EVE Online microtransactions won't impact gameplay
Some time ago, CCP Games announced its intention to add microtransactions options to its popular subscription MMO EVE Online. In an interview with EuroGamer, the game's Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson said that the industry has been moving toward additional microtransactions for the past few years, adding that CCP would "evolve just like everyone else" and would "certainly not become a dinosaur." The first and most controversial of those options to be announced was a paid neural remap. Neural remaps allow players to re-distribute their attributes so they can learn a particular set of skills faster. New players currently get several free remaps, and all players can do one remap per year for free. The plan was to allow players to buy a remap with PLEX, 30-day game time codes that can be bought and sold on the in-game market.
It wasn't long until a fierce debate erupted. Players began complaining that neural remaps allowed players with more money to train skills at an accelerated rate by letting them switch between the optimum attributes for different skill types as often as they wanted. Further questions were raised on the future of microtransactions in EVE -- how long would it be, players thought, until skill points and in-game benefits start hitting the table and causing an upset? In a new devblog, CCP has allayed all of those fears. The previously announced PLEX for neural remap scheme has been scrapped, and the company has announced a clear vision for its microtransaction strategy. Much to the relief of players, CCP will not be offering anything that alters the rate of skill gain over time or any items that have a gameplay impact. Potential releases include Incarna clothing and furniture and the ability to apply a logo to your ships, both options which are sure to be popular if they materialise.
