As the other thread got locked, thought I'd write my reply post here.
If anything, it got more dynamic.
Meta alloys were harder to get a hold of than UAs. Now it's actually possible to counter them in stations.
Also, with the first week bonus, a counter gameplay is created by constantly trying to provide stations with meta alloys.
That's a misconception. UAs have always been harder to find (and transport) than MAs. Once you find a barnacle, all you have to do is pop it, instance switch.. and voila you've got another batch to shoot and add to your 720t cargo hold Cutter. Whereas with UA's your relying on RNJesus to generate you one.
Yep, UA bombing and it's counteract or now on par. Both easy mode.
Except MA's by there current design already had their advantages in the current process. They were both (i) easier to find (as they're not RNG'd USS's) and (ii) didn't knacker your ship up while carrying them back (caveat: Apart from now, where you can carry a maximum of 22t in a Annie using anti-corrosive cargo racks). This adds an imbalance between the two mechanics.
They didnt nerf anything, they buffed MA. Which have been far harder to obtain since the whole mechanic was introduced. And it wasn't changed 'because people complained loudly', this was being worked on in galnet since the beginning. Btw, I love how every complaint of yours states that whatever problem you have is caused by
other people complaining.
Anyway, good move by FD. I am sure the 'emergent content crowd' will be angry about it, because emergent content to them always means destroying stuff, never fixing it.
When Obsidian Orbital was hit over Christmas, Frontier tried initially to sweep it under the rug (going so far as to delete GALNET posts) because people had complained using the usual indirect special treatment channels. When they finally conceded it had happened (after bug reports and queries being raised) they introduced Meta-Alloys within a week.
When we had that last CG with the 13th taking it down, people complained bitterly and a god mod occurred.
When the Founders world went into lock down the same weekend, the lock down lasted barely a day, a period so short that has never been seen in BGS manipulating circles before or since, even when there was no opposition on the other side pulling the markers the other way. Additionally, bounties cashed in were still massively lower than crimes commited. Of course, despite all the mechanics showing that it should have stayed in place, somehow it magically lifted. Unsurprisingly people were again, caterwauling on the forums, and not trying to do anything about it in game.
That's the one thing I think that you're either (i) not understanding or (ii) deliberately misunderstanding when you refer to people as 'the emergent content crowd'. Speaking for myself, I don't mind whether I win or lose something ingame due to mechanics. Just as long as my victory/loss comes from actual gameplay, not Forum play (more pew-pew, less QQ and all that). Heck, I've even have took part in more than one MA run to bring a station back online, when it suited my viewpoint/playstyle.
