Eve Online Introducing Free-To-Play Tier In November

Beginning this November, Eve Online will offer a free-to-play tier to entice new players and bring back fallen veterans. "Tier" is what's important. Not every feature will be available to the free-to-player, and developer CCP has written the new service into the lore, thanks to the game's liberal use of clones (why can't we have clones in our universe?):

When we launch later this year there will be two clone states available:

• The Alpha Clone State is the new base state for all clones and it will be available to any character in New Eden at any time. Clones in the Alpha state will be able to train and use a specific set of skills including tech one Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers for your faction along with essential weapons and modules. Alphas will also train skills at a reduced rate compared to Omegas.
• The Omega Clone State is obtained by augmenting basic clones using neural expanders and cerebral acceleration technology, granting unlimited skill access. Omega clone state will behave exactly as your subscribed characters do now.

So, free-to-players will be at a bit of handicap, but, "the skill-set that alpha state clones can train is specific to the race selected for the character, and it includes skills for flying Tech 1 frigates, destroyers, and cruisers. These are some of the most popular ships in Eve, and will let you take part in everything from mining and mission running to exploration and huge fleet fights," says Executive Producer CCP Seagull—who outlines clone states in the video below.

Omega clones are what every player currently is in Eve Online: a subscriber. If you stop paying you can still play Eve, but as an Alpha state clone.

Sean's Take: Love it. I've played Eve Online off and on for the past decade, and I have high hopes that the introduction of a free-to-play tier will attract new players. I'll definitely log back in, and probably feel motivated to restart my subscription. Whether I do anything more than gawk at the beauty of space is a question for November.