The news item suggested it is the first subscription rate increase since 2004. I don’t remember there being a general across the board increase before, but I do recall there were some price increases for individual currencies.
CCP’s explanation – “This adjustment reflects global trends impacting general production costs and accounts for years of inflation.”
Fair enough.
You can not buy Subscriptions or PLEX directly in Australian Dollars. I think I am forced to pay in US Dollars. That means how much I have paid for my EVE accounts has been impacted by the vagaries of the exchange rates, which causes swings of as much as 30%. I have had price increases and decreases every year…
So how much were the increases (where there is a rough corresponding product)? Assuming my Math is right…
Subscriptions (USD)
1 month – from $14.95 to $19.95 (+33.4%)
3 months – from $38.85 to $47.98 (+23.5%)
6 months – from $71.70 to $86.95 (+21.3%)
12 months – from $131.40 to $149.90 (+14.1%)
Yikes on the 1-month increase.
PLEX prices (USD) are not as directly relatable.
Now 110 for $4.99, 4.5c each. Will be 100 for $4.99, 5c each (+10.0%)
Now 240 for $9.99, 4.1c each. Will be 250 for 12.49, 5c each (+20.0%)
Now 500 for $19.99, 4c each. Will be 500 for $24.99, 5c each (+25.0%)
Now 1,100 for $39.99, 3.6c each. Will be 1,000 for $44.99, 4.5c each (+23.75%)
Now 2,860 for $99.99, 3.5c each. Will be 3,000 for $124.99, 4.2c each (+19.2%)
I understand and accept the need for CCP to be profitable and acknowledge the lack of increases in all those previous years. A 20-30% increase however in one hit is substantial.
It comes at a point in time where I see my EVE subscription being the poorest value it has ever been for a solo / hermit playing the game.
I have spent time in game recently, moving all my assets and clones into the Jita system, readying for a long term or permanent hiatus. This price increase makes that transition easier.
If you see a future in playing EVE however, it might be worth grabbing some extra Subscription time or PLEX now.
(Note I plan on dropping my evehermit domain and paid for Word Press add-ons. When those lapse, I presume the site formatting will mess up a bit and Ads will be inserted into pages and email updates. I am not planning to delete the blog.)
My wife’s COVID infection was short and mild, and she is back out in the world again. So far, my son and I appear to have avoided catching it from her. After you have been positive the State Government here gives you 8 weeks where you can ignore testing and isolation rules. The cycle of repeated infections across a household however is very disruptive.
Some hardware reviews, as I am wont to do on occasion.
. My new PC Case – the Corsair iCue 7000x RGB, is glorious. It looks stunning. It is also extraordinarily heavy, difficult to maneuverer, and requires two people to carry it. The weight is there in the specifications, but I did not pay it close enough attention. The tint is also so dark that it really dulls interior RGB, and it requires almost daily cleaning as it shows every single speck of dusk or touch. A bit too impractical.
. I have a new keyboard – for now. My old 18 Macro Key Corsair K95 randomly stops working, so I replaced it with a Corsair K100 Cherry MX Speed. I did not like the feel of the OPX keys, and the Speed were close to the Cherry Red I prefer. It is however too twitchy for me, registering key presses I don’t want. More interesting is how easy it is to brush / activate the lower function keys – for all sorts of hilarious and unexpected results as you type. I have used Corsair keyboards for years, but I might have to consider a different brand as I don’t like the direction they are taking with their keys. Impractical in day to day use for older hands.
. I have installed two BenQ ScreenBar Plus Monitor Lights. These are overly expensive, and I had expected were overly hyped. Instead, they are fantastic. In my defence I did try a cheaper Amazon option first. I was impressed, but it was too flimsy and a long reach to turn on and off. I then got one of the BenQ’s, which was more practical and lit up half my desk well. That prompted me to get a second one for the other side of the desk. This has been one of the updates which I didn’t expect much of but turned out to be impressed by. Ambiance is nice, functionality of reading stuff on my desk improved, and my eyes get noticeably less tired.
World of Warships is one of the few games I have installed, but like EVE, don’t tend to play. It remains accessible because of the amount of time and money I have invested in it. Most of their frequent social media output seemed to be originally in Russian, and I had wondered what impact sanctions would have.
The Wargaming company have now announced that they had moved their live games business out of Russia and Belarus, and entirely separated themselves from it. It was moved to Lesta Studio – who was until recently owned by Wargaming, so the difference would likely be more technical in nature than a full divorce. Online gaming is one of those mediums that can cross economic, social and political divides, and I think can make their players more worldly. I understand why Russians are being punished for being complicit in the actions of Vladimir Putin – but I can also see the slip into his authoritarian rule has happened over 20 years, with their freedoms lost in small steps along the way. I wonder at what familiar faces will survive on their social media platforms.
I’ve remarked on it before – but when CCP keep using the word “exciting”, you can tell they are probably doing something dumb.
The latest nerf of Upwell structures are in game – creating more “exciting” gameplay for attacking and defending them. Attackers will find them easier to kill – which is more exciting. Defenders will find they require more people and more ships to defend – which is also apparently more exciting. CCP does not want you to get bored by the successful defence of your structure.
The Rorqual can now jump mining ship fleets, which is kind of cool. They also refer to the Porpoise getting a purpose, but then don’t say what that is.
The Proteus has been given a buff. I will have to contemplate looking at my fits. I stopped using them when Drone use became too much of a pain.
The new Feature Preview system is live, allowing you to opt-in early to some of the ongoing and unfinished developments. That might be worth considering looking at.
They have also changed the Daily Login rewards again. I haven’t bothered logging in for them, so the old regime had lost its lustre. They have made more and better rewards available, including skins and regular skill points instead of the blocks of points available after x number of days.
It was this last change that prompted me to log in last night. I have found despite using my new PC for a while now, I had not done anything to setup the EVE client properly. I’ll have to contemplate that.
Evehermit 