TLDR: Checkers is fun at first but by game 100 you're ready for chess. Please give us back Chess. I'm already bored of Checkers. Hey, Just wanted to add my thoughts here as I'm deeply invested in this game. I don't have a lot of money but over the years I've put all my extra time and money into this game. I spent over 6000$ so far knowing that buying these ships is really a waste of money but I wanted to support a game that I truly believed in. For years I've defended it from critics and brought as many people to the game as I possibly could. Now with the master modes change I feel like I'm not having fun anymore. Before there was a lot to work for skill wise. I practiced flying frequently and dog fighting trying to up my game. Now that master modes are out I feel like I'm on par with everyone else. I recently encountered the guy who won the PVP tournament at last citizen con and went basically even against him. He couldn't shake my fire, I couldn't shake his, and the experience felt very unfulfilling. The only thing I see dictating fights now is number of ships and what ship your in / load out. The pilot is almost irrelevant. It was exciting to see a pilot take on 5 others or 10 others and if they were good enough able to take on the group through masterful flying and using maneuvers to separate a player from the flock, now it's simply* impossible. I've felt awful for a while now and have no desire to even log in and play. I know I'm not alone so I wanted to post something hoping Chris Roberts or CIG might read this. Player counts are steadily going down, the verse feels empty compared to last patch and just like anything that's new, it is exciting at first, we were all playing, but since the skill ceiling is so low now instead of players getting frustrated from being out played and the least devoted leaving, players are starting to leave because they've figured it all out, know how the fights going to go with their ship when they see another, get bored and then leave anyway. The reason games like Counter Strike, StarCraft or DOTA have such a huge following over a long period of time is because every time you come back, you get a little better and it feels better. You remember when you couldn't beat anyone and then you realize you're able to beat some players and it starts to feel amazing. You keep trying and learning and eventually you can beat most. You feel like you got somewhere, you then have a player who will play for life. Once you get to a high level you're thinking more about the game and how to play it and admire other players for their skills. You can take tips here and there off smart players and use them to get better your self. You feel as though you always have something to work for. Not just from an item gathering perspective or level ups, but to grow your own abilities as a player. It's the fundamentals of human nature and I feel like this recent patch with Master Modes is going against that. It would really be awesome to see another game come out that fits into this category of easy to learn hard to master. So far we're just working with games that are 10-20 years olds. I really think CIG is shooting them selves in the foot with this model. It feels like a pop song. First few times its nice, once you hear it enough times you can't sand it anymore. Well anyway, Thanks for taking the time to read my rambles. Really love the project and hope MM isn't here forever.