If Lite subscribers are supposed to be able to play against other people then to maintain the general spirit of fairness the cap needs to be at least 4's so all Lite pilots can fly their nation's lower tier special ship (SVG, IBG, WTD)* with n3s + FC (+ megaposi). These setups are balanced against all other PvP loadouts.

If they aren't supposed to compete then the cap needs to be at least partially below 2's so that Lite players are equally locked out of their nation's special ships.

* According to vo-wiki, SVG Needs 4/4/- and WTD needs 2/2/2.

3/3/-/-/- gains neutrons, and this can pvp. At 4/4/4/0/0, I still have trouble killing proms and rocket rags, but otherwise rock. Even some low level combos might be deadly, XGX Rev-C 1/2/0/0/0, as just one example.
It might be easier to just restrict power cells. Even if you have a JackHog, if you are running on a light power cell, you are not likely to run far.

Yeah, I just mean that if we aren't trying to be mean then if a Lite Itani can get an IBG then a Lite Serco shouldn't have to grind faction with Orion to be on equal footing. At 4's there just aren't as many hoops that you'd have to jump through.

Edit: If someone capped at 0/0/0/0/0 paying $1/month flew a SL with WM + UC against me, I totally wouldn't be offended! Also, I'm leaning towards capping them at 2's or lower and raising WTD requirements. That way it is clear that these characters are very intentionally incomplete. I'm afraid of what future balancing issues will look like otherwise.

There are some other considerations; 4's across the board would mean Lites might access the Behemoth at Corvus and Samoflange via a mission tree.

I didn't say this previously, but I also think it would be good to allow Lite users guild membership but not guild leadership.

Here is a potential package system:

$1 Basic Combat: 4/4/-/-/-
$2 Advanced Light Combat: U/U/-/-/- : Requires Basic Combat
$1 Heavy Combat Upgrade: -/-/4/-/- : Requires Basic Combat
$2 Advanced Heavy Combat: -/-/U/-/- : Requires Heavy Combat Upgrade
$1 Basic Trade: -/-/-/4/-
$2 Advanced Trade: -/-/-/U/- : Requires Basic Trade
$1 Basic Mining: -/-/-/-/4
$1 Advanced Mining: -/-/-/-/U : Requires Basic Mining

A pvp player like me could get Basic combat, heavy combat upgrade, basic trade, cost:$3, and rock.

A serious trader might get Basic combat, Basic trade, Advanced trade, Basic mining: cost: $5, and get a moth xc and fast charge.

Total for all packages: $11

Edit: Each basic package could also come with two character slots, so you need all three to get your 6 slots.

DE: I'm confused about why you would need a mule character to augment your storage capacity. Stations already let you rent additional storage space with in-game credits, and the cost is negligibly small.

And if we didn't already have that in-game method of increasing storage, then the correct solution would be to implement one, not to add some out of game way to increase it.

I'm not opposed to the devs making money. I'm opposed to them turning the game into an overly commercialized piece of trash. What you need to remember is that VO is supposed to be an RPG. Influencing your in-game situation with out-of-game money breaks that.

If Lite accounts are remotely tempting to vets not playing on mobile then we set the cap too high?

I think what we've really got here is that some of you would view lite subscribers as scum. That's a really big problem with huge ramifications. Nobody wants to be treated less. They sure as heck won't stick around for you guys to show off and try to be superior to them. They'll leave, and we'll have the same player base we've had for the last seven years.

Paying to win also applies to the idea that you would take away their hope to work at something without it ever ending. Behemoth XC's and Heavy Miners have no real win factor, other than you played to get them. Some of you would strip them of being able to have Tridents, even if they worked to get one. Players regardless of subscription level should always be able to aspire to the same level of game completion.

Limiting endgame content won't work. If this game hadn't evolved such an extensive endgame, most of you wouldn't be here. The PCC ideals have blossomed some amazing additions to the game. Even if they're paying only $1 a month, they still need a hope for endgame content. Take away the endgame, and you've taken away their reason to stick around.

Good ideas i've seen:

Limited character slots
Limited play time
Limited platforms
Limited plugins
Limited PDA/Station pleasantries

If they aren't supposed to compete then the cap needs to be at least partially below 2's so that Lite players are equally locked out of their nation's special ships.
You won't believe this, but there is a compromise solution. It's 5/4/3/3/4. You may find it here. Phaser: You might want to look at that as well.

I fully agree with Pizzasgood.
I don't really understand what DE keeps going on about.

I can not get myself to like the idea that has been repeatedly brought up of limiting the Lite sub to Android. Firstly, as Inc hinted at at some players (like Koopa) prove, with the right Android device and the right equipment VO is fully combat able. Secondly the aim is not just to stop all the negative PlayStore reviews and cater to the "subhuman filth" but also to get some of the more humanoid ones to maybe try it on their PC, like it even more and then join the community and buy a full sub.

I also like CD's idea of a "day-pass" to VO, but only as seperate from the whole Lite thing.

<edit> Denro: The largest part of the VO community treat (unsubbed) newbies in a friendly way, helping them where they can. The point is to convince new players to join the community, we all know full well that this game needs more players. I don't see any danger of Lite people being treated as "scum" (no matter what we really think).
I can only repeat... this is not pay to win. It's pay to get the full deal, and then you have the same chances as everyone else.
Also, giving them the "end-game content" means there is no reason for them to buy the full subscription, which is kind of the point of this whole venture...

I disagree that a $1 subscriber should aspire to the same endgame as a $10 subscriber.

I disagree that DE should be able to abuse the trial system.

+1 Andys ideas

It should be noted that my original thought of "horizontal" microtransactions are not really "pay-to-win" in any comparison against premium subscribers. The Lite user still has to gain the same required levels and put the time into the character, just that in some cases, unlocking what is available at a given level has an additional microtransactional expense.

One could construe it as "pay-to-win" vs other Lite subscribers, as a Lite subscriber who paid to unlock some additional stuff would be at an advantage vs a Lite subscriber who had not unlocked anything. Although I'm pretty against "pay-to-win" as a general concept, in this case I consider "Premium" subscribers to be the real-deal, and am not as concerned about what happens on lower-barrier-of-entry tier. Whether that position is reasonable is.. open to debate, I guess..

Andy: yeah I saw that. It looks like you put some thought into it. I think Combat 5 is too high, but I could be wrong. When I leveled the first time, there was a lull around 5 or 6 because I was doing well in PvP and didn't see the need to go all the way for the specials. That's why I suggested 3's as well as restricting s-port neutron, positron, and gauss blasters; There would have to be some kind of incentive, such as having a good deal of content remaining to be unlocked, to coax me from paying $1 a month to $10 a month. Otherwise I might be tempted to make do with what was available and try to develop l33t twitch skills to compensate.

Ultimately the devs will do whatever they think will serve the game best, but Inc asked for feedback several times so I decided to weigh in with my 2c worth, no more, no less. I didn't think about the SVG; maybe 4's are a good number (although really I see this as more of a balance issue between the SVG and the IBG). Different caps for different licenses just rubs me the wrong way, because it implies I should focus on some areas of gameplay more than others.

what is, or how much is, a "micro transaction"? Is there a minimum amount?

Nano transactions! Pico transactions! Where does the insanity stop? NOWHERE, it's ASYMPTOTIC! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Andy, I think you might have misinterpreted what you quoted. It certainly wasn't written well. In any case, I have read your proposal but disagree. I think your cap is too high. I do not want to see these restricted accounts given equipment that I could use to easily win (for example) the duel ladder as that might imply a confusing equality between normal and restricted accounts that shouldn't exist. I believe that people who want to seriously play the game should pay the same fee as everyone else.

I think all 3s are fine, they can fight,trade or mine and do boarder skims/hive skims

Pointsman: So do I, as I tried to make clear over and over. The goal is to make people buy the full sub. I don't think they will be inclined to do so without the ability to try some of the medium-class gear while having the top stuff restricted.

Inc:
My tirade on micro-transactions refers to full-blown subscribers. That said I don't know that nickel-and-diming limited users is the answer here, since said accounts should really be tailored to entry-level players, and we want them to see what the games has to offer without detracting from their experience in unwanted ways. (naturally, they shouldn't have the same experience as full-blown subscribers, or they'll have no reason to upgrade... but the reasons to upgrade should be clear, cut-and-dry to them so they know exactly what to expect from a full subscription before they have to buy one.)

ES: If we ever offer transactions to full-blown subscriptions, they'll purely be vanity purchases. I do understand what you're saying about the balance of giving Lite users both a good experience, as well as a reason to upgrade.

what is, or how much is, a "micro transaction"? Is there a minimum amount?

On Android and most mobile platforms, the minimum is $0.99. On Windows RT it's $1.50.