I don't know, I seem to have too many points available compared to the minimum required to spend on T1 & 2, while I don't seem to have enough for the T3, 4, and especially 5 skills. The optimistic in me is hoping this will get balanced out, but the pessimist in me sees the ground skill requirement eating into it. I can't wait to see it go on tribble and read everyone's opinions on the actual changes (I don't do tribble myself).

So far, from my very limited testing, my Tac Captain has actually gained in the amount of space skill, plus is much more effective in ground. Sci has a few less skills in space but dramatically improved in ground. So, Sci is going to be more difficult because they have a lot of space skills, especially at the T4-5 area. Tac and Engineers are going to be much better off, at least my builds are.

Sweet. That would be the best scenario for me.

The general theme I'm getting with the new skills is that the early ones (t1-t3) focus on basic survival and overall stat increases, the later skill (t4-t5) focus on maximizing your abilities for endgame. Which just makes the most sense of any "talent tree" setups I've ever seen in a game. When the get released to the live server, take time to study them and really see what they do. I've looked at them on tribble and found that you need to be on ground or bridge to see the distribution of space and ground skills.

The point where you are allowed to train higher tier skills is determined by the amount of skill points spend, not the amount of ranks you have in the skills at your available tiers. That means - yes, you may have less ranks in lower tier skills. But you can get more ranks at higher tier skills. It will force more choices at lower levels, but give you more skills to play with at higher levels.

Previously, you may have ranked in almost every Tier 1 skill. But did you really want to have those 6 ranks in Batteries? Or would you rather have had another 3 ranks for a Tier 5 skill? Now this would be possible.

Previously on an all space build one had to put 9s in all T1 skills just to open the T2. I'm hoping this is still not the case and the flips advantage does help make T5s more accessable.
Though I noticed they moved SS attack patterns to T1 and added a new skill in T1 as well, which may instigate a need to spend more in T1 than before.
Still haven't played around with the Skill tree completely on tribble but it does appear we will all be taking a hit, slight though it is, and in the grand scheme nothing will have really changed.
Still the true impact of the changes will not be felt for a few dasy as people rework how to best tweak thier builds and the new skill tree.

Space PvPers will still get one shotted in ground PvP..

Not even 1 shot, a lolground pvper just needs to give me a stare and I die.

How did you end up on the ground anyway?
Transporter hick-up? Deposed by yer crew? Hehehehe

On the subject of the split tree, does it make any sense to max out Tier 1 skills or should you do the minimum
and max out higher tier skills?

This whole new system of skill points along with the crew roster is really making this game more like work and less like enjoyment.