There has been a lot of discussion about the upcoming Winter Expansion around the community lately, and it certainly deserves to be discussed, debated, and considered. CCP has taken a big step in returning the game to its roots and at least attempting a major FiS focused expansion. And they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the attempt. But I'd like to take a deep look beyond this Winter's expansion and gaze into the crystal ball. Where will we be a year from now?
As things stand right now we have to make mention of several unanswered questions that will impact the future course of events in Eve development. Where exactly does WiS stand? And when exactly will DUST514 hit the market?
Those two questions and the corresponding minutia of answers, inter-woven complexities, and fall-out will have a huge impact on what happens after the 2011 Winter Expansion. For the sake of this article I'm going to take control and tell you what I think should happen and see where those decisions lead us. This article isn't intended as a predictive model of the future as much as it is an outline of consequences.
When it comes to WiS I have a very clear vision of what I believe will happen in the Spring. WiS cannot be totally abandoned since it is integral to the support of DUST. It is also obvious that WiS expansion plans have been slowed down almost to a complete stand-still in pursuit of FiS solutions. It is easy to predict that our first establishment will be revealed sometime in the Spring. That establishment will be a sort of "Command Center" ( As hinted at in the future vision video we've all seen ) that will allow coordination between the Eve players and the DUST players. The exact nature of the relationship is starting to become clear and will lainly focus on planetary territorial engagements. To what exact benefit to either side remains dubious at the moment. But only because we don't know.
I would also think that some type of "Communal" room would also be introduced along with the Command Center. The likely hood of this depends greatly on the WiS issues being resolved and that is far from certain at this point. So we'll leave that idea to the maybe, possible, could be bin for now.
So coordination with DUST certainly seems to be the main driver for Spring/Summer plans. If this is the blueprint for future development cycles, it isn't a bad one. Spring/Summer Eve/Dust focus and Fall/Winter FiS focused. And just because Spring/Summer is DUST focused doesn't mean it doesn't include FiS elements, it will and it should. Ignoring the foundation of Eve is what brought us to this past Summer in the first place, I'd be hard pressed to believe CCP would do that again.
Corporations and Alliances are fighting over planetary territories for some benefit to the Eve Community. DUST is on the shelves and hopefully selling like hot-cakes. ( If you are a Eve player you want DUST to do well, believe me. ) So what else does 2012 hold in store?
There will be plenty to keep CCP busy during the next year. Further balancing, V3 deplnyments ( which means new models to stations, gates, ships, modules, etc.), T3 Frigates and further work on inter-space modifications to Null, Low and High-Sec. These are all exciting, needed and welcomed changes. But they simply aren't enough to generate the level of excitement, energy and public relations needed to seriously impact growth for Eve. But what could do that?
Next year's Winter Expansion will be monumental, will echo through-out the world and raise the stakes within New Eden to levels unheard of before. Why? Because this time next year the Jovians become a playable race and take their rightful place alongside the Caldari, Amarr, Minnie and Gal as the fifth race in New Eden. Jovian space is opened and a brand new world unfolds over a three month period of time, in a slow, deliberate and measured roll-out of new characters, ships, modules, space and time.
Why the Jovians? Well, you might as well ask, why not the Jovians? It is the empty corner, it is the big tease, the last remaining unknown, the new thing, the big deal. And here is the kicker, the Jovian ships will require not only new skills to fly, but skills from all four other races to fly. That's right, if you want to fly a Jovian ship - in most, but not all bases - you'll need skills from the other four races. While it will be posshble to choose Jovian as your starting race, the true benefit of flying a Jovian ship will fall into the needy hands of the Bitter Vets alone.
This is for two main reasons. 1) It provides a new shiny to an increasingly older and extremely dedicated audience of subscribers, and 2) It provides the "aspirational" incentive that any large-scale universe requires, something to work towards, a goal$2C an objective beyond "this is cool" that can help drive players to achieve long-term subscriptions.,/span>
You can say all you want about the obvious challenges inherent in bringing the Jovian race into New Eden, and I'd be lying if I said there weren't some, but those can be overcome rather easily given the proper ground work. We've seen that type of ground work before from CCP when it came to the Sansha incursions, so the model for how it can happen has been tested.
The cool part? And this is just my own wishful thinking. ANY character can become Jovian if they wish. A bar would have to be set, say perhaps 100m skill-points, but it is well within the established ( with some minor tweaking ) to assume Jovian technology could achieve such an outcome. So come next Winter your 100m sp Caldari avatar can undergo a transformation (one that might even cost a PLEX or two) into a pure Jovian avatar.
In the end, whatever happens next year is going to be impacted greatly by what happens in less than two months. And then, again, by what happens in the Spring. To me the road seems more clearly defined than it was at this time last year, so progress has been made.
As for me, I'm looking forward to it. And to awesome new Jovian ships.
So what are you looking for next year, and what do you think of the Jovian expansion?
If you haven't read yesterday's post yet, I would encourage you to do so.
My attempt to lay the ground-work for the course of Eve in 2012 came down to several core concepts, the details of which are not as important in the strategic sense. In the planning/idea phase you are better off keeping your attention on the big ideas, the over-arching themes, and let the details form when it comes time to develop tactics to support the strategy.
The major themes for Eve in 2012 are, in my opinion:
• DUST integration
• Subscriber growth
Tomorrow I'm planning on outlining my thoughts on building new-subscriber growth in 2012. Today however, while we are still in the strategy phase, I'd like to revisit some of the core ideas that I presented yesterday.
I believe it is time to introduce another race to New Eden. We have many to choose from, the Enheduanni, Yan Jung, Takmahl, Talocan, Sansha, and of course, the Jovians themselves. I chose the Jovians for my example simply because they have space. Certainly the folks at CCP could give any of the races additional space simply by adding it to the universe. Which is one of the great things about LORE VS. CANON.
Lore is the fictional backstory that supports Canon. Lore is constantly changing, being updated and manipulated to serve Canon. It doesn't work the other way around. Canon is the factual information present in-game. It is also constantly changing, but slower than Lore and usually in a more subtle way.
Whatever the Jovians, or any of the other races, may be in Lore can be altered, updated or modified based on Canon. So, for example, some lone ship gets sucked into a WH and pops out into Jovian space only to find it strangely empty. From that single sentence there are dozens of good writers that could form the foundation for getting the Jovians actually into the universe of New Eden. It's called imagination.
But that isn't even the point. A new playable race has been hinted at as long as WiS and it is time for it to happen. Personally I think the idea of a race based on Cross-trained multi-racial skills is extremely interesting and valid. This wouldn't limit the new race to only older players as some have suggested, you need to think differently. A Rookie player that chooses the new race would train skills the same way we all did, only he would choose from the skill sets from all four of the other races and his own. Heck, I know many players that decided to cross-train virtually from day one. This is no different.
Certainly the older players would have some benefit. Which is their right, since they are older players. But it would only be an availability issue, not one of distinct individual advantage. This kind of thing exists already. When the new BC/BS enter the game in a few weeks I will be able to fly all four of the ships from Day One. (And I plan on it!) Does that give me an unfair advantage?
And then there is the aspect that I didn't touch on yesterday, which is what to do with the newly discovered or recently available new space? My suggestion is this, since FW has been largely ignored for so long, we strive to make the new space a FW playground. Think about it for a second, newly discovered space? I think all four races would be extremely interested in taking possession of such new treasure and would fight hard to do so. So (and let's continue using the Jovians) newly opened Jovian space could be contested space. Originally it would be discovered without Gates and only accessed by jumping to cynos brought in thru newly discovered WH. But each faction now has the ability to build and control Gates for themselves. Said Gates will directly connect to their faction space in Empire only as long as they control the Gate.
Man, I am so full of idears. Heck, given that scenario I might even join a Faction and play in Jovian space for awhile. Obviously we'd need something really awesome and cool in there to make all the fighting worthwhile... and that would be the missing element. The one thing you need to build Jovian tech which can only be found in Jovian space? I dunno, I'm not as smart about industry things and anytime I try I tend to make people angry. So you guys figure that one out.
A new playable race by this time next year?
In this, the last of the 2012 posts, I want to take a look at the single most important element of 2012 for Eve - getting new subscribers. That statement being solely predicated on the assumption that the upcoming Winter Expansion and the adoption of my predictions for 2012 are in the bag, which will stabilize the subscriber base. But we don't want stability, we want growth.
So how do we get new people to not only try Eve but, more importantly, subscribe to Eve? Arguably the most complex, dense, non-inviting, dark, dangerous, incomprehensible and intimidating MMO based on a not-super popular niche genre game on the planet?
Whew. Luckily, I've had more difficult assignments. Try convincing people to give you their internal organs someday! Talk about difficult.
Getting those new subscribers is going to take some hard work, luck and serious strategic and tactical planning, but it can be done. The entire plan hinges on several important factors that need to happen to help it along:
1) We need walking, interacting Avatars in Eve.
You all know I am a huge FiS player and couldn't care less about WiS, but it is crucial to further growth of our beloved game. This is the whole reason why CCP went down this road in the first place - and I mean before WOD and DUST. Go back to the original idea, the original dream, and make it happen. A game without people in it is a turn-off to the vast majority of potential players.
2) DUST
There are 2 smart things about DUST. First of all it is set in the Eve Universe. And while that won't directly help subscribers come into the MMO Eve (Consol vs Comp, we all know the debate there. And while there will be some cross traffic, it won't be much). However, there will be a tremendous indirect benefit if DUST is even slightly successful. Taking advantage of that will require some clever PR/Marketing, but it can be done. Secondly, DUST is on the PS3, and while that might make some XBox people angry it is huge for the potential rewards... IN ASIA. Heck, XBox is considering not even selling in Japan next year. The Asian market is the largest single potential source of new players for Eve. See a connection here?
So we have further WiS development happening in the Spring which will coincide with DUST hitting the shelves (or should) and then tons of new players will jump on board the Eve train? Well, no. It isn't going to be that easy.
There will be a new sub bump in the Spring when these things happen. Heck, there will be a new sub bump at the end of this year from the Winter Expansion. Some of that will be re-subs though, but still, this is looking like a great FiS expansion so CCP will reap some benefits. Maybe 4-5%? Hard to say at the moment. ( The global economy has so much to do with all of this tbh. Family, Shelter, Food, Transportation, Entertainment and then some other stuff and then Eve - it is pretty far down the list.)
CCP has always done a good job with the promotional push, the offers, the bundles, the friends referrals, the incentives. And they have worked to make the new player experience better over the years. Increased training speeds, better tutorials, etc., all have made scary starter Eve less scary for the new player.
I actually have a lot of ideas in regards to the new player experience (so this actually might not be the last post about 2012 after all), but I have one new one that came to me this morning that I'd like to share first.
I call the idea SANCTUARY. Every race has its rookie systems, for me it was Todaki up in Caladri space. ( Oh Todaki we adore you, blinky lights of Gold... sorry, memories of the HS fight song. ) So each Rookie system becomes a Sanctuary system designed to protect Rookies from any potential harm while they are engaged in the Rookie tutorial program. Once a Rookie signs up for the training tutorials they are immune to harm within the Rookie system. The Rookie Training system would need some updates to take advantage of this, I see Rookie combat arenas being set-up to teach basic PvP skills - were Rookies can fight other Rookies IN SHIPS THEY CAN'T FLY YET! And this is the critical part, give them (within the context of the training program) the opportunity to train against each other in Cruisers, Battlecruisers and then Battleships. This is the great tease, the promise of what is to come, the destination objective. Train hard, work hard and one day soon you can fly this ship.
I liken this to the Danger Room from the X-Men comic books. This only works given some major overhauls of the Training Program, but it could be a relatively easy way for new players to be introduced to game mechanics, possible career paths (The PvP element wouldn't be the only one, you could easily set up scenarios in other paths. Imagine a tutorial where a veteran player falls ill and cannot deliver vital goods in his Providence, and it is up to the Rookie to do it! The mind races at the possibilities!)
Being a Rookie in Eve should be hard, we all did it. And I'd be the last person to suggest taking that away, but we also need to make the initial experience impact meaningful enough that they want to stay on course. Making the new player experience into a sort of "mini-game" on its own would be one way to accomplish that.
And then kick them out into the real universe to be killed.
This idea won't leave me alone and keeps running around in my head, so I thought it was worthy of some additional thoughts and discussion. Starting out in Eve is difficult and getting new players involved, engaged and ready to face the HTFU universe is an extreme challenge. One which has not been cracked to date.
My core idea is relatively simple. Turn the initial days of a Rookie's life into a "Mini-Game" that exists inside of Eve. Combine the best of the Tutorials, along with some serious updates and revisions, into a Training Program. Think Danger Room from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters for an idea of what I'm on about.
The idea is to slowly engage the new player into the world, the concepts and the functions of Eve, while also giving them a real taste of what lies ahead. And this is the radical step that is missing from today's engagement - letting the new player have a chance to fly ships he might not get to fly for years.
It makes sense. Think about training a Capsuleer, how much effort is involved, how much technology, expense and pure resources go into a Capsuleer's training. Do you think they just drop you into a Rookie ship and say, "Fly Safe"? Let's turn the experience of the new player into an experience more akin to Capsuleer Training. For real.
This is a unique situation and a unique opportunity, to engage the new player in our universe in ways unheard of in the MMO environment. A system of training that goes beyond the Tutorial boredom into an engaging, exciting and memorable experience!
So, how does it work?
First, every Rookie system is a Sanctuary for every Rookie signed into the Training Program. No one else. So it is not an exploitable situation. There are no kill-mails in the Sanctuary Training Program (STP), no loots (other than those provided to other STP participants) and no way for anyone other than brand spanking new players to get into the STP. While in the STP the Rookie player is immune to the rest of Eve while IN the STP system. This is also important to avoid exploitation. Any Rookie that leaves the STP system can be killed just like anyone else.
The STP has a stepped and tiered program that introduces the new player to the various play styles open to them as players in Eve. A PvP program, an Industry program and so on. Completion of each program is necessary for graduation.
The PvP program would involve Arena Combat. In yet another brilliant move, this program involves introducing the player to other players, building connections on the FIRST day! Such connections as we all know are critical to jeeping players engaged over the long haul. The STP is designed to foster such connections in every program step.
Aura would guide the combat, slowly revealing new systems, tactics and basic fundamentals regarding ship to ship combat. And here is the important thing, while it would start with Frigates, the program would escalate into Cruisers, BCs and perhaps even other ship classes. Perhaps the student would choose PvP as their "graduate program" and more complex tactics would be revealed. The same would hold true in the other programs, students that had no interest in combat might choose Industry as their "graduate program" and be brought into more complex industrial concepts.
The idea is to show the new player a taste of what the big picture Eve is all about. Engage them in the world, while protected from it. The entire STP would only last a few days, but it would be an amazing and unique experience for the new player. It would provide that most important of elements - desire.
Of course, the Rookie player could also choose to opt out of the STP and just undock and fly off. But I don't think many, other than those created as alts, would do so.
The ideas inherent in this system are numberless, limitless and with great possibilities. I'm extremely excited about the STP concept and I can't stop thinking about it. Once completed the STP Graduate would be uniquely qualified as a new Eve pilot and ready to face the challenges of New Eden in ways that we were not.
Imagine being a new player and asked to take over the piloting of a huge transport like the Providence? Or being able to slug it out in Drakes against another Rookie player? Imagine the bonds that could be built between players, the desire to get out there and make something or yourself, to change the sandbox.
I'm sure there are holes in this and those that will poo-poo, but given some serious development and thought I believe this could easily form the foundation for a new player experience that would set the standard for the industry and engage new players in ways unheard of, especially for Eve.
I continue thinking and look forward to your thoughts and ideas.
The ideas just keep rolling here on Eveoganda! Today, with one bold stroke, we shall re-invigorate one of the long ignored areas of play within the Eve universe. Faction Warfare.
Within New Eden we have four types of space - Hi-Sec (Empire), Low-Sec, Null and WH. (NPC Null and a few variants, but those are really the big four.) I am suggesting the addition of a new type of space - Contested Space.
If you've been following along with the 2012 Series (and why wouldn't you, they are friggin' brilliant!) then you know I've been talking about the Jovian race. Now this could be any race, even a brand spanking newly made up one, but the Jovians just happen to be a great example. Mostly because they already have an entire region of space to themselves. So I'm going to continue using them as an EXAMPLE. Get with the program people.
So, what is Contested Space?
Imagine for a moment that at some point next year reports start to emerge from Empire of ships that entered a WH only to emerge deep within Jovian space... and return? Suddenly these reports are confirmed as intrepid players themselves chance upon these newly opened pathways. At first the WH's are the only way in to this vast new region of space. It isn't Null space (since the normal Sov mechanics don't seem to work there, huh.) and it isn't Empire space - no CONCORD. So what is it?
Well at first no one knows. But then a few strange things start to become obvious. Newly discovered BPOs from those that brave the Jovian rats reveal something unexpected. Apparently you might just be able to build Faction Controlled Gates (FCG), the key ingredient of which is a newly discovered mineral that only appears in certain Asteroid belts and PI processes within Jovian space and no where else. In addition, there appears to be a new type of Probe that can be built - the Explorer Probe.
This new region of space is vast, rich and extremely hard to get to. But all of the Empires want it to themselves, certainly possession could tip the balance of power significantly to one side or the other and settle centuries long conflicts. It isn't long before players realize that by using the Explorer Probes (with the right skills) one can determine the exact location where their Faction should build a Gate. Now these Jovian gates are special in that they can be manned, they can be built with special defenses that normal gates do not have, and they can be contested. Just because you build one, doesn't mean you get to keep it.
But once these gates start connecting to Empire space, the flood is on. And this opens up another new game aspect - The Treaty. Treaties have been talked about for ages, but now we have the perfect situation to implement them. Let's say you have an Industrial Corporation that would like to move into Amarr Contested Space within the new Jovian region. In order to be protected and gain access thru the FCG, you'll need to sign a treaty with the Amarr Empire. The terms of that treaty will be negotiated and agreed upon by their representatives the Amarr Faction. But most likely will include monthly fees and percentages from your operations. In return you gain access to new materials, belts, rats, the whole ball of wax. Including new BPOs to build those new Jovian ships the new Jovian players want to fly.
And yes, Pirates are a problem. And yes, other factions will be able to not only attack, but gain control of systems by controlling the gates into those systems. Let's say XYZ system's gate leads directly to Gal space, but the Minnie Faction takes over the gate... well now that gate leads directly to Minnie space.
Suddenly FW has a purpose and directly and POWERFULLY impacts the entire universe of New Eden... something that it truly needs and has never had. And the new Jovian region becomes an interesting, vital, important new arena for a brand new type of combat in Eve.
There are literally hundreds of other ideas inherent in the above, what about the Jovian's themselves, what about Stations, missions, and every other aspect of game-play?
I'm no expert at Faction Warfare, it is the one play style that I haven't tried. So I'll leave the details to those that know and the ideas on how this new system could grow, evolve and adapt will remain to be seen. But I do know that something needs to be done and within the confines of the other ideas I've already outlined in the 2012 Series - the new playable race, the Sanctuary Training Program and the others - that Contested Space is just another piece of the puzzle that would make for a very exciting 2012.
And, more importantly, keep Eve a growing vital game.
What are your thoughts about Contested Space?
"A quick view of the Eve Online forums can always find someone complaining about being suicide ganked, whining about some scam they fell for or other such tears. With the Goons' Ice Interdiction claiming a vast amount of mining ships there were calls for an "opt out of PvP" option.
Should this happen? Should people be able to opt-out of PvP in Eve Online. Should CONCORD prevent crime rather than just handing out justice after the event? Or do the hi-sec population already have too much protection from the scum and villainy that inhabits the game?"
Over the past two years I have written extensively regarding PvP in Eve, the challenges that new players face, the perils of Null, Low and Hi sec space, and offered solutions from both sides of the fence. A few months ago I even wrote the entire opening Chapter on what could potentially become a paradigm shift in the new player experience - The Sanctuary Training Program. ( Essentially Newb systems would become Sanctuary systems, plus other incredibly intelligent stuff )
I've even spent a good portion of time debating a way to make consensual PvP actually work within the framework of Eve with The Thunderdome concepts, HERE and HERE and even HERE.
Despite all of those attempts and more, the truth remains the truth. Player Versus Player combat remains the cornerstone of the Eve experience. And it should remain the cornerstone of the Eve experience for all of eternity, in my mind it is sacrosanct. Almost Holy.
Having said that, let's move on to the real issue at hand. Fundamental changes are needed to the underpinnings of that experience. In order to make the universal experience of Player Versus Player combat more fair, more even and more predictable for all of our players.
True Sec status needs to be implemented universally across the board in all systems.
That Sec Status, per individual system, needs to be used to generate Global Criminal Countdowns. Aggression timers need to be eliminated, as they serve little purpose other than confusion. GCC needs to be based on the True Sec status of the system in which it was initiated. Period. The lower the Sec Status the lower the GCC timer. Predictable, fair and even-handed.
As a consequence of this system of True Sec based GCC, True Hi-Sec becomes virtually impossible to engage in ganking. War Decs would continue, and they really are a side issue like Faction Warfare. But "ganking", while not 100% eliminated, would become very, very rare. And here's why. Anyone with a negative sec status that enters a Hi-Sec system with a high enough True Sec rating - would be destroyed at the gate. Boom. Anything other than a Pod gets blowed up real good.
This does not eliminate ganking in Hi-Sec. In fact it would keep it the same in systems with TS status hovering above low-sec for example. It would only make it increasingly difficult the further up the TS rating you went. And virtually impossible in say .9 systems. I'm certainly not against ganking, heck I've done it myself more than a few times.
It makes perfect sense. Why does CONCORD tolerate criminals in Hi-Sec anyway? They say they don't, god knows I get enough warnings, but they never do anything about it. They should.
In order to "gank" someone in Hi-Sec the attacking party would have to manage their Sec Status, pick systems on the borderline of True Sec Hi Sec, and hunt only when those two things matched up. Conversely, the rewards for those mining, missioning, or otherwise using those systems would go up correspondingly based on lower True Sec ratings. Higher risk means higher rewards for everyone - both hunter and hunted.
This doesn't change anything about Eve that we all love, it works within the already established frameworks, and ensures an almost safe haven for anyone willing to spend their lives in highly rated Hi Sec systems. The reward for living a life like that would be small, to encourage them to move along, but for new players especially it would give them a fighting chance to get started off on the right foot. Not 100% safe, but very close.
I don't think we need special mods, special ships, or special anything to achieve what we all want to achieve. A viable, vibrant, dangerous universe with a few places that are safer than others.
So let's do this. Like next week, k?
For more opinions on this exciting topic, visit FREEBOOTED!
An Excerpt from "Piratez Und De Scum-Suckinkt De Do" By Doctor Pieter Butthurtsky, Ph.D.
"Ya, de Piratez are a very very interestink culture in da many ways. Ya? Von of da most interestink, in mah own humblez opinion, is da questionz of Blue or da friendly status.
It is so very hard for us more culturaled types to comprehensky. The idea of honorz is warped and twisted yes, but in ze way that make total sense to ze Piratez demselves. Ya? On da one hand you can haz friends and on de udder, you can haz enemies und fight. At ze end, each parties can exclaim good fightz in de local and go on from der. It is a mind twister ya? But for dem, it is way of life."
Being a Pirate in New Eden is the hardest playstyle choice in the game and it isn't for the faint of heart. Being a criminal in the opinion of the rest of the Universe is tough and it forces you into a corner as a player, a corner with its own rules, its own conduct and its own expectations. Expectations that can change depending on the Pirates involved.
One of the aspects that have intrigued me the most since I moved from a Null based to a Low-Sec based life in Eve, has been the concepts surrounding Blues, Reds and Neutrals. In Null these conditions are set-up by the Corporation or Alliance you are a part of and are based on political conditions. Reds are Red and Blues are Blue, in most cases the two shall never cross, the amount of gray area in Null is very low.
Perhaps it is because I grew up in Providence that I've always seen things a bit differently. Since Provi was one of the few regions to "allow" neutrals to work, and we had clearly defined borders with -A- for example, the region was constantly a melting pot unlike other regions. The idea of interacting, almost on a daily basis, with Reds and Neuts was not a foreign one. I came to respect and in some cases even talk to our enemies. Even while on the "hunt" in some cases.
Low-Sec isn't all that different. For the Pirate, having official Blue standings is the antithesis of a good idea. For every Blue standing given you've eliminated a potential target. And with targets hard enough to come by, that isn't such a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can't have friends. Many, many times over the last year I've flown in gangs or fleets with people that were not officially Blue to me. Often I'll pick up a few guys in local to go roaming with, or some of us will get together on the spur of the moment to kill a Carrier or something.
In my opinion, it is the highest form of respect to a fellow fighter. The idea that we can fight each other and still get together to fight others, to take advantage of opportunities and still be "enemies" in name but not fact.
When I was in Lucifer's Hammer and nothing was going on, I'd fly into Hevrice to see if I could get a fight with a Tusker. We shared some channels with the Tuskers and I often flew with them in gangs, but I knew if I wanted a good fight I could count on them. They were officially my enemy, but they were also my friends. I got many good fights, won some and lost some, and in the end I joined them when things fell apart.
At one point or another I've flown in gangs with just about everyone that flies in our general region of space. Heck, even some that have flown in from out of town. It is one of the things I like best about Low-Sec. The camaraderie of Pirates.
On the other hand, it is always good to have enemies. And in some cases those enemies have to be created from nothing. This was a tactic I used to great effect in Lucifer's Hammer and it works to unite and focus your Corporation. A Pirate without enemies is lonely. You can't be friends with everyone, but you can respect your enemies. And they, hopefully, will respect you. But that isn't required.
In the end, for Pirates, any Official Blue standings are doomed to eventually fail. One day, one side or the other, will exhaust the available targets in the region and start thinking dangerous thoughts. It always happens.
There was another post here earlier. I deleted it because it was leading to some misunderstandings between myself and my good friend Mord Fiddle. I don't enjoy misunderstandings.
So let me be clear. In almost every meaningful way possible, I agree with his post. ( Which you can read here if you want to be bothered, it's mostly tripe. I kid of course. )
No one could argue that more stories are written about the goings on in Null sec than anywhere else in New Eden. You'd have to be an idiot to make that argument. And, by their very nature, such stories get more attention.
My original post was intended to expand on that idea. Mord used an argument in his post that I disagree with. He uses a metaphor to illustrate his point regarding a battle on a spit of sand. And while I totally understand his point in doing so, the argument is fundamentally invalid. A good story exists outside of context. A good story involves people, individuals, characters, engaged in small, medium and large conflicts. But at its heart, all good stories are about people. A good writer can make a compelling story about two soldiers fighting over a spit of sand just as easily as another could make one about the two armies that surround those two soldiers. They might be equally well written and compelling, but just because more people read the one about the two armies doesn't make it better. Just more popular.
So if all good stories are about people, there should be no inherent bias in the QUALITY of stories told about Null sec or Low sec or Worm-Hole space or anything else in New Eden. A good story is, by its very definition, a good story. The only difference then is in the POPULARITY of the different stories.
I look at the Blog Pack and I see a majority of bloggers involved in Low-Sec, NPC Space and other non-sov holding activities. Is that a fluke then? Are all of those bloggers bad at telling stories? Of course not. And while I understand the intent of challenging us to write more good stories about our adventures, I did take some umbrage at the assertion that we're not already doing so. Because I think we are. In fact, I enjoy many of the stories my fellow non-important, less consequence low-sec, worm-hole, npc space dwelling friends tell already.
Heck, to me, most stories about Null sec sound like I'm reading a story on a news channel like the BBC or CNN. While most stories I read about Low sec seem more compelling, interesting and engaging. We can all have our favorites, but I prefer the stories about individuals. People. In whatever part of space they call home.
More good stories? On that point, Mr. Fiddle and I agree.
I haven't said much yet about the Winter Expansion ( and the new ships/balancing), mostly because a lot of other bloggers are talking about it. But I do have what I think is an interesting take on the subject that has been buggering around in my brain this last week or so.
We're about to get Drain Bamaged and Mind Fubbared!
Not only is the addition of four Battlecruiser class ships with Battleship weapons going to pull the rug out from under your feet, but all the other changes on top of that are seriously going to mess with your head.
There are so many aspects of the game that we take for granted in relation to other aspects of the game, the relative speed relationships between ship class, the relative distance relationships between weapon types, the relative damage outputs between classes... the list is long and complex. And all of that is going to be changing.
And no one, no matter what they tell you, truly understands the ultimate impact this expansion will have on the game of Eve. Even with massive scale backs before release, which are of course possible, the widespread changes that h`ve been leaked so far are nothing less than (gulp) game changing. In my own personal opinion, these changes move Eve forward in an extremely exciting and positive manner. A huge step, maybe three or four big steps, towards perfection.
But while many look at these changes one aspect at a time, the truly mind fubbaring way is to consider them all at once. From Capital nerfs to Destroyer re-balancing, not to mention four major new ships, Eve will be undergoing a widespread shift of focus not seen since... well, hard to say really. Maybe never?
From a Flying in Space enthusiast perspective, this is an expansion whose time has finally come. We've weathered industrial changes, incursion changes, mining Orcas, Sov expansions and any number of other changes, including CQ, without much to show for it. Since the introduction of T3 Strategic Cruisers there hasn't been much for the FiS crowd to cheer about. Other than the Scorpion and Maller re-skins (which are really nice, now get busy on other ships!).
But I'm cheering now. And I am busy trying to wrap my poor sodden head around what it is all going to mean. Any major shift, like after Aprocrypha, have always had unintended consequences that we've had to deal with. So what will be the fallout from this major paradigm shift?
Looking thru the crystal ball I see some good and some potentially not so good changes ahead. Certainly the new balancing impacts the Capital world, not only thru the re-balancing but also thru the introduction of such powerful Cap Killers to the Universe. So Null Space should be an interesting place following the December expansion. But we're also seeing a re-thinking of several ship classes and weapons systems that could potential shake things up in ways we might not even realize yet. Many people are already anticipating an increase in Hi-Sec ganking, perhaps even so far as the disruption of transportation networks and the moving of assets. But I also see a dark potential for increased Gate Camping in all sections of Eve. With hi-dps, longer ranged, relatively cheap ships at their disposal, the temptation to park a small fleet of these things off a busy Gate seems almost unavoidable. And that's not good for anyone.
And I haven't even mentioned new mods, the details of which we don't have a clue about yet. Although we can make some educated guesses about. Data Subverter? If only CCP thought the way my brain thinks that would be the coolest mod ever!
Whatever the details eventually work themselves out to be, this Winter Expansion is shaping up to be a serious shake up of the WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN. A new dynamic will settle into New Eden, one which will fundamentally change combat and the way it is planned, conceived and implemented, for a long time to come.
I say bring it on baby! It is about time things got fun again.
Over a month ago I wrote a series about the CSM and CCP, mostly focused on why the actions of both over the Summer were ultimately bad for EVE itself. The series gained a lot of exposure, traffic and generated other blog posts blah blah yadda yadda. The point being, specifically when it came to CCP, I was correct.
Today's news that CCP is reducing or moving 20% of its staff and "that we are attempting too many things for a company our size." is confirmation of my basic premise - that CCP was overextended and this is bad for EVE.
At the time several sources within CCP as much as admitted that I had hit the nail on the head. Or at least had come closer than I might had thought, since I had NO inside information to base my conclusions on. The subsequent letter from CEO Hilmar started the ball rolling ( I would suggest that letter was an excellent "monkey" btw, well done. ) and recent changes have put CCP back on track once more.
Sadly, for me, I hate being right in this case. Mostly that has to do with the potential layoffs that will result. So for everyone that is impacted by today's news, my sincere and heartfelt condolences. I hope for you and your family's sake that you find employment again quickly.
The other side of me is glad that CCP listened and is making the necessary changes to address their issues now, rather than later. This is a good sign. And as hard as it is on those affected, it means good things for the future.
I'm not suggesting that my series had anything to do with the change in direction at CCP, so don't put words in my mouth. I do know that series was read by at least 45,000 people, give or take a dozen or so. So someone read it. And maybe it had some small part to play.
Either way. Onward and upward.
Gooder Eve is an on-going series that attempts to prod the Eve Universe into motion by suggesting ways in which it could be made gooder. These suggestions range from the serious to the silly, but each one is intended to start a discussion, engage your brain and hopefully start the ball rolling in new and interesting directions.
Recently the concept of Time Dilation has been introduced to the Eve Community. Or, as fans of The Matrix might call it, Bullet Time. The concept is simple, the Eve server acts in an adaptive manner to constrict "in-game" time when the load becomes increasingly heavier. The heavier the load, the slower time acts within the game. It is hoped that by manipulating the fabric of space-time, server lag can be better dealt with.
Which is all fine and good, and a subject worthy of an additional post.
But it brought to mind something else that has been nagging at the back of my brain. ( And credit to Angor Mau for bringing it to my attention earlier this week. ) If we are going to be warping time in relation to server lag, perhaps now is a good time to think about time in Eve on a more majestic scale.
New Eden is a big universe. The scale and wonder of what CCP has built for our enjoyment is truly remarkable. But have you ever noticed how small it is starting to feel? This is just a perception, which is the heart of space-time relativity in the first place. The perception of time has as much to do with actual time as the hands on a clock. Eve might be big, but you can sure get from one place to another PDQ.
And this isn't just a function of Jump Bridges, Cyno Fields, Jump Freighters and other instantaneous modes of transportation either. Although they certainly play a role. It also has to do with warping from one place to another. The other night I went on a quick jaunt North in my Vagabond. 17 jumps in less than thirty minutes. I wasn't burning, it could have gone quicker.
My suggestion isn't radical. It is simply this, to slow Eve down about 10-15%.
To return a touch of the majestic to the Universe we love. Eve has sped up over the last few years and no doubt the universe has gotten smaller. Maybe it is time to pull that back a tad? To give us all a little more time and room to spread our wings? Room you say?
Well one way to achieve this would be to simply (lol) make New Eden 10-15% bigger. To stretch it out a bit overall. This would screw with jump distances and bridges and cynos and whatnots, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing? Another way would be to make everything slower, but I prefer the bigger method.
Ok Rixx, this is weird. No one is asking for this and you've gone off the deep end. Possibly. On the other hand, just because no one is asking for something doesn't mean it is a bad idea. I think the more you consider this the more you'll start to think it makes sense. Or perhaps you have an alternative solution?
Majesty. Size. Wonder. It is space after all and it should take some effort to get from one side to the other. A little more effort, just a touch, could return some much needed majesty to the universe of New Eden.
What are your thoughts?
There are few words that invoke the anger, hatred, fear, loathing and general wtfs in local than the word: Blob. Nice blob. I've wuz blobbed. Blobbing and being blobbed are two sides of a combat coin that at once provide the best and worst of Eve.
But, what exactly IS a Blob?
I've been in fleets numbering from 2 to 2,000*, and for the most part not a single one of those were blobs. However, that depends on your perspective doesn't it? Over the weekend I was in a fleet that numbered around 50, not huge and not small. While we were waiting on a gate, a lone Hurricane jumped thru and we all opened fire and killed him in a matter of seconds. Now, to that poor Cane pilot, our fleet was certainly a huge blob of death. But it wasn't a blob.
Over the years I've come to certain conclusions regarding the word, function and results of blobs in Eve. And mostly they come down to one fact of life - no one likes to die without hope. That Hurricane pilot in the story above? No matter how skilled, talented, well fit, trained or officer blinged his Cane was - he didn't stand a chance. Zip. Zilch. Zero.
I don't care who you are, no one likes to die like that. We spend a lot of time, effort and in-game resources to prepare ourselves for the worst. And then, well sometimes the worst happens. We pick the wrong gate, the wrong undock, the wrong whatever and kla-blooie!! All gone.
That hurts.
But, again, not always a blob. So, what is a blob anyway?
I've developed a definition that I'm sure no one will like, but I'll share it with you anyway.
Blob: The deliberate and purposeful accumulation of sufficient resources to render your opponents resources meaningless in a direct confrontation.
"Deliberate and purposeful" speaks to the thought process of the blobber. In the Cane example, we were on the gate because there were large enemy fleets in the next system. We were not there to destroy the Cane, it just got in the way. However, had I found a Cane ratting in the belt and assembled a like force to kill him, that would be a blob.
"Render your opponents resources meaningless" means this definition works no matter what your enemy is flying, or how many they have. If it's an Archon ratting in a mission, or 10 BCs in system, or a single Rifter, you decide to bring enough ships along that it won't matter what they have. You'll win no matter what happens. The blob eliminates or reduces the possibility of defeat.
But Rixx, isn't your definition the actual purpose of combat?
It is indeed. The fact is there are only 2 kinds of blobs in Eve, the one your in and the one that finds you. And neither of those is wrong, bad or otherwise worthy of hatred. Even if I have 2 ships in a gang and some poor schmuck is unlucky enough to be flying something stoopid in a belt and we kill him, is that a blob? To him it is. To us, a good kill.
Perspective. Goodness knows I've been blobbed many, many times. And I still get angry about it. Because it sucks. It stinks to be caught and have no way out, no chance to escape the overwhelming display of firepower. And I will never get over it.
But it happens. I might even make some snide comment in local about it, and I certainly will never offer a gf, but really that is all for show. Inside I know it could have easily been the other way around and I'd be posting a new killmail.
So what have we learned about the blob? Nothing really. This is all just my opinion. And in my humble opinion there are no blobs, only people with less friends than other people. People with worse luck that day. People without intel channels. People that shouldn't be flying that there. And people that should learn the proper ways to avoid being blobbed in the first place.
HTFU. No wiser words.
*NOTE: Several people have brought to my attention that no fleet in Eve can have 2,000 members. Of course this is technically correct. No single fleet can, but I was counting combined fleet efforts on single battles. I have seen those numbers several times, as I'm sure many of you have.
