Money and ships ain't the end-game progression anymore, it's all Engineering, and there's no shortcut for that currently (aside from the bonus week). If anyone worries about a new player getting too much of an advantage, an A-rated ship in open ain't gonna scare anyone, and I think it's more than okay if players have different types of progression.
I hope they continue to lay out the balance changes because it's making a difference on the credit front. The grind is the grind because we want the best prize, the best ship. We have to do things we don't like to get it, and that's what makes it a grind. Balance helps fix the overall-better-ship problems, like the T9 extra size 8 slot. It makes it more appealing to the trader, and since it's cheaper, it's less grind. The choices of progression look more horizontal, which means less stress and desperation to have it. To alleviate, either give more money, or make money less necessary. A fun journey takes the end goal out of focus.
Now all they have to do is start making missions better, more engaging, more challenging, and more fun. If the missions are better, maybe we won't only have the prize to focus on. Maybe we will feel rewarded for what we did, rather than feeling just like fat piggy cramming those credits down the cupcake hole snort snort. I know this from experience. I got every ship, every elite, and just this last event, I finished all engineering on all ships. My little turds the T6, T7, Cobra, Keelback, and dropship got polished so they can sit in their hanger looking good, but I didn't really have fun doing it. It was as fun as polishing turds can be. Now I don't play because there's nothing to really play. After seeing it all, getting all the prizes is the only real game here, and it's bleh. If it weren't bleh, I'd maybe wipe the account and start again.
I would like to be optimistic about multicrew missions but, knowing FD I think it will be fair to assume it is just alpha testing some concepts, like seeing if whether a log based script works or not to let multicrew passengers soak up mission rewards like fat piggy snort snort again. What will it be other than, "hey, I will help you level up for free in the most easy and effortless way possible. Just connect, accept the mission, and put yourself into a coma." Multicrew functions are still missing, the turret controls are still goofy, and there really isn't any purpose to having a crew over having an extra wingman (except to be a risk free snort snort). I can't imagine why we even need this right now. It will probably do more harm than good if they implement these before finishing multicrew and making decent missions. There needs to be challenge and failure or else it will be just more grind. Why does nobody in Frontier get this? Nobody, not one person gets this.
