Freebooted

The Squeaky Wheel of Player Power

2012-01-29T01:36:00.005Z

"As a company CCP is I think largely viewed as one of the MMO companies that really genuinely listens to its subscribers - say what you like about recent events - but in the grand scheme of things we listen to our players a lot more than other MMO studios do. Now more than ever."

- CCP Headfirst, Associate Content Designer, Dec 2011

The relationship CCP has with its customers is fascinating. For the last nine years, the developers of EVE Online have nurtured their MMO creation into a multicultural boiling pot of online gaming activity. As a science-fiction sandbox gaming environment, there is little wonder that the universe of New Eden attracts such a diverse cross-section of players, from statistics-oriented combat purists to immersion-hungry content-seekers. Understanding and improving on the game experience for every kind of player must be a huge challenge for the developers.

Without access to demographical statistics, it is impossible to know exactly what percentages of players would respond positively to improvements to specific areas of EVE Online, however recent history (ie. the Crucible expansion) has shown that stats-balancing and refinement is a definite winning strategy, especially amongst the null-sec power-blocs. After a developmental own-goal last summer, the communication between CCP and subscriber seems to be once again improving. However, I hope that CCP is not now on the timid path of catering solely to the demands of the loudest voices.

The CSM: Arbiter of the Loudest Voice

The current Council of Stellar Management can rightly claim credit for their part in this improved relationship and they have worked hard to represent the wishes of the EVE players with whom they've had contact. Regardless of what critics may say, the CSM system has worked well to bring together an effective team of senior players to liaise with CCP for mutual benefit. Whether this was by accident or design is not important. The simple fact is, they got the job done.

With the elections for seventh CSM term approaching, those same individuals - stamina and desire permitting - are among the strongest contenders for the (now reduced number of) positions on the next council. They have an establish team ethic, have presumably fostered good relationships with CCP staff and they have experience. However, if the elections shake up the status quo, so be it. I'm sure some fresh blood would be useful too.

Concerns about the under-representation of particular communities or play-styles are irrelevant. An effective CSM should be able to represent the concerns of the playerbase irrespective of personal experience. It is down to the communities to convey their demands effectively to the CSM so they can be represented. This is why the present CSM comprises almost entirely null-sec alliance representatives, they're organised with ready-made voters. They know how to co-ordinate to be effective.

That said, it would be good to see some effective CSM seat challenges from other quarters if the candidates have something to offer. But just a few. The key is for each community to get behind a single representative rather than diluting the votes into ineffectiveness. It may be prudent for some potential runners to instead campaign on behalf of another or even to promote the CSM process in general for a fairer result.

Regardless of CSM composition, the importance of player involvement doesn't end with the elections. It is about giving persistent voice to all aspects of EVE in order to help the sandbox environment to thrive. A losing candidate should not recede into the shadows but should continue to champion their community.

A Voice for the Other Guys?

I have some concern that the established order (that being both CCP direction and CSM composition) has a bias toward the mechanics of EVE, without much consideration for the storyline and lore (I would be happy to be wrong). This is not to say that the gameplay mechanics should ever be compromised in favour of aesthetics, but equally I would not want to see EVE's ongoing richly-woven lore disregarded in pursuit of currying favour with the "player-driven narrative" of null-sec.

It is something I discussed with CCP Dropbear and CCP Headfirst in an interview last December. This is what they had to say on the subject:

CCP Dropbear: "Part of it comes down to how much demand we as developers can demonstrate for a certain feature to our bosses... If we can say 'hey, over the space of four weeks I've just managed to get 200 people to donate thirty billion ISKs worth of stuff for a fluff roleplay project that has no influence on any mechanic in the game'... It helps sell to them that there's interest in this."

CCP Headfirst: "Roleplayers are a powerful lobby. If you put your money and your time and your effort and your forum posts and everything where your mouth is, just like any other lobby you can get things done."

CCP Dropbear: "It gives us more ammunition to take back to our bosses and say 'hey we should allocate more time to this' or 'there's some real interest'."

The key message is that CCP are listening, but we as players need to speak the right language. The simple fact is it is a numbers game. If we can make the right people see that there is value in a particular aspect of EVE, the wheels WILL turn. But we all need to be pulling in the same direction. Again, this was best illustrated in the Dropbear/Headfirst interview, when asked about players influencing development:

CCP Dropbear: "The community has already made it more than abundantly clear that it wants fixes to faction warfare."

CCP Headfirst: "A prime example is ship spinning... on Incarna... the one complaint that everybody heard the loudest was 'what happened to ship spinning?' ... if enough people shout loudly enough and push in the same direction... there you go, ship spinning is back. Just imagine the power that that same group of people could've had if they were asking for incursions for all the other various factions or being able to accrue loyalty points with all these other pirate factions and spend it on pirate gear based on the incursion system... putting FW space between Blood raiders and Amarr, Serpentis and Gallente."

Bear in mind that the player-influenced change Headfirst and Dropbear referred to came at a time when CCP were considered to be single-mindedly pursuing a development path not embraced by (many of) the players and were trying very hard to ignore the increasingly loud voices. Suffice to say we now live in enlightened times and the measures that were required to effect that change are (hopefully) no longer necessary. Further proof that the Ear of Sauron is now sporting a shiny new hearing aid, Lead Designer CCP Soundwave has gone on record to state that Faction Warfare is very much in the frame for near future iteration. Some initial tweaks have already been made.

This player consultation process is exactly what the CSM is for, but the councillors can only be as effective as the messages they are receiving. Players need to get behind the CSM and communicate with them, via the CSM section of the EVE Online forums, individual members blogs, Twitter and so on. Equally, the CSM needs to support the players - of all play-styles. But the plain truth is that EVE development is about subscriber numbers. Those numbers dropped after a series of faux pas last year, but were swollen by the improvements brought about by Crucible. How EVE Online's future pans out and in what direction development is taken is what is now at stake.

Crucible was designed to please existing customers and entice lapsed subscribers to return. Whilst this trend needs to continue, CCP must also look to growth and attracting (and retaining) new subscribers. Without that fresh influx, eventually the EVE player base will wither until all that remains is the dedicated hardcore somewhere out in null-sec.

If the only issues that are brought to the attention of the CSM and/or CCP are those that affect subscribers that play the null-sec sov-war game, ask yourself why. It is, after all, the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

"It requires not a guarantee but a clear indication that there is interest in such things."

- CCP Dropbear, Content and Storyline Developer, Dec 2011

[CCP Dropbear and CCP Headfirst quotes were transcribed from a Voices From the Void interview which can be found here.]

Celebrating the Community: The Free Boot Awards for 2011

2012-01-24T23:59:00.014Z

Back in Meatspace it is award season again. Assorted papparazzi-riddled red-carpet glitz-and-glam occasions will be taking place as the most illustrious of our movie and TV pat each other on the back for jobs well done over the previous year (whilst their nefarious puppetmasters plot the downfall of the internet from their ivory towers).

Within the realm of digital entertainment, organisations have been doling out awards too, with MMORPG.com conducting a player poll to determine their 2011 Game of the Year. Despite (or perhaps because of) EVE Online's mercurial and tempestuous year, it won the award by a huge margin with 51.7% of the votes to second place Rift's 26.9%. It's nice to know as EVE creeps toward being a decade old it continues to evolve to stand strong against competitors.

Some more unkind commentators have suggested that EVE Online only won that vote because of it's community has little else to do but organise "poll ganks". If that's what happened, then so be it. That's just how we roll. More power to the EVE Community, quite possibly one of the most dedicated, creative, wonderful and frightening collections of warped genius on the internet.

In fact, with that in mind, the time has come again for me to name and shame those spend far too much of their time and talent doing things for the greater good of internet spaceships. CCP Headfirst recently claimed that the sort of people who play EVE are collectively so smart they should probably be running the world. I'm not sure that's such a good idea, but nonetheless, lets look back at 2011 and give some folk some meaningless but much-deserved recognition.

One note, these decisions and selections were entirely my own, made up on the spot with little to no research. No offence or omission was intended, there are many other brilliant contributors, but I think this post is long enough as it is. However, now I think of it, if you want to give someone some recognition for their parody song, smart phone app, blog, service or other contribution that I've overlooked, why not leave a comment.

Enjoy.

Welcome to the Free Boot Awards for 2011

The Free Boot Legacy Award Section

With a slight change of format from last year's awards, this first section is in honour of fallen heroes. Here I give recognition to those who made huge contributions but for whatever reason are no longer doing so.

Our first Free Boot goes to a community giant who devoted years to building the vibrant EVE blogging community we now enjoy. Over half a decade ago a few individuals took up the quill and shared their thoughts on this niche internet curiosity that was EVE Online. A certainly "Blogfather" forged these scattered few into a genuine community, introducing the Blog Banters as a means of sharing readership and ideas, maintaining a blogroll as more blogs emerged and forming the Blog Pack to provide a one-stop-shop introduction to EVE blogging. Crazy Kinux, the man-mountain from Canada, finally stepped down from his many community roles last year to pursue a career within the games industry. Now known on Twitter as Social Dave, Crazy Kinux is the recipient of The Free Boot for Outstanding Services to the Community.

Another community leader that took his final bow last year was a man whose legacy is still going strong. He led the way in embracing new social media and conceived of the Twitter #tweetfleet community, a hashtag so hotly contested that ferocious defences have been mounted in recent months against attempted takeovers from The Deadliest Catch TV Show and Star Trek Online. They failed and 00sage00's Tweetfleet legacy remains strong. Props to Rickipedia for taking over. The Come Back and Fight for Your Legacy (You Slacker) Free Boot Award goes to 00sage00.

In the early part of 2011, a CSM5 led by Chairwoman Mynxee, showed foresight of the coming storm and, frustrated by communication bottlenecks and NDAs, controversially warned of their concerns in an open letter to CCP. This brave stand was the catalyst for much of what was to come and it is a shame that Mynxee (along with Teadaze) was worn down by her experience that she didn't make it to Fanfest and subsequently retired from EVE. Whilst credit is also certainly due her successor, this year's third Free Boot goes to Mynxee for Holding the Line before CCP's ill-judged Incarna implementation was apparent to all.

The Free Boot Blog Award Section

With so many great writers sharing their talent for nothing but the hope of the odd comment, it seems unfair to mention only a few, but the blogging community has seen some exceptional bloggery that really should have a boot thrown at it.

Buried amongst all the incredible events of last year was a quiet tale of truly machievellian genius that was recounted in side-splitting detail. A series of blogposts bestowed infamy upon an individual who can only be described as EVE's greatest celebrity victim. Zedrik Cayne's blog series explaining how he and co-conspirator Morin Blain managed to exile high-sec nuisance Socratic to low-sec is a true slice of EVE. Zedriks Cayne's EVE Blog is deservedly awarded the Free Boot for Blog Series of the Year.

The Summer of 2011 was a tumultuous time for EVE Online. The release of the "walking in stations" Incarna expansion was very poorly received, with unprecedented reactions from the playerbase including a vocal outcry against Monoclegate, with "rioting" in-game and mass unsubscriptions. CSM6, led by The Mittani, scrambled to assist in damage limitation by attending an emergency summit in Iceland. Amidst endless tidal waves of rage and indignation, one man's merciless satire managed to see the funny side of an otherwise bleak period in EVE's history. On his blog Fiddler's Edge, Mord Fiddle wrote 'Fever Dream', a Chaucer-esque imagining of the negotiation between CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson and Alexander "The Mittani" Gianturco. Wicked, witty and at the time a much needed tonic, this post is the winner of the Free Boot for Blogpost of the Year.

In a blogosphere that has evolved into a cacophony of hundreds of voices, the past year heard one voice bellow out above them all. It's speaker is articulate, knowledgeable and prolific. In fact, the sheer volume of articles (sometimes 3 posts a day for an annual total of 531 posts) of a consistently good quality has earned the author the moniker of Roboblogger. Following a period of reflection following an unsuccessful CSM campaign last year, Ripard Teg bounced back from to write some influential and insightful articles. Particularly this one (Some Curves Aren't). All in all, Jester's Trek is the deserved winner of the Free Boot for Blogger of the Year 2011. Now Ripard, please stop and let us mortals have a go ;).

The Free Boot Behind the Curtain Award Section

Crowd Control Productions. Once a merry band of brave Icelanders fearlessly charging into the MMO arena, now a sprawling corporation trying to stay true to the ideals of its founders whilst having to behave like a traditional business. The good ship CCP sailed through difficult waters in 2011 and not without cost. Without being behind the curtain myself, I am undoubtedly going to miss mentioning many individuals deserving of our thanks and praise, so before any names are dropped, let us award an honorary Free Boot to every CCPer, past and present, who has done their part to keep the ship afloat. Thank you.

A special mention must go to the 20%. Underserving of their fate, a fifth of CCP employees lost their jobs as a cost-saving exercise following the failure of Incarna. Whilst only a few names were widely known amongst the player population, I hope that the new year has found every one of them with good fortune and bright futures.

For those that remained and stepped up to steady the foundering ship, the first award must go to The Developer of the People, the voice of reason in the misunderstood and out-of-context Fearless internal magazine, The man published then as John Turbefield and now cementing his position as a much-loved Dev with his endless "stat porn" tweets and devblogs. The Free Boot for The People's Champion goes to CCP Diagoras.

With the community team devastated by the lay-offs, and communication being one of the key failings during the Summer of Incarnage, CCP's road to redemption looked hazardous. As the recovery was slowly made, a diminutive man of boundless energy managed to deliver more information to the players than should have been possible, CCP Guard was that voice in the darkness and did as much as anyone to repair the tattered player/CCP relationship. Although all members of the community team did well to stand tall in difficult times, the Free Boot for Community Dev of the Year goes to Sveinn Kjarval, a.k.a. CCP Guard. Woop woop!

In recognition of his innovation and the championing of a section of the EVE community that often plays second fiddle to the stat-mongers and min/maxers, the subtler, more machievellian story-weaving and clue-leaving that has seen the lovers of EVE lore not go without this year, for the live events that breathe life into a pre-generated world and for the glorious mystery that is the Arek'Jaalan Project, Nick Blood/CCP Dropbear is Freebooted's Most Innovative Dev.

Whilst the dramatic turn-around of CCP's fortunes was clearly a monumental team effort, every team needs a leader - especially in difficult times. I think that few would argue that despite vitriolic criticism levelled in Fearless-gate, the man who responded to the slings and arrows by stepping into the breach in heroic fashion and forging the path ahead to the acclaimed Crucible expansion was the former Goon named for a giant robot cassette tape. The Freebooted Dev Hero of the Year can only go to Kristopher "Stoffles" Touborg, CCP Soundwave. Well struck, sir.

I final mention should go to CCP CEO Hilmar Petersson. Whilst there is no Free Boot award for him, he should be admired at least for standing and being counted when he realised bad decisions had been made. Although it was too late for some, disaster was averted and some good decisions were eventually made.

Free Boot Community Award Section

EVE Online is far more than just a game, it is a complex society made up of many communities. Each of these communities can only thrive with contribution from all of its members. However, amongst those communities are individuals who go above and beyond to further improve and promote their communities and even reach out to other communities.

With the departure of Crazy Kinux, the man who built the blogging community, the amorphous network of player-maintain sites may have drifted in broken up into disparate parts. However two (well, three) individuals worked to continue the Blogfather's work. The first was Black Claw who for a number of years had quietly maintained the EVE-Bloggers portal, a single live list of headlines featuring every published EVE-related article. With CK gone, his work now became of increasingly critical importance. Secondly, (and a little awkwardly) is erm... me. I run the Blog Banters so I'm giving myself a Golden Boot. I got told off for leaving myself out last year. Okay? Good. Thirdly, and arguably most importantly, the Neo-Blogfather, the new Curator of the Blogpack and drawer of good pictures, Mr Rixx Javix. let us all enjoy our imaginary Free Boots for Services to the Blogging Community.

Next up is a woman who is tireless in her work within the community. I've had the opportunity to work alongside her on a few projects and I know how passionate she is in her work. Curator of the Podpack - a collection of all EVE-flavoured podcasts, as well as long-time host of Voices From the Void, sometime writer for Tech4 and phenomenal voice talent, Arydanika is the velvet-voiced rose of the podcasting community. Truly she deserves a Free Boot for Services to the Podcasting Community.

Honourable mentions should go to all the other hard-working members of the 'casting community. If only more people appreciated the hard work and effort that goes into maintaining a regular podcasting service. So imaginary mini-boots go to Max Torps, Noise and Penelope Star, Ender Black, Jason Acinom and Erin Anwynn, Jade, Angus McDecoy, Priest Kristoph and Chad, Breki, Arkenor and Petter, Kil2 and Kovarix, Chyph3r, Marc Scaurus, Kirith Kodachi, Pixie Twilight, Mintchip, DJ Wiggles and anyone else who takes the time to make audio entertainment for us EVE folk. You're brilliant, please keep going.

Another tireless and sometimes under-appreciated community contributor is Riverini of EVE News 24. I recently had the opportunity to see how he runs his operation and he puts a hell of a lot of effort into providing a community news service almost single-handedly. Along with co-writer Bagehi, they manage to report and produce multiple articles each day in what is literal production line of news. Although sometimes divisive, there is no doubting Riverini and Bagehi's dedication to providing an ambitious community service. A Free Boot for Community Dedication to you both.

It would be a huge oversight in a community award process (because this is a well organised and deeply-thought-out event, honest) if recognition wasn't given to those very individuals who were elected to represent the community to CCP. A heartfelt thanks should go to every member and alternate of the Sixth Council of Stellar Management for all their hard work throughout the year, even the "King of Space with his crown at a jaunty angle". In the past, we've seen some burn-out from the pressures of the role so it's clearly not an easy task. A highly valuable imaginary Free Boot Award goes to The Mittani, Trebor Daehdoow, Seleene, Meissa Anunthiel, UAxDEATH, Killer2, White Tree, Vile Rat, Draco Llasa, Two Step, Elise Randolph, Prometheus Exenthal, Krutoj and Darius III.

The final community award goes to a man who has long been a quiet force who has long moved among us, masquerading as a mere mortal. Without complaint or ado, he has gone about his blogging for longer than some EVE players have been allowed to drink and is one of the original Blog Pack forefathers. Coupled with that he has supported and written for EON magazine and co-edited EVE Tribune. Not content with this, he regularly podcasts from his Inner Sanctum and has recently volunteered to help out with editorial duties for Tech4 News. Proving that you can be a gentleman, a grown-up, a parent, an EVE player and still find time to contribute to the wider community, the Free Boot EVE Online Lifetime Achievement Award deservedly goes to Lord Moose Beaver himself, Kirith Kodachi. And now I fell less guilty for not mentioning him last year. ;)

The EVE Online community. Unparalleled.

But we do have a reputation to uphold within the wider game community, so if you see any of these people in-game, kill them. Congratulate them too by all means, just make sure they're dead first.

BB32: The Sandbox Argument

2012-01-18T22:27:00.013Z

"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?"

- Drackarn, Blog Banter 32

I've read through many of the blog banter responses so far and quite frankly I'm disappointed. There's an overwhelming prevalance toward a short-sighted "feet under the table" attitude. The majority of current EVE players seem rooted in preventing the growth of this sandbox MMO, resisting change and every opportunity and decrying new ideas.

Already this myopic attitude has all but brought an end to Walking In Stations which, however misguided in implementation, was an idea with the vision to attract a much wider demographic to boost the fortunes of EVE Online as a whole. Sadly, Incarna is now viewed as a developmental leper by the many players still foaming at the mouth from the mob rule of last summer and we are unlikely to see if the concept would have eventually yielded fruit.

My earlier mention of the sandbox is key to understanding my stance. Many commentators repulsed by the idea of a change to the current combat/aggression mechanics to foster a more nurturing environment claim that the ubiquitous risk of loss in New Eden is its Unique Selling Point. They are incorrect. Many games remove your progress in the event of your death. The USP is the risk and the sandbox environment. If all participants are not able to do as they please, then its not really a sandbox is it?

This is a double-edged argument; to prevent any action through the implementation of a mechanic undermines the sandbox principle - in the case of suicide-ganking of high-sec PvE-ers, either the perpetrators or the victims will complain their sandbox privileges are being violated. So already we've found the edge of our sandbox, it's got limitations.

Reasonably you may argue that those already playing in the sandbox have jurisdiction and should dictate the nature of the castle-building and hole-digging that goes on. To a degree, this is true. The owners of the sandbox certainly need to ensure that the current children are happy smashing each others castles and that there is enough sand to go around. But equally the sandbox curators need to consider what happens when these children inevitably grow up, get bored or develop different tastes.

Of course, there will always be the educationally subnormal ones who will sit and play in the sand forever and certainly someone should always be on standby to wipe the dribble from Special Ed's chin. But where is the harm in introducing new elements to the playground for children of different tastes. Some of the existing sandbox occupants might even find they like an occasional change of pace, playing in a new variation of sandpit. Children like Ed would eat less sand in a ballpit anyway, and more children like him might find their way into the sandpit if allowed to play in the safety of the ballpit first. This new influx would be sure to please those horrible children who like picking on kids like Ed.

Less resistance to change would do EVE Online the world of good. It's all very well the existing elitist playerbase demand that all possible new players be put through Hell Month just like they did, but those self-serving campaigners are simply the spoilt children who don't like poor little Ed because he smells funny and still wears a nappy. There have been plenty of perfectly plausible suggestions made elsewhere in this Blog Banter that would support both the existing playerbase, but allow for a softer approach to entice the Special Eds of the gaming world.

Lots of comments are probably inbound about how I don't understand EVE and the introduction of more casual or safer elements would kill EVE. Many might claim that my use of tasteless analogies shows a complete lack of empathy and I clearly don't know what I'm talking about. I have two replies to that; 1. You're all closed-minded, unimaginative sheep. and 2...

I
N
G

U

Have you eaten too much sand?

Blog Banter 32: Non-Consensual Combat Restrictions

2012-01-18T02:11:00.042Z

This month's Blog Banter comes from Drackarn of Sand, Cider and Spaceships. He has foolishly chosen to poke the hornets' nest that is the non-consensual PvP debate. Whilst you read his question, I'll be finding a safe place to hide.

"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?"

Banter on my friends.

[Not sure what a Blog Banter is but want to join the conversation? Click here for an explanation.]

Links to community responses will magically appear in a tasty list below.

Community Tubthumps, Tears and Titters

Blog Banter 32 by Corelin @ Haberdashers Run Amok
EVE Online is Harsh - Live With It by Drackarn @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships
Blog Banter 32 by Cle Demaari @ A Citizen in EVE
Safe? by blastradius1 @ Blastrad Tales
Consensual PvP? by Ned "CCP Manifest" Coker @ A Gaming Manifest
Blog Banter 32 by evehermit @ Evehermit's Blog
EVE is all about risk by TG3 @ Through Newb Eyes
Blog Banter 32 by Harrigan Vonstudly @ Gun Turret Diplomacy
Blog Banter 32 by Lukas Rox @ Torchwood Archives
Blog Banter something or other and an update by TetraEtc @ Tetra's EVE Blog
Life's not consensual by Logan Fyreite @ Eve Opportunist
Without PvP, EVE will be nothing by Keyanu @ Muppetninjas
Blog Banter 32 by A Scientist's Life in EVE
Say Yes To Reasonable Protection by Kirith Kodachi @ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah
Your Ship is Out of Control by Rixx Javix @ EVEOGANDA
Blog Banter 32 by Kaeda Maxwell
What Makes EvE Real? by Kuan Yida @ Random Posts From Auga
See No Evil by Azual Skoll @ The Altruist
The Sandbox Argument by Seismic Stan @ Freebooted
Blog Banter 32 by Marc Scaurus @ Malefactor
Non-Consensual Combat Restrictions - Pass by Mabrick @ Mabrick's Mumblings
A Load of Crap by GamerChick42
For the Children by Sered @ Sered's Lives
Against Your Will by Truen1ght @ ...Shall we not Revenge
BB: Option 3 by Mike Azariah @ A Missioneer in EVE
Who Are You.. Really? by Orakkus @ 2nd Anomaly From the Left
Get Your Tears Out of My Beer by Kat Robspierre @ Chasing ISK
I heart carebears by Shalee Lianne @ Living a Lie
PvP needs consequences for both sides by Urziel99 @ Urziel's EVE Chronicle
Not one of those sarcastic ones by Cobalt Snake @ Year of the Snake
Blog Banter 32 by Anabaric @ Inside My Skull So Many Demons
Opt out of PvP? More like opt out of subscribing by Xero Shifter @ Gathering Space Dust
Ganking Without Consent by Mandrill @ keithneilson.co.uk
Blog Banter 32 by Crash @ Obfuscated Reality
Blog Banter 32 by splatus @ A Journey Through the Mind
The problem is in the middle by Myrhial Arkenath @ Diary of a Pod Pilot
"The Sandbox Argument" by TurAmarth ElRandir @ A CARBON Based Life
Why No One Likes Anyone by Adainy Gwanwyn @ Hot Lead Space Bomb
Vigilantes! by Aurelie Thalys @ Emergent Patroller
Putting the "Sensual" in "Non-consensual" by Aiden Mourn @ Finders & Keepers

The EVE Online Mentality and Me

2012-01-14T03:59:00.002Z

I love EVE Online.

I have a deep and long-standing affection for EVE Online and what it represents. I understand its history and its pedigree. EVE was the ambitious product of pioneering Icelandic underdogs who dared to push boundaries and chase impossibilities. I am in touch with EVE's decades-old roots in Braben and Bell's Elite just as I see EVE's potential in the future of digital entertainment. I see the genius in EVE's grand “emergent gameplay” sandbox and the tendrils that grow beyond into its unrivalled “metagame” environment. I have felt the full-body tremble of adrenaline and the entrancing serenity that EVE's gameplay can provide. EVE Online is unique and I understand how and why it is “Real”.

I hate EVE Online.

I have a grinding frustration and burning resentment for what EVE promises. I have seen EVE grow from a single brave idea into the half-formed expression of a thousand great ideas. As EVE has unfurled its wings and matured into the beguiling creature that it almost is, it has often faltered in its achievements, undecided in its purpose. In trying to catch the eye of every possible suitor, EVE has sometimes failed to please her current escort. EVE flirts with concepts that could stun the soul, yet can turn away with whispered promises barely delivered. EVE flatters to deceive - she is a honeytrap, a tease and a bitch. EVE is the Other Woman and she is endlessly cruel.

Surviving and Thriving in New Eden

That's the opening flourish done with. I hope that buried within the metaphor and hyperbole I managed to convey my intimate comprehension of EVE Online culture and the powerful contrasts that drive it. I believe it is important for any commentator to understand that EVE Online's complex metagame can be as much a part of its gameplay as the core mechanics. There are a myriad of communities that interconnect and interact to form the wider society. And within them are parties whose opinions are radically opposed. The relationships that EVE players have with each other, and indeed the game itself, run far deeper than is traditional for a game community. In an impersonal world where neighbours barely acknowledge each other, EVE Online fosters kinships and enmities that are lasting.

Of course, to some this may all seem ridiculously heavy-handed and romanticised. I often step back and remind myself "it's just a game" before continuing my endless pursuit of the casual EVE experience. Having played intermittently since its release in 2003, I have experimented with a multitude of play-styles and explored many aspects of EVE's depths. I have come to understand how demanding this pastime can be. For some, EVE is simply a pleasant spaceship-themed distraction, for many it is an engaging hobby, for a surprising number it is an all-encompassing lifestyle. For a few it is a religion.

Undoubtedly, the lifeblood of EVE Online is interaction. There are a plethora of ways for players to interact in-game, from simple text communication channels to a multitude of competitive environments from industry through trade to non-consensual combat. As well as the in-game organisations of corporations and alliances, the many social circles that comprise EVE society also take place across a host of out-of-game social networking environments, from various forum communities to the Twitter-based #tweetfleet and elsewhere.

Another unique aspect of EVE Online is the relationship between CCP staff and their customers. The player-elected Council of Stellar Management facilitates this relationship by serving as a liaison. This opportunity for insight and influence into EVE's development rarely fails to be the source of some acrimony. Whilst it is encouraging to have this degree of developer/player interaction, it is something of a sword of Damocles and is as often the cause of controversy as it is the remedy.

Personally, as a player I just want to be Buck Rogers, Han Solo, Mal Reynolds and Dave Lister. EVE is a sandbox, so happily it lets me do that within the constraints of my own mind. Like a good book, EVE provides the framework and plants the seed, letting my imagination do the rest. I have traded, missioned and roleplayed. My actions have led to the destruction of many ships and other in-game assets (mostly my own). I've managed an active corporation, organised their migration into the hostile regions and participated in grand alliance operations involving hundreds of players. The beauty of being an EVE player is that you've never quite seen it all.

Me, My Quill and My Mic

I have previously explored and discussed the endlessly stimulating world of New Eden and its associated themes through various other written ventures, largely centred around my blog, Freebooted. I have a passion for writing and blogging gives me the opportunity to experiment with various writing styles and concepts. Having this complete freedom has allowed me to report on my Fanfest experiences, conduct interviews, offer editorial opinion and technical suggestions.

Freebooted has also allowed me to write more fanciful works, such as a TIME magazine article from the future, a game mechanic review disguised as the script for a Top Gear parody, an interview with my own in-game character, sci-fi fashion tips and a ridiculous knockout competition mocking the ship names of EVE.

Due to the popularity of some of these pieces, I became involved in the vibrant EVE Online podcasting community where I fell into producing various short audio skits before embarking on an ambitious new fiction podcast project. I also recently authored the unexpectedly popular satire 'Incarna: The Text Adventure' in which I gently poked fun at both the much-maligned Incarna expansion and its detractors.

Throughout my writing endeavours, I am always mindful to remain positive, constructive and good-humoured. I am a passionate EVE player and a versatile writer with a good understanding of the subject matter and the audience. By writing for Guild Launch I hope to obtain the opportunity to put these attributes to good use.

-oOo-

A Footnote

This article was originally written as a submission for the EVE Online Correspondent Contest at Guild Launch.com. A winner has yet to be announced, but I recently contacted Guild Launch and they confirmed that the competition is still going ahead despite "a few delays". The original prize included a tour of the CCP offices in Atlanta and an audience with some of the staff there. Clearly the subsequent layoffs would have made that a very awkward encounter and the rethink was unsurprising.

I note that several of my blogging associates have entered. I recall Myrhial Arkenath tweeting to that effect and Ender Black's entry has just been published on the Guild Launch Development Blog. Yikes, tough competition! And they're just the two I know about. I wish Myrhial, Ender and anyone else from the EVE blogosphere the best of luck in the competition.

Blog on.

A Community Diminished: The Fall of the EVE Bloggers Portal

2012-01-08T01:51:00.004Z

The EVE Online Bloggers Portal has long been a resource I have enjoyed and I am ashamed to say, taken for granted. It is singularly one of the best sites to find some up-to-date EVE-related reading material. For years it has quietly been the spine of the EVE blogging community, aggregating the hundreds of individual blogposts and news-feeds. Much gratitude is deserved by Black Claw/Alexia Morgan and Biore for maintaining the site.

It saddens me to read that Black Claw will be shutting down this service, as stated in his latest blogpost here. I can understand completely that he no longer finds value in playing EVE and I respect that he wants to use his time in other ways, but this doesn't explain why he wishes to shut down EVEbloggers.com.

However, he goes on to explain that he is dissatisfied with CCP due to the mishandling of his accounts. Whilst I suspect his treatment may be symptomatic of an understrength community team (I think they were hit as hard as any CCP department in the layoffs late last year), I appreciate that there is no excuse for poor customer service. Nonetheless, I am disappointed that the community is being punished for this by being deprived a valued community asset.

Clique Favouritism?

Personally I have seen other signs that the community team may be operating under a siege mentality, with evidence of a lack of resources or understanding of some areas of EVE's complex society. Some examples that I have recently experienced suggest a bias toward the "cool kids".

For example, Mintchip produced a brief and awkward interview with Lead Designer CCP Soundwave at roughly the same time CCP Dropbear and CCP Headfirst gave an insightful and entertaining interview about EVE's storylines, live events and some exclusive DUST 514 info for Voices from the Void. Which interview got some CCP love in the December newsletter? Yep, you guessed it. The Mintchip/Soundwave non-event.

Another example of lop-sided favour concerns the recent podcast produced by one of CCP's favourite sons, Kil2 (of Alliance Tournament commentary fame). Along with Kovorix they have started a podcast focusing on solo combat. More power to them, however I felt for Arydanika who despondently pointed out the My EVE section of the official forums, where her thread which she regularly updated with the latest podcast episodes and information was vastly overshadowed by Kil2 and Kovarix's new effort. Which one had been tagged by both CCP developers and GMs? Yep, the new one by the cool kids.

A Team Besieged

On both occasions I counselled an attitude of indifference. It didn't matter, we just had to keep our heads down and plug away because we do it for the fun, not the favour. There's different audiences for different products and the real satisfaction comes from hitting the mark with your own listenership or readership. However, as anyone who runs a blog, podcast or other EVE web resource will tell you, knowing that you're being appreciated is what makes the hard work worthwhile. CCP holds huge sway over this traffic. If they play favourites and forget those that are tirelessly promoting their game and running services, I can understand why community contributors like Black Claw or Arydanika might become disillusioned or feel undervalued.

This isn't a criticism of the Community Team, I think under the circumstances they are doing what they can. CCP Guard has been an absolute phenomenon and I'm sure there are others in the engine room who deserve plaudits too, but I can't help feeling that these balls occasionally being dropped are due to the loss of key staff who had an understanding and a relationship with sections of the EVE playerbase that are now going unnoticed. This is perhaps an expected late symptom of the 20% layoffs, the hangover that we're expected to ride out. But even so it is a bitter pill to swallow.

Has anyone else noticed this change? Is the need to focus on the numbers forcing an understrength community team to leave some of us out in the cold? Or is being sensitive to these issues indicative of an over-inflated sense of entitlement?

Please share your thoughts.

Tech4 News Needs You

2012-01-03T18:50:00.007Z

Do you have the chops to write some fictitious journalism set in the EVE universe? Can you imagine what the working conditions on a gas extractor are like? Can you picture the chaos of how the average capsuleer's hangar would really work? Then maybe you'd like to come help on the Tech4 project. Read on.

Seed Planted

The Tech4 project was set up in Summer 2011 after a chance meeting between CCP Dropbear, myself and Casiella Truza/Kyle/Iurnan Mileghere (of the currently inactive Ecliptic Rift blog) whilst attending EVE Vegas.

The main purpose of Tech4 was to provide an entertaining and accessible introduction to the main themes of EVE lore (particularly Dropbear's Arek'Jaalan Project) and to provide a doorway into the roleplaying side of EVE Online for both the casual EVE player and general sci-fi enthusiasts.

So the idea of a group of lowly non-capsuleers attempting to report on the machinations of their far more powerful capsuleer "overlords" was born. After all, New Eden is populated by trillions of normal citizens and they need news too.

The non-capsuleer approach gave us licence to approach old EVE lore afresh, to be a bit sensationalist, to get things wrong and be "Chicken Little" about these warmongering demigods. It was light tabloid journalism for baseliners and a fun accessible content for non-roleplayers and even non EVE-players.

The focus was to be an in-character podcast with immersive content and high production values. So with three of the best voices in the EVE podcasting on board, Angus McDecoy (Fly Reckless), Arydanika (Voices From the Void) and Erin Anwynn (NotalotofNews Newshour), after I wrote the first script the ball started rolling and things have been going from strength to strength.

Tech4 and You

This discussion on EVE roleplaying forum Backstage made it clear there is a demand for RP journalism supporting and entertaining the roleplaying community. There is an opportunity to expand on the content of the website beyond the occasional fluff story as we've been doing thus far.

Kirith Kodachi (Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah blogger, EVE Tribune Editor) has already volunteered to help us in an editorial role and we'll be looking for any and all creative sci-fi journalism that fits the Tech4 brand.

This could be anything from the amusingly irrelevant (eg. a review of the latest Planetary Vehicle, an expose of imitation Quafe manufacture at a deadspace complex) to more player or game-driven pieces (faction warfare politics, a capsuleer interview, a tech focus on hybrid weapon systems).

Ultimately, the purpose is to entertain and inform.

If you'd like to contribute, please contact me at seismic.stan@gmail.com or Kirith Kodachi at kkodachi@gmail.com

BB31 Community Review of EVE Online: Crucible

2011-12-31T02:04:00.014Z

It has been said that a Massively Multiplayer Online Game like EVE Online cannot be accurately reviewed due to the vastness of the world and ever-evolving nature of the content. Nonetheless, as the final Blog Banter challenge of the year, twenty EVE players were bold enough to try.

Given licence to approach the review in any manner they chose, a variety of reviewing styles were employed by an eclectic mix of bloggers. One reviewer had less than one month's experience of EVE Online (welcome Moriarity Kanenald) and Keyanu of MuppetNinjas is so old he struggles to remember his account password. Many reviewers were primarily combat pilots, but industrialists, roleplayers, miners and alliance leaders were all represented.

Opinions Shared

Whilst there were some differences of opinion, there was a strong synergy amongst almost every review. Commonly recurring themes included the widespread condemnation of the ancient user interface and the universal celebration of the peerless metagaming community. Crucible was strongly applauded as a successful expansion and EVE's visuals were widely regarded as one of its stronger assets. Perversely, EVE's other pillar of success was its PvP combat, the activity that most discourages the enjoyment of the lauded visuals.

Also frequently noted was the difficult new player experience, although in many cases these were anecdotal experiences from veteran players, so it was unclear if the most recent revisions to the new player experience had been taken into account.

The Big Result

So can we divine a single, final metacritic-like score from the reviews? Would it be of any value? That, dear reader, is up to you to decide. However, through the magic of arcane algorithms and occult mathematics, approximately 65 years of EVE Online playing experience has united to provide a community-sourced score of:

>>> 82% <<<

But the review doesn't end there. Read on to find out the opinion of the players who most align to your style. Find out what they really thought and how they arrived at their conclusions. Or just find out who was foolhardy enough to take on this challenge.

As a side-note, I may have used some creative licence when describing the reviewing bloggers so some "facts" may be a little... unresearched. :)

Meet the Brave, the Bold, the Bloggers:

Myrhial Arkenath
Diary of a Pod Pilot

In-game form: Since 2007 - Roleplaying Luminary, leader of prominent pro-NPC faction alliance. "Designated Station Pilot" and "Dairy Queen".
Real-life dirt: Long-time blogger, RP mover-and-shaker. Suspected Venutian.
Review: One does not simply review EVE, but can certainly make a decent try.
Review Approach: A sage and balanced overview of EVE from a veteran player.
Key Quote: "EVE Online is a pretty amazing and unique game with its own quirks and challenges. It’s got something for nearly everybody, and if it doesn’t, well who knows, maybe at some point it will. You’ll never know if you never try."
Scoring: None Given.

Mike Azariah
A Missioneer in Eve

In-game form: Since 2008 - Mild-mannered rookie-friendly veteran with a sideline in incursion-running.
Real-life dirt: Fiction-writing blogger with CSM aspirations.
Review: The Difference is...
Review Approach: An in-character discussion on the impact of a single-shard universe.
Key Quote: "This is a game where you make your own story and are the hero, antihero, or even villain. We don’t tell you a story . . . you become part of it."
Scoring: None given.

Ender Black
Pod Goo

In-game form: Since 2006 - Wormhole explorer.
Real-life dirt: Respected podcaster and community hero.
Review: Title Analysis
Review Approach: A unique and cogent investigation into the meaning and motive behind CCP's choice of expansion title.
Key Quote: "By giving this mea culpa expansion the name Crucible implies to me that CCP saw the disgruntled players as an insurmountable obstacle they were able to surmount. I am not sure I enjoy that idea."
Scoring: Title Choice - 2/5

Drackarn
Sand, Cider and Spaceships

In-game form: Since 2008, Director of a 100-member PvP Corporation, Faction Warfare specialist.
Real-life dirt: "In real life, I'm Dave, 35 and a Brit expat living in the Middle East with my long suffering "Eve Widow" Debbie!"
Review: EVE Online Community Review
Review Approach: A broad overview zeroing in on Faction Warfare from the perspective of a new player.
Key Quote: "...when CCP gets something wrong the players do all they can to encourage CCP to put it right. With such a supportive fan-base, a company that actually listens to the players and fans and a constantly evolving and improving game..... I cannot see Eve Online going anywhere for a long time."
Scoring:

Ease of Getting Into - 3/10
Graphics - 8/10
Gameplay - 7/10
Community - 10/10
Longevity - 10/10
Conclusion - 38/50

Jace Errata
Year of the Snake

In-game form: Since 2011 - Miner, Missioneer, writer of funny bios.
Real-life dirt: a.k.a. Cobalt Snake, an enigmatic gaming entity that seems to exist across multiple platforms.
Review: Challenge Accepted.
Review Approach: A focused look at gameplay, community and the Crucible expansion.
Key Quote: "In general, with some exceptions, the EVE community is comprised of cold, heartless, new-player-hating, meta-gaming bastards."
Scoring: None given

Rixx Javix
EVEOGANDA

In-game form: Since 2008 - Combat Pilot, Low-Sec Piracy, has experience in corporation and alliance management and null-sec life. Spends much of his time moving assets from one end of the galaxy to the other.
Real-life dirt: Prolific blogger and curator of the Blog Pack. Draws pictures occasionally.
Review: The Rollercoaster Thrill Ride that is EVE Online, with Cookies.
Review Approach: If Radiohead wrote EVE reviews, this would be it. A casual ramble through the mind of a seasoned EVE player.
Key Quote: "It is a deep, dark, complex universe that is hard to have fun playing and will probably kill you dead... I can highly recommend Eve Online."
Scoring:

Unlimited stars for potential.
4 out of 5 stars for reality.

Moriarity Kanenald
Moriarity Kanenald

In-game form: Since 2011 - "I have only been in game less than a month and I am a complete nubbins." Still in NPC corp.
Real-life dirt: A newcomer to the EVE metagame, he has yet to let his mask slip.
Review: Reviewing Eve Online
Review Approach: A refreshing view of the bewilderment that is a player's first month in EVE. Moriarity shows remarkable awareness and nous in his early assessment of life in New Eden.
Key Quote: "My only qualifications are I am fresh to the game and so probably know a lot less than others... Eve is nothing like opening Pandoras Box. When you play it you are in the box, the box is firmly closed and you are not getting out."
Scoring:

It is sexy 10/10
The 'Community' 9/10
Backstory 7/10
The 'Sandbox' 6/10
Overall 8/10

Keyanu
Muppetninjas

In-game form: Since 2004 - "A low-sec dweller whose sole aim is to try to ruin people’s day."
Real-life dirt: Tireless humanitarian, charity-worker and nun.
Review: Review
Review Approach: Like if your Grandad wrote a review about remembering when this was all fields. Except it's a review of EVE.
Key Quote: "I go back to the time where afterburners were stackable, battlecruisers wern’t invented nor MicroWarpdrives and torpedo’s could be fitted to Kestrels... EVE Online has gotten a hell of a lot easier for new players with the generosity of skillpoints, the availability of PLEX and the availability of good starter corps out there. There has never been a better time for a new player to sign up."
Scoring: None given.

Adhar Khorin
Margin Call

In-game form: Since 2006 (intermittently), Industrialist, Economist, POS jockey.
Real-life dirt: "Father, husband, community volunteer, business professional, small business owner, and gamer."
Review: That's Not a Moon!
Review Approach: A measured look at several aspects of EVE Online, from industry and player housing to PvP and the metagame.
Key Quote: "Bigger, more deadly, deeper, and with longer-lasting implications than any other game I’ve ever heard of. When a game comes along that deletes your account and steals your car when you die, I’ll concede the point."
Scoring: None given.

Eelis Kiy
The One That Writes

In-game form: Since 2006-2011. Currently unsubscribed but still flirting with the metagame.
Real-life dirt: "Hello. I am Karen. I like gaming, tech, sci-fi and fantasy. Sometimes I like to write."
Review: Community Review
Review Approach: A comparative review looking at two opposing player experiences.
Key Quote: "Eve Online... is the playground for minds that think out of the box and it offers an incredible level of immersion."
Scoring: None given.

Shalee Lianne
Living a Lie

In-game form: Since 2009 - Combat Pilot, Faction Warfare, Roleplayer
Real-life dirt: Roleplaying owner of XX chromosomes who can explain "icly" and "oocly" through the medium of blogs.
Review: Why EvE Wins.
Review Approach: Roleplaying-focused comparison to World of Warcraft (with just a touch of bias).
Key Quote: "There are many reasons why EvE Online is simply the best MMO there is... one server, learning skills via time instead of grind, and well, it's spaceships. RP on EvE is far superior, so if you're playing WoW, quit and RP on EvE..."
Scoring:

World of Warcraft: 0
EVE Online: 10

Orakkus
2nd Anomaly From the Left

In-game form: Since 2005 - Former member of veteran combat corporations such as Noir. and m3 Corp, FC, PI, probably experienced in other two-letter acronyms as well.
Real-life dirt: A mystery. Blog history back to March 2010. Few RL references.
Review: A Way Forward (Revised)
Review Approach: A veteran's look at the newest content and the impact new changes have had on game balance.
Key Quote: "Crucible brings back the ability for the smaller fleets to operate as they once did, without the spectre of some supercapital ship dropping on them and wiping them out."
Scoring: None given.

Tommy Rollins
Rollins' Ride in Eve

In-game form: Since 2009 - Incursion runner, Missioneer, recent convert to PvP.
Real-life dirt: Errant son of former rock hellraiser Henry Rollins (maybe), just finishing high school.
Review: The Game Outside Eve Online
Review Approach: An account of personal experience of the early days of playing EVE Online.
Key Quote: "Its a pretty solid game. Its certainly still a work in progress, and Crucible has been a fantastic step... Its a full immersive simulation in an alternate universe, and it can be so addictive it should come with a warning label."
Scoring: None given.

Lukas Rox
Torchwood Archives

In-game form: Since 2005 - Industrialist, Covert Operations, Combat
Real-life dirt: A throughbred technogeek and a native Polish speaker, Łukasz Poźniak writes a blog in English because he's too clever for his own good. ;)
Review: EVE Online Review
Review Approach: As much a guide as a review, this is a great article for rookie players considering their options.
Key Quote: This challenge, the emotions connected to it, and the choice to make what you want make it a game you can play for years.
Scoring:

Character advancement: 8.5/10
Character professions: 10/10
Player vs Player: 9/10
Player vs Environment: 9/10
Crafting: 9/10
Visuals: 9/10
Music and Sound: 8.5/10
FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Sessym
Rants from New Eden

In-game form: Since 2010 - Combat Pilot
Real-life dirt: Another internet enigma. Probably human.
Review: Attempting the Impossible
Review Approach: A general review tailored specifically for the MMO format.
Key Quote: "So, we have a ourselves and MMO that struggles to let you in, with its many challenges, like skill training, bad UI, and so on... Yes, this is EVE, the second job you are charged for... If I must summarize EVE in one word, what would it be? I'll probably go with internetspaceshipnerdgasm."
Scoring:

Atmosphere 70%
Presentation 80%
Scale 90%
Entry Barriers 50%
Longevity 90%
Synergy 95%
Community 90%

Ripard Teg
Jester's Trek

In-game form: Since 2007 - Combat Pilot, Incursion specialist, Null-sec Alliance member.
Real-life dirt: Former video game reviewer, current Robo-blogger.
Review: Objective(?) review of EVE Online.
Review Approach: Five thousand word megablog with analysis of broad aspects of EVE Online.
Key Quote: "...those that can accept EVE's limitations will find one of the best, if not the best, true multi-player MMOs out there, and its deep gameplay and rich environment will keep them immersed for months or years at a time."
Scoring:

Interface - 4/10
Game-play - 7/10
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 6/10
Multiplayer - 10/10
OVERALL - 8/10

TGL3
Through Newb Eyes

In-game form: Since 2010 - Previously a high-profile member of a hi-sec PvP corp, currently exploring wormholes.
Real-life dirt: Blogger and tweeter with an affinity for the colour red.
Review: EVE is what the player makes of it.
Review Approach: A rookie-centric view with a look into the many ways to fund the first few weeks of combat, from conventional (missioning) to corrupt (scamming).
Key Quote: "I’ve heard many a reviewer call EVE boring – if you find EVE boring, make something up to do. Go shoot someone. Go scam. Go scan down and salvage people’s missions. Go mine. Build a ship. Explore a wormhole. Infiltrate a corp and steal everything. Make EVE exciting. This game is only as good as you make it."
Scoring:

Graphics – 9/10
Sound – 7/10
Gameplay – 9/10
Lifespan – 10/10

Max Torps
Starfleet Comms

In-game form: Since 2006 - Suspected carebear with a hair trigger. Will pay ISK for nonsense poetry.
Real-life dirt: Podcasting guru, Northerner (subspecies: Geordie), adopter of two lovely children.
Review: Eve Online Review December 2011
Review Approach: Broad strokes discussing the evolution of EVE Online, the dramas and the developer/player relationship.
Key Quote: "Overall, I think now you will see a game backed by a company willing to improve the core product - which can only be a good thing."
Scoring: Overall totally subjective score: 4/5

Urziel99
Urziel's Eve Chronicle

In-game form: Since 2011 - Sov-warfare refugee, high-sec miner, null-sec PvPer.
Real-life dirt: US truck driver and MMO veteran.
Review: Reviewing EVE Online
Review Approach: The EVE experience viewed from a conventional angle from the perspective of a fresh player.
Key Quote: "Failure has real consequences, so caution and paranoia are handy skills to have... Only one rule works in Eve: Trust No One."
Scoring:

Challenge 10/10
Variety of Content 8/10
Graphics 8/10
Complexity 10/10
Overall score 9/10

Harrigan VonStudly
Gun Turret Diplomacy

In-game form: Since 2008 - Combat Pilot, Small-gang PvP.
Real-life dirt: Child of the sixties. Shy and retiring Twitter Tweetfleet regular. Consumer of tasty beverages. Like Indiana Jones, named after a dog.
Review: The Entire Wormhole That Eve Is.
Review Approach: A look at the state of EVE Online through the eyes of a non-gamer, following the introduction of wormholes in 2009.
Key Quote: "The wormhole in Eve, that is Eve, represents the unknown. It represents different. It represents new. It invents. It reinvents. It encompasses our real life in to a virtual life that may very easily be mixed up with and confused for what is real and what is not."
Scoring: 10 out of 10.

Blastradius1
Blastrad Tales

In-game form: Since 2008 - Rooted in Royal Amarr Institute NPC corp.
Real-life dirt: Collects and dries exotic vegetables.
Review: Players
Review Approach: A uniquely original approach, look at the people you might be flying alongside.
Key Quote: "Choose any area of the Eve universe you like and you will meet the most incredibly surprising people. Executives will laugh along with factory workers, Uni students with retirees, business owners with the unemployed"
Scoring: None given.

Thank you all for taking part and a Happy New Year to EVE bloggers and readers everywhere. May 2012/YC114 bring you good luck and good loot.

Mat "Seismic Stan" Westhorpe.

Blog Banter 31: EVE Online Community Review

2011-12-16T13:56:00.032Z

Welcome to the thirty-first EVE Blog Banter, a community conversation between anyone and everyone with an interest in discussing EVE Online. For more information on how this works, check out this link or for details of this edition's topic, read on.

As any games journalist would probably tell you, a true and complete review of a Massively Multiplayer Online game is impossible. MMOs are vast, forever evolving entities with too much content for a single reviewer to produce a fair and accurate review. However, a collection of dedicated bloggers and EVE players (past and present) with a wide range of experience in various aspects of the game might be able to pull it off.

This special 'End of Year' Blog Banter edition aims to be a crowd-sourced game review. Using your gaming knowledge and experience, join the community in writing a fair and qualified review of EVE Online: Crucible. This can be presented in any manner of your choosing, but will ideally include some kind of scoring system.

With each Blog Banter participant reviewing the areas of EVE Online in which they specialise, the result should be a Metacritic-esque and accurate review by the people who know best.

For clarification; although the current edition of EVE Online is Crucible, this does not restrict reviews from using a broader brush and delving into content introduced earlier, in fact that would be preferable. But equally, don't be afraid to specialise, pick a unique angle, focus on one thing - we don't want everyone writing the same broad review do we? The purpose is to leave no stone unturned, lets give the world an honest appraisal of all the content.

Reviews just in:

The Rollercoaster Thrill Ride that is Eve Online, with Cookies, Review by Rixx Javix @ EVEOGANDA
Why EvE Wins by Shalee Lianne @ Living a Lie
The Entire Wormhole That Eve Is by Harrigan Vonstudly @ Gun Turret Diplomacy
EVE Online Community Review by Drackarn @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships
EVE is what the player makes of it by tgl3 @ Through Newb Eyes
Challenge Accepted by Jace Errata @ Year of the Snake
Reviewing EVE Online by Urziel99 @ Urziel's EVE Chronicle
The Difference is... by Mike Azariah @ Missioneer in EVE
A Way Forward (Revised) by Orakkus @ 2nd Anomaly From the Left
Attempting the impossible by Sessym @ Rants from New Eden
Community Review by Eelis @ The One That Writes
Review by Keyanu @ MuppetNinjas
EVE Online Review by Lukas Rox @ pozniak.pl
Reviewing Eve Online by Moriarty Kanenald
One does not simply review EVE, but can certainly make a decent try by Myrhial Arkenath @ Diary of a Pod Pilot
Title Analysis by Ender Black @ Pod Goo
The Game Outside Eve Online by Tommy Rollins @ Rollins' Ride in Eve
I was there, will you be? by Max Torps @ Starfleet Comms
Objective(?) review of EVE Online by Ripard Teg @ Jester's Trek
That's Not a Moon by Adhar Khorin @ Margin Call
Players by blastradius1 @ Blastrad Tales

["Blog Banter 31" header reproduced with permission from Rixx Javix of EVEOGANDA. He's got mad skillz, check out his other stuff as he's running out of commissions ;)]

Freebooted vs. Ninveah: The Anatomy of Fail (Part 3 of 3)

2011-12-10T15:46:00.007Z

One quiet Sunday afternoon two gentlemen bloggers, rather than waxing lyrical upon the idiosyncrasies of our favourite internet spaceship game and mulling over the finer points of bloggery, decided to blow the crap out of each other instead. Of course, bloggers being bloggers meant we had to write about it afterward.

Welcome to part three of my analysis of how I got a virtual space-battering from a mild-mannered Canadian. In case you missed them in the two previous combats, I suffered two close defeats; in the Frigate duel, Kirith Kodachi's Rifter escaped destruction due to my poorly prepared Merlin and our Catalyst on Catalyst Destroyer duel saw my idiotic suicide charge gift Kirith with a surprise victory.

My chances were now hanging by a thread. The rules Kirith and I had agreed upon meant that Kirith was one win away from a flawless victory. I on the other hand could not afford another defeat. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could afford a victory either, given that the longer I clung on the more each ship loss would cost.

My ship selection for the Cruiser bout was more a statement of loyalty than anything. Instead of opting for my tried-and-tested safe option of a kiting Caracal, I wanted to breathe life into the much maligned Moa. It's the Tech I Caldari hybrid turret platform and an out-and-out combat ship. In the past, whilst in an active null-sec alliance, trying to acquire a couple of Moa hulls to put together some throwaway roaming fits proved a fruitless search met with derision. "A Moa? Why?" was often the response.

But now, the post-Crucible Moa could be a different beast. It is now a tad more agile (5% bonus to inertia) and hybrid turrets have received some positive rebalancing attention too; they are less demanding on powergrid, CPU and capacitor, reload times have been halved and tracking and damage has been enhanced.

Surely it was time for Quasimodo to step out of the shadows.

The Ship: Moa, SSS Moose Murderer

High Slots
Anode Neutron Particle Cannon x5, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge M
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket

Medium Slots
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Y-S8 Hydrocarbon Afterburners

Low Slots
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II x2
Damage Control II
Power Diagnostic System II

Rigs
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I x2
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

[3x Warrior II Drones]

Key Statistics
Effective Hit Points: 33,428 EHP
Shield Resistances: 66%/63%/72.4%/77%
Weapon Range: 3.23km Optimal +6.25km Falloff
Damage Output: 393hp per second (345 hybrid/48 drone)
Speed: 495m/s with Afterburner
Capacitor Stable at 46.9% with everything active.

The Strategy: Close-Range Bell-Ringer

This fit was solid, simple and idiot proof (or so I thought). It would either work or it wouldn't. Its only real weakness was its speed, making it vulnerable to a fast long-range kiting strategy. I was gambling that Kirith would have some kind of close-range face-ripper which this should have the chin to stand up to with its phenomenal omnitank (I've seen respectable battlecruiser fits with weaker tanks).

Some pretty malevolent DPS at face-butting range, a rocket launcher and three Warrior IIs to deal with enemy drones and capacitor stability to have some staying power against energy neutralisers had me feeling pretty confident about my chances this time. This ship was unsinkable!

The Duel: Moa vs. Arbitrator

An Arbi-what? As I warped to zero and pretty much pulled up alongside Kirith I pondered the surprise hole in my ship knowledge. Caldari, Gallente, Minmatar and faction ships I'm pretty au fait with but I suddenly realised I knew feck all about Amarr ships beyond the fact they were exclusively armour-tanking (therefore slow - which suited me) and used energy weapons (EM and thermal damage only, my weakest resists but still solid). I mean, I'd heard of an Arbitrator, but aside from the fact it looks like an industrial clothes-peg it was a mystery. Oh well, this changes nothing, lock and fire.

Oh wait, he's got five Hammerhead II medium drones? The Amarr have a drone boat? How odd. No problem, I planned for this. Out go my Warrior IIs and I open up with my rocket launcher, assisting with my webifier. At this point I had no idea that he had another ten of the little bastards waiting in the drone bay. My shield tank was holding up admirably despite some filthy electronic warfare and capacitor neutralising effects I noticed. I still wasn't worried as I focused on whittling away at his drones, occasionally recalling and redeploying them to frustrate his locking.

Then I ran out of rockets. Oops. Someone forgot to put any in the cargo hold. That slowed down drone destruction considerably. Oh well, I should probably just concentrate on killing the Arbitrator which my heavy neutron blasters were slowly plodding on with. My shield was getting low and the Arbitrator was still at roughly half armour.

It was then that I realised that despite my afterburner happily contributing to my increasingly worrying capacitor drain, I wasn't actually moving. Arse-biscuits! No wonder I was struggling to make further headway into the Arbitrator's armour, I was at a dead-stop and had been for the entire time! Aarghh, massive piloting fail! With my ship making no attempt to achieve optimal range and with Kirith's tracking disruption, it was probably the Crucible rebalancing I've got to thank that I'd registered any hits at all.

Only then, with my capacitor at critical levels and my shield tank about to fail, did I make a desperate break for my optimal orbit. Suddenly I realised I was the underdog and I was in danger of paying for my earlier complacence. The hostile Hammerhead IIs relentlessly chewed at my armour and on into my hull as my neutron blaster salvos started to exact their toll on the Amarr cruiser. From my optimal my shots were registering much better and more consistent damage, stripping away the Arbitrator's armour and smashing through to the hull, causing smoke to belch forth.

But it was too little too late as my hideous hunchback Moa left a lifetime of ugliness for a moment of incandescent explosive beauty and I was left facing the reality of a three-nil drubbing at the hands of the upstart colonials. The contest was over.

The Conclusion

Once again, a competent fit was undermined by my piloting incompetence. Had I been putting out damage from my optimal range throughout the combat, I have little doubt that the Arbitrator's tank would have failed long before the Moa's. My key errors were;

Focusing too much on drone-on-drone combat, distracting me from the business of actually flying my ship.
Failing to pack enough ammunition to get the job done (38 rockets were as much use as a chocolate teapot).
Underestimating an unfamiliar enemy ship. Note to self, fly more Amarr to get a better understanding of those flying door-knockers.

Despite the result, I really enjoyed these duels, particularly this one. I found cruiser combat to be comfortably-paced compared to the lightning-fast frigate and destroyer duels. It's been a great learning experience for me and all credit must go to my venerable opponent for being the better pilot and gracious in victory. Thank you Kirith for being patient whilst I dithered, for FRAPSing the whole thing and for making it look like I had a chance.

If one learns more from defeat than from victory, I must by now be the wisest pilot in New Eden.

FINAL RESULT: Canada 3-0 England

Epilogue: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been in touch and as a result of this duel, Canada is allowed to maintain its independence and Kirith is getting on the New Year's honours list. Meanwhile my standings with The British Empire have been reset and I am now KOS to all Beefeaters.

Freebooted vs. Ninveah: The Anatomy of Fail (Part 2 of 3)

2011-12-09T16:23:00.018Z

For some, the thrill of ship combat in EVE Online is heading out into the unknown in search of conflict. However, I find lengthy roams are often fruitless and unrewarding and, in my experience, the victor is often decided by weight of numbers. But one man's "Blob" is another man's "Good Fite". To each their own.

Pre-arranged duels can be a good way to skip much of this pre-amble and get straight to the fun bit of exploding ships. The key is to pick an opponent equal to your level of incompetence - something I've not quite mastered yet it seems.

Following some social media "smack talk", fellow blogger Kirith Kodachi challenged me to a series of duels, one in each of the sub-capital ship classes (frigate, destroyer, cruiser, battlecruiser and battleship). The first duel was between my Merlin and Kirith's Rifter and saw me snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

With all my ships pre-planned and docked-up locally there was no opportunity to re-fit, so I hoped that for the next duel my unorthodox Catalyst set-up would see my opponent flummoxed and out-strategised. I was playing the odds and worked on the assumption that Kirith would stick to the popular choice of the Minmatar Thrasher, favoured for it's unmatched speed and ferocious damage output. So I set about planning a counter for that.

The Ship: Catalyst, SSS Beaver Basher

High Slots
125mm Railgun II x8, Spike S

Medium Slots
Catalyzed Cold-Gas Arcjet Thrusters
Phased Muon Sensor Disruptor I

Low Slots
Magnetic Field Stabilizer x2
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Rigs
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Hybrid Locus Coordinator I
Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I

Key Statistics
Effective Hit Points: 3,434 EHP
Damage Output: 180 DPS (165 turret/15 drone)
Weapon Range: 41.9km Optimal +9.38km Falloff with Tech II Spike ammunition.
Speed: 1,962 m/s with Micro-Warp Drive.
Align time: 4.6 seconds

The Strategy: Thrasher Dodger

As you can tell from the stats above, this Catalyst fit is quick and agile, hits hard at an impressive range, but has the structural integrity of a soap bubble in high wind. It also has another weakness, but we'll get to that later.

The key to protecting the ship would be to dictate range (41km) and prevent incoming damage by crippling Kirith's locking distance. A MWD Thrasher (1,873m/s) is naturally a touch faster than a similarly fitted Catalyst (1,711m/s), hence the Nanofiber Internal Structure II and the Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I rig. If Kirith had short-range weaponry, my superior speed would ensure he could never get in range to hit me and my dampener would negate any long-range efforts. There was no need for any tackle modules as I should be the faster ship and warping out forfeits the fight.

The one caveat to all this was that everything (MWD, Remote Dampener and Railguns) needed to be running all the time, giving me two-and-a-half minutes of capacitor to get the job done. Should be plenty.

The Duel: Catalyst vs. Catalyst

Oh crap - another Catalyst - not what I was expecting at all. But we'd warped to the combat area at a comfortably long distance apart (100km+) so I had some thinking time.

The first threat was Kirith's drone. The Catalyst was the only destroyer that could carry one, but even a single Warrior II posed a real threat to my paper-thin tank. That little bugger would have to go.

I started to close the distance and as soon as I could achieve a lock I dispatched my own drone and opened fire on his Warrior II. Whilst Kirith's drone was being murdered, a few long-range shots from Kirith ripped through my shields, reminding me my only protection was to fire up the Dampener and be mindful of maintaining the range between our destroyers. I'd drifted in to 35km despite supposedly orbiting at 40km.

As Kirith's drone exploded, I returned to my optimal orbit, now safely protected by my dampener-enhanced range tank. It was then that I discovered a glaring flaw in my fit. With the Small Hyrid Locus Co-ordinator I rig, I'd increased my bank of eight 125mm Railgun II's optimal range from 36.5km to 41.9km, but my maximum targeting range was only 41.3km. On paper this hadn't looked like a huge problem, but in reality it left little margin for piloting error. In retreating to my optimal I had inadvertantly gone a touch too far and lost lock on Kirith, thus was no longer range-dampening him. I had to approach once again to achieve a lock in order to make progress, which would allow him once again to fire at my weak tank.

It was in this final assault that almost the entire damage to both sides occurred, all in less than 30 seconds. My drone had been nibbling away at Kirith's shields, whilst my shields had been depleted by his earlier shots. With patience and accurate piloting, I should have been able to toy with Kirith and slowly kill him at my leisure. But perhaps being oddly protective of my drone on which he was now focusing fire, I had a rush of blood to the head and instead went barrelling toward him with my MWD-enhanced signature radius, forgot to re-engage the dampener and unsurprisingly died 15km from Kirith.

Despite my woeful tactics, I still managed to get Kirith's Catalyst into structure before I met my inevitable end.

The Conclusion

I've watched Kirith's video back several times now and I just can't figure out what I was thinking at the end there. It's like I suddenly thought I was back in my short-range Merlin fit from the previous duel. So what did I do wrong? In short, I failed to adapt appropriately to the changing situation and instead reverted to default comedy idiot mode.

When initially confronted with an unexpected ship (Catalyst rather than Thrasher), I identified his drone as the main threat, but this was only the case if I utilised my modules to eliminate the threat from the opposing Catalyst, which I didn't.
This Catalyst loadout was flawed, with the narrow range band between optimal and out-of-range being a millstone. Successful use of the Dampener or rig-boosted range are good ideas, but not at the same time. The Remote Sensor Dampener should perhaps be replaced with a Sensor Booster to focus on superior range and simplicity of piloting.
Despite having an optimal of 40-odd kilometers and a speed of nearly 2km/s, I was 15km from the enemy when I died. This is inexplicably stupid.

Kirith didn't win this duel as much as I lost it. I had every opportunity to stay beyond his guns and win the match on my own terms but I failed to do so. I think this combat is a good example of thinking clearly and adapting quickly being more important than having the best fit or most expensive ship.

SCORELINE: Canada 2-0 England

Next: Part Three - The Cruiser Duel

Freebooted vs. Ninveah: The Anatomy of Fail (Part 1 of 3)

2011-12-06T21:23:00.031Z

They say you shouldn't undock in anything you're not prepared to lose. My recent duels with blogging forefather and upstart colonial Kirith Kodachi seem to show I've taken this ethos a step further and only undock if I'm prepared to do everything in my power to ensure my own destruction. This is the first of three posts analysing exactly how and why I fail at PvP.

Shady Kodachi's negative security status meant that a low-sec system was to be our duelling ground. After theorycrafting my ship loadouts in PyFA, I headed across high-sec to Dodixie under fire from the Gallente Faction police (they've got long memories, I have no idea what I did to upset them) to make the necessary purchases before Kirith's alt couriered everything to our chosen system of Aliette.

The stage was set for a best-of-five match, with a combat in each sub-capital ship class starting with frigates then destroyers, cruisers and if necessary battlecruisers and finally battleships.

Kirith was a busy man with pressing real-life commitments so his time was limited. I was already running behind schedule so I hastily threw my chosen Merlin loadout together, but disaster struck - there wasn't enough powergrid to online the afterburner. What?! Has PyFA lied to me? I knew I should've stuck with EFT.

However, in referring back to my planned loadout I saw my error - I'd forgotten to purchase the required powergrid-optimising "Squire" implant. Kirith graciously offered to offline a module to make things fair, but I declined. Instead I botched a sub-optimal fit together by installing a second Power Diagnostic System II instead. The loadout was as follows;

The Ship: Merlin, SSS Kanuck Killa

High Slots
Rocket Launcher II x2
75mm Gatling Rail II, Javelin S
Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I

Mid Slots
Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Cold-Gas Arcjet Thrusters

Low Slots
Power Diagnostic System II
~~Damage Control II~~* Power Diagnostic System II

Rigs
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Small Core Defence Field Extender I
Small Ancillary Current Router I

*Squire PG2 implant required

Key Statistics
Effective Hit Points: ~~8,560~~ 7,304 EHP
Shield Resists: ~~66%/63.3%/72.4%/77%~~ 61.2%/58%/68.5%/73.8%
Damage Output: 64.2hp per second/159hp per volley
Capacitor: ~~1m10s~~ 1m30s (stable without neutraliser at ~~48.8%~~/56.6%)
Speed: 864m/s with Afterburner
Cost: 13m ISK approx

The Strategy: Rifter Killer

Given Kirith's skills were undoubtedly maxed out across the board he would have his choice of ships. His logical ship choice was a Rifter, generally considered the best T1 combat frigate.

The plan was to have a shield tank tough enough to withstand a close-range assault from autocannons whilst having the versatility to deal reasonable damage at any range under 10km; the Rifter would almost certainly have the speed advantage to dictate range, even when tackled (given that he'd be tackling right back). I didn't bother with a scrambler as warping away would forfeit the duel anyway. I took the decision to sacrifice some damage output in favour of the energy neutraliser in the hope that he would have an active tank I could undermine.

The Duel: Merlin vs. Rifter

As the battle was joined, I allowed myself a smile as I had predicted Kirith's ship and fit almost perfectly. My only concern now was whether my weakened tank would hold up to the ferocious assault of a face-ripping Rifter. We started slugging it out at point-blank range, orbiting tightly. I tore through his shield quickly (I'd loaded EM rockets in case he'd gone for high-damage gyrostabiliser/shield tank fit), but made the mistake of not switching to kinetic when it was clear he had an active armour tank.

Even so, I was looking comfortably on course for victory as his armour hit 50% whilst my buffer shield was well above that. I had him at 50% structure when my shields finally gave, but surely it was too late for him.

At this critical moment, my rockets ran out. In that long ten second reload period, everything changed. Somehow, Kirith found enough capacitor from somewhere to pulse his armour repairer whilst my armour melted and my unprotected hull was exposed and stripped. Against the run of play my Merlin exploded, leaving Kirith's smoking Rifter surprisingly victorious.

The Conclusion

How did I lose? In hindsight, this fit was perfectly suited to killing Kirith's Rifter. The ship and the fit weren't at fault, just the pilot. I made the following mistakes:

Forgetting the Squire PG-2 Implant forcing the replacement of the DCII with a PDUII cost me 1,256 EHP. I suspect Kirith had a lot less than that left at the end.
I was using the worst possible damage type (EM) against an armour tanking ship. I should have exploited the likely kinetic hole.
My combat brain is a headless epileptic chicken on speed. I was randomly overheating things without any clear strategy, just because I've heard it's the thing to do.

Closer adherence to the Law of the Seven Ps is in order here: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.

Watching Kirith's FRAPS footage of the combat shows how relaxed and in control he was throughout, even when defeat was a real possibility. His controlled heat and module management seems orderly and focused. All credit to Kirith, I believe his disciplined armour repairer management won the day for him.

In contrast, I wish I could show you the frantic face-chewing and random button-mashing that was occurring at my end. Actually, I don't.

To summarise; in my opinion the right pilot won, but the wrong ship.

SCORELINE: Canada 1-0 England

Next: Part Two - The Destroyer Duel

Crouching Developer, Exploding Mountain: A CCP Interview

2011-12-05T18:26:00.009Z

Amidst a tumultuous barrage of discussion about Darren Aronofsky/Michael Bay mash-ups and EVE-playing world leaders, my podcasting co-host Arydanika and I recently had the opportunity to discuss all things EVE with Nick Blood and Nathan Knaack, better known in EVE circles as CCP Dropbear and CCP Headfirst. I wanted to introduce them as the Content and Storyline team of EVE Online, but it turns out that the truth is a lot more nebulous than that.

Storyline Ninjas

Like keyboard-wielding double-agents, it seems that any number of CCP staff could be considered part of this crack squad of sci-fi scribes, depending on the need. It may well be that Tony Gonzalez (CCP TonyG) and Hjalti Danielsson (CCP Abraxus) are the Hannibal and Templeton "Face" Peck of this sci-fi A-Team, which would leave Dropbear as the mad pilot Murdoch and Headfirst as the bullish B.A. Baracus - which makes at least some sense given that Headfirst ain't getting on no damn plane, instead staying in Atlanta to develop DUST 514 whilst Dropbear heads for Iceland. Quite who this leaves CCP Big Dumb Object and other contributors to be cast as I'm not sure (Colonel Decker and co.?), I knew I should have gone with the Mission: Impossible comparison instead. Or maybe Charlie's Angels.

Overstretched pop-culture analogies aside, our CCP encounter was enlightening and encouraging, with Headfirst's scattershot "rants" an entertaining highlight. Both Dropbear and Headfirst were engaging and verbose, perhaps in part helped by the beer they were consuming - it was their Friday night they were giving up to talk to us after all. It was a shame then that Headfirst's sound quality was marred somewhat by what sounded like his continued use of a blowtorch. Nevertheless, they (and Arydanika) graciously endured my amateur podcasting foibles (co-host? What co-host?) and some interesting topics were covered.

Faction Tales

Discussion of EVE's storyline and lore led into an explanation of the technology behind the ongoing incursion encounters that take place across New Eden. Currently the automated process of selecting and supporting these constellation-wide invasions is restricted to the Sansha's Nation NPC faction, but Headfirst and Dropbear pointed out that it was a powerful tool that could, in theory, be capable of so much more.

Both the re-invigoration of Faction Warfare and in-game support for pirate faction affiliation are perenially popular dreams amongst players, as exemplified by recent Blog Banter discussions and countless other blogs and forum posts. The Tale system could play a pivotal part in making at least part of this wish a possibility. A tantalising (but sadly purely theoretical) picture was painted of a future involving Incursions across New Eden by a variety of aggressors, with Guristas contesting Blood Raiders turf whilst Serpentis pushes on the Gallente Federation's borders and Amarr militia forces press out toward Providence.

Such a vision would be further improved with the ability for pilots to fight under the flag of their chosen faction, be that 'Empire' or 'Pirate' faction. This is already possible with the Faction Warfare system allowing corporate affiliation to any of the four major high-sec powers. Clearly, the seeds are there for a grander, more dynamic system; An overhaul of Faction Warfare, an unshackling of the Tale Incursion system and the Content and Storyline ninjas given free reign to cause havoc could give rise to the Aranofsky-Bay 'Way of the Exploding Mountain' experience that Headfirst so colourfully described.

Player Power

Could the above concepts actually happen? According to Headfirst and Dropbear, possibly. Much depends on the players.

The CSM is heading to Iceland for their Winter Summit this week and Faction Warfare is certainly on their agenda. As Headfirst pointed out, irrespective of recent events and the ever-present forum whiners, CCP has an exceptionally good relationship with its players and have shown that they are prepared to steer the ship to shores favoured by their subscribers. To take a positive from the recent controversies, the experience has set the foundation for a new co-operative relationship that can hopefully function without quite so much acrimony in future.

Nonetheless, the playerbase needs to be clear and vocal in what it wants. This doesn't have to take the form of a mutinuous and blood-hungry mob every time, but organised and focused it must be. There are a multitude of issues that are deserving of focus and certainly the CSM should be the champions of these issues. CCP has provided a system to hear what we want and we must continue to make our voices heard.

Other mechanisms are also available to us. As Dropbear pointed out, the construction of Arek'Jalaan Site One: Antiquus in the Eram system is a great example. Over 30 billion ISK in materials was provided by players to construct what is essentially "roleplaying fluff". This proves that there is a strong interest in the more thoughtful 'Aronofsky' take on EVE (with of course a side-order of Bayhem).

It is certainly my intent to continue to promote the ongoing storyline content to the wider audience with the Tech4 News podcast. I believe that the ongoing lore of EVE should be central to EVE's future and an important consideration with EVE's direction.

To a degree, if your hobby involves flying a pretend spaceship in futuristic space battles, that makes you a "roleplayer". Everyone enjoys the fictional content at some level and this can be used to push for changes that the players want. To quote Headfirst, "Roleplayers are a powerful lobby."

Planetary Battlelines

DUST 514 is coming. CCP Headfirst's primary role is now concerned with the pioneering PS3-exclusive first-person shooter and he painted us an exciting picture of what is to come. Powered by the Unreal engine and intrinsicly linked to EVE Online's persistent universe, there is no doubting CCP's bravery or vision in attempting to revolutionise the console FPS market. DUST 514 will be free-to-play with microtransactions fuelling its continued development. Sony's enthusiasm to back such a venture makes DUST 514's 2012 launch potentially a pivotal moment in online gaming history. Its success could open many doors.

We discussed whether the console market would be receptive to such a pioneering concept. Is the ADHD generation ready for such a persistent gaming commitment? To paraphrase my co-host Arydanika; after so many FPS one-night stands, are console players ready to settle into a steady relationship (with the gaming equivalent of a violent, unpredictable crack-whore with a Machievellian control-freak ex-boyfriend no less), or will CCP find itself waking up alone in the morning laying in the wet patch?

Dropbear and Headfirst think the the future for DUST 514 and CCP is bright and I was encouraged by what we heard; terrestrial environments true to the various design aesthetics of the EVE universe, customisable equipment consistent with the damage/resist system EVE players are familiar with and ample opportunity for metagaming skullduggery and shenanigans. It'll certainly be an interesting experience for the console-only players and one I hope they'll embrace. In anticipation, I have been attempting (and failing) to embrace the inferior console control system for a possible future PS3 purchase (although the PS4 is apparently being unveiled next year). I know I'll end up failing at DUST as much as I do at EVE, but I've got to try.

Listen to the Voices

It was my first CCP interview and one I enjoyed immensely. Both CCP Dropbear and CCP Headfirst are clearly top blokes who know their stuff and have their fingers on the pulse of EVE Online and DUST 514. Much was discussed that I did not mention here, so I strongly suggest you give the interview a listen over at Voices From the Void, on iTunes or on EVE-Radio on Tuesday 6th December at 1600GMT. Sadly we had to edit out Dropbear and Headfirst's manly beer-wrestling, their King Solomon-esque method of resolving lore disputes and the GM who sounds like a goat, but there is still much entertainment and information to be had.

Look out for the touching story of a helicopter pilot who contemplates an exploding mountain. Confused? So were we. Go listen.

Putting Moose Beaver to the Sword

2011-12-04T13:40:00.002Z

These days, my EVE-related activities are more metagame than actual EVE-playing. I spend hours every week reading, writing and recording EVE-flavoured things, but very little time actively flying my internet spaceships. This makes me sad. I enjoy the meta-activities too much to give them up and until I learn how to fold time to my will, my in-game activity will probably remain pretty occasional.

But excitingly, today is one of those occasions.

Due to my natural English pomposity, it seems I have managed to offend those mild-mannered Canadians, provoking their champion to challenge me to a spaceship duel. It wasn't easy though - perhaps too laid-back and chill for his own good, Kirith 'Defender of the Moose Beaver' Kodachi only threw down the gauntlet when I pointed out he should have been offended by my gently racist comments about boots and boats (eh?). He obligingly did so, tossing a fluffy moose-skin mitten to the floor of the Tweetfleet meeting hall.

Kirith nominated the place (which I think is better left undisclosed for the time being) and I suggested the terms to which he agreed.

The duel will be decided by up to five combats of increasing ship class beginning with frigates, then destroyers, cruisers, battlecruisers and finally battleships.
The winner is the first to secure three victories.
All ships must be Tech I non-faction variants.
All modules must be Tech I or Tech II (only ammunition may be Faction).
Warping from the field of combat, refusing to engage or behaving in a manner contrary to the spirit of the duel counts as a forfeit of that combat (ideally decided by adjudicator).

That's about all we've agreed on, I'm sure we'll hammer out the finer details as we go. It should be an entertaining engagement. Both Kirith and I are long enough in the tooth for skillpoints to be pretty irrelevant, so this combat will be decided by knowledge, experience and cunning.

Which should ensure I do hilariously badly.

Tally Ho!

(Recital) Mark726's 'Twas the Night Before Crucible

2011-11-29T17:28:00.002Z

The hours before an EVE Online patch-day makes its players write and behave strangely. This "re-imagining" of a traditional Christmas Carol is a joyously cheesy celebration of the anticipation felt across the cluster by the eager and impatient inhabitants of New Eden.

The poem was written by Mark726 of EVE Travel and performed by Arydanika and Seismic Stan for Episode 30 of the Voices From the Void podcast.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Also available on iTunes.

Crucible Screenshots: The New Raven and Other Ships Examined

2011-11-29T03:05:00.006Z

For the last few weeks I've been indulging myself in the glorious visuals of the Singularity server. Within hours (and probably by the time you read this) the visual feast will spill over into New Eden proper.

The breathtaking beauty of the nebulae backgrounds has been well documented elsewhere (Interstellar Privateer), however it is the revitalised Caldari and Gallente ships that I wanted to focus on. As part of their ongoing V3 project, CCP's art department is in the process of reworking every ship skin in EVE Online. It is my understanding that this will enable custom skins in the future.

In many cases the difference between the new textures and the old are subtle, being a reworking of a two-tone colour scheme to make the different colours more distinct. In the following screen-caps I have attempted contrast the old with the new by taking this last opportunity to compare with the old Version two textures.

The new-look ships, already framed by the stunning starscape, are further enhanced by the impressive new shading and lighting effects. This serves to increase contrast, enhancing colour and picking out detail whilst allowing for menacing silhouettes and atmospheric vistas. Read on for a small selection of examples.

[Note: Where old and new versions are viewed from the same angle, the ships are in the same system at precisely the same point and attitude in space. The only visual difference is the textures and lighting.]

The Caldari Raven

Perhaps the most eye-catching change is the Caldari Raven battleship which is not only sporting new skins, but an entirely reworked model. Whilst staying true to the original design, the hull has been subtly re-worked, elongating the shape and streamlining the once clumsy chassis. Whilst still asymmetrical, it now looks far more like a menacing weapons-platform and less like a plucked robot turkey.

Significant structural differences can be seen in the Command Section, with the forward observation deck no longer being quite so exposed.

Conversely the aft section has been extended, allowing for more prominent thrusters.

More attention has been given to the upper observation towers, with the rear V2 block being replaced by a far sleeker design and the starboard tower being made less fragile and exposed in appearance.

The Raven Navy Issue and T2 Golem have also been reskinned. Personally, I'm not a fan of the pixelated urban camouflage livery of the Caldari Navy, but then taste and style has never really been a Caldari strong point judging by the ship designs of yore.

The Osprey

Another in a long line of exceptionally unattractive Caldari ships, the Osprey has been significantly improved with the addition of bolder, dark panels. As with most of the re-skinned ships, note the Faction livery.

The Tech II Basilisk variant sports the new paint-job of its Lai Dai megacorporation creators, having done away with the desert camouflage effect for a simpler black-and-brass colour scheme.

Another visual improvement is the inner glow of the thrusters, complete with heat shimmer. Although not an effect exclusive to the Osprey hull, it is as good as any model to show it on.

The Caracal

The Caracal, already one of the more appealing Caldari designs, has found further style and panache amongst its peers with some more refined colour schemes. Shown below with old and new Caracal skins and new Cerberus skin.

The Ferox

The Ferox battlecruiser has long been overshadowed by the tougher, more effective Drake, might now find new respect on the battlefield in light of the new hybrid buffs. Even if it doesn't, it certainly looks the part.

The Tech II Command Ships; the Ishukone Vulture and the Kaaliakota Nighthawk have the new livery of their manufacturers also.

The Federation Navy Comet

Sadly, the blue police light and US cop-car black and white is gone, breaking the hearts of sham CONCORD officers across the cluster. Perhaps a bootleg blues-and-twos kit will be available on the NeX store one day.

The Gallente Myrmidon

Much bolder and more distinct colours are the order of the day for the Gallente colour scheme. Gone is the washed-out and faded scheme with the new shaders casting the Federation vessels in a much more attractive light.

The Rookie Ships

Even the freebie crap-buckets have got some love. The Ibis is still the mobility scooter of New Eden, but it's nice that the Caldari State have finally admitted ownership.

The most powerful (lol) of the Rookie ships, the Velator, is now a much slicker looking hand-held appliance.

The Impairor, one of only two Amarr ships that got V3'd (the other being the Apocalypse battleship which doesn't look much different), is the only Rookie ship that doesn't look crap, and now it's got blingy headlights to top it off. Shame its thrusters and belly got covered in soot though.

The Gallente Shuttle

Once a shining happy sunshine bus of interstellar joy, the Gallente shuttle has gone all morose and thinks it's a ninja CovOps ship. Maybe it is, why don't you try it?

Guristas. F#*k Yeah!

Everything else, as cool as it is, pales into lukewarm insignificance when you look at the Guristas faction ships the Worm, the Gila and the Rattlesnake. It's just a simple addition (the skin has also changed but not noticeably), but that little rabbit-eared skull is my kind of ha-ha-bonkers-menacing.

Oh yeah, come to Daddy. Still the baddest-looking ship in the cluster.

And good work art dudes. You are legend.

Mark726's 'Twas the Night Before Crucible

2011-11-27T22:23:00.004Z

‘Twas the night before Crucible and all through New Eden
Not an alliance was stirring not even Pandemic Legion.
The ships were all docked in their stations with care
Except for the supercaps that couldn’t go there.

Each capsuleer was nestled all snug in their quarters;
While they dreamed of session changes that soon would be shorter.
And I also settled in, with my creepy pod pilot cap
Thinking how nice it would be for a long New Eden nap.

When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter;
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter!
Away to my balcony I tried to run fast!
But my Incarna legs meant that I got there last!

The station lights gave an effervescent glow,
And gave illumination to whatever might show.
When, what to my wandering eyes should appear!
But a hooded pod pilot spreading good cheer!

With a swish of the hood, I could see he was Amarr;
Then that must be our own CCP Hellmar!
More rapid than dramiels his developers came.
And he messaged and posted and called some by name!

“Now Soundwave, now Punkturis, now Affinity, now Navigator!
On Greyscale, on Nullarbor, on Tuxford, on Guard!
From the center of high sec to the depths of W-space,
Let’s clean up this mess and make EVE a better place!”

He flew through the station, like a stiff wind with some sails,
Leaving gifts where he went, including engine trails!
They sprinkled some dev dust, fixing this and fixing that.
The new BCs alone will certainly change our combat!

But new ships were not all that CCP had in store.
The new font and UI scaling might make your eyes less sore.
New modules were coded, yes more things are tech 2!
And hybrids are buffed to breathe life to Gallente pew pew.

Even industrialists can be thrilled with their newfound fuel blocks;
Alas the poor miner is stuck still just staring at rocks.
Stargates now align to the star where they shoot
Ships across lightyears when they are en route.

New pretties have been added to make space more exciting;
The new nebulae alone are almost beyond describing.
New cyno effects can give cap pilots some bliss…
Especially now that they see how often their shots miss!

With one button you can now warp and jump through a gate
And finally, new warp tunnels, goodness, this must be fate!
Time dilation will slow down big battles in null sec;
And a ‘loot all’ button will speed up looting a wreck.

With gifts of all kinds for us good capsuleers
Hellmar and team have finally fulfilled wishes from past years.
As they flew off, I heard his voice rattle
“EVE Online is back, to each a good battle!”

by Mark726 of EVE Travel

Download the audio reading as heard on Voices From the Void podcast here.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Blog Banter 30 Review: Crucible 1.0 Patch Notes

2011-11-26T15:18:00.006Z

Build 306979 to BB30 addresses Patch Notes for Crucible 1.0

Released Saturday, November 26, 2011. The following are the relevant file sizes for client updates:

- Windows from Incarna 1.1.3 to Crucible 1.0 is Lotsa Meg
- Windows full client is a Fuktun o' Gig.
- Mac from Incarna 1.1.3 to Crucible 1.0 is unknown, but we're sure it'll be fine.
- Mac full client is YOUR ENTIRE HARD DRIVE.

Table of Contents

CRITICAL
FEATURES
CHANGES
FIXES

CRITICAL

The regularity of wormhole spawns will be gradually decreasing to a much lower frequency. This will occur progressively over the next few weeks. Make your plans accordingly.

FEATURES

Rise of the Pirate Factions

Corporations and Alliances can now declare allegiance to pirate factions.
New pirate faction Incursion events will be occurring across space; Gurista Blockades, Serpentis Enterprises, Angel Cartel Rackets and Blood Raider erm... Blood Raids.
New Faction Supertechnologies will be revealed.
Roaming NPC encounters now mean there is a chance of discovering a Sansha deadspace complex in Angel Cartel territory, or a Blood Raider outpost in Guristas territory. Perhaps even a CONCORD patrol in low-sec...
Pirate NPCs will now respond appropriately to pilot standing with their faction. If a pilot has positive standings with the appropriate faction, the NPCs will not engage unless fired upon.

More details on these changes can be found in the following (not) Dev Blogs; Diary of a Pod Pilot, 2nd Anomaly From the Left

Faction Warfare

NPC Navy response in 1.0-0.7 systems has been reduced (Customs and CONCORD remain unaffected)
A Navy Officer may spawn to defend threatened Complexes. These have a chance to drop Navy modules.
Bounties have been added to Navy NPCs for collection by opposing Faction capsuleers.
Command bunkers now give grid-wide minor buffs to the owning faction.
Incursion effects are now inflicted on systems being conquered, reducing benefits for the defending force.
Conquered systems give system-wide cost reduction to owning faction pilots for repairs, insurance and medical clones.
Instead of Loyalty Points for enemy pilot kills, successful PvP kills will now be rewarded with an ISK bounty.
Loyalty Point rewards for missions has been reduced to encourage a change of focus from PvE to PvP.
Remote repairing a fellow Faction Warfare pilot with a GCC flag or -5.0 security status no longer results in a hit to faction standings.
It is now possible to influence the true-sec of a system by up to 0.09, meaning 0.5 systems can be reduced to 0.4 and 0.4 systems can become CONCORD protected 0.5s.

Read more about the above features in these (not) Dev Blogs, Sand, Cider and Spaceships, A Scientist's Life in EVE and Interstellar Privateer.

Backstory

Storyline-driven live events will be forthcoming to re-invigorate the conflict as tensions between the Empires and the pirate factions escalates. For further details on the backstory, check out the following perspectives;

Minmatar Militia (Random Posts From Auga)
The Blood Raiders (Shall We Not Revenge...)
Independent Pirates (Eveoganda)
Tinfoil Hat Wearers (Mike Azariah)

Exploration

Directional Scanner

The cone of scan coverage is now displayed both on the ship view and the solar system map.
The solar system cone can be dragged to determine range and width of scan.
The range can be toggled between AU and Kilometres and can be changed with a slider bar.
A new UI interface allows for control of granularity and custom presets.

Introducing Deep Space Exploration Ships (Tech II variants of Tier 2 Battlecruisers).
Exploration is no longer restricted to the heliosphere of solar systems. Deep Space Exploration ships are capable of striking out into the unknown and unexplored deep space between systems. Who knows what might be out there...
To lead the rag-tag fleet into the unknown or to hold the line on the escalating factional frontlines, behold new non-combat capital ships:

The Capital Interdictor (Zeus)

Originally developed by ORE as a mining fleet guardian, the Zeus capital class interdictor whilst not designed to mount any direct-fire weapons, has nonetheless been subverted for military application. Officially classified as a non-combat vessel, the Zeus is capable of high-sec travel, although pilots should be aware that CONCORD will respond as normal to the uncontrolled use of area-of-effect modules.

Multi-harmonic pulse emission technology allows the fitting of specialist modules that can enable the following functions:

The Mothership (Athena)

Designed to accompany the Zeus in deep space operations, the Athena is non-combat capital originally designed to support colonisation and deadspace outpost construction, but has been adapted to support remote fleets on the front lines. As such it functions as a mobile starbase and provides all of the same facilities (manufacture, research, refine and repair). Further details here.

Market Improvements

Standings Mechanics

Global Criminal Countdown has been reduced to 5 minutes.
Attempts to remote repair a ship with an aggression flag will no longer be hampered by a warning message.
If a pilot with an active aggression flag joins a fleet, all fleet members are notified.
Declaring War is now decided by a "first past the post" voting system and the voting timer has been removed.
Custom war declarations allow for a objective-linked costs.
It is no longer possible to remote repair an unaffiliated neutral. The repairer and repairee must be in corp, alliance, fleet or Faction Warfare allies.
In addition the Ship and Captain's Quarter view, there is now a Station Exterior View allowing pilots to visually monitor the undock.
Station docking perimeters have been reduced to conform to the actual size of the station. All stations are now "kick-out" stations.
Stargate security protocols have been improved and it will no longer be possible to enter a system if a pilot's security status is too low.
Positive faction standings now give a discount on the following station services: repairs, office rental, clones.
Standing increases are given for coming to the assistance of neutral pilots with less than 10m SP.

Further information about these changes can be found in the following (not) Devblogs: Haberdashers Run Amok, Diary of a Pod Pilot, Urziel's EVE Chronicle, Beyond Space, Mabrick's Mumblings.

Planetary Interaction

It is now possible to wage economic warfare on your planetary interaction neighbours by staking 'claims', expanding territory and taxing competitors on your land.

Controls and Camera

Ship controls are now possible with a joystick interface allowing vessels to pitch, yaw and roll.
First-person perspective cockpit and third-person tailplane views are available.
All ships now have preset internal cameras allowing a variety of fixed views.
The advanced camera interface allows for custom anchorpoints and fixed direction views.
Picture-in-picture functionality allows for more accurate target monitoring.
Multiple actor tracking allows for squads, fleets and goodfites to be viewed in all their glory.

Read more about the above features in these (not) Dev Blogs; Shall We Not Revenge... and Freebooted.

Miscellaneous

New Launcher animations.
Guided missiles now launch from the missile silos visible on every launcher-capable ship.
Unguided rockets/assault missiles/torpedos now have launcher models that mount on hardpoints and track targets just as turrets do.
All weapons-fire animations have been revisited and are now so pretty they'll melt your eyes.
Ships can now be "prepared for transport" in the right-click context menu, allowing the transport of rigged ships without the need for an alt.
Complexes, anomalies and signatures now spawn randomly throughout the day rather than all at once after downtime.
A new rig type allows rig slots to be used as additional fitting slots.
A new ship upgrade system with weapon modification upgrades such as the Ammo Revolver.
Bounty system revisions.
Easy character switching (no need to log out and log back in any more).
Further social media integration (EVE Gate/Facebook/Twitter/G+)
Null-sec gates can now be tolled by the Sovereignty holding alliance.

Further information about these changes can be found in the following (not) Devblogs: Rants From New Eden, Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, Sand Cider and Spaceships, Finders & Keepers, Voyager Spirit, Omnis Arcanum of EVE, MuppetNinjas.

[This is the final review of Blog Banter 30, thanks to everyone who took part.]

The Throwdown Showdown in Blogtown

2011-11-21T04:41:00.006Z

The EVE metagame is a bizarre circus and every so often something wonderfully odd happens. Even more rarely, I'm lucky enough to get caught up in the middle of it. Following the apparent critical success of my self-indulgent audio reading of Mord Fiddle's Fever Dream, the author himself challenged me to a kind of write-off, a blog-duel or as Arydanika puts it; the "Throwdown Showdown in Blogtown". Or something.

So a set of rules were drawn up; no more than 1500 words to be written in 24 hours on the receipt of three trigger words as set by a Tweetfleet adjudicators Duncane Feldane and Adainy Gwanwyn. Following that 24-hour period, our submissions would be exchanged and we would have a similar time period to record a simple audio version with no special effects (boo!).

The results would be aired on Voices From the Void and a public vote would be opened, inviting listeners to grade both the content and the reading quality of each piece.

I know what you're thinking; utter madness, it'll never work. But it did. Somehow, we both managed to pull it off (although Mord's English accents and my female impersonations may disturb some).

The trigger words were: Post Capsuleer Graduation

What follows is the script I wrote for Mord to read. You can find his story at Fiddler's Edge and listen to both in Voices From the Void Episode 29.

Enjoy.

“Searching For Pod”

“The Accidental Capsuleer”

“Earnest Learns to Fly”

“Monty Python's Lock Stock and Two Red Dwarves”

(a short EVE Online narrative based on the trigger words: Post Capsuleer Graduation)

Mathew “Seismic Stan” Westhorpe

INT. SPACE STATION, MISSION AGENT OFFICE - DAY

CAPSULEER FRANK enters the office of professional Mission AGENT BRYAN.

AGENT BRYAN

Welcome to 'Capsuleer Missions For You' - efficiency and discretion guaranteed. Please take a seat. I am your mission agent Bryan, how can I help you?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Hello Bryan. I need a job.

AGENT BRYAN

Well you've come to the right place, Mr...

CAPSULEER FRANK

Um... Bryan?

AGENT BRYAN

Really? That's a coincidence.

CAPSULEER FRANK

What?

AGENT BRYAN

Well, that's my name too.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Oh, right. Okay, I'll be frank then...

AGENT BRYAN

Okay, please do... [AWKWARD PAUSE] ...so what is your name then?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Frank.

AGENT BRYAN

Hah, very droll ... that's not your real name.

CAPSULEER FRANK

It isn't?

AGENT BRYAN

Well, I...

CAPSULEER FRANK

No, really. Frank's the name, spaceships are my game.

AGENT BRYAN

I'm less than convinced.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Trust me. Frank N. Earnest, that's me. Honest to goodness capsuleer. Sorry - brain's a bit scrambled from the implants and the cloning activation and stuff.

AGENT BRYAN

Oh I see. You've just cloned in? I hope the nature of your transfer wasn't too harrowing.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Dunno. Not got much too compare it to – never done it before. It was a bit gooey... and are you meant to hear voices?

AGENT BRYAN

Only if people are speaking I suspect. Although I'm not entirely certain, I'm a “baseliner” myself.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Good for you. Well I'm a capsuleer. Proper pod-jockey, me. Holes in the back of me head and everything. So? Where's my spaceship?

AGENT BRYAN

You don't have a ship?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Course not, you're going to give me one aren't you? That is what you do... Bryan. Isn't it?

AGENT BRYAN

Well no, I provide the missions. Typically, our clients supply their own ships.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Oh right. News to me.

AGENT BRYAN

You've not done this before, have you?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Erm... no. Not really.

AGENT BRYAN

Exactly how long have you been a capsuleer?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Ooh I dunno... about twenty-five minutes now.

AGENT BRYAN

I...see...

CAPSULEER FRANK

That's not going to be a problem, is it?

AGENT BRYAN

Well, I'm not sure. When you say you've only been a capsuleer for twenty-five minutes, I assume you mean you've just acquired your licence. You have, or course, had all the necessary training?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Training? Don't you show me a quick holovid or something then just give me the keys?

AGENT BRYAN

No, Mr. Earnest. Flying space-going vessels is serious business, this isn't a hover-car rental service.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Oh don't be such a square. How hard can it be?

AGENT BRYAN

Hard? Mr. Earnest, even the smallest starships require years of training for a non-capsuleer crew. For a single podder to take over all the duties of the entire command crew requires intensive assessment and rigorous conditioning before being pod-bound. To attempt otherwise will result in brain-injury, mind-lock or death.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Meh, I think you're pimping it up a bit. It's just sitting in a bath-tub and playing a holo-game.

AGENT BRYAN

[SIGH] So am I understanding correctly that you have not graduated from any of the certified Capsuleer Institutions?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Like where?

AGENT BRYAN

Well any of the State Military Academies, the Education Institutes like Caille or Hedion University, or any of the other Civilian Authorities?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Naah. Sound like a headache. I came third place in a holoquiz once though.

AGENT BRYAN

I'm really at a loss Mr. Earnest. I can see by your implant sockets that you have indeed been prepared for hydrostatic capsule interfacing, but I don't think I can in good conscience provide you with any assistance.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Hmmm. To be brutally Frank (pun intended), I couldn't care less about your conscience. What if I said that if you didn't help me, I could snap your neck like a weak snappy thing. Being snapped.

AGENT BRYAN

Well there's no need for threats Mr. Earnest. I'm sure we can come to some arrangement.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Good man.

AGENT BRYAN

Let me see what we've got in the database for you. Hmmm.

CAPSULEER FRANK

I need a gig that provides the transport, remember.

AGENT BRYAN

Yes, yes, I'm just looking. Whilst I'm searching, satisfy my curiosity - how did you come to be a capsuleer?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Heh, funny thing. It was sort of a happy accident.

AGENT BRYAN

Really? How does one become a capsuleer “by accident”.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Well, me and the lads move in some... colourful circles. We were hired to get a poor, falsely accused gentleman out of custody.

AGENT BRYAN

Oh, a terrible miscarriage of justice, I'm sure.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Yeah, right. Aren't they all. Anyway, The problem was it was a very high security facility. Getting in was easy, we just had to commit the right sort of crime. Smuggling in the portable transneural burning wotsit was the real challenge. But we had a very well-funded sponsor who greased the right wheels.

AGENT BRYAN

A burning scanner? Like the device in capsules that transfers the consciousness?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Yep.

AGENT BRYAN

They make them portable now?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Oh yeah, if you know the right people. Of course, they're only as good as the technicians at the other end of the line. It's all very well “rescuing” some mob boss... er, I mean innocent gentleman... by microwaving his brain, but his brain image needs to land in the right body at the other end.

AGENT BRYAN

But presumably your rescue operation was a success.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Erm... to be honest, I don't know. I did my part and brain-scanned the target, so his mind got transferred somewhere. But I don't think my survival was part of their plan. Fortunately, me and the lads saw that coming and came up with a little insurance clause.

AGENT BRYAN

Which was?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Well, you're looking at it. This is my new capsuleer body. What do you think?

AGENT BRYAN

So... you aren't a capsuleer, but you're... you've stolen a capsuleer's body!?

CAPSULEER FRANK

Yeah, it's amazing what the lads can pull off with access to a cloning lab. I'd have been happy with any old normal body, but since these capsuleers just leave clones laying around in the care of others, they're not gonna miss one. To be honest, I'm not entirely happy about the face, but I can always steal a different clone later. The priority now is to get disappeared before the wrong people figure out what happened. I thought I may as well take advantage of my new pod-pilot status. Which is where you come in.

AGENT BRYAN

Right, yes. Well we've got a few clients requesting services that are fairly... indiscriminate about who carries them out.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Sounds magic. Wotchya got?

AGENT BRYAN

Well, let's see... the Damsel is in distress again, but I wouldn't bother with her. She'll only have got herself back in trouble by tomorrow anyway. Or there's...

CAPSULEER FRANK

No, no, that's fine. Damsel it is. Might be able to get myself some action whilst I'm there. I can find out how hi-tech my capsuleer plumbing really is.

AGENT BRYAN

Charming. Well, that's all arranged for you. My contacts in Docking Management will be able to source you a capsule and a Reaper-class ship.

CAPSULEER FRANK

Right then, nice one Bryan, I'll be off to the ship hangar right now. Thank you, you've been very helpful. See you never, pencil-neck.

AGENT BRYAN

A pleasure, Mr Earnest. Goodbye...

[WAITS UNTIL THE DOOR IS CLOSED]

...enjoy your wetgrave.

Please don't forget to vote at Voices from the Void

BB30: EVE Online Director Mode

2011-11-17T11:44:00.021Z

EVE is beautiful and with Crucible's additional art, it is only going to get more so. We are about to be plunged into a universe of stunning nebulae, pulsating warp tunnels and criss-crossing inaccurate weapons fire.

Even now, prior to the incoming visual improvements, I often find myself attempting to find the perfect camera angle to admire a new ship or to orchestrate that perfect flyby shot. During combat I try to find the ideal camera perch from which to enjoy the action.

But alas, even with to so-called 'advanced camera options'* the viewing controls are limited. With some effort, it is possible to engineer some vaguely cinematic angles using the 'set as parent/interest' options. Also, use of the right mouse button does allow some additional rotational control, but this rubber-bands on release of the button and is essentially only a 'quick glance' function. [On a related note: Exploding ships, please let the camera linger on them rather than home back immediately.]

The existing camera interface could be vastly improved with only some minor control tweaks. The simple functionality of being able to anchor the camera to a specific point and direction would allow a multitude of functions. These could be provided as defaults or the player could simply be given the toolset to make custom camera anchors if this would reduce development demands.

The following are examples of what could be possible.

Static Ship Viewpoints
[eg. CNC Deck, Observation Towers, Views: fore/aft/left/right/up/down.]

Naga: port-side forward view.

A simple forward facing view from wherever the ship's bridge/command capsule is positioned would provide a static ships-eye view. This would ensure that casual travellers could always see what is ahead and get a better sense of movement and scale rather than the camera defaulting to a random view of the ship hull after each jump. It would also provide some hilarious motion sickness during tight-orbit frigate fights.

Naga: port-side aft view.

Alternative fixed camera angles, although not especially functional, would provide a degree of immersion and a sense of scale as you look out of your battlecruiser observation deck, along the hull and at the station from which you've just undocked. Aside from camera drones, there must surely the odd basic security camera attached to the hull. Failing that, just have a camera pointing out of one of those many twinkling portholes.

Fixed Tailplane View

Rifter: fixed tailplane view of incoming fire.

The majority of combats play out without pilots really enjoying the visual effects, as there are too many factors demanding the pilot's attention during a firefight to be concerned with finding an engaging camera angle. Being able to secure the camera to a viewpoint behind and above your ship would allow the pilot to see what he is heading into (and how quickly) and would provide another tool to judge approach vectors. Plus, it would look cool.

Weapons Tracking View (Turret & Missile)

Naga: Turret view to target.

Having a camera view of a specific weapon turret as it tracks the target could be achieved if a camera anchor point could be fixed to and aligned with the barrel of the weapon. Previously, with adequate ninja mouse skills it used to be possible to 'look at' missiles as they travelled to their target, however having tried during the research for this article it is either no longer possible or my reactions are no longer good enough. My point is tailor-made missile cameras would be much easier anyway.

Picture-in-Picture/Zoomed Target Window

Drake: Visual target tracking.

Although much of these proposed camera functions are purely cosmetic, there are some aspects that could be useful tools for pilots. During combat, having the camera anchored on your own ship whilst being focused and zoomed on the target would give the pilot a visual aid to maintaining or reducing transversal velocities, assessing target behaviour and weapon loadouts. This view could be displayed in a window to aid the combat pilot, or even used as a replacement for the existing static target icons.

Multiple Actor Tracking

Try maintaining this shot manually.

Rather than having a single ship designated as the focus of the camera, this function would force the camera to zoom and rotate automatically to keep two or more ships in view. This would enable the viewing of spectacular 1v1 combats and provide a visual aid to squad, wing and fleet management. By optimising the use screen real-estate in this way, it would allow small- and large-scale combats to be enjoyed for the magnificent spectacle that they are whilst providing a visual tool for Fleet Commanders to monitor grouping and ranges.

The selection could be managed via a checkbox interface as follows:

Select camera focus:

Self
Primary Target
All Targets
Drones
Squad
Wing
Fleet

[I note a similar function is already present in the Carbon Character Creation, wherein both eyes are tracked and the camera is restricted from allowing either eye to disappear from view. Could this code be adapted to function in space?]

Implementation and Summary

In conclusion, this feature would comprise three elements.

1. Custom camera toolset (anchor and point)
This would perhaps be the easiest to implement as it requires modification of existing functionality rather than the introduction of entirely new elements.

2. Multiple Actor Tracking
There is evidence to suggest that this functionality is entirely plausible with the Carbon engine and it could be a useful client-side tool.

3. Picture-in-Picture Functionality
Presumably a fairly non-trivial endeavour, this would require the most significant adaption of the existing user interface. However, it could perhaps be considered as part of a general UI overhaul.

A versatile and truly advanced camera suite would be a fantastic and useful toolset to further increase immersion and appreciation of EVE's arresting visuals. There's little point in CCP's artists spending so much effort making EVE look so good if no-one is really looking. Keeping the viewing tools as they currently are is like being at an art gallery but being forced to view everything through binoculars whilst spinning around.

Community spectacles like the Alliance Tournament would benefit greatly from these tools, making the experience far more engaging for the casual spectator. I have covered this in greater depth in Fanfest Flashback: The Spectacle of Combat, and the argument is as strong as ever.

Most players spend a lot of time traveling through the stunning New Eden environments, why not give them the tools to better enjoy the journey.

EVE is definitely ready for its close-up now Mr DeMille.

*Select the tickbox under miscellaneous in 'Display & Graphics' Escape menu to activate.

[This post was an entry in the EVE Blog Banter community discussion.]

Blog Banter 30: The Melting Pot

2011-11-14T11:21:00.037Z

Once again the call has gone out to anyone with a penchant for scribbling about internet spaceships. Blog Banter 30 is embracing the wave of creativity driving the development of the upcoming winter expansion. Here is the question our intrepid bloggeratti will be tackling this month:

"With the Winter expansion possibly being named 'Crucible', it certainly is a melting pot of refinements and tweaks aimed at making the EVE experience smoother and more wholesome. If the developers suddenly found themselves some spare resources and approached you for an additional feature to include before release, what single concept would you pitch them and how would you implement it?

For bonus points, the one thing lacking from this "patchwork" of iterations is a cohesive storyline to package "The Crucible" together. How could this expansion be marketed to potential new customers?"

I'll add links to the banters below as they materialise. Buckle up, this should be a crazy and inventive ride.

If you're not sure what this Blog Banter lark is about, check this link for clarification. If you want to join in but don't have a blog, there are number of community members who would be happy to guest host your writing. Please post in the comments if you are looking for or offering this service.

Addendum: In an incredible coincidence, lead designer CCP Soundwave has now actually asked the community for ideas for his small feature list in this forum post. I doubt any of the suggestions will make it into this expansion, but I'm sure Team BFF will continue with their iteration assault beyond the initial release so it's well worth getting your thinking cap on.

I will be maintaining a a duplicate list of the links below in the above forum thread in this post.

Blog Banters/(Not)Dev Blogs

CCP Ninveah - Ship Transport, D-Scan Improvements, Exploration Ships
CCP Madhatter - Stalemate Unleashed (backstory)
CCP FakeDevBlogger - Faction Warfare Redesign
CCP Revenge - Joystick Control, Pirate Factions, Wormhole Changes
CCP Cozmik - Global Criminal Countdown Changes
CCP NinjaHoneyBee - EMP Blasts, New Rigs
CCP BadStudent - Navigation-Linked Market Tools
CCP Haberdasher - War Dec' Changes, Hi-Sec PvP
CCP Ranter - Launcher and Turret Animation, PI Improvements, Motherships
CCP Anomaly - Incursion Iterations
CCP Veskin - Ammo Revolvers
CCP Margin - Product 'Heat' Map
CCP AngryLog - Deep Space Exploration
CCP NastyCop - Zero Tolerance Policing
CCP Mumbles - Good Samaritan Standings Boosts
CCP Cheapshoes - Advanced Camera Controls
CCP Epicentre - Temporary Jumpgate Jamming
CCP Myark - Pirate Faction Rebalancing
CCP YoYo - Standings-Linked Market Prices
CCP Crab - Stealth Ship Hunter/Decloaker
CCP Randy - Faction Warfare (backstory)
CCP LabRat - Sovereignty/Incursion System Effects in Faction Warfare
CCP Icly - A Cartel Conspiracy (backstory)
CCP InPrivate - GCC/UI/Dynamic System Security (+ backstory)
CCP ForumTrollslayer - Market UI Improvements
CCP Kenza - Bounty System/Social Media Integration
CCP MuppetNinja - Null-Sec Tollgates/Combat Areas

[In case you were wondering, it should be noted that some (read: all) of the above "developers" may not actually be CCP employees.]

Mysteries of New Eden: The Pirate Ships

2011-11-13T20:56:00.009Z

The majority of ships seen in New Eden are of common stock, their hull designs originating from one of the four major Empires. Every once in a while a less common 'faction' ship will be sighted, flown by the more affluent capsuleers. But look amongst the NPC fleets encountered in missions and you'll spot some striking hull designs that have not yet fallen into the hands of capsuleers.

There isn't much information available on these vessels, bar what can be exhumed from the item database. Below are some screenshots and what information I've managed to unearth on these little mysteries.

The Echo

Gistii Ruffian - Angel Cartel

Aside from the capsuleer-pilotable faction frigates, the Echo is the only pirate frigate with a description of any note. The database tells us:

"The Echo assault frigate was developed and produced by the Indocon Corporation early on in the first era of galactic conquest. Asteroid mining had become increasingly dangerous due to pirate traffic, and the first prototype of the Echo was made."

Statistics
Size: 28m
High Slots: 4
Med lots: 1
Low Slots: 3
Turret Hardpoints: 2
Launcher Hardpoints: 2
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 625
Structure Hitpoints: 36
Inertia Modifier: 3.1x
Max Velocity: 275 m/sec
Drone Capacity: None

Although quite slow compared to most combat frigates (it's slower than the Amarr Punisher) with a paper thin shield and structure, the two notable things about the Echo are it's exceptional armour rating and it's four weapon hardpoints. With the right modules, the Echo could be a great damage-dealer or armour tanker, however the single mid-slot seriously compromises any real combat potential, forcing the choice between propulsion and tackle. The powergrid and CPU are also quite restrictive for the number of fitting slots available.

The Fury

Gistii Thug - Angel Cartel

This sleek and menacing hull is easily the aesthetic rival of the Dramiel and Daredevil; it looks like an Angel hull with a Gallente bodykit. The description currently in the database is a lacklustre "Pirate Frigate 3", which is a tragic shame, a ship design this good deserves a backstory.

Statistics
Size: 29.96m
High Slots: 3
Med lots: 3
Low Slots: 1
Turret Hardpoints: 1
Launcher Hardpoints: 3
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 169
Structure Hitpoints: 44
Inertia Modifier: 3.1x
Max Velocity: 250 m/sec
Drone Capacity: 10m3, 10Mbit/sec

Statistically underwhelming, the Fury could serve as a hit-and-run missile boat, but would be inferior to existing frigates due to the poor velocity and woeful tank. The miserly CPU and powergrid would make many effective fits a challenge. Perhaps it could be redeemed by the currently absent bonuses, the Fury has potential as a glass cannon or a speed-tanking tackler with supporting drones.

The Lynx

Gistii Rogue - Angel Cartel

The Lynx isn't as blessed as its Angel Cartel fleet-mates in the looks department, looking more like something that's fallen out of the dirty end of a giant robot. Cartel designers perhaps attempted to redeem its tragic looks by adding a spoiler, but this only serves to achieve to look of a racing techno-turd. It is probably best that the database description simply says "Pirate Frigate 7".

Statistics
Size: 64m
High Slots: 2
Med lots: 1
Low Slots: 3
Turret Hardpoints: 2
Launcher Hardpoints: 0
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 144
Structure Hitpoints: 44
Inertia Modifier: 3.1x
Max Velocity: 275 m/sec
Drone Capacity: 15m3, 15 Mbit/sec

As statistically underwhelming as its appearance, the Lynx suffers from a dearth of weapon hardpoints with only two turret hardpoints available, although this is mitigated by the capacity for three small drones. A single medium slot again restricts combat options and would require tackle support from elsewhere if a propulsion module were to be fitted. Three low-slots at least give the Lynx some fitting options and the lack for high- and mid- slots means that there is probably adequate resources available for an effective fit of sorts.

The Medusa

Gistii Nomad - Angel Cartel

The Medusa is fearsome in appearance, with shades of Sansha's Nation and Rogue Drone aesthetics contributing to the overall look. This insectoid frigate has an ancient feel to its design with its large frontal intake and retro-looking cylindrical thrusters. Sadly, the history of this vessel remains speculative as the database description simply says "Pirate Frigate 5".

Statistics
Size: 66.78m
High Slots: 2
Med lots: 3
Low Slots: 1
Turret Hardpoints: 1
Launcher Hardpoints: 2
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 144
Structure Hitpoints: 45
Inertia Modifier: 3.1x
Max Velocity: 40 m/sec
Drone Capacity: 10m3, 10 Mbit/sec

One statistic renders this great-looking ship nothing more than a collectors item and a curio: with an abysmal top speed of 40 m/sec, it can be outdistanced by battleships and industrials! Perhaps this fits into the whole Spaceships of Yesteryear concept, although many of the "modern" vessels in common use are hundreds of years old too. As with most of the other "pirate frigates" the Medusa is hampered by a weak tank and restrictive fitting resources. Without something like a 500% range bonus to tackling modules, this ship is useless but striking.

The Styx

Gistii Outlaw - Angel Cartel

This sleek and aerodynamic hull looks like it might have been adapted from a vessel designed for atmospheric flight. The simple missile-like fuselage is flanked by two equipment-laden wings, with what is possibly the flight pod integral to the port wing. The database description says "Pirate Frigate 4".

Statistics
Size: 36m
High Slots: 4
Med lots: 3
Low Slots: 3
Turret Hardpoints: 1
Launcher Hardpoints: 1
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 156
Structure Hitpoints: 25
Inertia Modifier: 3.1x
Max Velocity: 300 m/sec
Drone Capacity: 5m3, 5 Mbit/sec

The Styx is the fastest of the Pirate vessels and, although it cannot hold a candle to dedicated interceptor vessels, has a reasonable turn of speed. Sadly, it has the typical fragile pirate tank and the limited fitting resources make effective use of the potentially flexible 4/3/3 slot layout a challenge. The weapon hardpoints make effective damage output a non-starter, with a single small drone doing little to mitigate this. However, capacitor permitting, the two remaining slots could be used for energy neutralisers giving the Styx some potential as a tackler.

The Swordspine

Gistii Hijacker - Angel Cartel

Clearly coming from the same design stable as the Cynabal, this frigate shares the exoskeletal carapace-like bodywork stylings of its larger cousin. The dark, alien appearance of the Swordspine has a menacing appeal. This is "Pirate Frigate 8".

Statistics
Size: 39m
High Slots: 2
Med lots: 3
Low Slots: 4
Turret Hardpoints: 2
Launcher Hardpoints: 0
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 25 MW
Shield Capacity: 63
Armour Hitpoints: 163
Structure Hitpoints: 38
Inertia Modifier: 4.21x
Max Velocity: 287 m/sec
Drone Capacity: 5m3, 5Mbit/sec

The most agile of the Pirate frigate family, the Swordspine has some potential for versatility with its four low slots. Additionally, its three mid-slots provide ample room for both tackle and propulsion fittings. Aside from the usual weak tank, the Swordspine's other main failing is the restriction to two turret hardpoints in the high-slots, but with appropriate ship bonuses, this could be an effect combat ship.

The Ixion

Potato Submarine (maybe) - Angel Cartel

The Ixion cruiser has more in common with the unfortunate looks of the Lynx than any of the more impressive Pirate designs. The hull shape could best be described as a lump, perhaps a kind of giant metal potato with guns. The ever helpful database information describes the Ixion as "Pirate Cruiser 1".

Statistics
Size: 101m
High Slots: 4
Med lots: 5
Low Slots: 1
Turret Hardpoints: 2
Launcher Hardpoints: 2
CPU: 100 tf
Powergrid: 300 MW
Shield Capacity: 625
Armour Hitpoints: 500
Structure Hitpoints: 144
Inertia Modifier: 0.65x
Max Velocity: 220 m/sec

The Ixion is a light cruiser by any definition, it is significantly smaller than the more common cruisers and its ability to tank is correspondingly lower. However, for a cruiser it is both fairly quick and quite agile. Like most other pirate vessels, the fitting resources are very restrictive, making the likelihood of effectively fitting cruiser-sized weapons unlikely. The Ixion should perhaps be considered a heavy destroyer. The relatively high shield hitpoints and the five medium slots make the Ixion an out-and-out shield tanker.

In Conclusion

It seems that these vessels may all have been originally designed as part of the Angel Cartel stable of ships, with the Dramiel, Daredevil, Cynabal and Machariel all being made available to capsuleers. However, I note from the database information that the skill requirements for piloting these NPC vessels differ from the requirements of the currently available pirate faction vessels. The likes of the Dramiel and the Cynabal require a mix of Minmatar and Gallente skills, whereas all of the above vessels require Jove piloting skills. If nothing else, this raises some interesting storyline questions regarding the relationship between the Angel Cartel and the Jove.

Clearly making these ships available to capsuleers would require some tweaking and it is quite apparent that, with their statistics as they stand, they would be sub-standard to many existing Tech I frigates. This could possibly be remedied with appropriately balanced bonus/role abilities. Personally, I'd love to see these ships on the market, they would visually add to the diversity and colour of New Eden.

I'd really like a Fury and a Styx.You can keep the Flying Space-Poo though.

(Satire) Mord Fiddle's Fever Dream

2011-11-07T15:46:00.001Z

Originally written by Mord Fiddle as a rapier-sharp commentary on events surrounding EVE Online's 2011 "Summer of Incarnage", this Chaucer-esque Shakespearian Iliad about the woes of MMO community management was begging to be performed by the Royal Shakespeare Society.

Instead, it got one man narrating and performing questionable impersonations of CSM Chairman The Mittani and CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson (as if played by Brian Blessed).

This is Fever Dream.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Free-to-Play EVE Online

2011-10-23T19:18:00.022+01:00

Incarna and the NeX store have been sidelined and presumably with them CCP's plans to experiment with EVE Online's subscription model. The brave folly of Incarna development was an attempt to make EVE Online attractive to a new demographic whilst introducing a new revenue stream. Sadly, neither is looking likely to happen in the immediate future.

But what if CCP could offer the EVE Online experience to players for free beyond the current 14- and 21-day trials. What if a free-to-play model (with microtransactions) could co-exist alongside the current subscription model in complete harmony? I think it's possible and here's how.

Non-Capsuleer Vessels

The lore of EVE often references ships commanded by non-capsuleers, however the only time they are encountered in-game is as hostile NPCs, the Law Enforcement presence seen at high-sec gates (and gank-sites) or the occasional trade caravan near stations. Why not let free-to-play customers add to this population of proletariat spacefarers.

I give you the free-to-play 'Captain' account.

Something similar to the existing trial account restrictions should remain in place (cruiser-sized vessels and smaller only, no Tech II ships) but perhaps with some tweaking, such as allowing Tech I industrials and Planetary Interaction.

The significant distinction between Free-to-Play (Captain) and Subscription (Capsuleer) accounts would be the means of controlling the vessel. Without the hyper-augmented abilities of a capsuleer, operating anything but the smallest of craft is a much more challenging task requiring multiple conventionally-trained individuals. However, whilst total crew numbers vary from vessel to vessel, the Captain and his command crew would be a constant and ever-present team.

The Command Crew

Initially, the new player would start off with enough Aurum (1000?) to hire a skeleton Command Crew from the NeX Academy to suit his chosen style of play.

A more talented Captain and/or additional officers would be recruited from the NeX Academy as funds allow. It is through the recruitment of command staff with the appropriate skill-sets that the player would tailor his Command Crew's ability and therefore ship performance. Whilst a player's officer roster can hold as many officers as the player is willing to purchase, only the selected 'active' officers will be counted toward the Command Crew skillset. The Command Crew must comprise one Captain and up to four other officers.

In the event of ship destruction, the basic escape pod will only save one randomly determined officer. More advanced escape pods with additional capacity will be available in the NeX Store to allow players to protect their investment.

Example NeX Academy Roster

Rank	Name	Race/BL	Skills	Morale Bonus	Traits	Hire Cost (AUR)
Captain	M.Starter	Min/Brutor	Spaceship Cmd. I Minmatar Frig. II	Evasive Maneuvering	Hero	0
Captain	L.Esskrap	Min/Seb	Spaceship Cmd II Minmatar Frig. III Gallente Frig. II	Evasive Maneuvering	Motivator	150
Captain	B.Astard	Ama/Ama	Spaceship Cmd IV Amarr Frigate IV Destroyer III Amarr Cruiser II	Navigation	Racist (Minmatar)	800
Gunnery Officer	H.Trigger	Min/Seb	Gunnery II Small Proj. Turret II	Targeting Speed	Coward	50
Gunnery Officer	Deadeye Jim	Cal/Det	Gunnery IV Sm. Hybrid Turret IV Sm. Proj. Turret III Med. Hybrid Turret I Sharpshooter III Trajectory Analysis III	Rapid Firing	Weak	500
Helmsman	P. Star	Gal/Jin	Navigation III Afterburner II Evasive M'vering III	Navigation	Motivator	200
Chief Engineer	E.Mon	Cal/Civ	Engineering III Shield Operation III Shield Upgrades II	Engineering	Focused	200
Lead Mechanic	M.Rench	Min/Vhe	Mechanic III Exp. Armor Comp. III Jury Rigging III Armor Rigging III	Repair Systems	Patriot	500
Electronics Specialist	S.Parks	Cal/Ach	Electronics IV Signature Analysis III Propulsion Jamming II	Long Range Targeting	Miserable	300
Diplomat	S.Nothings	Ama/Kha	Diplomacy III Fast Talk III Financial Conn. III	Leadership	Judgemental	200
Trader	G.Gecko	Gal/Gal	Trade III Retail II Procurement II	Negotiation	Addict	150

This is just an example table, the values are all approximate and haven't been properly balanced and calculated, but you get the idea. The system actively simplifies skill acquisition for the Captain account holder, very much in line with the existing Skill Certification system. For further simplification, purchasable starter crew bundles could be available in the NeX Academy.

The distribution of recruits with particular skills could be an immersive way to reinforce racial diversification across New Eden. If a player is looking to recruit a Projectile Gunnery specialist, he would need to travel to Minmatar space. If a Drone specialist with Missile skills is required, the player might need to locate a Creodron station in Caldari space. If he wants a Captain that can fly a Succubus, he'll have to head out into hostile Sansha territory.

The Traits system is designed to add a little personality to the characters, affecting how the crew interacts with one another and the world around them. It is also one part of the Command Crew system that could also benefit Capsuleer account holders. Well you didn't think I was going to let the freeloaders have all the crew management fun did you?

Example Traits

Trait	Description
Addict	There is a chance that this officer will smuggle possibly illegal goods into the cargohold.
Coward	This officer has a heightened sense of self-preservation and will always be first in line for the escape pod.
Focused	Cannot be demoralised by other officer traits.
Hero	Will never enter the escape pod if another officer is on board, choosing to go down with the ship.
Judgemental	Will be demoralised in the presence of Racists, Cowards, Addicts or Weak officers.
Miserable	This officer is always glum and will demoralise any Weak officers.
Motivator	This officer's never-say-die attitude is an inspiration to all fellow officers, negating the negative effects of Miserable or Weak officers.
Patriot	This officer will be positively motivated if the majority of the crew are of the same race.
Racist (race)	This officer will be demoralising influence in the presence of fellow officers of the listed race(s). Acts as a Motivator in single own-race crews.
Weak	This officer will be demoralised by the presence of Miserable or Racist officers and does not contribute to morale bonuses.

Crew Morale

The command crew, whether they constitute the entirety of a frigate crew compliment or are the senior officers aboard a cruiser with 500 hands, will be influential characters in dictating how the ship is run. Their ability to work as a team would reflect on the effectiveness of ship operation. The scuttlebutt in the engine rooms might be that the chief engineer is a miserable sod, whilst the gunnery teams idolise their senior officer. The galley might be awash with rumours that the Minmatar Science Officer has got it in for the Amarrian Captain. Or perhaps the command crew are a dream-team that operate like a finely tuned machine.

It is their traits that decide how the officers interact, the end result being a Crew Morale score ranging from +5 to -5. In the case of a positive bonus, this can be conferred to the Morale Bonus of any one of the active Command Crew. In the case of a negative Crew Morale, this always affects the Captain's Morale Bonus.

Essentially, the sum result would be a bonus of up to 5% on any one given skill, which is effectively the same as a single high-end implant. [This could be restricted to 3% if this concept makes the anti-“pay-to-win” zealots foam at the mouth, or indeed removed entirely. Doing so would make Command Crews simply a cosmetic feature on Capsuleer accounts.]

The Command Crew System In Action

For example, let's assume I am new to EVE and have just activated my free-to-play Captain account. After choosing the starting location of Bourynes in Gallente space, instead of the character creation screen I find myself viewing the NeX Academy Recruitment Centre interface. Whilst looking through the list of available personnel I can admire the stunning realism of each potential recruit as they are rendered in the Carbon engine.

I have 1000 Aurum to spend on my first crew and I've read that combat missions are a good way to get into the game, so I go for this crew set-up.

My First Active Command Crew

	Rank	Name	Race/BL	Skills	Morale Bonus	Trait	Cost(AU)
1	Captain	L. Esskrap	Min/Seb	Spaceship Cmd II Minmatar Frig. III Gallente Frigate II	Evasive Maneuvering	Motivator	100
2	Gunnery Officer	Deadeye Jim	Cal/Det	Gunnery IV Sm. Hyb. Turret IV Sm. Proj. Turret III Med. Hyb. Turret I Sharpshooter III Traj. Analysis III	Rapid Firing	Weak	500
3	Helmsman	P. Star	Gal/Jin	Navigation III Afterburner II Evasive M'vering III	Navigation	Motivator	200
4	Chief Engineer	E.Mon	Cal/Civ	Engineering III Shield Operation III Shield Upgrades II	Engineering	Focused	200
5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

I don't quite have the Aurum to fill the last spot on my command crew, but I want to see if I like the game before I consider paying any real money. I've got enough of a skills base to get me into any Tech I Minmatar frigate I can afford, although I am going to have to shield tank it until I can hire a decent mechanic. The Command Crew seem to get on pretty well and have got a Morale rating of +3. My Gunnery Officer is potentially a bad apple, but his skills more than make up for that.

Looking at the Morale Bonus settings on my crew roster, I see that I have a choice of Evasive Maneuvering, Navigation, Rapid Firing or Engineering to which I can confer the +3% bonus my highly-motivated Command Crew give me. I'll go with the default Captain's bonus of Evasive Maneuvering for now as it'll make my ship a bit more agile, but the interface looks simple enough to change on the fly.

Happy with my recruitment, I admire my newly hired motley crew as they lounge around in my Captain's Quarters. They look cool; my Captain is looking thoughtful as he sits on the couch, the Gunnery Officer and the Chief Engineer are on the balcony admiring my newly purchased Burst frigate, and the Helmsman is reclining on the bed. I feel like I'm in an episode of Firefly. They're a scruffy bunch though, maybe I should invest in some uniforms...

In Conclusion

Although this is a speculative bit of game design, I really think something along these lines could use existing EVE Online resources to achieve a lot of what Incarna was meant to do. It would make best use of the Carbon engine, the Captain's Quarters and the NeX Store to provide an engaging and immersive gaming experience that would encourage emotional attachment (and possibly financial investment) in new, casual, experienced and veteran players alike.

Additionally, the actual gameplay content would be of value to both Captain and Capsuleer account holders and is meaningful enough to be fun and engaging without being unbalancing. The most significant impact the system could have, if players were prepared to scour New Eden for all the high-end recruits, would be to a have a single +5% bonus to a given statistic. Hardly game-breaking and, as mentioned earlier, can be reduced or left out entirely from premium Capsuleer accounts if "Pay2Win" concerns are an issue.

As importantly (especially for the CCP money men), it provides an alternative non-subscription gaming style that might attract more curious or casual players without interfering with the status quo. If anything, the introduction of player-controlled non-capsuleer vessels would only enrich the universe of New Eden.

Blog Banter 29 Review: Immersion

2011-10-21T22:13:00.009+01:00

The question asked of the EVE blogging community was this;

"EVE Online is renowned for its depth. Its backstory, gameplay and social aspects are all qualities that draw players in. What does immersion in EVE Online mean to you?"

Many and varied responses were written, but at the end of a pretty bleak week for this particular corner of EVE society, I reckon an uplifting tonic is required. So I have shamelessly sifted through all the banters looking for the inspiring and positive reminders of why we are all associated with EVE Online. After all, there must be something that keeps us coming back for more of whatever it is they keep dishing out.

"When I started out playing EVE, I was immersed in how fascinating the game was, the sense of vastness, the unknown, the exploration, experimenting, and the myriad of goals available for you to chase down." - EVE Hermit

"I didn’t just pay a monthly subscription to shoot people in space for no reason. I continued my account because I was a character in the grand story that is EVE Online...We are EVE Online, and our story is infinite." - Adainy Gwanwyn

"Eve is not a game. It's a simulation... so complex, so encompassing, and so "real" that is is easier to get pulled in to a very large degree." - Kirith Kodachi

"There's always the risk of something unexpected, always the chance for an adrenaline rush, exhilaration, joy, raw anger and disappointment, great achievements and monumental losses..." - Sered Woollahra

"When you are successful you feel satisfied as if you have dined on the finest roast and the finest wine. When you fail it feels like you've been stabbed, trampled, beaten and bled dry." - Cozmik R5

"...the biggest immersion factor for EVE Online is that every action has a reaction, or the freedom to get one." - Myrial Arkenath

"EVE requires only your participation that it may mold the universe around you." - Truen1ight

"We don't play Eve, we take part in it." - Drackarn

"...the game was a sandbox, and the content was largely created by people. There were no shards, so your actions resonated and genuinely changed the game world..." - Bel Amar

"The single universe, New Eden...When you hear about an event in EVE... It isn't some random event that has no chance to affect you in any way." - PyroTech03

"The many options EVE shows us give us the feeling that we control our own path..." - Kenza

"...comparing the immersion experience to past games I've played, Eve Online is by far the leader... Eve Online is pretty deep and varied." - Yosagi Yojimbo

"When I log in, I'm someone else - which makes Eve a happy distraction from all the bull." - Ranis Garr

"In a way I feel cruel to sit back and let them waste ISK or ships on things I could have helped them on, but to do so would break my cover and ruin the very experience I am very much enjoying." - Akinesis on staying in-character.

"Betrayal is not a long quest line in New Eden – it is a heartbeat away. Strength, innovation, and results are rewarded in New Eden, not just following a formula or guide." - Ender Black

"When I am in the middle of a confrontation, my focus sharpens and I am in the zone monitoring the FC, yellow boxes, distance, tracking, asking for reps, and all the other battle minutia." - Jaggins on macro-immersion.

"We feel every impact of an enemy projectile as if it broke our very own skin...we know that the survival of our ship is dependent only on whether we would be able to outsmart our very human enemy." - Druur Monakh

"I’m killing bad guys, fighting to free my people from the shackles of an Evil Empire, all that good stuff." - Kuan Yida

"Immersion is where the story meets the experience... The gripping overarching story of New Eden..." - Scitor Nantom

"We don't need every detail spoon-fed to us... just plant the seeds and let fertile imaginations immerse themselves." - Seismic Stan

"There’s just something about this universe and this community that is immersive." - Katia Sae

"I'm not here because of the spaceships. I'm here because everything else that goes with them..." - Sessym

"Immersion is also chatting to your corpies on teamspeak and in corp chat, discussing ship fits, the movie you just watched, whether or not you have wife aggro..." - Keyanu

"...here I am, on Twitter, as part of the #tweetfleet, getting involved with other people from the game, and it is SO MUCH FUN!!" - Ligand Nital discovers the EVE metaverse.

"Immerse yourself. I owe no one an explanation. I have jumped in. And I damn well plan on swimming further out to sea." - Rixx Javix goes Cpt. Ahab on us.

Thank you to all contributors for your inspiring words and the reminder of why we immerse ourselves in this nihilistic, schadenfreude-fuelled craziness.

We are EVE Online.

Audio Immersion: Tech4 News

2011-10-16T23:24:00.007+01:00

With this month's blog banter discussing immersion, it seems like a good opportunity to mention one particular experiment in the immersive depths of EVE lore. Borne of the idea of exploring what the ordinary denizens of New Eden might think of the capsuleer warmongers and tycoons that roam the heavens, Tech4 News is a podcast with a difference. This “unlicenced broadcast” examines the lifestyles and technology of New Eden from a purely in-character perspective.

Although T4N's target audience is primarily those who are involved in the roleplaying and storyline areas of EVE Online's sandbox, T4N also aspires to be an entertaining listen for all EVE players and science-fiction enthusiasts. The supporting website is an in-character GALNET site, so despite receiving great comments, we've not published them there in order to preserve the immersion. I thought I'd reproduce them here instead;

“Very awesome listen, enjoyed it very much. Sounds very believable and interesting. I’ll be sure to tune in for the next broadcast. Keep it coming.”

- Crest Washere

“Thank you for this entertaining podcast. I already made a subscription on iTunes. Love to hear more… “

-Chuthulhu

“Beautiful work. I live in wormholes, and you really captured the enigma, especially in the last part. Who said that EVE players don’t like RP?”

- Sylera Alithe

“Fan Tastic. Nice work all. Jesus, I bet that took some planning. With that dodgy bunch of accents the timezone alignment must been … interesting.… where’s that damn Tardis when you need it?”

- Meyiza Heer

We've had some positive comments on iTunes too;

"I really love the idea of having a fictional podcast based in the EVE universe. The production quality is high and it is awesome that they are all familiar voices from popular EVE podcasts. Great job guys."

- Kebowlin

"Nice to see a look into the universe behind the game of EVE Online, from the perspective of those who 'live' there!"

- Samantha Pearson

"Great podcast about the stories of New Eden. Worth a listen by old and new pod pilots alike."

- Smokiehopper

Thanks for all for the supportive comments so far, it's nice to know we've at least partially hit the mark and there is an audience out there for this kind of thing. We're reasonably happy with our first attempt and Episode two is in the works.

We have learned some lessons from the pilot episode, so we hope to go on to produce something a little tighter and more polished as well as being more accessible to the casual listener. We have a few additional cameo roles to fill, so I'll be looking for a couple of voices from those foolish enough to have previously offered help.

As Tech4's anchor Paydas Adavaar might say, “Keep your eyes to the skies.”

Check out the Tech4 News website or download the trailers and episodes from iTunes.

BB29: Pixels or Passengers?

2011-10-15T03:09:00.006+01:00

"EVE Online is renowned for its depth. Its backstory, gameplay and social aspects are all qualities that draw players in. What does immersion in EVE Online mean to you?"

I find the universe of EVE beguiling.

It is in the quiet moments whilst bereft of purpose that I catch myself contemplating the invisible details in my mind's eye.

Only a few days ago I was absent-mindedly admiring my newly purchased Mackinaw when I noticed what could be two silhouettes at one of the portside windows on the forward section. In truth they were little more than some darker pixels, but my imagination was already considering the nature of the individuals I perceived.

One was clearly taller than the other, was one sitting? Or perhaps it was a child. Hang on! What the hell was a child doing on my industrial mining ship? In fact, what business did anyone have gazing out of the window? Shouldn't they have duties to attend to (child labour concerns aside)? It may be a fancy Tech-II ship run instinctively by the integral commanding capsuleer, but that didn't give crew licence to swan about stargazing and 'roid-spotting.

Unless... maybe the figures weren't crew. Perhaps they were paying passengers - a privately-funded science expedition conducting studies. Maybe that entire deck is dedicated to the study of astrogeology and it was full of students. There might even be a museum and a gift shop for tourists. If there were these independent enterprises taking place on board bringing in non-capsuleer cash, it would certainly explain why I never have to pay the crew with my ISK. I really must find a way to reward my enterprising command crew, I would never have thought of that.

Except I did. All because of a couple of pixels.

We don't need every detail spoon-fed to us via the glacial development of the Incarna engine, just plant the seeds and let fertile imaginations immerse themselves. This is not to decry the concept of human avatars and walking in stations, I want the dream that Incarna represents, but not at the expense of the popularity or success of the core game.

There is more than one way to flesh out New Eden.

Blog Banter 29: Immersion

2011-10-05T08:11:00.031+01:00

Last month's Blog Banter topic was a bit of a politically-charged monster, but over thirty bloggers sank their collective teeth into it. The resulting conversation was thought-provoking, eye-opening and made my brain bleed a bit, but spleens were vented and valid opinions were poured into the digital ether. It was a cathartic community experience and I like to think that the "echo chamber" played its part in presenting player opinions to those who wanted to hear them.

This month I thought we could try something a little gentler, more elegant and open-ended. The question is simply this;

"EVE Online is renowned for its depth. Its backstory, gameplay and social aspects are all qualities that draw players in. What does immersion in EVE Online mean to you?"

I look forward to another host of unpredictable and excellent articles.

For anyone new to the concept of a blog banter who wants to take part, some blog banter guidelines can be found here (or check out the above links for examples from last month).

Happy blogging.

As they are published, I will maintain a list of relevant blogposts below.

Blog Banters

Truen1ght @ ...Shall We Not Revenge? - Immersion (OOC)
EVE Hermit @ EVE Hermit's Blog - "Immersion"
Rixx Javix @ EVEOGANDA - Go Deep
Drackarn @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships - Immersion
Jaggins @ Vive Virtual - Immersed
Ranis Garr @ Amarrian Pilot - Hooked
Sered Woollahra @ Sered's Lives - I was there! With them!
Bel Amar c/o Pod Goo - Blog Banter 29
Ender Black @ Pod Goo - Reality is Immersion
Scitor Nantom @ eve.tilt180.com - A Response to Freebooted
Kirith Kodachi @ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah - Immersion
CozmikR5 @ Beyond Space - You think that's air you're breathing?
Kuan Yida @ Random Posts from Auga - ooc: Immersion
Adainy Gwanwyn c/o Pod Goo - Blog Banter 29
PyroTech03 @ Wandering the Void - Immersion in EVE
Katia Sae @ To Boldly Go - I'm Going Under
Myrial Arkenath @ Diary of a Pod Pilot - Immersion in EVE
Akinesis @ Drifting - Immersing Oneself in EvE
Kenza @ Omnis Arcanum of EVE - Immersion
Sessym @ Rants From New Eden - EVEmersion
Druur Monakh @ Hazardous Goods - Way of Life
Keyanu @ MuppetNinjas - Immersion
Seismic Stan @ Freebooted - Pixels or Passengers?
Yosagi Yojimbo @ Gallente Exile - Immersion
Ligand Nital @ The Euclidean Method - BB29 (WIP)
Noise @ The Phoenix Diaries - Immersion in EVE Online

Incarna: The Text Adventure v1.1

2011-10-03T15:53:00.015+01:00

The "Devblog"

The internet is a strange and unpredictable thing, especially when populated with EVE players. Last week, whilst suffering from a bout of post-night shift insomnia, I entertained myself for a few hours by following up on a half-baked idea I'd been sitting on. I posted a link to the resulting blog-post maze on Twitter and called it Incarna: The Text Adventure.

To my astonishment, in forty-eight hours 'Incarna: TTA' had more unique visitors than this Freebooted blog gets in a month and it's now had more page visits than Freebooted has had since I started tracking the statistics. Big thanks to EVE News 24 who generated a huge amount of interest. Needless to say I was stunned.

Some of the kind comments taken from around the web:

"Satirical Genius" - CCP Manifest, CCP's voice of sanity.

"..actually more fun than the CCP version." - CSM Seleene, the sensible good-looking one.

"Pure genius." - Ripard Teg, Blogging Robot from the Future.

"Every so often something brilliant happens...Enjoy." - Rixx Javix, Word Autocannon.

"This is seriously brilliant. I was laughing out loud before I even left the balcony." - DavidKMagnus, interwebs dood.

Obviously, as a "game" (and I use that term very loosely), I:TTA has little replayability due to the limited content, so unsurprisingly the huge traffic spike tailed off to almost nothing after a few days. As an experiment, I thought I'd try to breathe new life into it to see if those players would revisit to explore the "new content".

I really enjoy writing what is essentially a tongue-in-cheek review of EVE, it's developers and it's community and would be more than happy to continue to update it on a regular basis if there is a persistent audience for it. But equally I can accept that it may have just been a flash-in-the-pan and it's day in the sun is now over.

This "patch" is the litmus test.

The "Patch Notes"

Incarna: TTH v1.1

Some minor grammatical and layout changes have been implemented.
The Agent Finder tablet and other coffee table items are now interactable.
The holoscreens are now useful.
Planetary Interaction has been enabled.
Capsuleer Care and Protection have overcome their comms problems and are now available to assist via the intercom system.
Room Service is now able to provide a limited menu.
The concierge is available to deal with your complaints.
It is now possible to escape Captain's Quarters by means other than undocking (clue: ask Tech Support).
The mysterious station atmosphere problem is explained.

Additional Update #1

It is now possible to commit suicide if the claustrophobia gets too much for you.

Give your graphics card a break and enjoy Incarna: The Text Adventure. Then come back and tell we what you thought.

The Accidental Podcaster Part II: Making EVE Sound Real

2011-09-29T19:17:00.016+01:00

A continuation of my EVE podcasting journey. Part one can be found here.

The idea was simple:

CCP's content team already provided live events and ongoing storylines which gave movement to the tectonic plates of New Eden's majestic narrative plateaux. Those of keen interest who knew where to look could mine further into the lore to unearth the chronicles and novels. But after talking to CCP Dropbear in Las Vegas, it seemed a shame if all his grand Machievellian plans were to remain buried and go unnoticed by the majority of pilots. Although there is a segment of the player-base who diligently investigated these stories, discovering clues within the lore and in New Eden itself, they were either keeping their nuggets of knowledge to themselves or had no means to share the dirt.

EVE's content needed a light shone upon it and a voice to spread the word.

A Sound Idea

Amongst the many podcasts that support EVE's myriad of playstyles, I'd never come across one that focused specifically on the lore and the content. I would soon come to learn that part of the reason for that is the sheer amount of research required to ensure that the canon police didn't come calling. But if necessity is the mother of invention, naivety is the father of motivation. With a vague concept in mind and two of EVE podcasting's brightest talents in Angus McDecoy and Arydanika interested in getting involved, I had the kernel of a workable project.

Previously, I had only ever produced five-minute audio skits, but their popularity on EVE Commune had taught me that they worked well as bite-sized chunks of entertainment. I decided that my fiction podcast would take the form of a series of skits woven together with some kind of narrative. It made sense for it to be some kind of news or magazine show with a main host who could link the segments together.

I also wanted the podcast to appeal to a wider audience than just the hardcore roleplay crowd. I wanted it to draw new people into the lore as much as support those who were already enjoying it. I wanted to show players that there was more to EVE than huge fleet fights and mission-running. If I could get the balance right, it might even appeal to folk who don't play EVE but like science-fiction.

Carving the Concept

I sketched out the format:

Introduction and Headline News
Keynote Interview (player/character)
Studio Discussion/Featurette (informational)
Technology Focus (humorous)
Wormhole Explorers (dramatic)
Close/Outro

Over the following week I wrote a thirty-page draft script which was ridiculously ambitious for a podcast. Not only was every line scripted, the cast had rocketed from the initial four characters up to ten assorted main and supporting roles. An assortment of music and sound effects would have to be found or created.

As soon as I was able, I uploaded the script to GoogleDocs and let the canon-hound (that's Angus) get to work on it. Although I'd come up with a reason for avoiding excessive lore research; the whole show would be run by non-capsuleers. They are unlikely to be as well-informed as the capsuleer community and may be liable to misinformation.

We knocked about ideas, chopped the script about and developed the characters. Angus was the obvious choice for the larger-than-life sensationalist anchor with his rich, bassy voice and his theatre degree (he's actually very modest about this). I'd written the role of the field reporter for the velvet-voiced Dani and I'd typecast myself as the socially-awkward Amarr scientist. There was an uncast laconic Minmatar engineer character written to act as a foil for the scientist. Erin Anwwn of Notalotofnews Newshour's dry laid-back style was a perfect fit and he foolishly accepted our advances.

With the key players all in place, it seemed like a simple task to arrange script read-throughs and Skype recording sessions with the relevant people. But no, there must have been Goon hackers secretly injecting lines of Macbeth dialogue into the script, because anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Dialogue would fail to record or be of unusable quality, files would go missing, my internet failed altogether for three days and so on. To compound this, given that the project had contributors from both sides of the pond, arranging mutually convenient recording times was not easy. Frustration, insomnia and misdirected creativity can lead to odd results. But, with a combination of patience, perseverance and workarounds, we eventually got it recorded.

I then lost several days of my life to Audacity. But it got the job done.

Credit to the Community

It still amazes me that so many people bought into this lunacy and I appreciate the input from them all. The whole project really has been a collaborative effort. Garheade “just threw together” some amazing musical compositions which have become the show's theme tune. Hallan Turrek won the "Best Know-It-All in a Supporting Role" award and also provided some useful insights throughout the process. Max Torps and Noise quite willingly recorded some very random lines for their cameos on short notice without really knowing what the project was about (some of their outtakes are hilarious – they are EVE's answer to Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer). Penelope Star of Starfleet Comms and Breki Tomasson and Arkenor of Claims of the Normal were unceremoniously plucked from my Skype contact list to give voice the the crew of a Minmatar frigate and make the word “bubble” comedy gold (in the outtakes).

Dani used her Bene Gesserit Witch skills to convince Scitor Nantom to save me from my technological inadequacies and set up a supporting website and hosting with his Tilt 180 service. She also secured some CCP exclusives, who provided the voice-overs in the title sequences of the teaser trailers. Top fellas.

The Final Product

What we have produced is a piece of EVE Online-flavoured audio fiction which is hopefully entertaining and informative. That is not for us to decide. With our limited resources it was always an ambitious undertaking, I am proud of what we have started and now we've trodden the path once, the going will be easier and our craft will improve.

It is our intention to produce an episode a month, exploring the stories that drive New Eden and opening up the mysteries of EVE lore to a wider audience in an immersive and accessible way.

Tune into Tech Four News for unscrambled news from across the cluster.

Incarna Revised to Run On Low-End Machines

2011-09-27T19:32:00.001+01:00

Having been bothered by the discontent of many EVE players in recent months, I gave some thought to how I might ease their strife. One of the key issues that was causing upset was the high graphical demands of the Captain's Quarters allegedly melting graphics cards and bringing lesser machines to a shuddering halt.

It seemed unfair to me that those with low-end machines could not enjoy the immersive intrigue and subtleties of the Captain's Quarters and were simply forced to switch Incarna off and contemplate a dull static screen.

But no longer.

Now all EVE players can join the Incarna generation and cavort with wild abandon around their Captain's Quarters. Ladies and gentlemen, Freebooted Entertainment Studios presents...

Incarna: The Text Adventure

It might not be as pretty, but it's got features that the fancy-pants version hasn't. And I'm pretty certain I'll have that door open before CCP.

The Accidental Podcaster

2011-09-27T07:33:00.005+01:00

If my trip to Fanfest in March 2011 was my first contact with the passionate core of the EVE Online community I dubbed 'The Cult of EVE', then my summer visit to EVE Vegas was a pilgrimage to rediscover that passionate community and re-energise my love affair with New Eden.

My personal journey from Iceland to Nevada had been a strange and wonderful ride. From becoming an accidental podcaster to my continued and ever deeper involvement in EVE's meta-community through bloggery and tweetification, it was clear that I had fallen deep into the rabbit hole despite my intentions to do otherwise.

Generation Pod

Prior to my Iceland attendance, I had occasionally listened to a number of EVE podcasts, with the anarchic The Planet Risk Show amongst my favourites. So I was quite excited to have met the entertaining Planet Risk hosts, Quivering Palm and Luminus Aardokay. Lumi, a talented musician who runs the internet radio station SI Radio, was an inspiring source of hints and tips about the dark art of audio entertainment.

Over the course of Fanfest, I enjoyed rubbing shoulders with a number of other podcasting luminaries; Song Li of Missions Collide, Alekseyev Karrde of Declarations of War and Crazy Kinux of The Drone Bay. There was even a drunken attempt at a collaborative podcast in my hotel room, but this sadly never saw the light of day due to technical issues (apparently, Song Li forgot to press 'record').

Finding Voice

On returning from Fanfest, I settled back into to the comfortably familiar surroundings of the blogosphere and gave podcasting nary another thought. That is, until Garheade of the EVE Commune podcast contacted me to ask if he could read out an article I had written. Armed with knowledge gained at Fanfest, I offered to record it myself. The result was a little dry and my wife's critique was that I "should probably just stick to blogging". It had been the first time I had been let loose on a mic and an audio editing suite and it showed.

However, after my recording aired on EVE Commune Episode 21, feedback was generally positive and I was hooked. I started looking through my previous blog posts to see what other articles could be given the audio treatment. Before I knew it, I was providing regular material for EVE Commune in the form of audio fiction, parodies and comical interviews and I was having a great time doing it. These skits have subsequently been made available on iTunes (although I note some have now disappeared).

Casting a Net

Up to this point I was pretty much doing all the writing, voice work and editing by myself (although I did conscript my best mate and my Mum for some dialogue). But it occurred to me that there was huge potential for so much more from EVE's vibrant podcasting community.

I approached several leading podcasters and EVEcast was formed. Angus McDecoy (Fly Reckless), Arydanika (Voices From the Void), Garheade and myself starting promoting this central resource for EVE-related audio projects. Sadly, with the later demise of EVE Commune, EVEcast was effectively shut down as well. The only project that made it off the drawing board was Max Torps' The ISK Bucket, a comical audio drama that airs with each episode of Starfleet Comms podcast. Although I do have a script ready to record my Docking Games project at some point in the future.

Fighting the Cannons with Canon

It was around this time that the vocal segment of EVE society started to unite in dissent at various issues. With CCP's Cannons of Controversy firing regularly, there was a rising tide of negativity as many players became increasingly hung up on complaining about what they perceived to be wrong with EVE, whilst forgetting to celebrate what was right about it.

The depressing and negative atmosphere pervading the EVE community gave purpose to my EVE Vegas trip - I desperately wanted inspiration, something positive that would fuel my passion for EVE and see me through to Fanfest 2012. On the last day I found it.

Enter CCP Dropbear and the Arek'Jaalan storyline.

Amidst the insanity and inanity that was the EVE Vegas Goonfest, CCP Dropbear told of his grand plans for driving forward engaging and interesting storylines with player-focused initiatives and live events. I rejoiced. Here was a concept that couldn't be shackled by unfinished features or cut down by unbalanced mechanics; the telling of a good story needed only the imagination. CCP Dropbear and his team (aka CCP Headfirst) held the reigns on one of the most inspiring and positive aspects of EVE, it's endlessly immersive and engaging canon.

After listening to CCP Dropbear's presentation and spending the following afternoon with him in a very exciting impromptu brainstorm, the seed of a new writing/podcasting project was planted: A fully in-character broadcast set within the lore of New Eden aimed at supporting the ongoing storylines provided by the CCP content team.

Later, I rushed back to my hotel room with a head full of half-formed ideas and hyperbole. I needed to see who else wanted in on this and managed to contact Arydanika via Skype. She loved the idea and suggested Angus McDecoy might also be interested. Emails were sent, ideas batted around and the wheels of creativity were set in motion.

With two of the most distinctive voices on the EVE podcasting circuit involved in the project and more to come, the next few weeks would give me some incredibly funny, rewarding and frustrating moments as we worked toward the completion of the first episode of Tech 4.

(to be continued... in part two.)

Null-Sec: There and Back Again

2011-09-21T00:36:00.011+01:00

May 2011: Split Infinity is the tiny blue blob above the 'r' in Authorities. Note the vast swathes of green and the lack of red.

Six months ago I resolved to lead my corporation into null-sec for the experience, as described in the earlier post Null-Sec: The Final Frontier. That experience, for some at least, is now over.

After years of playing EVE it was one of the few gameplay aspects I had yet to truly take part in. It is the portion of EVE's social and design dynamic that sets it apart from all other MMOs, with organisations of thousands of players working with shared purpose, the opportunity to participate in organised fleet combat comprising hundreds of players and the chance to be part of New Eden's player-made history.

Casual Players LFG

Our odyssey was to be a grand experiment, with our merry band of six or so casual players naively heading into the lawless void. The first barrier for entry was our small size. Due to the need for organisational efficiency, most null-sec alliances demand all pilots be part of a large corporations with membership in the hundreds. Fortunately, I had met some great folk at FanFest who had recently started a null-sec alliance based on much more casual ideals and Split Infinity accepted Greenbeard's Freebooters into their ranks.

So our adventure began with the daunting task of trying to get ourselves and our useful assets down into deep null-sec whilst trying to understand the mechanics, the politics and the language of null-sec. For example, in null-sec “blue” does not mean “sad” or “filthy”. Except when it does. I'll try to relate some of those lessons here, hopefully avoiding confusing any not versed with null-sec jargon. Anyway, with the help of our new alliance compatriots we managed to get everything moved, but not without some hiccups, as detailed in Null-Sec: Getting There, a Cautionary Tale.

Understanding the Environment

Split Infinity [SI.] had been formed by Quivering Palm and Luminous Aardokay of The Planet Risk Show fame and, with the sponsorship of Alexseyev Kardde's infamous Noir Mercenary Group, were sovereignty holders of a single station system deep in Against All Authorities [-A-] territory. The null-sec environment that Split Infinity enjoyed was relatively peaceful, with hostile fleets rarely roaming that deep into -A- territory. The nearest hostile neighbours were apparently some Russian alliance called White Noise, but they'd popped up north to get some milk or something and were rarely home.

I'd managed to organise our corporation enough to establish a base of operations in the form of a moon-orbiting Starbase [POS] with storage and manufacturing facilities to make us relatively self-sufficient. There was no office space available at the station and our landlords, Noir, wanted 60million ISK per month which, at the time seemed extortionate. Most of our active members had each managed to get a clone set up in the local station and we soon began to participate in alliance activities. There were regular roams, constant anomaly PvE gangs and assorted other organised events to participate in.

Excuse Me Boris, Is Anyone Sitting Here?

Just as soon as we'd settled in, we discovered our protective mother alliance, Against All Authorities, had decided that as White Noise and friends had been so long getting the milk maybe they'd moved out and no longer wanted their systems. Suddenly we were on a war footing and our alliance was being called upon to provide numbers for various offensive operations as we assisted -A- in an opportunistic land-grab. Exciting stuff, now we would finally get to see some of those legendary huge fleet clashes. If only I could fight off the threat of burn-out from my immigration efforts. More detail on this period can be found in Null-Sec: Chasing Goalposts and Dodging Burnout.

I was disappointed to discover that these much-vaunted fleet fights mostly involved fleets of hundreds of battleships hammering stationary structures whilst waiting for the owners to turn up to defend, which they never did. If enemy scouts reported our fleet had numbers greater than they could handle, nothing happened. This was invariably the case as White Noise's military might, along with all the other Russian alliances, were busy invading more valuable territory on the far side of the cluster.

On one occasion, I received an email detailing a very secretive Call to Arms [CTA] at 2am promised to deliver exactly the kind of legendary battle that I had been hoping for. Knowing that a 2am muster meant that nothing was likely to happen for at least an hour and then would go on for several hours after, I decided against my better judgement to sacrifice a night's sleep just this once. After much 'mustering' we eagerly obeyed instructions that led us to the system where... we proceeded to shoot at iHubs and other sovereignty structures. The whole operation had been pimped up to ensure high attendance! I was not pleased.

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Jump-Bridge

However, aside from ridiculous demands from distant organisations, null-sec life was good, both socially and in terms of gameplay. Logging onto the alliance Teamspeak server would always result in finding some interesting characters to chat with and it was as comfortable as popping into your local pub for a pint. The PvE gameplay content in null-sec was challenging, with tough-as-nails exploration sites, sanctum anomalies and 'escalations' (expeditions in your journal). There was a sense of total freedom and a much truer sandbox feel. Every time I logged in I could spend my time any way I chose, I had access to it all (except agent missions, but even they were only a clone jump away).

It was just as rewarding to see some of the Freebooters becoming increasingly involved in alliance activities, particularly my own sister Lozyjoe and her husband Caveat. Both being relatively new to EVE, they had initially been very reluctant to take the plunge into null-sec as they were still getting to grips with the gameplay basics. However, as time went on, they became more and more comfortable and it wasn't long before I was asking them for hints and tips on null-sec survival. As EVE players they truly came of age.

Our antics even managed to attract a few new recruits, although most of them soon realised that we didn't really know what we were doing and cleared off to more organised outfits. It was unfortunate then, what those who stayed had to endure next.

The Bitter End

In truth, I missed most of the collapse of Split Infinity due to being variously attending EVE Vegas, chilling out on the banks of the Dordogne or finding other domestic pursuits (read: playing World of Tanks). But on reflection, the signs had been there for a while.

Prior to my departure for my summer holidays, I was privy to some awkward and distasteful alliance leadership meetings that resulted in one of Split Infinity's cornerstone corporations being asked to leave. Let's say it was due to creative differences, because I never really did understand what it was all about. I should probably have read the alliance forums more thoroughly. This left the remaining members to take over the significant contributions that the departing corporation used to make, which put increasing demands on fewer individuals who nonetheless stoically toiled on.

It was whilst I was in France I had a brief Jabber conversation with one of the other alliance CEOs who warned me of the possible need to evacuate null-sec. White Noise and co. had returned, found -A- and friends sleeping in their beds and they weren't taking it well. As a result, -A- were making increasing demands of their vassal alliances in order to mount a defence. Split Infinity was already weakened by the loss of it's industrial spine and on top of that, our alliance top-man had taken his leave for a month and left subordinates in charge.

It soon became very apparent to our hosts, Noir, that all was not well at Chez Split Infinity. There was a brief period where Alexseyev Kardde and co. moved into our home system and attempted to rally the despondent SI denizens with some rousing/demanding emails and operations. But presumably the response was not enough and it was not long before Split Infinity was invited to leave, allowing more capable defenders to man what was fast becoming the front line as the Russian steamroller trundled ever closer.

I was still largely absent during the evacuation and I owe a great deal of thanks to members of the BSC Legion who ensured that all of the Freebooters assets found their way back to high-sec. They, more than any, carry the spirit of all that was good about Split Infinity with them. I say this not just because they are a good bunch, but also because they managed to absorb many of the active pilots from other SI corporations into their ranks, including the Freebooters. For their information, I'm considering their recruitment of the two most active Freebooters as payment and thanks in full. ;) In truth, I'm glad that Lozyjoe and Caveat have found a home with BSCL, they are an organised and active outfit who are a fine example of what EVE is really about. I'm hoping to acquire an alt character myself so I can participate in their ongoing activities.

What remains of the Freebooters is now scattered across high-sec and the Old Pond Pub has become the last refuge of the unwanted few. Whilst I contemplate my next move in New Eden, I will reflect on my null-sec experience.

Reflections

Null-sec can be rewarding, but it makes you work for it. For me, the most frustrating aspect of EVE's gameplay is the amount of preparation and work required to experience anything fun. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in null-sec. This is not a problem for those that enjoy the “reward over fun” gameplay elements (ie. elements that involve lots of repetition and waiting), but for the casual player looking for a quick bit a space action, null-sec is a headache. That is unless you're prepared to be a total freeloader, which won't ingratiate you with your new alliance-mates.

I admire the dedication of those players prepared to make null-sec work, but for me the cost is too high. I don't want to dance to the tune of some faceless power-player who expects 3am CTAs to be taken seriously and I don't want to feel guilty that I'm letting my alliance down by not pulling my weight.

I like that null-sec Sov wars take place, but I'm happier reading about them than I am taking part in them. It's not what the best of EVE is to me.

So why do I miss it?

September 2011: Oh dear. Split Infinity is over-extended and -A-'s green belt is looking awfully red.

Blog Banter 28 Review: The Future of EVE Online, CCP and the CSM

2011-09-20T01:04:00.024+01:00

The long history of EVE Online is punctuated by controversy.

The Council of Stellar Management was conceived in the wake of the so-called T20 scandal in 2007, wherein a CCP employee was exposed to be unfairly supplying in-game items to players. The CSM was formed from the player community to promote transparency and increase communication between CCP and it's customers. The second term of the CSM was itself embroiled in controversy when a member abused his position to gain advantage in-game.

However, the CSM has also provided many benefits to the world of EVE. Over the past four years, the six elected player councils have provided a platform with which to take their ideas and concerns to CCP, having the opportunity to influence and improve the game that unites and divides us all. The previous CSM incumbents dealt with difficult issues during 2010's Summer of Rage at the “18 months” scandal.

The last few months have been not been short of controversies in the world's premier spaceship MMO, with a passionate player-base responding vociferously to underwhelming expansions, controversial 'microtransaction' marketing and inflammatory leaked internal documents. In response to the outcry, CCP called a 'Special CSM Summit' as a damage limitation measure. Initially, this emergency meeting seemed to pour oil on troubled waters, with the CSM members working with CCP staff to send more positive messaging out to the player base.

Sadly, several weeks later, the much anticipated minutes to this irregular meeting were still unreleased. The CSM began to voice their frustration at CCP's delay and their apparent attempts to change the wording of CSM statements. A “miscalculation” by the CSM led to unprecedented media coverage of CSM Chairman The Mittani's statements, with numerous articles in the gaming media discussing the CSM's displeasure.

With CCP and it's customer base at loggerheads, it was at this point that the EVE blogging community was asked;

"In recent months, the relationship between CCP and it's customers has been the subject of some controversy. The player-elected Council of Stellar Management has played a key role in these events, but not for the first time they are finding CCP difficult to deal with. What effect will CCP's recent strategies have on the future of EVE Online and it's player-base? What part can and should the CSM play in shaping that future? How best can EVE Online's continued health and growth be assured?"

Over thirty bloggers took up their quills to pen their thoughts on this subject and, although opinions varied, there were some themes that were overwhelmingly prevalent. An almost universal view was one of perceived neglect, with CCP's development of EVE Online coming under fire.

Fizz, not Whizz!

The catalyst for much of the recent angst was statistical revelations made by Ripard Teg, which appears to show a plateau in the growth that EVE Online has enjoyed since it's inception in 2003. Corelin ominously suggests that “In this industry you are either growing or sinking. EVE is no longer growing.” MarcScaurus identifies the avatar engine alpha-test backfired and that CCP should “...stick to what has been proved to work – iterating solid gameplay additions.”

S.W. points out how two of the three previous expansions haven't been about spaceships and the introduction of Incarna features is proving to be “slower than maple sap in December”. Cozmik R5 covers similar ground, disappointed that Tyrannis and Incarna were simply laying groundwork for other CCP projects. A Scientist's Life in EVE posits that CCP's resources are spread too thin because of these projects, causing development of EVE Online to suffer. Sessym supports this view, calling for CCP to find a better balance in developing 'Flying in Space' alongside 'Walking in Stations', fearing the bias toward Incarna and stating “The prospect of our favorite game losing its soul is unnerving”. Tgl3 wants 'WiS', but not at the expense of 'FiS'. Drackarn identifies the potential of Incarna but says they've "done a proper Gerald Ratner in deploying it.” Baa concludes EVE isn't dying, it's in transition, evolving into something more than just flying spaceships.

Incarna Content and Discontent

Some banters invoked the spectre of Star Wars: Galaxies, where poor development decisions led to it's demise. However, post-Incarna deployment, Pyrotech03 logged in fearing he would find EVE “on the expressway to SWG” only to find business as usual, stating “...my spaceships still fly, my guns and bays still shoot, my wallet still bleeds me dry…” Akenisis was impressed with the Incarna experience but wants to see the return of ship spinning. He shares Druur Monakh's view that EVE is still engaging but there is not enough focus on player retention. Druur also cleverly glides his way around the limitations of Captain's Quarters with a roleplay solution. Blastradius1 wrote some amusing fiction on the subject; “What the hell did I care about trotting around in a space station? I was a pilot, not a jogger.”

Lex Starwalker criticises the lack of new content and suggests CCP could learn from SW:G's successor, Star Wars: The Old Republic and from Rift, citing them as healthy competition to bring out the best in CCP. Conversely, Suicidal Pancake is concerned that other Sci-Fi MMOs will benefit from the mishandling of EVE's current fortunes with attractive alternatives due to enter the market. He goes on to suggest that the upcoming winter expansion will be critical for EVE's future. Jacabon Mere underlines this thought stating “The next expansion will be the last straw for many players if it is underwhelming”.

The Divisive CSM

Whilst CCP almost universally came under a degree of criticism, discussion of the Council of Stellar Management led to a more diverse spread of opinion. Along with many others, Orakkus believes that the CSM is behaving appropriately to minimise player alienation in the face of CCP's poor PR and failure to listen to their customers. Kuan Yida recognises the value of the CSM, but raises concerns about the lack of balanced representation of the playerbase. EveHermit claims the CSM cannot to be taken seriously due to influence from alliance-sized interest groups. Drackarn proposes some organisational changes to address representation concerns.

Poetic Stanziel questions the barrier presented by Non-Disclosure Agreements and echoes concerns about the CSM's apparent lack of appreciation for wormhole-related issues. Shadai also discusses NDAs and questions whether CCP should control the minutes of meetings with the CSM. He also identifies hypocrisy in The Mittani's criticism of CSM5's open letter to CCP whilst subsequently releasing a similar document. Ripard Teg also compares and contrasts the present CSM with the previous one. Helena Khan is optimistic about EVE's future but is disillusioned with the current CSM compared to it's predecessor.

Collapsing Support Mechanism?

Mike Azariah suggests that The Mittani's recent confrontational stance has merely been self-aggrandising posturing. Rixx Javix's student council analogy supports this viewpoint, suggesting that his behaviour is to be expected; “The institution of the CSM will continue to harm EVE. It is only natural. It must turn on itself. It must attack the institution that created it, it must feed. It will destroy.” Keyanu agrees and calls for action, "The CSM seriously needs looking at and action taken as I feel they are a destructive force."

Gilbert Hamilton's view is that the CSM is “crap wrapped in a different way by people who need to invent things to make themselves feel like they've accomplished something, instead of getting actual work done.” Lex Starwalker agrees with this sentiment.

Parity Bit decries the CSM, believing that it is failing to meet the criteria set out in The Council of Stellar Management: Implementation of Deliberative, Democratically Elected Council in EVE, highlighting that some CSM members have publicly stated that they represent their constituents rather than the EVE society as a whole. He also criticises their attempts to “blackmail CCP with threats of bad publicity”.

State of the Society

The impact of recent events on some of the communities within EVE society was a recurring topic. Evehermit feels that CCP are out-of-touch with the player-base and this has upset an important minority of players. Rixx Javix views this minority differently, stating the few vocal forum whiners, bloggers etc. are just “...the tip of the iceberg. If we melt the iceberg will just readjust and float on.”

MarcScaurus and Lex Starwalker have opposing views; with Marc impressed by a community with enough allure for ex-players to continue contributing, whilst Lex feels that the largely negative community is not attractive to new players. A more fatalistic and philosophical view looking at the 'bigger picture' is offered by Roc Wieler, whilst Seismic Stan compares MMO development to British pub culture. Both recognise the necessity for growth and change.

Myrhial Arkenath, as the CEO of an alliance, has notice a decline in player activity. “while a company owns a game and is thus entitled to do with it as it pleases, it is still a good idea to develop what players really want.” Kirith Kodachi supports this perspective and as a long-time player is proud to say he was there for the many FiS developments. He said, “I care about spaceships. Give me more reasons to say I was there, or I might end up saying "I used to be there."”

In Conclusion

The minutes were finally released on 9th September 2011 and the CSM's media assault was called off. In response to the barrage of dissatisfaction, a conference call between the CSM and Senior Producer CCP Zulu took place, resulting in the following statement from CSM Meissa Anunthiel;

"Amidst the recent forum activity about reports of decreased subscriber count, discontent about lack of resources allocated to "Flying In Space" (or, as we know it, Eve Online) and, despite Gridlock and Team BFF's efforts, general stagnation when it comes to fixes and improvements, the CSM just met with CCP's Senior Producer for Eve Online: CCP Zulu.

During that meeting, we discussed the players' concerns with the man who has the ability to resolve them. We cannot share the details of the meeting itself because it is heavily NDA'd, but ways to resolve your concerns have been discussed and a follow-up meeting is planned."

On 19th September CCP t0rfifrans, Creative Director, released a devblog announcing the return of ship-spinning. He also provided details on some other 'quality of life' fixes and featured a screenshot of a Caldari station interior. There were hints at other things but he ended with “All in all, we‘re moving forward. It's too soon to make announcements about what expansions and features we are developing, that will be announced in due time.”

Whether this is enough to quell the fiery hearts of the maddening crowds, only time will tell, but it's a start.

“EVE has grown stronger every year since its inception; these bumps in the road are an inevitable part of the journey we must endure as a growing company; and we would not be here today if we opted to isolate ourselves from the player experience of EVE Online.” - CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson, 2007

And Now For Something Completely Different

So endeth the 28th Blog Banter. I've made a note to myself to be wary of such heavy topics in future, they make summarising a mountainous task.

I'd like to end on a light note. Although the blog banter is a conversation not a competition, if this banter were to have a winner I think few would disagree with it being Mord Fiddle's genius medieval parody, Fever Dream, featuring The Mittani summoned to King Hilmar's court. That he never said it was a BB entry is not important. He doth winneth.

Truly EVE hath the best bloggers in the whole of webdom.

BB28: Fighting Establishments

2011-09-11T00:50:00.006+01:00

"In recent months, the relationship between CCP and it's customers has been the subject of some controversy. The player-elected Council of Stellar Management has played a key role in these events, but not for the first time they are finding CCP difficult to deal with. What effect will CCP's recent strategies have on the future of EVE Online and it's player-base? What part can and should the CSM play in shaping that future? How best can EVE Online's continued health and growth be assured?"

I can't presume to understand much about the development process that goes on behind video games or how even begin to go about planning and co-ordinating the continued expansion of a successful title like EVE Online. I'm not a games developer.

However, I am a keen and experienced games player who has been playing video games ever since I could reach the fascinatingly tactile control ball of the Missile Command machine at the back of my Nan's Bingo club in 1981. I loved that ball, it made the game entertaining even if my Nan wouldn't give me money to play. I was sad when it was replaced by Tron which, although more varied and impressive in almost every way, didn't have a spinny ball thing.

Anyway, I digress. My point is this: in order to attempt to understand CCP's baffling EVE Online development strategy I'm going to further muddy the waters by transplanting the concepts wholesale into an industry in which I have been on both sides. This will undoubtedly only serve to completely befuddle myself to a standstill as I stretch the analogy to ridiculous lengths. But stick with me, I think I have a point. Here goes...

The Great British Pub

I used to work in the British pub trade. It all started in 1996 when I drank so much beer during the Euro '96 Football Tournament that I ran out of money before the end of the competition. In order to see it out with my friends, I got a job on the other side of the bar. Next thing I knew I was the Assistant Manager, which was essentially still just a barman, but the Landlord trusted me enough to cash up too. Over the years I helped to run a number of pubs, each with it's own character and clientele. Some were quiet suburban pubs, others were of the louder and more colourful persuasion. But each venue had it's own distinct theme and vibe.

You could think of a given pub environment as an MMO. Like an online game, every pub would have it's core regulars; the old fella who would come in with his dog at opening every morning to drink a pint of mild and do a crossword, the aging alcoholic punk who would drink his way through his Giro in a day, the mob of football fans that would take over on match-day and the gaggle of divorced man-eaters who stalked the music nights. They might not have been the management's idea of the perfect clientele, but they were loyal and they put money across the bar.

Most importantly they were the ones that enabled the pub to stay open. It was up to us to 'add more content' to bring in more customers, but we needed to make sure these folks stuck around too.

The important thing that I quickly learned was to understand the customers and make them feel welcome. If I greeted them with a smile, made the effort to remember their names and favourite drinks they would feel valued and would be increasingly likely to return. In quieter periods, if they sat at the bar and wanted a conversation, I would engage them, but if they sat in a corner reading a newspaper, I would leave them alone. On busy nights and weekends, compromises had to be made in order to keep the drinks flowing, but a well-meaning smile and some eye-contact would work wonders. People would be forgiving of a delay in service as long as they had been acknowledged.

In this way, I collected people. Folk may come for the theme and the entertainment, but they'd stay for the service.

As the pub grew in popularity, we would look at ways to improve and tweak the experience, spending more money on better and more frequent live music, getting the pool table re-felted, having a bit of a redecorate, organising interesting events. I treated new customers with the same high standard as the regulars and they too often became regulars. In this way, I believe I contributed to the improvement of the fortunes of at least three ailing pubs. But that's not to say that our successes weren't without their problems.

Lost Respect and Misplaced Entitlement

Having built up a successful base of customers and worked hard to ensure that they felt comfortable and at home, this had an occasional unfortunate side effect. Sometimes, the regulars would cross the line in some way. They would drink well past drinking-up time or might wander behind the bar to 'get a cloth'. Generally these indiscretions could be handled amicably, but my requests to drink up have met with the bar equivalent of being told to 'DIAF'. With added fists.

These rare problems would arise from an inflated sense of entitlement that the regulars got as a result of being treated with the respect due them as an important part of the pub community. Sadly, some customers failed to reciprocate that respect. Generally, they were given the option to behave or find somewhere else to drink. Our pub would not be improved by their continued negative presence. In an amusingly poetic symmetry, many such confrontations were caused by a “dust” problem somewhere in the background. But on this occasion, it wasn't being produced by the staff.

Similarly, as the pub grew more popular and busy, some regulars who were originally attracted to the quietness of the pub found that they could no longer enjoy the solace the place once offered and they would move on to a new pub. Some folk would just outgrow the pub scene or move away. Faces and regulars changed.

But Stan, EVE is Not a Pub

I never said it was, but I hope you can see some similarities. I have some sympathy for CCP as they have spent a decade developing a successful niche MMO which they quite rightly want to broaden in appeal. I certainly love their vision of “the ultimate Sci-Fi simulator”, but I think they are failing to keep up the required level of service to many of their regulars. Fortunately, said regulars are not backward in coming forward and have made their feelings known. That CCP had the good sense to establish the CSM is now proving to be a major boon and the system is working as intended. Had the CSM not existed, I believe CCP would have blundered on and stubbornly stuck to their chosen path. They may still do that, but at least now they are aware of the potential consequences.

On the flip side, I believe there is a section of the community that just want to complain and will find something no matter what. I have no time for those people, many of whom can be found expounding their nonsense on the forums. They'll attack the CSM, CCP, the game design, and even other players without ever offering something positive. These people should go find another pub to drink in.

The Moral of the Story

The pub to which I referred in most of this post was the Fish & Firkin in Southend, Essex, England. The building was a converted three-storey Victorian construction and I actually lived in one of the rooms for the duration of my employment, which came to an abrupt end when the owning Brewery decided upon a drastic change of direction. Despite our resistance, they scrapped the spit-and-sawdust Firkin brand and adopting a fancier All Bar One wine-bar concept. The change in policy also meant no live-in staff, so I left to pursue a career in the Ambulance Service. I have no idea what became of that particular pub, but thirteen years later, All Bar One is a very popular chain throughout the UK.

So the upper management got their way, the regulars adapted or moved on and I found an alternative career. You can fight the Establishment, but you're unlikely to win. No-one lost, but things certainly changed and it turned out All Bar One was a good idea.

Draw your own conclusions.