On The Bone of Contention…

or~  Can There be More to EvE?

Before I get into the meat of this post… I turned 2 yesterday!!! Yesterday, YC311.11.23 was my EvE anniversary date. I woke in my first cloned body on YC309.11.23 [11.23.2010 old Earth calendar]…

I the past 2 years I have garnered 28,548,315 SP (179 skills); my current net worth, ships, mods & ISK, is somewhere north of ISK 1.5B. EveHQ reports my finances from YC311.07.17 (that’s as far back as it goes) thru YC311.11.23, the past 5 months, as:

Total income: ISK 1.8B;

Total Expenditures: ISK -1.7B;

Net Cash inflow: ISK +88M.

Not ‘too’ shabby as my OL time has decreased greatly over the past few months leading to a much more laid back game than was my norm for the first year and a half. Plus I am not stuck on getting rich as much as making just enough to support my enjoyment of the game.

And, more important than the fiscal accounting, is the unaccountable…

I live in a HBHI’s Planetary Orbital Station, “Serenity Station” in OUR C3 Wormhole with some of the best people I will ever know, in EvE or in RL. My son (a RL Marine) is our CEO, our best friend (an inactive duty Marine corpmate of AI’s, a volunteer firefighter and in college now) is our co Director and Fleet Commander, Mabrick has joined with us while he learns the ‘Tao of Holes’ (a book I sorely need to write…) and is one of the best people I have ever met in EvE and our few other corpmates, good guys all… whom we have know for most of the time we have been in EvE.

I am sure there are those as will think “Damn, I got BILLIONS and I don’t live in a WH and I have been ingame less time than that!” I am sure many who can say that… but I am happy with my game, my friends and where I am and what I am doing in EVE… and in the end, that’s what really counts.   =]

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On to the “Osse ex Contentione…”

My last post was on the perceived ‘lack of content’ for EvE coming out of the Reykjavik CCP offices over the last three expansions. ‘Incarna’, as I discussed, was seen as a huge content failure and ‘Crucible’ and ‘Inferno’ were seen as just big ‘patches’ rather than as real Expansions. “Crucible” did bring us the new Tier 3 Battlecruisers but overall brought a huge list of refinements and long cried for fixes to many aspects of EvE as it existed at the time. “Inferno” brought an overhaul of the FacWar and WarDec systems but like ‘Crucible’ was far more about mechanic fixes and ship/mod rebalancing.

These last three have not included ‘content’ like the grand trio of “Exodus” expansions which introduced “Deadspace” scenarios, Sov, POSes, L4 agents, "COSMOS" constellations with agents giving out story-driven missions and unique rewards, bloodlines and 23 T2 ships… just to name a few;

“Revelations” I & II which brought us the scan/probes system, contracts, Rigs, Boosters (IE drugs), EVE Voice, overheating, BOMBS!, L5 agents, starbases and outposts;

“Empyrean Age” gave us Faction Warfare;

“Apocrypha” introduced T3s, the Training Queue, Wormholes (W-space) and the Sleepers;

“Tyrannis” brought us Planetary Interaction (PI);

“Incursion” gave us the attacks of Sansha’s Nation into all of New Eden (except W-space)… and was the expansion I joined EvE in.

For a full list of Expansions and the changes and additions they brought look here.

Next was “Incarna” which was not handled as well as it could have been… and which ultimately led to ‘The Summer of Rage’ causing widespread unsubbing, sobbing and whining on a scale to cause the gods themselves to tremble and cover their ears… AND all of the rage and piss and moaning included a very large degree of “WHY are you giving us Avatars meant for your stoopid Vampire game when you could be FIXING shit what needs fixing in EvE??”

So what ‘bone’ am I saying we are Contending over? “Walking in Stations” is what… There is strong and vocal sentiment against this for those as have no interest in it and not nearly as much sentiment for it from them who do…

So CCP shuts down WiS (Walking In Stations), fires 20 people and refocuses on EXACTLY what so many cried for and what do they get for it??? MORE epic crying and whining that CCP is just spending all it’s time ‘fiddling’ with Eve instead of adding CONTENT!!!  Oh for the god’s sake! If anything ever does drive me to rage quit EvE it will not be shitty POS mechanics, or flaky W-space shit or getting ganked and podded all the way back to runnin L1s in my thong… it will be the sophomoric whining and crying of so many players who waste their time verbally crapping all over as hard working and farseeing company as CCP and moaning and groaning about every little detail they don’t like in such a ground breaking, and still after TEN DAMN YEARS, great game with no equal, anywhere…   =\

CCP Open the DAMNED Door!

That CCP shut down WiS and all it could have brought in the way of amazing new ‘content’ due to the afore said sophomoric ranting is a gods damned shame. Far too many EvE players do not realize WiS would have been a MAJOR step forward for EvE as a whole…” How is that?” do you ask? How if it was NOTHING more than CCP using EvE, hell, using ‘us’ as nothing more than a testbed for “World of Darkness” their silly Vampire game? How could that POSSIBLY have been good for EVE Online?

I’ll effin tell you how…

First, understand that WiS has been at best backburnered for at least for the foreseeable future. This was stated clearly by CCP Bayesian from Team Avatar back on Aug. 2^nd ‘12 in Incarna/WiS Disappointment, and I quote: “It's been swallowed by the black hole of corporateness and won't be seeing the light of day for the foreseeable future. The team has been as vocal as we can about the merits of putting it out but to no avail. We're continuing to try and work out a way of showing you work we're proud of and think you will like but for now our hands are completely tied.” This is a locked thread but worth a read if yer so inclined.

Now as to how WiS would have been very good for EVE Online. It’s simple… deeper Immersion, more actual ‘content’, content that has the ability to grow and the probability of a brand new playstyle and playerbase in EvE.

The content would be similar to when Apocrypha added W-space to EvE. Wormholes gave rise to a whole new playstyle that did not exist before Apocrypha. When they were introduced players didn’t just probe them down and explore and fight Sleepers and then ‘leave’ with their Loot & Salvage… some players started staying… and eventually some started putting up POSes and actually living in W-space… in some cases aside from ‘store runs’ IE trips out of W-space to sell their Sleeper L&S, very lucrative PI and mining products and to buy needed ships and supplies etc. they lived and played almost exclusively in W-space… I know whereof I speak, my corp lives in a hole and we really only come out regularly for store runs, occasionally we might pop out for a lowsec roam or some such, but for us, the hole is home and life is good.

In my last post “On The EvE of Contention…” I talked of how WE, the EvE playerbase are the content in EvE. I have talked about this before in my post on BB 38: “Dogma”. As I said in both, CCP makes the sets, props, costumes and lighting.  Their job is to keep the music playing the lighting just so and the sets interesting so people will want to join in ‘our’ play… and I asked in my last post, “…is it new sets and props and décor and furniture and backgrounds that we want?”  OK, so we want, hell mebbe even need, new sets right? OK so could WiS give us that? if so, how?

Yes and it would do so in SPADES… Just use your imagination…

Welcome to our new home… =]

‘Walking in Stations’ could open EVE to a whole new playerbase… new players who would be more interested in Avatar or, ‘on foot’ based gameplay than just FiS. They would still skill and learn ship handling etc. but their main focus and game time would be spent in scanning down the Signatures of Deadspace and W-space hidden stations and structures, warp to the BM, mebbe have to fight off some pirates or Sleepers (could play solo but as in all things EvE, better to have 2, 3 players working together as a team) in specially fitted Exploration ships (whole new set of specialized frigs/mods/skills right there… cloaky, probe capable and with a universal docking port… say T3 versions of the CovOps, a REAL exploration frigate…), then they hack their way in and spend the majority of their time exploring, “on foot” those stations and structures.

And unless you have a corpmate flying security outside, there would be no stopping someone else from probing down the same sig and docking at a different port at that station or complex… then you have the potential for some mano-a-mano PvP if/when the two groups run into one another… DUST in Space! You would also have NPC fighting, I am absolutely sure the Sleepers would have drones or… possibly live (AI) NPCs… to fight against, I mean the Sleepers ALWAYS guard their stations... just think of the possibilities…

Try this on, you scan down a Sleeper Station, you have one or more corpmates cloaked and flying security as you and one or two other corpmates dock at different entry ports and explore the station, clear out the Sleepers, gather all the Loot & Salvage (Hmmm, Salvaging on foot, right there’s some new mods & skills? Man portable Salvage Lazors? Wheee!!), and then… mebbe take up temporary, or even permanent residence… why not?

Now you would use a different (new!) hacking mod to password ‘lock’ the docking ports and use the station as a home. You would have to find and hack the main computer systems so you can access the stations powerplant allowing you to fuel it up (new mods/fuels/skills etc.) which would allow you to bring up the forcefield. Then you hack access to the Ship Hangars and Storage Bays so you can online them. Then hack access to the stations defenses (Sleeper missiles/lasers/etc. new skills, OH HELL YEA!!!), then repair and online them…!

Is this starting to sound interesting yet?  =]

Well… That has got MY interest!

Ok, let’s say you are totally ‘meh’ on wandering around shooting NPC’s in the face and exploring dank, musty old abandoned stations… they smell funny, give you the creeps and you have allergies… ok, then imagine this...

You are in docked up in Dodixie ship spinning and chattin on TS with yer corpies when, your locator agent (to whom you have paid a lot in advance to for this NEW service) contacts YOU and reports one of your bounty targets has just docked and left his ship and is inside the station. You go hunting… you spy him on the Concourse... follow him until he goes into a bar... you casually walk up to the bar, turn and pull your ZN-28 Nova Knife and (in a Splinter Cell style move) grab him from behind and slit his throat… his lifeless clone slides to the floor as you get the ‘ping’ announcing your bounty payment has been received… you kneel and wipe your blade on his slowly cooling torso, slide the knife back in its sheath, down your drink and walk out without a sound Eastwood style… (THIS really should be a char action you can key!!) (mebbe have the theme from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” play as you walk out…)

Or... you have a personal grudge against an old CEO... your locator agent reports he has just docked up and is inside a station only 3 hops away... You reship to your fastest Interceptor and quickly warp to the station and dock up. Exit your ship and jog up to the upper walkway overlooking the Concourse... you spot your enemy, maneuver until you are in range and wait for him to pause, you quickly pull your CAR-9 Scrambler Pistol, get him in your sights and drop him with a perfect headshot. Of course, as this is an act of murder not an authorized Bounty kill CONCORD or the Empire Security Agents in charge of station security immediately target you with low power laser turrets built into the ceiling and blast you back into a new clone too... But it was WORTH it to watch him crumple down into a pool of blood in front of everyone!! Those are but a few of the many, many scenarios my imagination keeps throwing out…

I want…

I want to orbit a Planet not just sit at "0"... Then, while my Loki is in orbit, I want to jump in a shuttle, order the Loki to cloak up or warp to a safe, and FLY down to the planet’s surface, get out and, now acting as a Duster for my corp, KILL DUSTERS!!!

I want to dock my ship at a Space Elevator, exit my ship and walk in and around the Elevator's Concourse area then take the elevator down to the surface...

Understand I don’t want to lose Flying in Space I want to ADD to it! I am an EVE Player, I am a capsuleer and a POD Pilot, I am a Director in my corporation... I can guarantee you I will still spend the majority of my time FiS... but what I want is more IMMERSION... I WANT IT ALL!!!!  BUAHAHAhahahaha!! [gasp] [hack!]   =\

And for all of you who feel like this…

“CCP refuses to abandon barbie doll avatars, still sounds deadend and content-free tbh, and a drain on the Space Ships side of the game. The only future path I see is "Abandon avatars in a game that simply doesn't need them". Save the avatars for Sparkly Vampire, where some of us at least will be happy to give them a spin.”

All I have to say to you is, HTFU that others might want to play EVE in any other way than the one YOU like. And as for ‘content free’, get an imagination.

However, If… just IF you feel this stirs your imagination and makes you want to hack open a Sleeper Station, or walk up behind your worst enemy knife in hand and a grin on your face… if you feel WiS has any possibility of adding real content and value and playability and worthwhile complexity and sheer unadulterated FUN to EVE Online please post POSITIVELY on your blogs, forums and here.

CCP I want to EXPLORE this!!

Fly Safe and see you in the… Sleeper Complex  =/|)=