I am a old player returning and I joined on for payed for 3 months to give your game another chance especially with your new patch which I was excited to see. I joined the Kick Starter when the game was first being developed. I think everyone was excited by it and was great in the beginning as I expected.
But now I do see that the game has died out still got a small fan base but not like the numbers that it had.
Back then I made these points that the game needed to be interesting and fun.
My return to the game I have played the basic tutorials just to refresh myself with the game.
I also suggested three years ago that you bring in a AI Enemy into this game I would like to say well done you listened to me on that point. PVE Better still if someone can operate the AI Enemy to be able to cause a little destruction and be a little headache for players would be better.
Now being a new player heading to Alioth then trying to surface Resource Harvesting mainly trying to get quarts and coal to create fuel so at least I good run my hover craft and two dragon fly's. I realized there was no surface resources at all or was very scares. So my question although new players get a basic start in this game they can't scavenge as there is no resources. Three years ago I ask for the resources to be able to respawn every Month to three months so that resources would not run out.
Now three years ago I suggested having AI economy for Tier 1 and 2 resources even tier 3 whilst tier 4 and 5 where player driven giving players a chance of making money in the game and keep the economy at that level going again helping new players get a foot into the game. Two I only seen one game work with player driven economy and that was EVE. Not many games survived relying on people to make the economy real. Lets see a player thinks he can sell tier 2 resource for 50,000 each unit instead of around the value it should be at 200 for one unit. So player driven economy does not work with the resources that are very scares now I would say it would be around 50,000 each for one unit as there is very little resources. New players don't have very much of a chance what so ever get started. Old players would also run out of money.
My suggestion would be a AI economy for these tiers giving players a change of selling and buying these resources.
I also think you should bring AI into the game as you expected players would develop cities when this game first started. My question was for who and what a waste of resources. Having specific AI's settlers living in your settlements you build providing Tax as long as there was the main points of running a city. (Security, Education, Employment, Luxury and food water to survive). Having a org create a city for 2000 - 10000 AI would be interesting instead of having a city that you would only see 5 people living in it. Humans do need food and water among other things. So next point a bit of survival for players would be a good idea nothing over board. Oxygen food and water.
What I seen since coming back to this game hoping after 1 Day paying for 3 months was not a great idea and think the game would not be worth my time money or effort to invest. For one thing it is to expensive to play it should be around 9 dollars a month to play. Alot you could think about how free players could be involve.
Free players
3,000,000 points for starting skills
Maximum 10 Vehicles with the size being a destroyer type vessel for these players to able to build.
A Maximum 10 Miners and 3 territories
Earn 20,000 a day instead of the 100,000 a premium members gets and so on.
This is something you should be thinking about if you going to save the game.
And have them be able to pay money as EVE has done to evolve.