So again ... at this time we have insufficient knowledge to know if owners of big ships have advantages over other pilots.
I'm 100% sure that the Constellation you purchased for over $200 with 10 weapon hardpoints and its own fighter will have a huge advantage over any other ship costing less.
Huge advantage at what?
Fighting?
The Constellation is slower than the smaller dedicated fighters and its main offense is missiles which are a pain to target at smaller fast ships, can be avoided rather easily and cost a lot of $$$ to replenish. Macross Missiles Massacre is cool to look at though.
Cargo hauling?
It has an awful cargo/ship size ratio compared to the other cargo haulers unless you get the Taurus variant which doesn't have the snub-fighter.
Operation cost?
It requires 5 players/NPCs to fully operate without automated hardware...
I just got done watching Macross Do You Remember Love and then i saw your missile massacre comment LOL!
There is still insufficient information to calculate a final UEC to hour conversion rate at the moment. There is no official announcement about that. And I doubt there will be, as people play very differently and earn money at very different rates.
The ONLY thing that we have been able to calculate from Chris old statement was that ROUGHLY one hour of game time (non-hard core gaming, non-100 % cash earning missions) corresponds to about 4,17 $ worth of pledge ship. The 4.17 comes from price Constellation (250 $) divided by 60 (hours). And no, you cannot use the 1 $ to 1000 UEC conversion rate, because this specifically is NOT applicable for the UEC wallet with which you buy ships. There is a separate wallet linked to UEC bought via real-world-money-conversion.
No it was not an incorrect assumption. It was a correct assumption based on the information we had available to us at that time. Quite a big difference.
You can indeed use $1 = 1000 UEC because until the recent Gamescom there was no actual evidence that they would not be related. It was the only evidence available so it was a perfectly reasonable assumption tio use, in fact the only assumption one could use.
A google search for anything regarding separate UEC wallets return zero results, a search on the subreddit returns zero results, there is no mention on the official forums, nothing in their FAQ, I have never seen anyone mention this any where. You are the only person that ever talks about a separate wallet.
Do you have any proof that real money converted to UEC is held separately to in-game UEC?
The only mention of limitations has been 25,000 ($25) in 24 hours and a wallet cap of 250,000 ($250), which means 750,000 UEC ($750) could be purchased a month.
There is still insufficient information to calculate a final UEC to hour conversion rate at the moment. There is no official announcement about that. And I doubt there will be, as people play very differently and earn money at very different rates.
The ONLY thing that we have been able to calculate from Chris old statement was that ROUGHLY one hour of game time (non-hard core gaming, non-100 % cash earning missions) corresponds to about 4,17 $ worth of pledge ship. The 4.17 comes from price Constellation (250 $) divided by 60 (hours). And no, you cannot use the 1 $ to 1000 UEC conversion rate, because this specifically is NOT applicable for the UEC wallet with which you buy ships. There is a separate wallet linked to UEC bought via real-world-money-conversion.
So a single seater starter ship is some 13 hours of game time (non-hard core non-100 % cash earning missions). 54 $ divided by 4.17..
A single seater regular fighter is around 30 hours of game time.
A Connie is approx. 60 hours of game time - the example given by Chris Roberts.
And a Javelin with a crew of 24 that pools their resources would require around 25 hours of game time from EACH crew member.
Have fun
You have that quote from Chris saying a Connie will take 60 hours? Everything I could find is people saying how it was a passing comment but people took it as gospel and ran with it saying he meant 60 hours
You have that quote from Chris saying a Connie will take 60 hours? Everything I could find is people saying how it was a passing comment but people took it as gospel and ran with it saying he meant 60 hours
It's one old source that i don't think it exists anymore. Unless those 24 hour long livestreams they did back then were recorded somewhere.
There is a reason why in game numbers arent being discussed and only the innocuous "ships will be much more expensive later" which is a poorly veiled 'so you better buy now'.
Its because that they will also most definitely be selling in game currency as well. Just like a lot of other games do. Or some facsimile of in game currency which you can buy ships with. Probably on the line of PLEX , REX, Diamonds, Crowns or Turbine Points or whatever name you want to give it. But they will either try to double dip and continue to sell ships direct for cash as well as this new 'currency' I suspect they will do away with direct sales and go with the currency that way there are no mathematical comparisons that can be made and people cant cite 'backer' price with release price directly. And they will have the built in 'he told you ships would cost more' to go back to. So when these Constellations which are 250 or whatever suddenly cost 400 in the new currency they start selling.
But here will surely be a fairly simplistic exchange rate. But it will be like every other game. You will be able to buy personal ones you spend yourself and also some card (with inflated price) that you will be able to sell in game to people who have the in game currency to spare. The only question will be whether they allow the market to dictate price or have their 'value' be static.
The game does sell UEC currency, it's set to be the main revenue stream post-release. It is why the "prices will increase" was said, because the 10$ = 10K UEC is the rate, however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
The game does sell UEC currency, it's set to be the main revenue stream post-release. It is why the "prices will increase" was said, because the 10$ = 10K UEC is the rate, however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
you cant sell the UEC to other players (unless you can 'gift' it) yet though. But sort of redundant I suppose.
But yeah selling in game currency for real life money and selling ships and selling whatever else for real life money isnt pay to win in the least.
So hilarious how nothing is pay to win in any game now especially ones youre trying to support.
You have that quote from Chris saying a Connie will take 60 hours? Everything I could find is people saying how it was a passing comment but people took it as gospel and ran with it saying he meant 60 hours
It's one old source that i don't think it exists anymore. Unless those 24 hour long livestreams they did back then were recorded somewhere.
It's probably recorded somewhere since everything is recorded. Would still like to see it to understand the context he answered in
you cant sell the UEC to other players (unless you can 'gift' it) yet though. But sort of redundant I suppose.
So hilarious how nothing is pay to win in any game now especially ones youre trying to support.
This is known for a long time (since 2013), that SC would have this layer of micro-transactions. I see my own definition as what you can earn by playing the game within an acceptable time-frame is not, the moment there is a forced paywall, then yes.
As for trading UEC, i'm pretty sure Gold Sellers will always find a way, if there isn't direct trade certainly there will be some way to just trade goods for cash instead.
The game does sell UEC currency, it's set to be the main revenue stream post-release. It is why the "prices will increase" was said, because the 10$ = 10K UEC is the rate, however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
you cant sell the UEC to other players (unless you can 'gift' it) yet though. But sort of redundant I suppose.
But yeah selling in game currency for real life money and selling ships and selling whatever else for real life money isnt pay to win in the least.
So hilarious how nothing is pay to win in any game now especially ones youre trying to support.
Well the whole label of P2W is a bit off. I don't know of any game of where you just pay money and win (maybe hook a duck at the fair ground?). What you are really left with is only an acknowledgement that for some games you are able to purchase an advantage. This is the case with SC, all that is left is to determine what kind of advantage are we talking about. What are the likely impacts on your play experience.
For SC, any advantages for others talked about so far seem to have a pretty small and irrelevant impact on my time in the game.
"Trump is a blunt force, all-American, laser-guided middle finger to everything and everyone in Washington, D.C." - Wayne Allyn Root
You have that quote from Chris saying a Connie will take 60 hours? Everything I could find is people saying how it was a passing comment but people took it as gospel and ran with it saying he meant 60 hours
It's one old source that i don't think it exists anymore. Unless those 24 hour long livestreams they did back then were recorded somewhere.
It was said in the 24 hour livestream .... if anyone has too much time he can listen to it (if he can find it) and get the exact timestamp.
That is why you find many references to it from many people who heard it, but its hard to post this as a link.
...however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
Here's how i would hope for. Ships specially the higher tiers that are based on multi-crew should take their time to get. Being one MMO you need grind, games that are set to be played for years by no way have or develop enough content that would last for years. The grind must be there.
What needs to be done is on gameplay, if the game has enough variety and both content and game mechanics to back up the grind bar of the game. It doesn't need to be fast to get ships, it needs to be enjoyable and fun to play the game as you get to the things you play for.
If it falls on repetitive content that is not fun, then you have the problem. Like those MMO's where at the end-game you need to play though 10hours straight clicking enemies (i had a macro though) to win 0.05% XP to next level. O.o
...however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
Its called bait and switch. The only reason they would have a way to earn in game currency actually in game keep up appearances that its an actual game and not a simple banking sim.
Its the bane of all MMOs, not just SC. And why pay to win pay to progress pay to whatever semantics word you want to use has flourished.
Used ot be people played gamed to get away from real life and pretend to be someone lese, then it started to be competitive, then it became a game to 'accomplish' things in, then it started to be a 'lifestye' then it became a grind, and it took up too much time, and it wast worth it.
So the companies figured a way to make it easier, but it would cost real money.
So all the people who used to do it for the 'old school' reason either grew up and out of it or stopped playing or started playing the new way. Depends on their level of conviction.
But since every game does it now its easier for Roberts to do it, and he has taken so long in doing this project he has also let the public opinion of all this catch up, so its much easier for him to claim these things and get away with it than he used to.
Thats why even if this game does somehow release it will be a complete failure. Because it will be so cash heavy and so dependent on spending real life money to even play let alone be 'competitive' or accomplish things it wont be 'fun'.
Sure the people who spend money or know how to get away with loopholes or backdoors might have some fun, but it will be a lot like every other 'niche' game with its hardcore fanbase. The problem is that its level of 'success' or 'failure' is most definitely going to perpetuate or eliminate the practices this project has utilized in how it raised money and 'developed'.
You have that quote from Chris saying a Connie will take 60 hours? Everything I could find is people saying how it was a passing comment but people took it as gospel and ran with it saying he meant 60 hours
It's one old source that i don't think it exists anymore. Unless those 24 hour long livestreams they did back then were recorded somewhere.
It was said in the 24 hour livestream .... if anyone has too much time he can listen to it (if he can find it) and get the exact timestamp.
That is why you find many references to it from many people who heard it, but its hard to post this as a link.
The important sentence here is : "UEC purchased will be capped, UEC earned will not be capped"
Found something better then 2012 but in 2014 where he says he doesn't know how long it will take to get a constellation in game because nothing has been balanced then goes on to say about a minute later maybe a week depending on how good you are and how many hours you play.
So I think the best answer is I don't know. You all can stop throwing up the 60 hours to earn a Connie now and just resort back to pure speculation. You're welcome.
...however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
I guess that is why we do Alpha and later Beta testing.
To find a fine line between progression and grinding.
During testing they will most likely try out extreme positions. Very slow UEC earning. Very fast UEC earning (with following wipe). And they will watch the money sinks and the influx of money into the game. If they are smart, they hire an economist like CCP did.
Once they found an acceptable balance, that is what will go into the live game.
THEN players will horribly mutilate and abuse that system ... and CIG will adjust it. Iterative loop.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
Here's how i would hope for. Ships specially the higher tiers that are based on multi-crew should take their time to get. Being one MMO you need grind, games that are set to be played for years by no way have or develop enough content that would last for years. The grind must be there.
What needs to be done is on gameplay, if the game has enough variety and both content and game mechanics to back up the grind bar of the game. It doesn't need to be fast to get ships, it needs to be enjoyable and fun to play the game as you get to the things you play for.
If it falls on repetitive content that is not fun, then you have the problem. Like those MMO's where at the end-game you need to play though 10hours straight clicking enemies (i had a macro though) to win 0.05% XP to next level. O.o
I agree that it doesn't need to be fast but as I said earlier, 60 hours is not fast for most people, it's still almost 3 weeks at 3 hours per night and the Connie is not really a big ship. If you then extend that time 'significantly' it doesn't matter how good your gameplay is, people will just see a target that is a long way out of their reach and it's guaranteed to feel grindy. People will quite often find the most productive methods of earning currency even if they don't enjoy that style of gameplay because they want the end reward. Imagine the effect if you move the end reward even further from them...
But that can just be a simple script and a database check for the purchased UEC. It doesn't mean there has to be a separate wallet. My own thoughts are that the 2 will be displayed separately purely so you can keep track of them but you'll have the option of using purchased credits as well as in-game credits when buying something in-game.
I agree that it doesn't need to be fast but as I said earlier, 60 hours is not fast for most people, it's still almost 3 weeks at 3 hours per night and the Connie is not really a big ship. If you then extend that time 'significantly' it doesn't matter how good your gameplay is, people will just see a target that is a long way out of their reach and it's guaranteed to feel grindy. People will quite often find the most productive methods of earning currency even if they don't enjoy that style of gameplay because they want the end reward. Imagine the effect if you move the end reward even further from them...
But we are talking about one MMO.
When i get into playing something like Guild Wars 2 and most others, i know if my goal is have one of the best weapons or best gear of the game, i'm up to play the game for YEARS. Literately, years until you reach the best the game has to offer. That's the only thing that keeps people playing one MMO for years, because they keep getting goals to reach and meet.
If on SC you could reach the best the you could ever own, if you reach your objectives in just a few months of playing... What would keep you playing for years? There needs to be something to grind for...
I agree that it doesn't need to be fast but as I said earlier, 60 hours is not fast for most people, it's still almost 3 weeks at 3 hours per night and the Connie is not really a big ship. If you then extend that time 'significantly' it doesn't matter how good your gameplay is, people will just see a target that is a long way out of their reach and it's guaranteed to feel grindy. People will quite often find the most productive methods of earning currency even if they don't enjoy that style of gameplay because they want the end reward. Imagine the effect if you move the end reward even further from them...
But we are talking about one MMO.
When i get into playing something like Guild Wars 2 and most others, i know if my goal is have one of the best weapons or best gear of the game, i'm up to play the game for YEARS. Literately, years until you reach the best the game has to offer. That's the only thing that keeps people playing one MMO for years, because they keep getting goals to reach and meet.
If on SC you could reach the best the you could ever own, if you reach your objectives in just a few months of playing... What would keep you playing for years? There needs to be something to grind for...
Yes I am talking about one MMO, nobody has mentioned other MMOs. Oh I see, now you're talking about a different MMO... WTF? --- What about all these whales that have bought ships, what are they going to play years for? Why should non ship buyers have to deal with insane grinds just so that whales feel their purchases have some value? Sod them, they decided to lay down their money without having any idea how this was going to play out, there's no reason why their stupidity should be rewarded.
Yes I am talking about one MMO, nobody has mentioned other MMOs. Oh I see, now you're talking about a different MMO... WTF? --- What about all these whales that have bought ships, what are they going to play years for? Why should non ship buyers have to deal with insane grinds just so that whales feel their purchases have some value? Sod them, they decided to lay down their money without having any idea how this was going to play out, there's no reason why their stupidity should be rewarded.
I was comparing what we usually see. That is MMO's meant to be played for long periods of time, need to have grind and objectives that can last that long to be achieved.
Well the ones who paid will reach their objective ships when they start the game, that's up to them. Overall i play for my stuff, on GW2 for example i worked for my legendary gear (2 years of playing almost every day!) yet i know people who put over 1K$ on in-game currency to get the same legendary gear directly... they "time-skipped" almost 2 years of gameplay, now they are already on end-game with the best gear and they haven't played for it. What happens? Those people will go backyards towards through content the game has to offer.
It's not only about who buys ships or not. Only the fact the hardcore gamers will be able to put a lot of time in the game vs what a casual player possibly can... will force the grind bar to increase and who suffers from it are the casual players.
The thing that you seem to be avoiding is that their decisions are affecting my gameplay, their decisions are affecting the gameplay of everyone that has not spent more than box price on the game. And that sucks.
Grind is fine, grind implemented to make wallet warriors feel reassurred about the "value" of their purchases is idiotic. That's the crux of this debate.
There are many ways that the game could keep extended play time without making the key component take a significantly more time, ie have modules that scale in price and difficulty of obtaining.
...however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
If earning UEC is enjoyable, why would trying to get any specific amount grindy? .
One thing is that there will always be concept ships coming out, even during launch, so even the whales will be looking at the next ship due to come out. They will just have to buy them using in-game cash, melt older ships, buying gift cards, upgrades to the new models, etc. I can't really see new ship lines ever being stopped. Plus there are some people who feel they have to have a complete collection, so as long as they make ships players will buy them if only for a complete collection. There really will be no end game as far a ships are concerned. And not to forget gray market sales.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Comments
No it was not an incorrect assumption. It was a correct assumption based on the information we had available to us at that time. Quite a big difference.
You can indeed use $1 = 1000 UEC because until the recent Gamescom there was no actual evidence that they would not be related. It was the only evidence available so it was a perfectly reasonable assumption tio use, in fact the only assumption one could use.
A google search for anything regarding separate UEC wallets return zero results, a search on the subreddit returns zero results, there is no mention on the official forums, nothing in their FAQ, I have never seen anyone mention this any where. You are the only person that ever talks about a separate wallet.
Do you have any proof that real money converted to UEC is held separately to in-game UEC?
The only mention of limitations has been 25,000 ($25) in 24 hours and a wallet cap of 250,000 ($250), which means 750,000 UEC ($750) could be purchased a month.
Its because that they will also most definitely be selling in game currency as well. Just like a lot of other games do. Or some facsimile of in game currency which you can buy ships with. Probably on the line of PLEX , REX, Diamonds, Crowns or Turbine Points or whatever name you want to give it. But they will either try to double dip and continue to sell ships direct for cash as well as this new 'currency' I suspect they will do away with direct sales and go with the currency that way there are no mathematical comparisons that can be made and people cant cite 'backer' price with release price directly. And they will have the built in 'he told you ships would cost more' to go back to. So when these Constellations which are 250 or whatever suddenly cost 400 in the new currency they start selling.
But here will surely be a fairly simplistic exchange rate. But it will be like every other game. You will be able to buy personal ones you spend yourself and also some card (with inflated price) that you will be able to sell in game to people who have the in game currency to spare. The only question will be whether they allow the market to dictate price or have their 'value' be static.
The game does sell UEC currency, it's set to be the main revenue stream post-release. It is why the "prices will increase" was said, because the 10$ = 10K UEC is the rate, however the ships will not cost their pledge value in UEC value in-game, they'll cost more.
But yeah selling in game currency for real life money and selling ships and selling whatever else for real life money isnt pay to win in the least.
So hilarious how nothing is pay to win in any game now especially ones youre trying to support.
As for trading UEC, i'm pretty sure Gold Sellers will always find a way, if there isn't direct trade certainly there will be some way to just trade goods for cash instead.
For SC, any advantages for others talked about so far seem to have a pretty small and irrelevant impact on my time in the game.
"Trump is a blunt force, all-American, laser-guided middle finger to everything and everyone in Washington, D.C." - Wayne Allyn Root
That is why you find many references to it from many people who heard it, but its hard to post this as a link.
See here :
https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/198474/the-psychology-of-ship-values/p9
"....Ever since the original 2012 24-hour livestream we've known it will be as little as 60 hours for a Constellation Andromeda...."
Have fun
PS:
W.r.t. th UEC debate
https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/321zvb/discussion_will_there_be_a_cap_on_how_much_uec_we/
The important sentence here is :
"UEC purchased will be capped, UEC earned will not be capped"
The thing with this is that Roberts has said that he wants earning UEC to be enjoyable and not grindy. However if the ship prices increase significantly then how can they not be grindy?
If they increase the rate at which you earn UEC so that the new ship prices are not grindy they might as well just leave it as $1 = 1000 UEC and a connie taking ~60 hours.
What needs to be done is on gameplay, if the game has enough variety and both content and game mechanics to back up the grind bar of the game. It doesn't need to be fast to get ships, it needs to be enjoyable and fun to play the game as you get to the things you play for.
If it falls on repetitive content that is not fun, then you have the problem. Like those MMO's where at the end-game you need to play though 10hours straight clicking enemies (i had a macro though) to win 0.05% XP to next level. O.o
Its the bane of all MMOs, not just SC. And why pay to win pay to progress pay to whatever semantics word you want to use has flourished.
Used ot be people played gamed to get away from real life and pretend to be someone lese, then it started to be competitive, then it became a game to 'accomplish' things in, then it started to be a 'lifestye' then it became a grind, and it took up too much time, and it wast worth it.
So the companies figured a way to make it easier, but it would cost real money.
So all the people who used to do it for the 'old school' reason either grew up and out of it or stopped playing or started playing the new way. Depends on their level of conviction.
But since every game does it now its easier for Roberts to do it, and he has taken so long in doing this project he has also let the public opinion of all this catch up, so its much easier for him to claim these things and get away with it than he used to.
Thats why even if this game does somehow release it will be a complete failure. Because it will be so cash heavy and so dependent on spending real life money to even play let alone be 'competitive' or accomplish things it wont be 'fun'.
Sure the people who spend money or know how to get away with loopholes or backdoors might have some fun, but it will be a lot like every other 'niche' game with its hardcore fanbase. The problem is that its level of 'success' or 'failure' is most definitely going to perpetuate or eliminate the practices this project has utilized in how it raised money and 'developed'.
So I think the best answer is I don't know. You all can stop throwing up the 60 hours to earn a Connie now and just resort back to pure speculation. You're welcome.
*edit* 50:59 is where the question is asked.*
To find a fine line between progression and grinding.
During testing they will most likely try out extreme positions. Very slow UEC earning. Very fast UEC earning (with following wipe). And they will watch the money sinks and the influx of money into the game. If they are smart, they hire an economist like CCP did.
Once they found an acceptable balance, that is what will go into the live game.
THEN players will horribly mutilate and abuse that system ... and CIG will adjust it. Iterative loop.
Have fun
I agree that it doesn't need to be fast but as I said earlier, 60 hours is not fast for most people, it's still almost 3 weeks at 3 hours per night and the Connie is not really a big ship.
If you then extend that time 'significantly' it doesn't matter how good your gameplay is, people will just see a target that is a long way out of their reach and it's guaranteed to feel grindy.
People will quite often find the most productive methods of earning currency even if they don't enjoy that style of gameplay because they want the end reward. Imagine the effect if you move the end reward even further from them...
But that can just be a simple script and a database check for the purchased UEC. It doesn't mean there has to be a separate wallet.
My own thoughts are that the 2 will be displayed separately purely so you can keep track of them but you'll have the option of using purchased credits as well as in-game credits when buying something in-game.
Have fun
When i get into playing something like Guild Wars 2 and most others, i know if my goal is have one of the best weapons or best gear of the game, i'm up to play the game for YEARS. Literately, years until you reach the best the game has to offer. That's the only thing that keeps people playing one MMO for years, because they keep getting goals to reach and meet.
If on SC you could reach the best the you could ever own, if you reach your objectives in just a few months of playing... What would keep you playing for years? There needs to be something to grind for...
Yes I am talking about one MMO, nobody has mentioned other MMOs. Oh I see, now you're talking about a different MMO... WTF?
---
What about all these whales that have bought ships, what are they going to play years for?
Why should non ship buyers have to deal with insane grinds just so that whales feel their purchases have some value? Sod them, they decided to lay down their money without having any idea how this was going to play out, there's no reason why their stupidity should be rewarded.
Well the ones who paid will reach their objective ships when they start the game, that's up to them. Overall i play for my stuff, on GW2 for example i worked for my legendary gear (2 years of playing almost every day!) yet i know people who put over 1K$ on in-game currency to get the same legendary gear directly... they "time-skipped" almost 2 years of gameplay, now they are already on end-game with the best gear and they haven't played for it. What happens? Those people will go backyards towards through content the game has to offer.
It's not only about who buys ships or not. Only the fact the hardcore gamers will be able to put a lot of time in the game vs what a casual player possibly can... will force the grind bar to increase and who suffers from it are the casual players.
Grind is fine, grind implemented to make wallet warriors feel reassurred about the "value" of their purchases is idiotic. That's the crux of this debate.
There are many ways that the game could keep extended play time without making the key component take a significantly more time, ie have modules that scale in price and difficulty of obtaining.
If earning UEC is enjoyable, why would trying to get any specific amount grindy? .
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey