'm going to rephrase this question, see the following.

Which in game mechanics and/or metrics do you think CCP should use to define "Casual" and "Hardcore" such that the most rewarding and long lasting play experience in Dust 514 is promoted?

The key to this is finding traceable elements within the game that can be used by CCP to identify "Casual" and "Hardcore".

Post back with your sense of what they should be and why. Please be detailed.

Cheers,
Cross

A casual player seems like someone who'll play every once in a while, mainly in high sec but goes into lower systems for the thrill.

As for hardcore, i can't explain it without it becoming about people who grind all day, every day

No those are the no lifers, hardcore is what i think the 2nd guy who posted is, because i play even less then that (4-5 hrs) and i consider myself HC LOL, or maybe apparently not? I think it also depends on how good you are on a particular game in conjunction with how many hrs you put into it. I'd say casual is more like 1-2hrs a day tbh.. because there never that good lol. But alot of things determine it, including persistence, etc..

Interesting question. I play 5 to 6 hours a day, between work, wife, beer, eating, beer. I'd consider myself casual, I never hit the SP Cap.

That would be 40 hours a week which would make it the same as a full-time job. Sorry, but there's no way that's casual. I'm surprised that you haven't hit the cap yet, I only play 1-2 hours a day and I was approaching the cap by the end of the first week of the new build. I've never hit 0 but 1000 SP for killing 10 people sounds pretty close to the cap.

It's not about how many hours someone plays. There are people that play Bejewelled or Angry Birds for hours every day. That doesn't mean they're not still casual.

It's more about the amount of depth and complexity someone wants from a game I think.

The following topics were discussed by the dev team this week regarding gameplay issues in the beta:

Casual vs. Hardcore players in DUST 514

Player concern on how will casual players be able to keep up with hardcore players who might spend more time playing and gaining an advantage in SP and ISK.

Planned resolutions
- A revamped reward system will narrow the gap between casual and hardcore players
- Match Making system (introduced soon) will help put players into fair matches
- Dropsuit HP will be more consistant to avoid some becoming overpowered

I would personally put the divider somewhere around the 5-7 hours a week mark. I play around 4 or 5 hours a week and would consider myself right close to the edge of being a "hardcore" player.

Hmm. Casual/Hardcore=how important is playing games to you when you have free time? I'm playing Borderlands 2, DUST and XCOM right now. I think many would consider this hardcore. But at the same time I play much less than other players because I work 48-60 hrs per week. If I had more time I would definately play more. To me casual doesn't necessarily mean playing less.

I'd agree generally however that's not something which could actually be balanced around. And what with CCP specifically stating that it's a balance consideration I figured time played as one of the only traceable metrics which could be used.

Hence why I'm trying to get feedback regarding how many hours per week in Dust 514 it would take to be considered "Hardcore" as opposed to "Casual".

I suppose I'm asking "what's hardcore vs casual play within Dust 514" as opposed to "what makes a Hardcore vs Casual gamer" because the latter doesn't pertain so directly to game balance.

Thanks for the response
Cross

Casual: A player that does not care about about winning or losing, he is just there to have a good time.

Competitive/ hardcore player: A player who wants to win at all costs.

Casual: you play dust

Hardcore: dust plays you

Hardcore, a person looking to make a lasting impression on new eden, whether it's defying massive alliances or becoming uber rich through persistence, hardwork, and good leadership.

Seem about right?

Casual: A player that does not care about about winning or losing, he is just there to have a good time.

Competitive/ hardcore player: A player who wants to win at all costs.

Pretty much.

Casual: "Weekend Warrior" - 8 to 24 hour a week gamer (typically on their weekend, when they don't have anything better to do).
Casual: "The Hobbyist" - 4 to 12 hour a week gamer.
Casual: "The Occasional" - ??? hours a week (Dust 514? Yeah I'm in that beta. No, I haven't played any matches yet this week.)

Hardcore: "The College Student" - 20 to 30 hour a week gamer (whenver they can fit it in and they don't have anything better to do)
Hardcore: "The Professional" - 40 hours a week gamer.
Hardcore: "The No Lifer" - 80 hours a week gamer

Pretty much.

Casual: "Weekend Warrior" - 8 to 24 hour a week gamer (typically on their weekend, when they don't have anything better to do).
Casual: "The Hobbyist" - 4 to 12 hour a week gamer.
Casual: "The Occasional" - ??? hours a week (Dust 514? Yeah I'm in that beta. No, I haven't played any matches yet this week.)

Hardcore: "The College Student" - 20 to 30 hour a week gamer (whenver they can fit it in and they don't have anything better to do)
Hardcore: "The Professional" - 40 hours a week gamer.
Hardcore: "The No Lifer" - 80 hours a week gamer

Pretty much.

Casual: "Weekend Warrior" - 8 to 24 hour a week gamer (typically on their weekend, when they don't have anything better to do).
Casual: "The Hobbyist" - 4 to 12 hour a week gamer.
Casual: "The Occasional" - ??? hours a week (Dust 514? Yeah I'm in that beta. No, I haven't played any matches yet this week.)

Hardcore: "The College Student" - 20 to 30 hour a week gamer (whenver they can fit it in and they don't have anything better to do)
Hardcore: "The Professional" - 40 hours a week gamer.
Hardcore: "The No Lifer" - 80 hours a week gamer

Pretty much.

Casual: "Weekend Warrior" - 8 to 24 hour a week gamer (typically on their weekend, when they don't have anything better to do).
Casual: "The Hobbyist" - 4 to 12 hour a week gamer.
Casual: "The Occasional" - ??? hours a week (Dust 514? Yeah I'm in that beta. No, I haven't played any matches yet this week.)

Hardcore: "The College Student" - 20 to 30 hour a week gamer (whenver they can fit it in and they don't have anything better to do)
Hardcore: "The Professional" - 40 hours a week gamer.
Hardcore: "The No Lifer" - 80 hours a week gamer

Pretty much.

Casual: "Weekend Warrior" - 8 to 24 hour a week gamer (typically on their weekend, when they don't have anything better to do).
Casual: "The Hobbyist" - 4 to 12 hour a week gamer.
Casual: "The Occasional" - ??? hours a week (Dust 514? Yeah I'm in that beta. No, I haven't played any matches yet this week.)

Hardcore: "The College Student" - 20 to 30 hour a week gamer (whenver they can fit it in and they don't have anything better to do)
Hardcore: "The Professional" - 40 hours a week gamer.
Hardcore: "The No Lifer" - 80 hours a week gamer