Archives for August, 2010

How to buy and sell 30 Day Pilot License Extensions

How can I sell or buy a PLEX ingame?

Through the market

You start by opening the Market on the bar on the left side of the screen, a.k.a. NeoCom

You go to the “Trade goods” category, and open the “Pilot license extensions (PLEX)” and click on the “30 Day Pilot License Extension” tab. Setting the “Range Filter” to “Region” will ensure that you find the cheapest one in the region, while setting the filter to “Station” or “Solar System” will only get you the cheapest PLEX within those parameters. You then simply click the “buy” button or “view details” if you would like to see further market details about the item, for instance if you want to buy it from a specific station etc.

The list of buyers and sellers of the PLEX licenses will be visible to you, ordered from the lowest price at the top to the highest price at the bottom. However, it is advisable to always check the prices carefully before committing to buy.

Accepting a PLEX contract

To find a contract for these items, open the “contracts” window from the NeoCom / left side bar. To search for one through the “contracts” window, go to the “available contracts” tab, and from there click the “show more options”. Type in “pilot” in the “ITEM TYPE (EXACT)” field, and select the “30 Day Pilot’s License Extension” from the list that appears on screen. Please make sure to have the range filter, “view”, set to the correct parameters, “entire region”, “all regions”, “this station”, whichever is desired.

Following you’ll be presented with a list of available contracts that adhere to the parameters you set.

Choose the one that looks best to you, right click it, “view” it, make sure that the prices and the other information is correct, and when you’ve made sure that everything is as it should be, you simply click “Accept”.Unstacking PLEX before a sale

Please note: Before creating a contract or selling the item, please make sure that you have the right amount of Pilot’s Licenses (PLEX) selected. If you have more than one, they get stacked in your hangar after you convert them (instructions on how to convert found here) and need to be unstacked before you sell them (assuming you only wish to sell one at a time).

To unstack the items (PLEX), please hold down the “shift” button on your keyboard, and drag the PLEX icon to an empty spot in your hangar. A pop-up message will appear, prompting you to select a number with which to divide the stack into as seen in the picture below.

Select your desired number and click “OK”. You should now have two or more item groups or items in your hangar.

Selling PLEX in a contract

To create a contract, please right click the object (PLEX) in your hangar and select “create contract”. Please select the item exchange type and select its availability. Click “next”.

Select the item (it is automatically pre-selected for you)

Choose how much you want to receive for the PLEX code in the “I will receive” field and choose the desired expiration time. Click on “next”. Be very careful about what price you put into the field, and on the next screen please make sure that the price is correct along with all the other contract details.

When you are certain that all the information is correct, click on “finish”, and the contract will be made available.

Please note: The Pilot‘s Licenses (PLEX) are just like all other in-game items. They are traded on the market, bought and sold, and it is therefore inevitable that some people will profit from them and some people will not. As is the fact with all in-game items, you need to be careful about not being „scammed“, i.e. swindled by other players trying to take advantage of you. This is easily avoidable by checking carefully the prices, both when you buy and sell, and by checking the description and quantity of the contracts.

PLEXes and your assets window

If you accidentally buy a PLEX that is located a long way from your current position, you can activate it through the Assets window. Simply open the Assets window from your NeoCom, locate the PLEX in the station in question, right click it and choose “apply 30 day pilot license”. The time should be added to your account immediately.

 


What do I need to do to convert my Time Code into a Pilot License Extension?

Get a game time code

To convert a time code into a PLEX, you must first procure a game time code.  Game time codes are available through two venues: the EVE-Online official store and various online vendors.

Prepaid gamecards (shown above) are bought through the EVE-Online official store.  These are physical cards that are sent to the user through regular “snail” mail.  These gamecards contain a game time code that can be used to create a PLEX.  The EVE-Online store can be found here.

Game time codes are also sold through various online vendors.  In that case the game time code is e-mailed to you directly after purchase.  A list of official vendors can be found here.

More information about game time codes and prepaid game time cards can be found here.

Log into EVE and select a character

When you have obtained the game time code, you must log in to your account to convert the code into a PLEX.

Select the character you wish to receive the PLEX/es and wait for the screen to load.  If the character is not docked in a station, then dock and open the game menu by pressing the “ESC” button.

Convert the ETC into a PLEX

Press the “Convert ETC” button which is located in the bottom left corner of the game menu window.   A window will open where you can enter the game time code (shown below).

A notification will be displayed about the action you are about to perform asking to confirm the conversion by clicking on the “Yes” button.

Type in or paste the game time code and press “OK”.  A notification will be displayed informing you of the successful conversion of a game time code into a PLEX.

Exit the game menu and in your hangar you will find two PLEX/es, provided that you converted a 60 day time code (see below).

Note: The 60-day time code is the most common type of code but there are still some 30, 90 and 120 day codes in circulation.  One PLEX equals 30 days of game time, so creating a PLEX from a 90 day code will give you three PLEX/es.

Activate the PLEX

In order to use the PLEX to add subscription to your account, right click on the PLEX item while it is located in your personal hangar and select “Apply 30 day pilot’s license”.

The item will then disappear from the hangar floor and a notification about the 30 days being added will be shown to you.

Keep in mind that PLEX/es cannot be activated while located in corporate hangars or containers.

If you do not plan on using the PLEX/es yourself but to sell them for ISK, information on how to do that is available here.

If you have any problems or questions regarding the use of PLEXes, then please contact customer support through the petition system or direct e-mail: support@eve-online.com and we will assist you as soon as possible.

EVElopedia article on 30 day Concord Pilot Licence Extension

What is a Pilot License Extension and how does it work?

What is PLEX?

A Pilot License Extension (PLEX) is an item that adds 30 days of game time to your EVE Online account.  It can be converted from any game time code and, like any other item, it can be traded on the EVE market. Please keep in mind that PLEX cannot be moved between stations.

Why use PLEX?

PLEX offers an alternative way for people to pay for their subscription without the use of our more conventional payment methods. Using PLEX, pilots can earn game time simply by playing EVE.

The PLEX system improves on the current method of secure time code trading since it uses the EVE market to nerf price fixing.  And since you can only sell time codes to people who want to play for that time, the system is capped.

PLEX is for everyone.

PLEX can be used by players regardless of the type of account they have. When you activate a PLEX, the extra time is added to your account immediately. In this respect, PLEX works exactly like a prepaid game time code. 

  • If you are currently using a Trial account, your account is converted to a paying account and the 30 days are added onto the remaining days left in your trial period.
  • If you have a recurring subscription, the 30 days are added onto your account and billing resumes as normal after that time.
  • If you use game time codes to pay for EVE, PLEX adds days to your game time in exactly the same way.

Further information:

How to create a PLEX

How to buy and sell PLEX

EVElopedia article on 30 day Concord Pilot Licence Extension

30 Day Concord Pilot License Extensions

How to change Time Codes into Concord Pilot License Extensions

How to buy and sell 30 Day Pilot License Extensions

Buying 30 day Concord Pilot License Extension through the EVE Online website

How To Create Them from an ETC

Pilot licenses can be created by characters that are docked in any type of station.

To create a 30 day Concord Pilot License Extension, hereafter referred to as “PLEX, open the “ESC” game menu once logged in with your character and press the “Convert ETC” button which is located in the bottom left corner of the game menu window.

There appears a notification about the action you are about to perform and you asked to confirm the conversion by clicking on the “Yes” button.

You then type in the time code and press “OK.

Using a 60 day code gives you two 30 day PLEXes and the items appear on your hangar floor ingame.

How To Use Them

In order to use the PLEX to add subscription to your account, right click on the PLEX item while it is located in your personal hangar and select Apply 30 day pilots license. Please note that PLEXes cannot be activated while located in corporate hangars or in a container.

The item will disappear from the hangar floor and a notification about the 30 days being added will be shown to you.

Ingame Rules

PLEXes can be placed in private hangars, corporate hangars, in contracts, on the market and into direct trade windows.

PLEXes can be placed inside ships and containers, however if a PLEX is inside a ship when that ship is lost in combat then the PLEX may be looted or destroyed.

Warning: ‘CCP has not made any special exceptions for the PLEX items. They are treated as regular in-game items with regards to market orders and contracts. Scams are easily avoidable by careful scrutiny of market orders and contracts and we urge anyone to be alert when dealing in PLEXes.

Be sure to check actual item in contracts and the actual price of the PLEX on offer. Also make sure to check prices for PLEXes in market buy and sell orders before accepting the transaction.

As with any policy, this is subject to change if deemed necessary.

If you have an account that is disabled but you have a Plex that hasn’t yet been redeemed, you can use it to reactivate the account.

  1. Log into Account management
  2. Choose to reactivate the account from the ‘Common tasks’ menu or by going to the ‘Subscription details’ section.
  3. On the page where you choose the payment method an option will be given to redeem a Plex and reactivate your account.

 


Move a Plex back to redeemable items (reverse redeeming)

If you have a PLEX that is currently in game you can move it to redeemable items by right clicking the PLEX and select ‘Return to redeem items’. This way the account can be reactivated at a later date by following the steps described above.

The following instructions are for players that wish to purchase PLEX directly from CCP using the Account Management page.

  1. Log into Account Management
  2. Click “Buy PLEX” in the Common Tasks column
  3. Complete all fields of the PLEX Purchase Form
    • Only 2,4 or 6 PLEX may be purchased per 24 hours.
    • Only one purchase per 24 hours is allowed. If a player purchases 2 PLEX, they will have to wait 24 hours to buy another batch.
    • Each PLEX is valid for 30 days of game time.
    • Only credit cards will be accepted as payment for PLEX.

Why use PLEX?

What is a PLEX?

PLEX offers an alternative way for people to pay for their subscription without the use of our more conventional payment methods. Using PLEX, pilots can earn game time simply by playing EVE.

The PLEX system improves on the current method of secure time code trading since it uses the EVE market to nerf price fixing. And since you can only sell time codes to people who want to play for that time, the system is capped.

PLEX is for everyone.

PLEX can be used by players regardless of the type of account they have. When you activate a PLEX, the extra time is added to your account immediately. In this respect, PLEX works exactly like a prepaid game time code.

If you are currently using a Trial account, your account is converted to a paying account and the 30 days are added onto the remaining days left in your trial period.
If you have a recurring subscription, the 30 days are added onto your account and billing resumes as normal after that time.
If you use game time codes to pay for EVE, PLEX adds days to your game time in exactly the same way.

What is a PLEX?

A Pilot License Extension (PLEX) is an item that adds 30 days of game time to your EVE Online account. It can be converted from any game time code and, like any other item, it can be traded on the EVE market.

Space MMO EVE Online and its developer CCP Games are usually spoken about in a positive manner. We often hear about the awesome things that go on in the sandbox, or how CCP has gotten players involved in game development through their CSM programme. In the past few months, however, negative sentiments toward the company have been growing at an alarming rate. Players have been complaining about lag and the quality of game design ever since the Dominion expansion was released. As far as players can see, EVE Online was in a fantastic state after the Apocrypha expansion’s release, and it has gone sharply downhill since then.

Over the past two years, players have made an increasingly vocal case to CCP in favour of fixing bugs and gameplay issues before adding new features. They point to previous features, such as faction warfare, that were abandoned shortly after their release in favour of developing yet another new game feature. Over the years, EVE has been littered with incomplete features in dire need of balance tweaks and gameplay revisions. The past few months, in particular, have seen a worsening of public opinion. The release of the CSM minutes and recent devblogs have caused a significant vocal backlash from the community.

In this controversial opinion piece, I dig into the controversy surrounding CCP’s recent communication with EVE Online’s playerbase and the reactions forum-going players have had.

The beginnings of dissent

The Apocrypha expansion was almost universally loved. In addition to adding 2500 new hidden wormhole systems for players to fight over, it presented huge PvE opportunities in the form of tough Sleeper exploration sites. In the months that followed the expansion’s release, massive fleet battles with over a thousand players per side even took place in nullsec without the customary lag and node deaths that follow clashes of that size. With the release of Dominion, however, something changed. Fleets of only a few hundred began experiencing terrible lag and node deaths, sometimes before fights even began. With Tyrannis, the lag-monster grew teeth and horns, causing the issue to become even worse.

Since then, CCP has been continually met with questions about fixing current bugs and iterating on old, neglected game content. The forum community largely agreed that CCP had fallen into a bad pattern of developing new features and then failing to iterate on them after release. When any new feature is released, problems not foreseen in the original design eventually make themselves known. A game studio that follows truly agile development strategies should be able to slot balance tweaks and game design adjustments into any future development schedule. Instead, we have issues regarding faction warfare balance and other old features that have gone largely unexamined and unchanged for years after their release.

CCP Communication

Although discontent has been brewing on the forum for some time, the bulk of the current opposition began shortly after the Council of Stellar Management returned from this session’s summit in Iceland. Twice per year, the council meets with CCP at the company’s Icelandic headquarters to put forward player issues in a bid to have them resolved. Following this term’s summit, chairwoman Mynxee and council member Ankhesentapemkah both expressed concerns about CCP’s attitude. Despite their new status as a development stakeholder, the council members were told that there were no resources available to dedicate to CSM issues. When the meeting minutes were finally published, it became known that CCP would have no resources to commit to player issues for the next 18 months.

With players angered at the prospect of their issues not being tackled for the next year and a half, CCP released a follow-up devblog detailing the company’s allocation of developers for the following 18 months. The blog confirmed that more developers had been assigned to the future Incarna expansion than in-space EVE features, lag and bug-fixing put together. Many players have taken this as almost an abandonment of their favourite game. Although one team is assigned to continue work on planetary interaction, the focus on Incarna and new features reverses CCP’s fanfest promise to iterate on old game systems.

The final straw

In a case of incredibly bad timing, this week CCP Zymurgist posted a request for players to vote for EVE Online for “Best Online Game” in the upcoming European Games Awards. This itself is nothing new, as EVE is often nominated for awards and the developers do commonly ask for players to vote. Unfortunately for CCP, the request came at the peak of the current community outrage. As a result, the thread’s response has been an overwhelming “No way in hell.”

Feeling the need to expose this situation to the public and put some media pressure on CCP, players began bombarding news outlets with the story of EVE being broken. Gaming news website CVG was the first to bite, reporting that players were “furious as Tyrannis patch causes latency,” and quoting some of the forum’s more colourful posts on the issue.

Soon after, CCP Games issued a follow-up statement to CVG explaining that there is an entire team dedicated to tackling lag, and that lag is CCP’s number one priority. Eurogamer picked up the story of CCP’s dedicated lag team, also noting the fact that CCP had enraged players by asking them to vote for EVE to receive an award. Influential gaming blog Kotaku posted a similar summary of the issue, talking both about CCP’s lag-busting team and the fury players have expressed over the audacious award voting request.

A matter of opinion

While the sudden media coverage of EVE’s lag issues and CCP’s award-voting request lends some exposure to the issue, I would take this particular issue with a pinch of salt. Massively has received countless requests from players to cover the story, despite having already covered player dissatisfaction with CCP’s development plans in several key articles. Considering that we don’t normally receive requests like this, I think it’s safe to say there has been an organised effort to convince news outlets to pick up this story. Perhaps players, exasperated by CCP’s apparent dismissal of CSM requests, felt that putting some media pressure on the company was the only way to remind the decision-makers who pays the bills.

I think players are entirely justified to complain about new features being built at the expense of bug-fixing and iteration on old features. However, I believe the current outrage is mostly a symptom of the clear communication rift that’s opened up between CCP and the EVE playerbase. Having spoken with both CCP and the CSM, I get the impression that CCP has failed to provide players with adequate context for the information delivered to players.

For example, developers stated that no resources would be dedicated to CSM issues, but failed to mention that no resources are ever really committed to individual issues during the summit. They also released numbers showing how many developers are working on in-space EVE features, but we have no idea whether it’s more or less than other expansions. Our only frame of reference for that is the 300 developers CCP concentrated into the Apocrypha expansion, which was an exceptional expansion delivered in record time.

Summary

It’s clear that a large proportion of EVE’s forum community is in outrage over CCP’s recent activity. Many legitimate concerns have been raised about CCP’s proposed development plans. There’s a growing perception that a huge disconnect exists between what players want and what CCP thinks players want. While I personally believe this is just a symptom of a communication gap between CCP’s decision-makers and the EVE playerbase, it’s clearly hit a nerve in the community. The ball is now in CCP’s court, and we’ll be watching closely for any official moves the company might make to reassure players.

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