Tax Free Solar Rails & Why It's Bad

[fatpig84]

I don't think you've followed your reasoning through. If they implement a minimum tax rate, then the same clans/alliances (or different ones) will simply set their tax rates to the minimum allowed, while competitors wouldn't be any more able to set different prices. This wouldn't produce competition.

 

In fact, it would be detrimental to competition because those already in control of the solar rails to the dark sectors would be accruing credits and resources from those using them, while currently those with tribute set to zero are gaining nothing. This would produce the lock-in effect of clans/alliances already in control of dark sectors becoming more likely to maintain control of those locations in direct relation to both the minimum tax rate set by DE and the time elapsed since those tax rates were set.

 

 

I believe that was intended.

 

No 0% alliance can last forever when some big name decides to wrest you out of your control.

Even if they do not capture that sector, it would be so disruptive to your side that other players will avoid your sector just to farm in peace.

 

Then if you want to take the fight to them, you have to bank roll your own battle pay, out of your own clan and alliance coffers.

But can you sustain that invasion against another alliance that will almost assured have a higher battle pay ?

Can you be sure that same alliance you are in have, all members hold the same ideals to see this through, even through personal funding ?

 

A single invasion with battle pay in of say 50k, will deplete even my 6m+ personal credit bank in a mere hour.

And it will not even be close to concluding.

 

 

And the opposing alliance don't even need to be say taxing 10%, just a mere 5% is enough for them to overtake you in almost any sort of slugging match in terms of battle pay, because their coffers are lined, they can afford to do so.

 

A 0% alliance will have members throwing out their own personal vaults and banks.

Edited April 13, 2014 by fatpig84

[koolen]

So we're starting to see the first of the Solar Rails getting put up by those who most likely rushed the building of their Orokin Labs, no surprise there, and the thing we see advertised is Tax Free Solar Rails.

 

This is a bad thing.

 

Why? Those who have set up their Solar Rails into the Dark Sectors early get their fingers into those pies and are happy, but those who couldn't? They're going to launch their Solar Rails and watch as the incumbant clan/alliance just sit their with their tax frees, with no ability to truly influence the matter. This is an economics disaster in so far as the Solar Rail industry goes, that's a monopoly providing nobody else with the ability to compete.

 

Maybe I'm worrying over nothing, and the early birds will raise up their tribute levels at a later date, but I don't see that as a thing that will happen.

 

My personal believe is that the DE's should implement a minimum Tax level at the very least. 0% Taxes is bad for business, and that's what the Solar Rails are in the end. A Business.

 

EDIT: I'd also be quite happy to be proven wrong.

 

EDIT 2: I appear to have completely forgotten about the battle pay aspect, which is a valid point, but let's see what happens there.

Advantages of 0% tax ?:

 

- less profits =>> les concurrence

-the players can help the clan when there is a salor rail battle, and they will choose the clan with the lower tax

[-Ex-Gamer-]

Solar Rails is just a way from DE to keep ppl busy playing the game, stupidest idea ever, the only good about the U13 was meele 2.0 and some dojo rooms..  making new new weapons and warframes. it's getting old..

[Blatantfool]

It honestly baffles me that a community moderator on this forum is all too happy to toss that word around on a game built first and foremost around PvE and cooperation. You ought to be bloody ashamed of yourself.

 

  I'm really not. I've got no reason to be ashamed at all. I'm not required to share an opinion with this community and I never have been.

 

  Dark Sectors are not a purely cooperative experience. Hoping for a hugbox where nobody goes on the offensive and wins is asking for this part of the game to be turned into a joke. It isn't too far from just plain missing the point.

 

 I said it plenty already. I think it is a mixture of presumptuous and cocky to have no tax at all unless you know damn well you're good enough for the long term implications this can have. You put your own clans &#! over the fire banking on the idea that the randoms who appreciate that small gesture you've made with no taxes will be enough to save you from invaders fast enough to save your clan vaults.

 

 And that is all no taxation is. A small gesture. After playing a good bit of the Dark Sector maps tonight I've noticed that the gains I make playing these rails are easily enough that even a 5%/5% tax wouldn't begin to put a dent in what I gain from playing them.

 

 That said, It isn't just about just successfully defending. You need to be able to sustain yourself and it's going to be incredibly expensive. 

 

 

 If your clan/alliance is tough enough then fine. In fact, good. If you can tussle with whoever shows up and win and make it out okay each time then you'll have earned your right to be cocky like that. 

 

 But as it is now I'm just seeing a whole lot of people making the assumption that their clan can handle making themselves a target like this and all for the sake of being against a taxation feature that nobody even knows if they'll need or not.

 

 

 You want your clanmates and allies to pay out of pocket to support your rail? Fine. But I don't envy what can happen to you and your clan and your allies if you don't have what it takes. You can't actually expect to count on randoms saving you. You need to know your clan is good enough.

[Ishki88]

Welp!  Going to rank up my stuff at these free Sectors :D

[Blatantfool]

So the entire point of the first endgame addition is competition in a cooperative game?

 

Well then, if it does get crushed, I'll be looking forward to seeing what DE does to modify it appropriately. Your terminology makes it clear what you think of the anti-competition/PvP players, and it's insulting. 

 

If we can work together and succeed at shutting out those that would cause fighting amongst ourselves, then the fighting was never really necessary. Time will tell which is true though.

 

 You're forgetting that we've got both Focus and Faction rep on the line for people who don't desire competition at all.

 

  The only reason we got Dark Sectors first is because it was finished first. It was always meant to be the place for clans to cut their teeth a bit. To have some competitive interaction without relying solely on events DE holds.

 

 That said, before Dark Sectors hit I told plenty of people. This feature will be as lame as people act once they have it. Your ability to rally your clan, pick the role you want and then earn the right to act that way is all part of the game. Whether you choose to be a hero or a heel doesn't matter. Just that everybody gets a kick out of it. If you choose to act like a villain then be the clan everyone loves to hate. If you want to be all heroic then find an archrival and have fun duking it out. The whole community can bear witness to you having some fun going neck and neck. They can even participate and help their favorite.

 

 Gradivus Dilemma had that spark. It hit the note right in a way the current iteration of Dark Sectors doesn't seem to be. The entire community split and everybody enjoyed rallying to whatever side and butting heads. There was a lot of anger over the skewed rewards at the time, but that never actually drowned out the fun people had being a part of whichever side they picked. Essentially Dark Sectors are the same function, substituting Ruk and Alad V for the various Alliances and Clans.

 

 I hold that sort of thing in high esteem. More then just two clans butting heads, I want to see clans butting heads and enjoying doing so enough to do it again and again. It is friendly competition. Being able to make this stuff fun because of a sense of pride in your clan's name. 

 

 Dark Sectors isn't doing it right. Clearly. As instead of clan pride and rivalry and craziness what we're seeing is a turn of events where all anyone is interested in is how fast we can get to a state where it all stagnates and becomes another monotonous farming option.

[Tiqalicious]

  I'm really not. I've got no reason to be ashamed at all. I'm not required to share an opinion with this community and I never have been.

 

It's not about you sharing an opinion. It's about you mocking those who don't share yours.

That sort of crap slinging is exactly what people in this community are so concerned about and it's directly related to why you're seeing all of these tax free rails go up. Every PvP focussed videogame is filled to the brim with toxic behaviour wherein those competing can't seem to do so without mocking those they're in competition with, or in your case mocking those who don't look at PvP the same way you do.

 

People are concerned about warframe opening the flood gates to a vocal majority of gamers who think that playing online gives them the right to behave however they like and turn every move they make into a giant &!$$ing contest. Competition can happen without the need for that sort of behavior but that sort of crap has happened over and over and over again to so many games that people are concerned about any and all competition because it all boils down to the same nonsense.

 

Those who don't want to see a PvE focussed game like warframe going down that road have found a way to compete that their comfortable with... they've set up their rails with no taxation as a gesture to other players that warframe doesn't need to become that sort of game and here you come to mock them for doing so in a manner that shows them that they have every right to be concerned in the first damn place.

If the majority of PvP players didn't constantly feel the need to crap on everyone around them there wouldn't be such a massive wave of trepidation regarding the solar rails in the first place, but you're a community moderator who's supposed to be here to make sure that the community isn't misbehaving and you can't even help yourself from indulging in that sort of behavior, so what kind of message do you think that sends to those already concerned about the ramifications of solar rails for the future of warframe?

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tiqalicious

[MichaelSD]

It's not about you sharing an opinion. It's about you mocking those who don't share yours.

That sort of crap slinging is exactly what people in this community are so concerned about and it's directly related to why you're seeing all of these tax free rails go up. Every PvP focussed videogame is filled to the brim with toxic behaviour wherein those competing can't seem to do so without mocking those they're in competition with, or in your case mocking those who don't look at PvP the same way you do.

 

People are concerned about warframe opening the flood gates to a vocal majority of gamers who think that playing online gives them the right to behave however they like and turn every move they make into a giant &!$$ing contest. Competition can happen without the need for that sort of behavior but that sort of crap has happened over and over and over again to so many games that people are concerned about any and all competition because it all boils down to the same nonsense.

 

Those who don't want to see a PvE focussed game like warframe going down that road have found a way to compete that their comfortable with... they've set up their rails with no taxation as a gesture to other players that warframe doesn't need to become that sort of game and here you come to mock them for doing so in a manner that shows them that they have every right to be concerned in the first damn place.

 

 

 

I agree. Emphasis mine.

 

Warframe has to decide what it wants to be: PvE or PvP. The two player base are not compatible. While I dislike the idea of Dark Sectors, for the moment I endure it. But should the PvP component increase, or force me to PvP, I will put Warframe on the shelf among the dime and dozen shooters I tried.

[NjaII]

I first posted in this thread saying I was going to fight for the 0% Solar rails.

 

I'm not too sure about it, now.

 

Maybe I will fight for the alliances that use a tax rate I find reasonable. Not necessarily no tax at all.

 

I am looking forward to see the first repair bills.

[Tiqalicious]

I agree. Emphasis mine.

 

Warframe has to decide what it wants to be: PvE or PvP. The two player base are not compatible. While I dislike the idea of Dark Sectors, for the moment I endure it. But should the PvP component increase, or force me to PvP, I will put Warframe on the shelf among the dime and dozen shooters I tried.

I actually enjoy PvP myself because I can engage in it without making fun of others and I think a reasonable taxation of the solar rails is going to be a necessity, but the fact that we made it less than ten pages before someone felt the need to make fun of those using the rails to compete in a unconventional way and the fact that it came from someone with a responsibility to the community to keep things civil speaks volumes about why people have every right to be concerned about the direction waframe may be heading in.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tiqalicious

[Blatantfool]

It's not about you sharing an opinion. It's about you mocking those who don't share yours.

That sort of crap slinging is exactly what people in this community are so concerned about and it's directly related to why you're seeing all of these tax free rails go up. Every PvP focussed videogame is filled to the brim with toxic behaviour wherein those competing can't seem to do so without mocking those they're in competition with, or in your case mocking those who don't look at PvP the same way you do.

 

 The clans who can keep those rails up through the troubles they'll have to deal with will end up being the ones I'm willing to lay off of.

 

  Dark Sectors aren't PvP enough that the community would actually sour over it's existence. My attitude is born mostly from disappointment. Partially in how Dark Sectors played out from the Community side, partially from how they played out from the gameplay side.

 

 Both still need time I guess. Until then I'm not likely to be satisfied with it. I was hoping that this would hit the same sweet spot in the community as Gradivus. It sucks that it didn't.

 

 

People are concerned about warframe opening the flood gates to a vocal majority of gamers who think that playing online gives them the right to behave however they like and turn every move they make into a giant &!$$ing contest. Competition can happen without the need for that sort of behavior but that sort of crap has happened over and over and over again to so many games that people are concerned about any and all competition because it all boils down to the same nonsense.

 

Those who don't want to see a PvE focussed game like warframe going down that road have found a way to compete that their comfortable with... they've set up their rails with no taxation as a gesture to other players that warframe doesn't need to become that sort of game and here you come to mock them for doing so in a manner that shows them that they have every right to be concerned in the first damn place.

If the majority of PvP players didn't constantly feel the need to crap on everyone around them there wouldn't be such a massive wave of trepidation regarding the solar rails in the first place, but you're a community moderator who's supposed to be here to make sure that the community isn't misbehaving and you can't even help yourself from indulging in that sort of behavior, so what kind of message do you think that sends to those already concerned about the ramifications of solar rails for the future of warframe?

 

 The way I see it, if some clan - any clan - came along and took some high traffic rails and set some moderate taxes and then acted like tools whether or not they have the right to act that way isn't decided by onlookers who aren't doing anything about it. If they act that way and they manage to keep their stuff together anyway they've earned the right to act that way (to the extent that it isn't rule breaking)until someone sticks a sock in their mouth and beats them off the map. Every clan of aggressive players can be beaten by a clan who intend to teach them a lesson. And vice versa. And if the matches are close and the two clans get hyped and enjoy themselves without getting vicious they can easily become rivals and that can be a whole new type of interesting.

 

 That is the entire point. It isn't about just having a rail up a long time or just protecting the ability to farm on some node. It is also about interacting between clans in the sense of both allies and rivals. There was never actually a point where this was destined to turn vicious. Your own bias and fears of that sort of interaction creates that problem for you. The system by itself does not.

 

 If that interaction just isn't going to happen because this community wants everybody to hold everybodies hand then I'm not going to sit back and pretend that is how it was supposed to work all along.

 

 Like I said above. I find it incredibly disappointing this community is trying to resist that so hard. It is incredibly fun to be a part of when done right.

[Tiqalicious]

 The clans who can keep those rails up through the troubles they'll have to deal with will end up being the ones I'm willing to lay off of.

 

  Dark Sectors aren't PvP enough that the community would actually sour over it's existence. My attitude is born mostly from disappointment. Partially in how Dark Sectors played out from the Community side, partially from how they played out from the gameplay side.

 

 Both still need time I guess. Until then I'm not likely to be satisfied with it. I was hoping that this would hit the same sweet spot in the community as Gradivus. It sucks that it didn't.

 

 

 

 The way I see it, if some clan - any clan - came along and took some high traffic rails and set some moderate taxes and then acted like tools whether or not they have the right to act that way isn't decided by onlookers who aren't doing anything about it. If they act that way and they manage to keep their stuff together anyway they've earned the right to act that way until someone sticks a sock in their mouth and beats them off the map. Every clan of aggressive players can be beaten by a clan who intend to teach them a lesson. And vice versa. And if the matches are close and the two clans get hyped and enjoy themselves without getting vicious they can easily become rivals and that can be a whole new type of interesting.

 

 That is the entire point. It isn't about just having a rail up a long time or just protecting the ability to farm on some node. It is also about interacting between clans in the sense of both allies and rivals. There was never actually a point where this was destined to turn vicious. Your own bias and fears of that sort of interaction creates that problem for you. The system by itself does not.

 

 If that interaction just isn't going to happen because this community wants everybody to hold everybodies hand then I'm not going to sit back and pretend that is how it was supposed to work all along.

 

 Like I said above. I find it incredibly disappointing this community is trying to resist that so hard. It is incredibly fun to be a part of when done right.

 

People don't earn the right to crap on others.

[Blatantfool]

People don't earn the right to crap on others.

 

 People earn the right to act a heel if their results say they do. If you don't like that, be the guy that teaches them humility time and time again until they mellow out or until the both of you just enjoy the tussle enough to continue.

 

 If it isn't rule breaking it's fair game. And so is stomping their teeth in for being brats.

[Tiqalicious]

People earn the right to act a heel if their results say they do. If you don't like that, be the guy that teaches them humility time and time again until they mellow out or until the both of you just enjoy the tussle enough to continue.

If it isn't rule breaking it's fair game. And so is stomping their teeth in for being brats.

My point here is that people who've supported warframe, a game primarily about cooperation, have the right to be concerned that a focus on PvP will bring a certain type of player who feels the compulsive need to crap on others when indulging in competition.

You counter by telling me that competition gives them the right to indulge in exactly that sort of behaviour.

That's complete and utter nonsense. Professional videogame tournaments held in the real world make good sportsmanship an important facet of the competition. This compulsive need to talk crap about your competitors doesn't stem from the competition itself... it stems from being on the internet and thinking you can behave whatever way you want.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tiqalicious

[Blatantfool]

My point here is that people who've supported warframe, a game primarily about cooperation, have the right to be concerned that a focus on PvP will bring a certain type of player who feels the compulsive need to crap on others when indulging in competition.

You counter by telling me that competition gives them the right to indulge in exactly that sort of behaviour.

That's complete and utter nonsense. Professional videogame tournaments held in the real world make good sportsmanship an important facet of the competition. This compulsive need to speak crap about your competitors doesn't stem from the competition itself... it stems from being on the internet and thinking you can behave whatever way you want.

 

 This isn't really a focus on PvP. It is 1/3rd of an attempt to add and endgame and we only got it now instead of after the PvE stuff because that was the order it finished up in. If DE was focusing any on PvP we probably would have gotten a game mode much more direct then this.

 

 And the type of player it brings into the game will learn from the kind of players already here. If the community chooses to act proper newer generations of players will adopt that attitude in order to properly participate.

 

 And yes. I'm telling you that if a Clan can defend its Rails in spite of their relationship with other clans it is acceptable for them to jeer and act like a heel so long as they aren't breaking rules. I'm considering the rules about respect while saying this even. It is plenty possible to adopt a Mock-Gary Oak attitude without breaking rules.Besides, anyone can choose to shut them up for a while by beating them.

 

 In fact, I think we both know this as well, I'd say any clan who DID choose to actually act that way would be more or less done for. I can think of a long, long list of clans that wouldn't tolerate that sort of thing from another clan for very long before doing something about it. Because of the 'anyone can help' nature of Dark Sectors we'd be talking about a real miracle clan if they could defend themselves while being outwardly aggressive to boot. 

[Clasbyte]

Too much goons here....

[MichaelSD]

 This isn't really a focus on PvP. It is 1/3rd of an attempt to add and endgame and we only got it now instead of after the PvE stuff because that was the order it finished up in. If DE was focusing any on PvP we probably would have gotten a game mode much more direct then this.

 

 And the type of player it brings into the game will learn from the kind of players already here. If the community chooses to act proper newer generations of players will adopt that attitude in order to properly participate.

 

 And yes. I'm telling you that if a Clan can defend its Rails in spite of their relationship with other clans it is acceptable for them to jeer and act like a heel so long as they aren't breaking rules. I'm considering the rules about respect while saying this even. It is plenty possible to adopt a Mock-Gary Oak attitude without breaking rules.Besides, anyone can choose to shut them up for a while by beating them.

 

 In fact, I think we both know this as well, I'd say any clan who DID choose to actually act that way would be more or less done for. I can think of a long, long list of clans that wouldn't tolerate that sort of thing from another clan for very long before doing something about it. Because of the 'anyone can help' nature of Dark Sectors we'd be talking about a real miracle clan if they could defend themselves while being outwardly aggressive to boot. 

 

This IS a focus on PvP. What else should it be? Friendly banter? PvE player got the SOSO tile sets with Infested (ok, they are back, big deal). Infested are in Corrupted Void too, so it was not necessary.

And no, I do not want PvP to be the end game content. That is not why I play Warframe and I suspect that is the reason why so many people dislike the Rails.

 

The ONLY novel thing Warframe did was the coop mode done more or less right. The more you weaken it, the more it will become an average shooter.

[Blatantfool]

This IS a focus on PvP. What else should it be? Friendly banter? PvE player got the SOSO tile sets with Infested (ok, they are back, big deal). Infested are in Corrupted Void too, so it was not necessary.

And no, I do not want PvP to be the end game content. That is not why I play Warframe and I suspect that is the reason why so many people dislike the Rails.

 

The ONLY novel thing Warframe did was the coop mode done more or less right. The more you weaken it, the more it will become an average shooter.

 

 Again, this is 1/3rd of the whole endgame package. Not the whole endgame. Don't go getting mad before we even know what the big picture looks like. The PvE portions of the endgame will likely get more love because that is the kind of game this is. We only got Dark Sectors now because DE finished them first. 

 

 So no, it isn't DE turning their focus from PvE. Don't be all melodramatic. Nobody knows what the Focus and Faction Rep systems will amount to yet.

 

 And how any of us feels about the Dark Sectors isn't a good reason for them not to at least do what they're supposed to do well enough to be fun. It's why I'm bugged by them right now in the first place. This could be working out better. 

[Gildarts_bb]

one more thing to throw in the mix here DE has not really said that the DS nodes will be immune from invasions by other factions. which in its own right could damage the rails and drive up upkeep costs making taxing a necessity just to keep the thing running even if it does not get contested . food for thought 

[Squig]

Frankly I'm tired of the coddling, people being unwilling to tax. It's a load of nonsense and places an extreme burden on the hosting clan due to the sheer fact someone -will- contest it every time. There are too few nodes and too many clans/alliances out to make a name/stake a claim on the map for it not to occur. People talk about how it's absurd to tax but it's no different than how our taxes IRL pay for public roads, you -do- pay to use them. Just generally not in as outright a manner for a variety of reasons. Any clan that can fend off constant attacks while maintaining a 0% tax rate is some sort of amazing and should probably be suspected of cheating in some way shape or form simply due to the fact with a 0% tax rate there is no way they can give an incentive for those outside their own clan/alliance to help protect the node when an upstart begins offering 50K credits with the plan of taking the node. 

 

BlatantFool I must say I see very eye to eye with you when it comes to this matter and I find it very sad people seem to be outright doing everything they can to take what could be something fun and interesting and turn it into the same damn thing we have everywhere else on the map.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Squig

[Blatantfool]

BlatantFool I must say I see very eye to eye with you when it comes to this matter and I find it very sad people seem to be outright doing everything they can to take what could be something fun and interesting and turn it into the same damn thing we have everywhere else on the map.

 

 In defense of the people who disagree with me, this isn't a game system that will work out purely because the game sets it up right. After DE manages to work out the kinks that hold this system back game-side it falls on this community to build a community in that system that doesn't cross the line.

 

 It is possible and if it happens it'll be a lot of potential fun even for clans uninteresting in owning rails themselves.

 

 I've said it before and I honestly feel it bears repetition. Dark Sectors will be either as fun or as lame as the people populating it are willing to be themselves.

 

 This community is capable of capturing the right atmosphere there but that falls on us.

 

 I actually understand being wary about people getting over competitive. I just feel, in this situation, it is wrong to be so worried you're willing to desire a whole new game system neutered.

[Tiqalicious]

Frankly I'm tired of the coddling, people being unwilling to tax. It's a load of nonsense and places an extreme burden on the hosting clan due to the sheer fact someone -will- contest it every time. There are too few nodes and too many clans/alliances out to make a name/stake a claim on the map for it not to occur. People talk about how it's absurd to tax but it's no different than how our taxes IRL pay for public roads, you -do- pay to use them. Just generally not in as outright a manner for a variety of reasons. Any clan that can fend off constant attacks while maintaining a 0% tax rate is some sort of amazing and should probably be suspected of cheating in some way shape or form simply due to the fact with a 0% tax rate there is no way they can give an incentive for those outside their own clan/alliance to help protect the node when an upstart begins offering 50K credits with the plan of taking the node. 

 

BlatantFool I must say I see very eye to eye with you when it comes to this matter and I find it very sad people seem to be outright doing everything they can to take what could be something fun and interesting and turn it into the same damn thing we have everywhere else on the map.

The problem is people have turned fun and interesting competitive ideas into unfun popularity contests and crap slinging matches so consistently that people don't actually believe it CAN be fun and interesting anymore and just about everything blatantfool discussed with me in favour of PvP and competition completely reinforced that notion.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tiqalicious

[[DE]Momaw]

I think some people are losing sight of the fact that zero tax is sustainable as long as nobody attacks.   Why would anybody attack a rail with zero tax? It's not to provide a better-than-free service to the player; it's to replace the existing non-profit rail with a for-profit rail: yours.  In other words: greed.

 

Are people in favor of pointless greed, or not?

 

 

 People talk about how it's absurd to tax but it's no different than how our taxes IRL pay for public roads, you -do- pay to use them.

 

Actually it's quite different.  Roads have real material maintenance costs and are the utterly essential core of our economy.  Solar rails are neither; they are an optional luxury service with no inherent maintenance costs.  If it becomes inconvenient to use one, e.g. it starts being taxed because it got taken over by a greedyguts clan, then I'll just stop using it.

[Blatantfool]

The problem is people have turned fun and interesting competitive ideas into unfun popularity contests and crap slinging matches so consistently that people don't actually believe it CAN be fun and interesting anymore and just about everything blatantfool discussed with me in favour of PvP and competition completely reinforced that notion.

Which brings the two of us full circle, because I understood before we ever had the discussion that people would feel the way you do so strongly that getting people to try to build something worthwhile here would be a long and dramatic process. Bias in one direction or another is so heavy you have trouble making people actually want the sort of in-between competitive experience that this system is.

Which is why I was acting sour about it and don't feel particularly sorry for doing it. The situation sucks.

I think some people are losing sight of the fact that zero tax is sustainable as long as nobody attacks. Why would anybody attack a rail with zero tax? It's not to provide a better-than-free service to the player; it's to replace the existing non-profit rail with a for-profit rail: yours. In other words: greed.

Are people in favor of pointless greed, or not?

People will contest purely to put their name on a spot on the map. If you take a look you'll notice people are already contesting 0% maps with the intention of charging 0%.

So your logic is just a bit faulty. Eventually someone will attack someone for some reason. If attacks ever did dry up completely DE would probably just add tower degradation to the game.

[Venexis]

Why would anybody attack a rail with zero tax? 

 

Many clans/alliances have already attacked Tax-free rails and are promising a replacement Tax-free rail. This entire concept is based off of greed. Those who want taxes get a monetary benefit, those who offer Tax-free rails are more than likely wanting to get their name up their to show off. For many, its about that little name tag and the shiny alliance logo (when they get them).