[Soothsayer]

I want to specialization to mean something, the time I've put in to the game should translate to a meaningful increase in whatever abilities I choose to develop.

To the people who are saying that having vets who are specc'ed into whatever will be a deterrent to new players, I've heard the same argument from people who haven't tried EVE. Its the first two weeks that really matter, once you're in and you have a good time you don't leave for a while... then you come back for more later. The main reason you don't have a good time is when you try to play it like a single player game. If PS2 has engaging gameplay for all levels of player, people will like what they see and stick around longer.

Due to the transient nature of achievement in PS, the PS2 skill system offers something that lasts longer than capping a continent. A record of achievement or advancement that can't (and wouldn't) be wiped out with a "reset all" cert button.

Sorry to keep going on about EVE Online, but we're talking time base skill training and that's the current model we have to base this on.

Best way to shut down a person arguing that a 6 year vet in EVE Online always having an advantage is this... that 6 year veteran can only fly one ship at a time. You could be on an equal playing field with that vet within a couple of months. So it comes down to skill. That 6 year veteran may have been mining asteroids for the last six years, the guy playing for six months may have just spent all that time flying cheap ships, getting blown up and learning how to pvp effectively.

In PS2 you'll only be able to fire one weapon at a time, may not even have that many more weapons than that (we don't know what the inventory system is like). The difference is that the skilled up vet will have different options.

The skill system offers versatility within a specialization, how can you say that a BR1 player has the same level of power as a BR20? PShield, med apps, BANKs, Rexo w/extra medkits and ammo... The BR20 has significantly more resources at his disposal than a BR1. They are equally matched in terms of damage per shot, but survivability is nowhere near equal.

I have no issue with the skill tree because power differentiation is not solely about having a more powerful weapon, but the ability to customize that weapon to suit your playstyle/situational needs.