For all this supposed "hard-core" crowd, the only real "hard-core" gameplay is for the new players while being very CareBearing for the veteran players who have grinded their way through or mostly through the progression tree. While increasing combat value through grind is nothing new, the special part of NA is that there is no filter between the max geared and the non geared. Instead of a matchmaker ensuring that the absolute spread in combat power doesn't fall out of certain bounds, the ridiculous bonus caps and Perk system mess up much of the supposed skill matching and also how the different ship types relate to each other.
This is further exacerbated by the winner takes all nature of combat rewards, which quickly teaches newbies every fight is an auto loss. Either they can't catch the ganker, or they can't kill it. So loss of considerable in game asset and progression for little return.
Progression, money sinks and the Module/SkillBook/Perk system mean the game is hardest in the first few weeks/months and then gets progressively easier after x hundred hours of playtime. My play experience now is mostly easy mode, in comparison the first 2 months were very tough. This is not due to skill increase, I still mostly lose PvP fights, but the discrepancy in gear is much less or non existent and I can now easily replace losses, which makes all the difference.
This is not skill based gameplay, but pure grind. This also shows in the focus on meta exploitation and the ganking/farming behaviour of many players (myself included, I gank if the opportunity comes along, though I don't farm) which is so damaging for newbies.
For all the talk of PVP some obsess over in this thread, there seems to be little organised PvP among the "skilled" max geared players here. Something that would be a given if it was all about "skill". Also, at least some of the lauded solo players here are just meta abusers, if one looks with what setup they are sailing with.
In conclusion, the average poster on this thread are not "BAD HARDCORE M****ERS" but rich old overweight slobs sitting on their thrones of gold being served by the great unwashed while dreaming of their (imaginary) golden youth.
The problem with this setup is that here the great unwashed can choose to leave, and are not being given much reason to stay except for the unspoken and uncommunicated promise that life will get much easier later, if they are willing to sink in the playtime.