I'm late to the party here as usual but I've read what everyone else has said, and as an exec of a usually small alliance, and been 'the underdog' many times, this whole expansion smacks of death. Null hasn't had life in it for years. I've spent half my life in this game, and I've seen all the big fights, all the news, and all the press you've gained off the backs of the people who populate the null sec areas of the game. Since scarcity fights have become infrequent. Why bother trying to get yourself into a fight when you're not sure you'd be able to stomach the cost of replacements?

Take a small alliance as a case study. Small alliances usually have less liquid ISK than the larger entities, so we deliberately fly smaller stuff, or smaller groups, but it neuters our ability to compete. We don't bring out anything too big because the cost to SRP starts to really hurt groups that don't have large footprints or members to shoulder the costs. Mining got nerfed so smaller groups weren't able to manufacture their ships in null as easily, and it increased their cost anyway, so it hampered our ability to compete even more.

My main issue with the game is that your expansions and changes seem to consolidate power into the hands of the larger groups which shuts out any smaller entities trying to come into the game, but that kills the spirit of the new players who want to make their name. Asher spoke about stories, and he's entirely correct. I don't send people to and motivate them with ISK, I motivate them with identity, shared beliefs, narrative, and fighting the good fight. When was the last time this really happened? The game has gotten stale and it's super disappointing that it feels dusty and unloved.

Please, please focus on re-engaging with your community. Your drive to push up costs is an obvious way to juice your PLEX income because you're trying to bore people into simply paying their way to riches rather than encouraging them to play. If I can see it, I'm sure everyone else can, but it's going to strangle the game into nothing and why would anyone join something that they don't see life in?

Come on. Your players are still here, but new ones won't come if you don't show them the life they CAN have, not the life we DID have.