Historic space-faring MMO, EVE Online will become a free-to-play game this November, following 13 years as a subscription-only service.

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After its next expansion, the game will split players into two types, Alpha and Omega clones. Existing subscribers who continue to pay will make up the Omega type, able to use the entire breadth of the game's skills, ships and items.Alpha clones will be non-paying players, who can play indefinitely but will have restricted access to skills. The skills they do have allow them to fly early-game Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers.Developer CCP makes clear that this will allow Alpha players to mine, explore, run missions and take part in the game's huge fleet fights (i.e. all the baseline EVE content).Omega players who stop paying will revert to an Alpha state, but can unlock restricted skills again by reactivating their subscription.The specifics are a little vague right now as CCP is entering open development, asking the player base for its opinions on what skills should be locked and unlocked for Alpha clones. Its player-elected Council of Stellar Management will collate and report feedback directly to the developer at a real-life summit in Reykjavik.

A more detailed description of the Alpha/Omega changes can be found on the EVE devblog.

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CCP is touting this move as one of the biggest changes to the game in its history, opening up its mostly player-shaped world to a potentially much larger audience.It's not hard to see how they could be right; EVE has become famous for its almost peerless player freedom, rewarding those who invest time in understanding the hugely complex game by letting them own galaxy-spanning corporations, perform heists for items worth thousands of real-life dollars , and even assist ongoing scientific research in their downtime.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and EVE made him feel insignificant and stupid, so it's a pretty spot-on space sim. Follow him on Twitter