You can always catch up, because it costs more to widen the gap than it does to shorten it.
Rant About Unfair Advantages:
[spoiler]It might cost 2quint to get to a certain level, but it may well cost 2 quint to increase that level by 25%, meaning in the time you get another 2q you progress is considerably less than that of someone who farmed the same and caught you up.
So yes you can catch up to people that have been playing a long time, but also dont forget those that played a long time have had the fortunate advantage of playing on a server that was once dead, and as such could farm 500t-1q DMU per hit almost as often as they had turns to do it, as opposed to now where farming is more competative and for cosniderable less amounts. So time is not on your side, nor AT's, nor the avilable naq. So in that sense catching up or even reaching the same level in time is considerably harder.
rewarding those who had that advantage of a better economy, by giving them more AT's to to farm with and farm more DMU than someone lower, widens the gap and gives them another unfair advantage due to an unfair advantage already used. Hence.. The rich get richer.
Hokie is a prime example of that, 1700 personals or something similar, played a long time, before tournaments were introduced he had similar levels then (recall talking to him on msn about it)
Tournaments come out activity goes up, farming goes up, DMU goes down, you release more AT's.. Hokie laughs at how easy he can take the AT's because he already built an acc bigger than most back when farming was as easy as just logging in...[/spoiler]
I understand your desire to reward building stats and taking rank, But it should be done in a way that doesnt offer an advantage to one person over another based on what is basically a measure of how long you have played THAT account for.
Rant About Effect On New/Small Players:
[spoiler]Its hard enough getting new players to even bother with ascended, explaining the importance of not being descended in relation to main only goes so far, but when a new player or even old player returns and you explain this to them and that they must farm and improve their account for that purpose alone never mind physicals for the AT's to farm with... They willt ake one look at it and think... "No forget that" ill just sleep for 2 weeks if i get descended.
Which is great in the long run, because it then means less new players / players slowing in activity, which means Myself or some other like minded player benefits from the economy being different again and farming being easier... which then leads to us building bigger and bigger, so when activity picks up AGAIN.. the gap is wider AGAIN... and the circle repeats.
At some point, there has to be an update that will favor the newer/smaller players or there wont be any fresh faces. Only those that know ascended well enough to just deal with the deficit, or have already established themselves.[/spoiler]
Possible solution/counter proposal:
[spoiler]Why not implement some form of GnR reward system, that doesnt give any unfair advantage to account growth or ability. Titles Based on your GnR, revovling around a set Percent. say those with the most GnR, top 5% (GLORY and REPUTATION) call it Godly Gladiator of The Universe or something relevant to ascended.
People can then chase a title through ranks instead of gaining a game changing advantage. Go down the Aesthetic route instead.[/spoiler]
just thinking of the newbs is all, cz im nice like that