tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14903409168864868382024-03-13T04:19:34.699+00:00Bits of Bacon, Spaceships, and Serious Business.FunkyBacon, Eve Online veteran, takes you on a journey of deep thoughts and poorly expressed opinions about Eve Online and its denizens.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-90893808722472205922016-08-31T17:06:00.003+00:002016-08-31T17:18:22.017+00:00Eve: Gateway to Free to Play?I have a confession to make, though I suppose it won't be much of a surprise. About 5 months ago, my last injected PLEX ran out in Eve Online, and I didn't re-up. For a further 2 months I would look at the icon on my desktop from time to time and ask myself the question, "Do I want to log into Eve?" Another game won out every time, until finally I decided to re-purpose the hard drive space and uninstalled both the main and test clients. "It's not like I can't install it again later," I told myself. In one month, I will have matched my longest break from Eve since it launched in 2003.<br />
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I have kept up with the blogs, and the news sites, followed the rumblings on both twitter & reddit, and otherwise kept up with the game and the politics within, but the inspiration to return has not yet come. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so they say, and so I wait, and watch, mostly quiet on the sidelines. Truth be told, there just hasn't been much to talk about lately concerning Eve outside of null politics, and which group is beating on which other group. Well, that is until today's announcement from CCP about the<a href="https://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/introducing-clone-states-and-the-future-of-access-to-eve-online/" target="_blank"> impending limited F2P</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B9Em5JLD9ek/V8cMaAS-ieI/AAAAAAAAEEk/yfsonX8n__IZT0Ww9nG6zYOrgBPd4aGpACLcB/s1600/free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B9Em5JLD9ek/V8cMaAS-ieI/AAAAAAAAEEk/yfsonX8n__IZT0Ww9nG6zYOrgBPd4aGpACLcB/s1600/free.jpg" /></a>I expect the news sites and blogs will be in a flurry of activity over the next couple weeks. Everyone's going to have an opinion about this. Eve is dying a slow death, subs and the PCU are creeping ever downward, and CCP has to do something to staunch the flow. The question has been on the board now for a couple years, and here we have CCP's answer, or at least what I hope is only the first part of that answer.<br />
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<span id="goog_1635880348"></span><span id="goog_1635880349"></span>This change should really not be inferred to as a free to play change. Games like Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, or Lord of the Rings Online are free to play. Neverwinter I've gone pretty damn far and never given them a single cent. STO, I've cashed in some currency for a couple ships, but haven't paid for a sub in years. LOTRO gives you the choice to gain access for a monthly sub, or unlock pieces of the game permanently for a one time fee.<br />
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What is essentially happening here, is that we're going from a limited
time trial in the game, to a limited progression trial, much like what
WoW has done with their free experience, allowing people without subs to
play up to lvl 20 for as long as they like. CCP isn't here to give away
a bunch of free shit for no return. You get to taste things for free,
undock, do some pew, and the hope is you're hooked and are now willing
to pay for the full experience to progress from being a lamb, to a wolf, and keep paying to stay that way, or it's back to the kiddie pool for you. You can't unlock an extra 5 million SP, or certain skills permanently, or gain access to a second race, or anything else for a one time fee. You want access, you pays your sub.<br />
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Initially we'll see a spike in the PCU. Some people (like myself) logging back into seriously gimped high SP characters will long to use the OTHER 250 ships in our hangars, and pay up for the privilege. What about those guys trying the game for the first or fifth time that want to poke around for a while by themselves, or with a friend though? I'm not seeing any proposed changes to the NPE that has consistently failed to <i><b>retain</b></i> the vast numbers of players that try the game. Maybe CCP's gambit here is that taking away the time limited restraint, these guys will stick around longer, but with the average trial not making it past 2 hours, I have my doubts the 14 day trial limitation was the issue.<br />
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On the surface, the immediate beneficiaries of this new
Alpha clone feature will be the large newbro friendly entities in the
game. For the noobs that groups like Dreddit and Pandemic Horde are able
to bring in I see a positive thing here... well, until they call for
Caracal fleet and a large swath of alpha clone dudes aren't Caldari. So
hey, more kitchen sinks! Those are always fun. Still a very positive change.<br />
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A huge gripe already for new players is the time it takes them to get
into what they would consider to be meaningful gameplay. Alpha clones
will train SP at a slower rate than Omegas, so there's one strike right
off the bat. Allowing skill injection is one thing, but that kind of takes away from the whole free aspect of it.<br />
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CCP has the ability to fix this one easily. With Alpha's already limited to a single race, give them the basic skills they need to fly the frigates within that race immediately, and effectively. That means a new PVP pilot should already be able to fit tech 1 tackle and guns, be able to do basic shield or armor tanking, have the most basic skills for probing and exploration, and even remote repairs. Basically, if a veteran player were to start a new character, that character should have the skills at least to fit a basic t1 version of the ship they way most people who know what they're doing would fit it. Hell, maybe that very first noob ship they get comes with a full basic fit that takes advantages of its bonuses, you know, to give a newbro an idea of that a proper fit might look like.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rN5gCwa5JUw/V8cM6NfQNsI/AAAAAAAAEEo/SY2K4z1bkLAi8TToJjPqXB_6vuJGSCLegCLcB/s1600/shitorgtfo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rN5gCwa5JUw/V8cM6NfQNsI/AAAAAAAAEEo/SY2K4z1bkLAi8TToJjPqXB_6vuJGSCLegCLcB/s320/shitorgtfo.jpg" width="243" /></a>The next bit of concern is coming from 2 directions. One the one hand, you can't have a bunch of freebie toons flying around Eve wrecking the game and the economy for people that are paying customers. I agree with this. On the other hand, if these freebie folk are gimped to the extent that they're no more than fodder for the paying customers, eventually they're in a position where it's time to shit (start paying) or get off the pot, with a 3rd, and likely less desirable option of just remaining gimped, which brings us back over to that whole retention thing.<br />
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In short, this new trial system I think is actually a step in the right direction for Eve, but it's not the answer on it's own. At some point, CCP needs to decide who their customer is, and make their game in that image. Even making the game completely free will do nothing to bring in the people on the PC Gamer-type sites that leave the comments bemoaning spreadsheets in space, and needing to put more time into Eve than their job. At the same time, the game as it stands does appeal to a select group of gamers, and though they are becoming fewer, dropping away due to boredom, or changing lives, etc. they are the ones paying the bills, and if you drive them away while failing to attract enough new customers to replace them... well, I think we all know the answer to that question.<br />
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I'm still here though, waiting for that spark of inspiration that brings me back in. I'm not sure this is quite it, but let's see what else is coming down the pipe.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-85574976552340325012015-11-26T01:46:00.002+00:002015-11-26T01:50:16.111+00:00Podcast: Reddit vs TMC Drama Special EditionWhen we were setting forth our procedures for the new podcast, we included a special provision. Should anything of note happen in Eve, we would need to be able to jump in motion, get guests together, review the issue, and crank out a cast, start to finish, in under 24 hours. In 9 years of Eve Radio, I can count maybe a half dozen times where we had to break from routine to cover some major drama. While this week would not rank at the top of that notable list, we certainly didn't expect to have to test our rapid release provision before we even got to our 3rd episode.<br />
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For the download of this Special Edition I will point you over to the good folks at Eve-Radio that have graciously offered to host our cast and have solid enough bandwidth to handle a metric fuck ton of downloads.<br />
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You can download the podcast and read their introduction <a href="http://eve-radio.com/news-compendium/eve-radio/3379-grr-goons-a-reddit-vs-tmc-special-podcast-by-funkybacon-a-friends" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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In the cast, I promised to provide links, and an outline, so those following along could reference the conversations and articles mentioned in the cast. I'll paste that below in just a moment.<br />
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I want to finish this posting by pointing out that we did attempt to get Sion Kumitomo on with us to give us an Imperium perspective on happenings. He was out on the road today, and given the extreme short notice was unable to join us. Given that we did not really get to talk to anyone from that side of the fence directly, I feel it's only fair to extend an invitation for a one on one followup to this podcast so their side of things can also be aired. We did our best to find balance in our coverage, but definitely felt their presence lacking.<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>Week 3 Special Edition - Outline and Links</b></span> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Introductions.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eve Reddit drama Bomb. Fountain War Book kickstarter has reached a boiling point. 11 days left, 703 backers as of this morning, 37,000 raised of $150,000 despite constant promotional efforts by TMC.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u4jty/endie_speaks_his_mind/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u4jty/endie_speaks_his_mind/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Endie has “private” conversation with Xander Pheona of Crossing Zebras. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Xander shares with Niden</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">???</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Conversation put up on pastebin then leaked to reddit.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">GG. Xander is very sorry, feels like a dickface.</span></span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the article being discussed in the log: </span><a href="http://crossingzebras.com/the-imperium-and-the-road-to-serfdom/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://crossingzebras.com/the-imperium-and-the-road-to-serfdom/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Grey Market” RMT allegations against TMC as a result. </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u5v59/with_the_rmt_allegations_im_reminded_of/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u5v59/with_the_rmt_allegations_im_reminded_of/</span></a></span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Talking with Nosy on twitter, seems Endie just confirmed what “everyone already knew”. Concerns that Endie was trolling Xander, spoke to him specifically because he knew the convo would get leaked. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CCP Falcon tells redditors CCP does not investigate RMT allegations posted on reddit threads. Please submit tickets! </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u4zwq/serious_if_what_endie_said_is_true_and_gsf_is/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u4zwq/serious_if_what_endie_said_is_true_and_gsf_is/</span></a></span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sion writes a thing on TMC: </span><a href="https://www.themittani.com/features/shake-it-off" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.themittani.com/features/shake-it-off</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Reddit sucks, stop abusing Jeff Edwards, you’re killing the game we’re trying to help! Reddit response if you dare to read: </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u47vd/sion_kumitomos_article_on_the_fountain_war_book/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/3u47vd/sion_kumitomos_article_on_the_fountain_war_book/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rixx Javix responds to Sion on CZ </span><a href="http://crossingzebras.com/charlatans-and-space-cliques/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://crossingzebras.com/charlatans-and-space-cliques/</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is Sion/TMC burning bridges or is reddit? What is really going on here?</span></span></span></div>
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The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-65263297691547982592015-11-15T18:51:00.002+00:002015-11-15T18:51:55.513+00:00The Return of... FunkyBacon & FriendsAt the end of September, the co-hosts and I said goodbye to our regular show on Eve Radio and slipped into retirement after 9 years of weekly live broadcasts. We alluded that we may be back in some form or other at some point, and left it at that.<br />
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<a href="http://eve-radio.com/news-compendium/eve-radio/3360-bacons-back-in-episodic-form" target="_blank">Behind the scenes</a> I was in talks with the big boys at Gaming Radio Network (GRN, the folk that run Eve Radio and Subspace Radio) about shifting gears to something a little more portable and concentrated; in other words, a podcast. There were many reasons for this, such as all our regular co-hosts being Euro based, and having to stay up until 3am or 4am depending on which time zone they were in, and the fact that almost no one appreciated our odd taste in music.<br />
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GRN is in the process of some rebranding themselves, so our shift came at a perfect time. Sadly, not everything is done on their end for the new platform, so for now we're still being hosted through Eve Radio.<br />
<br />
Without the need for music or live events, or new show can be expected to run between 20 and 40 minutes. Topics will always start with Eve related content, and we'll finish off with any pertinent topics from the larger gaming world (new AAA titles, major MMO updates, sci fi games, maybe a brief review here and there, and should anything be worth picking up in a steam sale, we'll try and mention it). The mix will of course depend on how busy a week Eve is having, and should something earth shattering drop, expect us to crank out a dedicated special for fast release on top of the regular weekly cast.<br />
<br />
Our first episode just released today, and you can:<br />
<h2>
<b><a href="http://funkybacon.eve-radio.com/funkybaconep1.mp3" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD HERE</a></b></h2>
For a first show, it ran a little longer than normal. Now you can put us on a flash stick or your phone and play us in your car, pause us during your fleet op when you need to listen to FC, or really have whatever flexibility you need. We'll be recording sometime during the week, and the show will be released weekly by GRN (or Eve Radio for now) Sunday afternoons 18:00 GMT. If you follow this blog, you'll also see it on here.<br />
<br />
It's nice to be back.<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-59174914035386562132015-06-21T16:16:00.000+00:002015-06-21T16:29:03.394+00:00CCP Weighs in on Twitch Streaming "Giveaways"There's been some buzzing going on around Eve Media circles this week. With the recent resolution of the drama over at IWantISK, the topic has turned to a practice some twitch streamers have been turning to with increasing frequency. In a nutshell, certain streamers have been conducting "giveaways" of in game items, sometimes only to paying subscribers, and sometimes to anyone, but if you're a paying subscriber or have donated to them on patreon, you'll get an enhanced chance of winning something.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Let's Start With a History Lesson </h2>
<br />
There seems to be confusion among some streamers as to whether such practices constitute RMT. I popped on DJ Big Country's "Open Comms Show" this past week to see if I might be able to lend some clarity, being involved peripherally in the SOMERblink 1 scandal, and in the thick of SOMERblink 2.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic I made illustrating SOMERblink's RMT<br />
scheme back in 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the first instance, Somer was giving away 200 million ISK worth of "Blink Credit" to those who purchased a plex through his affiliate link to Markee Dragon. Blink credit wasn't an actual in-game item, it was akin to tickets for the gambling site, and gave players only a chance to win something. There was an, albeit laundered, source of real money being funneled to SOMERblink through the exchange of in game items of value, but CCP was in a tough spot when this was pointed out because certain Riot Devs who were working for CCP at the time had endorsed the site publicly as a legitimate service. <br />
<br />
Once this particular RMT loophole was exposed, several players began to take advantage of it to cash out. CCP was again in a tough spot. It would be difficult to ban these players for RMT since they were exploiting the same loophole that a legitimately endorsed SOMERblink had been doing for years, but at the same time they couldn't allow every player with a few hundred billion ISK to cash out and walk away with tens of thousands of dollars. A cease and desist order was issued, and the loophole was closed.<br />
<br />
As we all know, the second time SOMERblink tried to cash out ended badly for the site. He basically got "permission" to run a promotion from a member of the marketing team that wasn't familiar with crafty RMT schemes by presenting his proposal in a deceptive manner. When he was called on it by people who knew better, he decided to plaster CCP communications on his site without their permission in an attempt to defend himself, and then got banned and had his assets seized. I think officially he was banned for the communication leaks. Al Capone also went down for tax evasion. End result was the same.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Fast Forward to the Present</h2>
<br />
With the advent of monetization for people who play games on streams, it's inevitable that the line is going to be tested as to what constitutes RMT while streamers attempt to maximize revenues. My personal smell test for RMT is fairly simple:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Are you trading in game items, a chance at in game items, or giving an
advantage to win in game items above and beyond others to people who
hand you actual real life money? If there is a direct, or somewhat
re-directed flow of cash and ISK, you've got some form of RMT.</i></blockquote>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wIMZuht_k9Q/VYbiNbWlV5I/AAAAAAAACVE/6yXbsnpLeRs/s1600/giveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wIMZuht_k9Q/VYbiNbWlV5I/AAAAAAAACVE/6yXbsnpLeRs/s320/giveaway.jpg" width="320" /></a>Using what SOMERblink has taught us in the past, this would also include a situation where players purchase goods or services from a 3rd party and it's the 3rd party that is paying you.<br />
<br />
Eve Radio is a prime example of how to do it "right". They accept donations and have a premium listener program. Paying money into either one does not grant those supporters any advantage on winning any contest where in-game assets are involved. Premium supporters ARE entered into a drawing every month for a free game on Steam, but that is not an in-game item or ISK.<br />
<br />
By the same note, a twitch streamer could go onto CCP's shop and purchase (for real money) one of those insanely overpriced hoodies for $90. They could sell raffle tickets for that hoodie at $10 a pop on their stream and "give it away" to the lucky winner after 15 tickets are sold. Completely legit, though you might want to check with your country's gambling laws first.<br />
<br />
In the above case we've got real world goods being exchanged for real world cash. Once actual money is exchanged and a Nyx changes ownership this would be RMT in some form or other. We could argue the rights and wrongs of RMT all day, but I'm not here to discuss the morality of it today, just pointing out what it is for those who seem confused.<br />
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<h2>
Official CCP Response?</h2>
<br />
Yes, I know, this is what you've been waiting for. I could, after all, talk about what is, and is not RMT until I'm blue, but it doesn't mean much because Eve isn't my game, and I don't make the rules. Long time friend and compatriot at Eve Radio, DJ Wiggles, one upped me on this one and had the clever idea of asking CCP what they thought, then went over the response with <a href="http://nosygamer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nosy Gamer</a> on Wiggles' new Mini Podcast, <a href="http://newedenupdate.com/2015/06/19/new-eden-update-episode-5-19th-june-2015/" target="_blank">New Eden Update</a>, this past Friday.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hi just dropping you guys a petition as the topic came up on my radio show I do each week on Eve-Radio and the question was "what is the legal standpoint of player created sites doing giveaways for in game items" this is in regards to player/fan sites giving either a) subscribers (via Twitch/Pateron/etc.) an extra chance at winning the items in game or b) a subscriber only give away that they can win in game items. </i>-DJ Wiggles</blockquote>
Simple, direct. Wish I'd have thought of it first. Now, normally we're not allowed to share CCP responses to petitions except in extremely rare cases. One of those instances would be when the GM in question gives permission. Emphasis mine:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>CCP's policy on monetization of videos can be read at the following website:<br /><a href="http://community.eveonline.com/support/policies/monetization-of-videos-policy/">http://community.eveonline.com/support/policies/monetization-of-videos-policy/</a><br /><br />While the exact scenario you mentioned <b>isn't explicitly covered in the above policy</b>, it sounds <b>too close to RMT for us to sanction</b>. <b>My take</b> on this is that it's essentially not really a "giveaway" if the user has to pay real money in some fashion (subscription, donations) to be eligible, that sounds more like RMT than an actual giveaway.<br /><br /><b>My advice</b> to Twitch/Youtube users would be to stick to advertisement monetization instead of tying giveaways into donations. <b>Those that want to do giveaways are welcome to do so as long as any viewer is eligible and no payment in real life currency is asked for.</b><br /><br />You are welcome to share this with your listeners.<br /><br />Best regards,<br />Lead GM Lelouch<br />CCP Customer Support | EVE Online | DUST 514 </i></blockquote>
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GM Lelouch was careful to use the terms "My take" and "My advice" in his response for those who want to split hairs. That would make the above statement something slightly less than official CCP policy. That also doesn't mean it's ok to go out and start selling dollar tickets to your next Twitch Giveaway either. If a streamer is petitioned, the GMs will just have to make the call, possibly with input from team security, as to whether you're engaging in RMT or not. That's not a gamble I'd take with my Eve account.<br />
<br />
Also, that official policy isn't written on a stone tablet, and it can change fairly easily. Should a specific streamer get petitioned, it very well may come down to GM interpretation of RMT. If this becomes and epidemic, I would expect the official rules will eventually be amended to clear up any "confusion".<br />
<br />
At the very least, what we have at the moment are some instances of RMT. Illicit RMT? In some cases, perhaps. Unsanctioned RMT? Well, without a direct CCP endorsement as what happened with SOMERblink in 2013, ANY form of RMT, illicit or not, is unsanctioned. It's just a question of how far people get before the hammer drops. *MY* advice to streamers is to be very careful with these giveaways. I wouldn't allow money and in game items to brush up against one another, no matter how cleverly you think you've disguised it.<br />
<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-1817838486309040872015-06-19T10:00:00.000+00:002015-06-19T10:00:04.098+00:00FW Pilots and the Null Sec Bubble DilemaThe other day I published a piece about a couple of topics near and dear to my heart in Eve lately, and one of those topics mentioned a certain development style that has taken CCP by storm in the last year or so: Delete Key Game Development. It is the removal of features or functionality in the game client in an attempt to fix issues or improve the experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images today from <a href="http://evepics.wordpress.com/">http://evepics.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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Industry teams not working the way they were envisioned? Remove them, stating the possibility to revisit and fix them properly later. Clone costs too high for nullsec/WH veterans to justify flying cheap ships? Get rid of them. Bombers able to probe and warp to targets too quickly? Remove a bunch of fleet warp mechanics!<br />
<br />
I know I come off as if this is a terrible way to do things, and in some cases it can be. Present issues aside, however, deletion of some game functionality could have a positive effect.<br />
<br />
While still a lowsec resident, I'm no longer a part of Factional Warfare. I still communicate with a few old friends in the business, and one concern that has come up is an issue that complicates things considerably for FW groups wanting to play in Null space.<br />
<br />
While it would be cool to be able to take the credit for the following, I can't. The issues were raised initially towards the end of CSM9's term by a group of concerned FW citizens and presented to CCP. I know Sugar Kyle has brought this to CCP's attention once or twice over the course of CSMX's term, but there appears to be little traction being made thus far, so it might be time for a spotlight.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bubbles</h3>
<br />
Bubbles are a big part of combat in null sec, and for a FW group, deploying bubbles in nullsec can be a tricky endeavor.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_LMOFUKUl4k/VYNzPQxRx1I/AAAAAAAACUQ/SvNkf_Fm2TM/s1600/bubbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_LMOFUKUl4k/VYNzPQxRx1I/AAAAAAAACUQ/SvNkf_Fm2TM/s320/bubbles.jpg" width="320" /></a>Any member of your own militia that wanders into a bubble you deploy counts as an act of aggression, and comes with a lovely standings hit. That's bad. Worse is if any of those guys lose their pods in the scuffle, because a bad standings hit gets multiplied several times over. Losing a single rank in FW comes with a nasty faction hit to the empire you fly for, one that can't be regained by simply ranking up again. Half a dozen pod kills can net SEVERAL demotions, causing standing hits so severe they can get you, your corp, and even your alliance kicked from FW. Aside from the prospect of losing several billion ISK in implants, this is pretty big on the list of why FW groups often avoid nullsec.<br />
<br />
There is some real hope in that there is a relatively easy solution to this problem, and it doesn't even involve making any changes to bubbles.<br />
<br />
To put it simply, all that needs to be removed from the game to solve this dilemma is NPC standings hits for aggression in Null Sec and WH space. Of course, that would mean that FW groups could engage "friendlies" at will in null security space and wormholes with no consequences to their standings, but after talking with several people still in FW, no one seems to see this as being an issue. After all, there are no FW objectives in null sec or WH space, just a few good fights, and maybe a chance to try out Fozzie Sov, something that would be very difficult with the way standings hits currently work.<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-7838950530681765672015-06-15T19:12:00.000+00:002015-06-15T19:47:41.705+00:00IWantRMT plus Proposed Fleet Warp ChangesHello friends! It's been an interesting last few days in Eve. It's also been a couple of months since the last blog post, but really there hasn't been much to say that couldn't be tackled on the weekly radio show.<br />
<br />
<h3>
IWantRMT</h3>
<br />
Before I get to the meat of today's posting, I think it's only fair to touch on the IWantISK situation. I've known about the site for some time, but haven't really cared one way or another. My primary form of gambling in Eve is in PVP, and that loses me enough money these days without the benefit of FW LP to make up losses. I had a brief stint at <a href="http://eohpoker.com/" target="_blank">EOHPoker</a>, lost a few hundred million, and came to the determination that I suck at Poker. I also tried betting on some AT matches on <a href="http://eve-bet.com/" target="_blank">Eve Bet</a> lost some money there too. Basically, gambling is bad for me.<br />
<br />
Eve's meta is kind of unique in the land of modern day MMO's. I don't know of any sites where you can bet your WoW gold playing poker or bet on real life sporting events, nor where it can be used to gamble on lotteries for in game items run by players. In fact, off the top of my head I can't think of ANY other MMO that allows this, which is kind of a pity, because I suspect there are a lot of people paying subs right now in Eve that may not be if it weren't for the meta game.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QFKNRPOWPBk/VX71lyNMqBI/AAAAAAAACTA/9D0_aiXbX5M/s1600/270891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QFKNRPOWPBk/VX71lyNMqBI/AAAAAAAACTA/9D0_aiXbX5M/s320/270891.jpg" width="320" /></a>So that brings us to the temptation that hits guys like Somerset Mahm when their meta game gets a little too good, and they start seeing opportunities to turn it into real money. IWantISK has apparently been doing well, and when the site was black listed from the in game browser a while back, it was fairly obvious that something was afoot. Supporters of the site were calling for calm, the guy that runs it was asking why, and anyone with a level head on their shoulders had a pretty good feeling someone, or more than one person got caught with their hands in the RMT cookie jar.<br />
<br />
So much shit was posted in the wake of the black listing, it's hard to separate the bullshit from anything that might have been substantiated, but we've come away with 2 facts at this point. 1: Some of the bankers for IWantISK were dirty. 2: the more the IWantISK guy opens his mouth to speak, the more I'm convinced he's either a clueless idiot, or he knows more than he's let on.<br />
<br />
The thing that eats me on this stuff is just how unnecessary it all is. EOHpoker and Eve-Bet have been operating for years without this stuff happening. Maybe they're not raking it in to the point where the temptation is too great to pass up, or they're just honest dudes trying to make money in game creatively, I don't know. One thing I do know is that you might gamble and do ok, but if you keep playing long enough, the house always wins. In this case, it looks like the house is CCP, and they've called in their chips.<br />
<br />
Nosy <a href="http://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2015/06/ccps-war-on-illicit-rmt-i-want-isk.html" target="_blank">did a great writeup</a> on what he's collected to date. If you don't know him, he's <i><b>THE</b></i> guy when it comes to blogging about RMT stuff in Eve, and should be on your reading list. <br />
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<h3>
Lazy Game Development Part Deux</h3>
<br />
Over the last couple months I've been working hard to curb my inner bittervet. I got out of FW, I've been playing Eve more, and I've been having fun doing it. I've even had some positive things to say about CCP and Eve on the weekly Eve Radio Show! I'd been making some real progress, then someone brought the o7 show from this past week to my attention and I think I'm having a relapse.<br />
<br />
When I saw the fleet warp change announcement on the o7 show my initial reaction was "WTF?!" The more I've read about it since and come to figure out exactly what is changing, I'm even more confused. Warping your fleet to 0 or range on a stargate or celestial or fleet member is fine, but it's lazy piloting to fleet warp to a bookmarked tactical? Are you effing kidding me?<br />
<br />
I have linked the relevant section of the show below, it should start right when the fleet warp discussion begins. <br />
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<br />
"We want to encourage more specialized play!" In a word, bullshit. I kept waiting for a Feel, Felt, Found sales pitch somewhere in there which thankfully never came.<br />
<br />
I will admit that I'm a little out of touch where large nullsec fights are concerned. I typically fly in small to medium gangs, hardly ever more than 20 people. We rarely probe, but when we do, we always send a cloaked guy in first because if someone is sitting there aligned we NEED to make sure our tackle lands at the right range with as little time to get away as possible.<br />
<br />
We do, however, maintain an extensive list of tacticals in many of the systems we routinely operate in. Gate perches, off grid pounces, instant dock and undock bookmarks are a few examples.<br />
<br />
In lowsec, we're lucky because the stuff we bookmark tends to not move around, and I have few enough people I fly with that if I can remember how to copy my bookmark sets, I'll only have to copy a couple hundred BMs to pass around. It'll be a complete pain in the ass, but maybe not as bad as a null FC that would need to pass them around to a few hundred people.<br />
<br />
There was a time when the mass copying of bookmarks had a really negative effect on the server performance, which is how we ended up with warp to 0 (warping to something used to land you 15k away, our autopilot is a legacy of that system). If this ends up becoming a thing again for fleet ops, I'm wondering if CCP has considered whether this will rear it's ugly head again.<br />
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That all aside, I don't even want to think about the guys in WH space. From the rumblings I'm hearing, if this change goes through, CCP is hitting those guys with the big purple dong. Fortunately, CCP has come out and said they'll look into ways to not screw WH guys over quite so much, but that also reeks of "Wow, we only thought of the one area of the game we were trying to make more 'interesting' and didn't even consider what that would mean to you guys over there." Here's an idea: Mention something like this to your CSM first, and consider the WH guy's feedback <i>before</i> the "Big Announcement"<br />
<br />
So, what exactly is CCP trying to fix with this change? Well, they've talked about flying "mostly afk" and warping fleets to probe results (specifically bombers?). Bookmarks it seems weren't the real target, but got caught in the collateral damage category because you can bookmark your scan results. I'm not buying the mostly afk thing, because if that was the case it would make more sense to remove the entire fleet warp mechanic... of course maybe they wanted to, but then thought the tsunami of tears would be too strong and decided to baby step this instead.<br />
<br />
That being said, lazy here begets lazy. It strikes me as an FC that if a bomb drop was a legitimate concern of mine, I'd spread my fleet out a little bit. Maybe a tweak to the explosion size of a bomb is in order if fleets are getting hit too easily?<br />
<br />
Further, in a non stealth bomber situation, fleet warping your interceptors and tackle with the bulk of a fleet seems kind of dumb, since all ships will warp at the speed of the slowest ship in the fleet warp. Maybe by wing or squad, but then wouldn't you need a prober in every squad or wing leader position to pull this off? Surely no FC would warp an entire mixed fleet at battleship speed right?<br />
<br />
So again, I'm a little confused.<br />
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If the issue is warping a fleet onto a probed target and the speed at which that can be accomplished, why aren't we tweaking probing? The most likely reason I can come up with is the coding behind it, and the fact that it's easier to remove functionality from the client than edit existing code. In a nutshell, that means looking for the fastest, easiest way to tackle a problem and determining whether any collateral damage is worth it. That's why the teams feature got pulled from industry, too much of a pain to fix vs just removing them entirely. You may also recall a certain heated incident during my term on the CSM last year where removing intra-corp aggression entirely came up at the summer summit, followed by a complete removal of clone costs with "plans" to replace the risk with something else later down the road that I don't think we'll ever see. Pluck, pluck, pluck, meaningful changes made to the game with the Delete key.<br />
<br />
This wasn't brought up on the o7 show, but another casualty of this change is the time honored tactic of inviting someone undocking to your fleet, and if they accept, fleet warping them to a nice, good old fashioned, passionate ass whupping at an insta a few hundred km off the undock. Recalling a few.... impassioned discussions I've had with one of the people present for this change's unveiling, I would not be surprised if the protection of "players who don't fully understand game mechanics" getting taken advantage of (ie: noobs and/or dumbasses in capital or other blingy ships) did not come into play at all here.<br />
<br />
<h3>
In Summary</h3>
<br />
There are a few issues going on here, and looking at the proposed change from the angles I just don't see what's being "fixed" outweighing what's getting broken. I don't think CCP Fozzie and Larrikin are telling the whole story. This seems like a poorly thought out change, or a change for the sake of change. There's no quality of life improvement, nor does it make the game any more fun or intuitive.<br />
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One could argue that it would make the game harder for some people, which in itself might not be terrible, but I'm grasping at air when I look at the given "reason" for the change being "We want transfer more responsibility for the success of a fleet from its FC to its members." Fozzie has stated that he feels this is a <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=5812628#post5812628" target="_blank">good outcome for bomber fleets</a>, but the bigger picture makes this look like a change meant to kill a fly with a bazooka. There is far too much collateral damage if the act of fleet warping itself is not the perceived issue.<br />
<br />
And that brings us back to a modus operandi that seems to have taken increased hold at CCP over the last few years: putting more emphasis on getting things done the easy way, not necessarily the right way.<br />
<br />
The changes to POSs and space structures appear to be an exception to this, and I have to say I'm very excited for what I've seen so far on that front, but I'm still left shaking my head with some of these "Delete key" changes.<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-14279618363933699882015-03-29T15:04:00.000+00:002015-03-29T15:04:51.937+00:00Lowsec Combat Fits: The HereticI used to call these features FW Fits, but with our departure from FW a couple weeks ago that term no longer seems like it would apply. That being said, there's certainly nothing stopping someone in FW from using any of the concoctions coming out of FunkyBacon labs these days, I'm just no longer using a FW plex fight as the measuring stick for a ship's effectiveness. As always, individual results may vary!<br />
<br />
Today I'm going to write about a fairly rare ship class for lowsec, Interdictors, and more specifically, the Heretic.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Amarr Destroyer skill bonus per level:</b><br />
10% bonus to Rocket and Light Missile Velocity<br />
5% bonus to Rocket and Light Missile launcher rate of fire<br />
<br />
<b>Interdictors skill bonus per level:</b><br />
4% bonus to armor resistances<br />
10% reduction in microwarpdrive signature radius penalty<br />
<br />
<b>Role Bonus:</b><br />
Can fit Interdiction Sphere Launchers </blockquote>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1C2pRNIsxg/VRISdp6aMLI/AAAAAAAAB9M/u646gMSUSLk/s1600/2015.03.25.01.40.19.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1C2pRNIsxg/VRISdp6aMLI/AAAAAAAAB9M/u646gMSUSLk/s1600/2015.03.25.01.40.19.png" height="180" width="320" /></a>Immediately we can forget about the role bonus on Interdictors. The illegality of bubbles in lowsec might be a primary reason these ships don't see much action out here, however with a T2 resist profile, improved warp speed over regular destroyers and even frigates, and a solid speed improvement over their T1 counterparts, Dictors have been impressing me lately as extremely good skirmish boats. <br />
<br />
Let's take a look at one possible fit. Full disclosure; I usually operate with Genolution CA-1/CA-2 implants along with a 3% base speed implant and a Zor's Custom for 5% MWD speed boost.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>[Heretic, NX-522]</b><br />
<b><i>Low:</i></b><br />
Damage Control II<br />
Small Ancillary Armor Repairer<br />
Ballistic Control System II<br />
<b><i>Mid:</i></b><br />
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
F-90 Positional Sensor Subroutines<br />
<b><i>High:</i></b><br />
Light Missile Launcher II x7<br />
E5 Prototype Energy Vampire<br />
<b><i>Rigs:</i></b><br />
Small Hydraulic Bay Thrusters I<br />
Small Rocket Fuel Cache Partition I</blockquote>
At current prices, this ship and fit should run in the 60 million ISK range. <br />
<br />
With this fit and relevant skills maxed out, you can expect to do 170 DPS with navy light missiles at 83k (200 DPS with heat) and upwards of 230 DPS at 62k with Fury. You'll have a rate of fire of just over 5.5 seconds and an alpha just over 1000 with navy, and 1300 with fury. The damage is a bit less than a Flycather with kinetic missiles, but unlike the Flycather, you've got your choice of damage and will be doing more DPS with any other damage type. Also, with an 8-3-3 fitting layout, you have more versatility than the Flycatcher's 8-5-1 fitting.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K05VnDjjn0Y/VRgOxslwq2I/AAAAAAAAB9o/5TUprnLI9N0/s1600/2015.03.25.01.39.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K05VnDjjn0Y/VRgOxslwq2I/AAAAAAAAB9o/5TUprnLI9N0/s1600/2015.03.25.01.39.09.png" height="180" width="320" /></a>Speed wise you should expect somewhere in the 2600 range, slower than most frigates, faster than other destroyers, and about on Par with many cruisers. With appropriate links (love or hate them, they are prevalent in lowsec, and if you want to be competitive you'll sometimes need them) you'll get up in the 3300 range for speed. If you're willing to drop the Nos I'm using as a heat sink in the highs, the ship should fit without the Genolutions, and you could go crazy with a snake set.<br />
<br />
The point of this fit isn't to chase so much as it is to keep a respectable distance. With just the small armor rep, you'll be able to hold yourself together against some long range plinks, or a few light drones, but if you get caught in a brawl you're pretty much toast. With the range and speed of your missiles, even most Garmurs will be forced to keep a respectable distance, giving you opportunity to sling shot out if tackled. For the rest, you'll have to use judgement on what distance to keep, but generally if it's slower than you that would be just outside its effective range where you can dictate the fight.<br />
<br />
In small gangs we've been using the Heretic as long range bombardment, usually supported by 1 or 2 interceptors tackling while the heretic provides added fire support from long range. A larger flight of these ships would be absolutely devastating to most small craft gangs that are all the rage in FW lowsec these days.<br />
<br />
In practice, most pilots I've run into while flying my Heretic haven't been too keen on getting in close. With a yellow box at 120k, and a rain of missiles long before they can get in tackle range, most small ships have backed off fairly quickly, and most cruisers don't have the speed to close range on the heretic in a respectable period of time. Cynabals and Orthuss should be avoided unless piloted poorly. My only Heretic loss so far this month? A Svipul that I let get too close, which I can chalk up to cockiness and pilot error on my part.... and maybe a little bit of "Svipul is OP". :)The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-33641621916125318202015-03-25T01:49:00.000+00:002015-03-25T01:59:45.157+00:00ChangesWith the CSM9 term now all but over (we're just waiting for CSM10 to finish getting NDA's sorted until we're officially released) it's just about time to drop politics and get back to the Eve.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Over the next few postings I've got some great topics to cover, including some lowsec survival tips, some fresh ship fits, and something to go over lowsec mining (my posting last year about why no one mines in lowsec is a fairly constant traffic generator, so it seems fair to cobble something up about mining and local production for lowsec markets).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQnQVYyHT2k/UiZkuUPO4_I/AAAAAAAAAG8/OFVSMN97-GU/s1600/MWGbig800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQnQVYyHT2k/UiZkuUPO4_I/AAAAAAAAAG8/OFVSMN97-GU/s1600/MWGbig800.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a>The perspective of things is changing around here as well. For the last 3 years myself and the guys have been flying for Gallente Factional Warfare. As of last weekend, that era is over. We gutted what was left of the alliance, trimmed everything down to 4 pilots, made a couple new friends, and left FW.<br />
<br />
While we still live in the same place in lowsec, this change has cancelled an enforced blue status with a couple thousand active pilots in our area providing us with a far more target rich environment, more fights, and new challenges. Our former friends in Gal Mil (aside from a few confusing moments when standings weren't properly reset) seem just as happy as us to have more potential targets, and there haven't been any hard feelings. The change has had an immediate positive effect on our Eve outlook, and has caused some changes in how we do things.<br />
<br />
Primarily while in FW, income was gained through LP. We now face the challenge of having to earn an honest living. Charlie is hell bent on funding himself solely through piracy. So far, he's doing quite well. As the managing director of Noob Mercs last year, Charlie made a name for himself flying cheaply fit, low SP compatible ships, and actually winning fights with them. There are a lot of people flying around lowsec that make bad fitting decisions, but Tech II and faction mods dropped off poorly fit ships still sell well, and Charlie has racked up 63 kills this week totaling over 6 Billion ISK.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1C2pRNIsxg/VRISdp6aMLI/AAAAAAAAB9I/B_T1f6GRyJI/s1600/2015.03.25.01.40.19.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1C2pRNIsxg/VRISdp6aMLI/AAAAAAAAB9I/B_T1f6GRyJI/s1600/2015.03.25.01.40.19.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well known for it's role in Nullsec, the Heretic has<br />
impressed me as an extremely capable Lowsec fighter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
For myself, I enjoy flying slightly prettier ships than t1 fit destroyers. This week has seen me try both the Sentinel and Heretic for the first time in my Eve career, and I've had buckets of fun with them (I'll talk about each one specifically in future posts this month).<br />
<br />
With a 10 year old character, I've got some skills stashed away in invention and T2 production that I've started to leverage for income purposes. I'm not a hardcore producer by any means, but our home system has a decent market that seems some traffic, and I'm able to sell things for higher profits than I'd be making in saturated highsec markets, even if things take a little longer to sell. With FW system upgrades, goods are also considerably cheaper to build. Once I find a reliable JF service that doesn't try to get me to sign over my first born for a round trip jump costing around 15m ISK in fuel, I'll be golden!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-7572802488716725492015-02-08T01:59:00.000+00:002015-02-08T01:59:45.900+00:00Piercing the Veil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm going to try and keep this post as short and to the point as possible. To bring everyone up to speed, <a href="http://funkybacon.blogspot.com/2015/02/csm9-review-blog.html" target="_blank">last Sunday I published my CSM9 review blog</a>. I Was careful not to say anything that anyone who knows anything about how the CSM really works would find surprising. Aside from focusing on the difficulties I personally had during CSM9's term, I made an attempt to focus on issues that were issues for the entire body, and left as much of my personal baggage out of it as possible. In keeping with my personal rule of not speaking for other members of CSM9, I kept the specific examples I used to things I had personally dealt with, though some context was obviously lost due to not mentioning a certain other issue that I had to deal with.<br />
<br />
CCP Leeloo didn't like what I had to say, though since I had given her a heads up of what was coming 3 weeks in advance (basically a concurrence of a lot of the things Sion had to say) she can't have been shocked or surprised. As a result of <a href="https://twitter.com/ccp_leeloo/status/561927336841728001" target="_blank">her tweet</a>, my blog post went to something that likely would have been read strictly by CSM enthusiasts and my own following (something like this is usually good for 2500-3000 hits), to something that generated over 13,000 hits in less than 2 days and a veritable shit storm covered on Eve websites, podcasts, and social media.<br />
<br />
The message of my original blog was overshadowed by Leeloo and I slapping each other on the internet like a couple of high school kids, I felt bad, <a href="http://funkybacon.blogspot.com/2015/02/aftermath-of-pissing-contest.html" target="_blank">and apologized for my reaction</a>.<br />
<br />
Then <a href="http://www.legacyofacapsuleer.com/" target="_blank">Legacy of a Capsuleer</a> came calling, and asked for an interview. I obliged. During that interview, I touched very briefly on an incident that had a lot of bearing on my term as a member of CSM, but because I didn't want to drag the whole CSM into this drama, I left a lot of specifics out and moved on quickly to other things. <a href="http://www.legacyofacapsuleer.com/mp3/LOAC_ep_17.mp3" target="_blank">You can listen to that interview here.</a><br />
<br />
Then on Thursday afternoon, Sion caught me on skype and provided a transcript of an article that was to be published the following day on <a href="http://themittani.com/">TheMittani.com</a>. I had to thank Sion for at least giving me more notice of his article going live than CCP gave us for a lot of planned changes to the game. After reading his article, I had to admit that <a href="http://www.themittani.com/features/transparency-and-funkybacon" target="_blank">it was a largely fair and factual accounting of what had happened this term.</a><br />
<br />
I questioned the wisdom of breaking the "Code of Silence" with regards to inside drama, because if the lid cracks enough on the things that happened this year, I'd be concerned for a lot more dirty laundry getting aired than just mine. I'll be off the CSM in a few weeks, but some of these guys will presumably have to try and work together for another year. There's also the chance that I'll have to make some room in the dog house for him if there are internal issues that CCP takes on breaking this sort of story. Certainly, <a href="http://crossingzebras.com/on-transparency/" target="_blank">Xander is already up in arms.</a><br />
<br />
Last night, after finishing up with a special music guest on our <a href="http://eve-radio.com/" target="_blank">Eve Radio</a> show, I went over the rest of the drama that everyone got to read about on TMC. I filled in some blanks, but had nothing to say to contradict anything he wrote. If you are a glutton for punishment, I'll link the soundcloud of that section of the show below. It includes a step by step accounting of this year's happenings from my perspective, and I answered some questions people had. I've told people that if there's any clarifications that are needed, feel free to hit me up on twitter, eve-mail or even in the blog comments below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="150" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/190013610&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
From here on out, there's really nothing left to say. If I have an issue worth commenting on before the end of the term, I'll make a post or tweet about it, otherwise, I'm looking forward to just talking about Eve in a couple of weeks. I'm really excited to talk about a couple new PVP fits I've been field testing, among other things. The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-4248841420567018992015-02-02T10:30:00.000+00:002015-02-02T10:30:02.242+00:00Aftermath of a Pissing ContestI made a <a href="http://funkybacon.blogspot.com/2015/02/csm9-review-blog.html" target="_blank">blog post yesterday to review CSM9s term</a>. The goal was to draw public attention to a plight that has been with the CSM since the beginning of the CSM. I was not the first, but the second member of CSM9 to make mention of CCPs consistent misuse of the body, though I was by far less diplomatic in the way I told the story. It's my style, I don't pull punches, and I say what I mean. I'm often blunt, and this can hurt feelings. <br />
<br />
For the first few hours after release of yesterday's blog, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Comments were left on the blog, and I got many lovely messages from past CSM members thanking me for putting it out there. I got thumbs up from fellow bloggers and other Eve Media types for dropping an honest telling of the issues facing the CSM outside of the rosy light the term has been typically painted in. Many of these people were not surprised by what they read because, as I mentioned before, I wasn't the first to say these things this term.<br />
<br />
Then CCP Leeloo read what I had to say. I must have struck a nerve, because her public response on twitter wasn't to refute anything that was said, but rather an attempt to marginalize my opinion with a statement that was misleading at best, and patently false at worst. My response to her attack is something (as Rixx Javix predicted) I am now looking back on with no small degree of regret, because in an effort to defend myself, I took focus away from the message I was originally trying to convey and allowed this to become about me.<br />
<br />
The slew of personal attacks that followed in the wake of the twitter and reddit drama yesterday were to be expected. I've been a public figure on the internet too long now to let some trolling and faceless people on the internet flinging bad words get to me, but I must apologize to all of you because my response was indeed not the high road I should have taken.<br />
<br />
I am truly sorry for that.<br />
<br />
I will however, take vindication that while my character was assaulted almost non stop, not a single person stood up to say that anything I had claimed in the post that started all this was false. Many people agreed with it, a bunch of folks engaged in personal attacks, and the rest were just silent. The array of responses should be telling in itself.<br />
<br />
When it comes down to it, my hope with that blog is that CCP takes a hard look at how they utilize the CSM, because the CSM doesn't have the capability to wedge their way in themselves no matter how nice OR forcefully they express themselves. There is no rule that any CCP employee aside from the CSM coordinator has to talk to the CSM, and nor should there be. What there should be is a desire to talk with and include the CSM more, because the many minds will only make the whole stronger.<br />
<br />
For myself, I will continue to represent lowsec and the highsec gankers and scammers as I have for the remainder of the term (in private when possible, and in the forum of public opinion when necessary). I don't think there is anything left on the table this term anyway right now of importance for either of those crowds, so this will likely be my last CSM9 posting.<br />
<br />
Once the term is up, I'll go back to my old role as a member of Eve's media community with a greater understanding of the CSM than I had back in April. DJ Big Country is not a man I have many agreements with, but he made a great point to me today about how much CSM and media duties can conflict and create drama when mixed together. In the media we're used to being able to have any discussion on any topic quite freely, to interview and talk to anyone, and we're not held up with concerns for the NDA or who's feelings we might brush providing we're doing our jobs properly.<br />
<br />
There was a time when I was lauded for my approach to the issues facing Eve, and I'm looking forward to getting back to those roots once I shake off the bitter I've collected over the last 9 months.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-6708792691571730312015-02-01T17:28:00.003+00:002015-02-01T17:29:45.120+00:00A Response to CCP Leeloo As expected, my blog popst this morning was not well recieved by CCP. I had attempted to keep specific incidents not pertaining to me out of it and keep things general, however CCP Leeloo decided to drop the gauntlet on twitter a short time ago calling me out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BahJXMzJhsY/VM5g-ESGlNI/AAAAAAAAB0c/gw502nSvCRY/s1600/leeloo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BahJXMzJhsY/VM5g-ESGlNI/AAAAAAAAB0c/gw502nSvCRY/s1600/leeloo.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My response obviously took longer than 120 characters to create, as when refuting an outright lie, one must sometimes cite specifics. I made a twitlonger post, but have got reports from some people that they were having trouble viewing it. I will quote it below, though will likely fix a typo or 2.<br />
<br />
I will finish by saying that if CCP Leeloo or other staffers at CCP would really like to have the full drama dropped in the public, I'll be more than happy to oblige with far more specific commentary. My initial hope was to show the issues facing the CSM as a whole more than my own personal issues and I focused on those issues that have affected everyone, and was hoping to leave it at that. It appears however, that we may not be done here.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>@ccp_leeloo #tweetfleet Ok, so you want to talk about logging into
confluence. First, I didn't bring up confluence because I assumed that
particular site was NDA. I have actually logged in several times, and
every time someone from CCP deigns to notify the CSM of an entry
requiring review. Your claim that I haven't logged in is patently false
and I dare say <b>a lie</b>. I don't always have something to say, because hey,
why waste breath if it's not something directly affecting lowsec or my
highsec ganker bros, it's not like the teams heed the advice before the
trolls get hold of it. </i>
<i><br /><br />
You will however find my most recent comment (in confluence) on the 25th
of January regarding a feedback issue which I am quite sure is still
under NDA. I find that to be quite amazing for a guy that never logs
into confluence to read and give feedback on proposed changes though.</i>
<i><br /><br />
Before that, I was in to review the daily minutes at the summit I was
mostly unable to attend due to work requirements, and before that
confluence was barely used, much like the internal forum that did not
see a single dev post from mid december until AFTER the summit, though
myself and other posted questions for you guys that went unanswered. </i>
<i><br /><br />As far as meetings, it's extremely hard to make a Friday 2pm GMT (9am
Local) meeting when you work a 9 to 5 job. I believe I have asked more
than once for earlier meetings that I might alarm clock for (say 10am
GMT) but when you deign to threaten other members of the CSM with "The
FunkyBacon Treatment" for having a less than rosy outlook on the
happenings of the CSM, I'm not surprised one bit that accommodation was
never made. I do make a point however, to review and watch the video
recordings you send us through e-mail.<br /><br />
Your move.</i></blockquote>
The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-58810035784374798562015-02-01T11:00:00.000+00:002015-02-01T13:55:35.313+00:00CSM9 Review Blog<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And since it fell unto my lot that I should rise and you should not, I'll gently rise and softly call: good night and joy be to you all!</i> - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcSqI1KZiLI" target="_blank">The Parting Glass</a></blockquote>
A few concerned members of Eve's community have pointed out to me that only 7 of CSM9's 14 members wrote anything for the official <a href="http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/csm-9-review/" target="_blank">CSM 9 Year in Review</a> blog. Where, it was wondered, were the other 7? I can't speak for the other 6, but for myself, I've been so disillusioned with the entire process this year that I didn't bother. It's simply not worth it, and the amount of fucks I have left aren't enough to go through the effort to write something to hand to CCP so they can "clean it up" and drop it on an official dev blog that might get as much traffic as my blog when I don't write anything new for 3 months.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a5xD3lLuY0o/VM14yXSsRWI/AAAAAAAAB0E/WgjMEJlmztQ/s1600/you_can_change_the_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a5xD3lLuY0o/VM14yXSsRWI/AAAAAAAAB0E/WgjMEJlmztQ/s1600/you_can_change_the_world.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
When I decided to run for the CSM last year, I didn't have any grand delusions about changing the world of Eve or making huge waves in the development process like some of the fresh faced people running for CSMX seem to have. I've worked with CCP and the CSM enough in the past as a member of the Eve media community to have a basic understanding of how the process works, however even <i>my</i> muted expectations were dashed by the end of the summer summit.<br />
<br />
I originally wrote this blog entry a couple weeks back. I attempted to skirt around the NDA and give as many examples of the futility the CSM faces on a regular basis as I could, but going back over it and looking back on those members of the past who have both publicly and privately decried this storied institution, it seems ill advised to test the waters with specifics. As a result, I've scrapped the old entry entirely, and made a new one from scratch.<br />
<br />
Allow me to sum this up as plainly as possible without pointing fingers at anyone specific or dropping anything that might be clasified as proprietary or confidential information. For 2 weeks per year, during the summits, the CSM matters. If you're a fan of reading the minutes, you can see that many teams sit down to meet with the CSM and give progress on what's being worked on, discussions are had and there is some semblance that the CSM has value.<br />
<br />
The people who get flown out to Iceland (and it's not a free vacation despite what anyone on the outside may claim) get a day to shake off the jet lag, and are then immersed in meetings every day with some cool off time at night. For those of us who can't make the trip, we're invited to attend remotely. Though getting a word in edgewise is considerably more difficult than it is for those actually in the meeting room, effort is made to relay our typed messages to the speakers in the room, and you'll usually see something from us in the minutes as a result.<br />
<br />
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Outside of the 2 summits, communication from the vast majority of CCP to the CSM is practically non existent unless there's some sort of crisis (SOMERblink 2 for example). The CSM IS a stake holder on one team, so communication there is pretty decent at least.<br />
<br />
During the 6 week release cycle, as much as half the patch notes (if not more) are seen by the CSM at the same time as the rest of the Eve community. Many changes that are put in front of the CSM for "feedback" are shown mere hours before being released on the F&I forums or in dev blogs giving no time for meaningful feedback, or to make any changes to the initial offering based on that feedback. Outside of maybe fixing a typo or the wording of a sentence, changes are often dropped to the community almost untouched from what was shown to the CSM.<br />
<br />
Some people might think of this as a scathing attack on CCP, but I don't think the majority of the CSM's misuse has been due to a negative attitude at CCP. I honestly believe that for many devs, they might feel intimidated presenting something to the CSM, like their work is being put on trial to be judged. I have to put a disclaimer on that statement that no one at CCP has said as much to me about feeling intimidated, but it's certainly one of the vibes I've gotten over the course of the term.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, when the CSM is bypassed entirely, or feedback is unable to be acted upon because of the short amount of time between when the CSM gets the info and when it goes public, many of the changes to proposed developments (take Freighter changes earlier in the year, or the Nullsec jump nerf for example) are a result of angry mobs on the forums, bloggers, and writers for the various eve related news sites lashing back at CCP. Many of the changes made may have been suggested by the CSM before the original post went public, and had the CSM been listened to or utilized properly, much of the trolling and negative backlashes would have been avoided entirely.<br />
<br />
Instead what we have here is something that TheMittani learned long ago and holds true to this day: The people who are able to shape and direct the discussion of Eve on the outside have far more influence on the development process than the CSM does.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhKsBPqwDgw/U4uqY8gL1GI/AAAAAAAAAbc/dLX8x8omGxw/s1600/ripard_teg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhKsBPqwDgw/U4uqY8gL1GI/AAAAAAAAAbc/dLX8x8omGxw/s1600/ripard_teg.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love or hate him, this man's blog probably changed Eve <br />
more than his efforts as CSM8's Vice Chair.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Looking back at the Erotica1 situation last year, Ripard Teg the CSM member was incapable of convincing CCP to act against the Bonus Room's shenanigans, but Ripard Teg the blogger was able to whip up a community backlash so severe that CCP had little choice but to cave E1's skull in with the ban hammer in what turned into a public spectacle.<br />
<br />
Before I even thought of running for the CSM myself, I was one of the voices able to influence the balancing of T1 haulers, and had more effect on that balance pass than I've had on any balance pass since I've been on the CSM. <br />
<br />
Between the summer summit and the release of the minutes, I bashed my face into a proverbial brick wall
to get a compromise on the highsec awox nerf and got nowhere. Minutes
were released, myself and others wrote some blogs about the issue, and a bit of backlash hit. A couple weeks later I joined CCP Fozzie on DJ Big
Country's show on Eve Radio where it was FINALLY
revealed that CCP was considering making intra corp aggression a toggle.
I wanted to scream in frustration because I'd been advocating that for
months at that point, and to think I could have skipped 2 months of
frustration and just jumped on the issue when the minutes went public was the last straw. The fact is, CCP might hear what the CSM has to say, but they heed the community mob.<br />
<br />
So for those who have asked, the reason you won't be seeing my name on a CSM ballot anytime in the foreseeable future is because if you have a blog, podcast, or write for a news site, there's really no reason to be on the CSM. If CCP continues to bypass the CSM or give hardly any time for them to react to changes, I can be a far more effective voice for the community without the restraints put in place by the NDA and an unspoken rule to "play nice". Goodness knows I'll be getting my info either at the same time or within hours of it being presented to CSMX, and won't have to deal with any internal blow back because I went off message.<br />
<br />
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It's true that my bittervet level this year has increased by a factor of at least 10, and the tone of this blog has gone increasingly negative as time has gone on. I had a rant on Eve Radio a few weeks ago about being out of fucks, and considered aloud giving up on this game entirely, that's how much this CSM term has dragged me down. When it comes right down to it, by itself Eve would be a pretty shit game, however the community that has attached itself to it makes it something greater than the sum of its coded parts.<br />
<br />
If this was just about a game, I'd have probably peaced out a long time ago, but the game is merely a tool that we all use to interact with one another. That's why you see so many people give Eve a try and then quit days or weeks later. You'll be reading some news article about the largest internet space battle in history, and see them lamenting in the comments section telling us how they were never able to get into the game.<br />
<br />
They don't get it. Many of you reading these words today do.<br />
<br />
What makes Eve amazing, and what has kept me around for 11 1/2 years isn't new art or spaceships, or a balance pass. Those things, if done well, help to keep things a bit fresh, but what keeps me subbed and playing this game are the people I play it with. Most of the people I play Eve with have never been in the same room as me. We live all over the world, speak different languages in our daily lives, have a multitude of cultural backgrounds, and yet I consider these space bros and sisters as much my friends as anyone I've ever hung out with in person. I have played many games over the years, and in no other game have I made that connection with the other people I've played with.<br />
<br />
In the sandbox, you have to be able to make your own fun, and it helps immensely to have other people to make that fun with... and against. With that in mind, and being completely honest, CCP Rise and Fozzie could completely cock up the next 3 ship rebalance passes and I'd still be playing.They probably won't though, because even if CCP continues to misuse the CSM, the bloggers, podcasters, news sites, and even the forum trolls will still be around to help feed the discussions and give voices to the players.<br />
<br />
For myself, I'm looking forward to getting back into Eve with friends, and shaking off some of this CSM bitterness. I'll see you in space!The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-57196599352850069162014-11-11T22:00:00.000+00:002014-11-11T22:00:01.578+00:00The o\ Show Recap Part II: Clone Costs and Escape Pod... Escapes.<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Welcome to part 2 of my blog coverage of last weekend's The o\ Show on Eve Radio. Yesterday I went over the first half of the show discussing Awoxing, wardecs and new Player Retention. Today we'll go over the second half covering clone costs, death penalties, and escape pod mechanics. If you would like to view the entire broadcast for yourself, it can be viewed on twitch <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/everadiolive/c/5462343" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Now we come to the very
thing that inspired The o\ Show, the removal of clone costs.
Many people have looked at me askew over this. Why would I be in support
of a "death tax"? People with a lot of skill points pay a LOT of money
to replace a clone, and it deters older players in nullsec from flying
cheap disposable ships that cost a fraction of their pods.<br />
<br />
Live
polling on the show revealed that, unsurprisingly, the vast majority of
our audience was in favor of the removal of clone costs. Charlie, who
is a member of Brave Newbies was especially vocal in his support of this
change. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rF7qP7q4qNc/VGD9Rs7pMDI/AAAAAAAABoo/JGKhwK4ru0w/s1600/dead-body.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rF7qP7q4qNc/VGD9Rs7pMDI/AAAAAAAABoo/JGKhwK4ru0w/s1600/dead-body.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>As my present main was created in January of
2005, I am keenly aware of these clone costs. Without my FW discount, a
replacement clone for me costs around 45 million ISK, but as I fly in
lowsec, this is not an issue, much as it isn't an issue for anyone in
lowsec that flies around with over a billion ISK of implants in their
heads. Even a single 3% implant costs more than the vast majority of
pilot's clones that are flying around in space right now.<br />
<br />
If
the cost of a clone is not a big deal for people flying in lowsec, but
is a huge deal for people in nullsec who are by and large hugely in
favor of this change, what gives? The answer is likely to be found in
the risks involved.<br />
<br />
Using my lowsec alliance as an
example, of our nearly 55,000 kills, 5,400 of those are escape pods,
just a hair under 10%. We've also lost slightly over 18,000 ships, of
which just over 2100 of those were escape pods, or around 12%. Just a
cursory glance at numbers for large nullsec groups like Goonswarm
Federation (29.6% of kills are pods, and 27.6% of losses) and Northern
Coalition. (23.8% of kills, 30.9% of losses) reveals the start of the
issue here. No one will be shocked to know that pilots are far more
likely to lose a pod in nullsec than in Lowsec, but even these numbers
are misleading.<br />
<br />
Since a 50% ratio of pods killed vs
ships would mean basically a 100% chance of pod death on ship
destruction, a 30% ratio of pod losses should equate roughly to a 60%
chance of losing a pod once your ship goes down. I will freely admit
that the math might be a little more complicated than it seems at first
glance though, and does not take into account that some losses these
groups incur are in lowsec and highsec. With that in mind the actual %
chance of pod death while in nullsec is likely much higher than these
numbers can account for, I just don't have access to the data.<br />
<br />
While
the number for my lowsec alliance are a bit more accurate for our area
of space (since we hardly ever have cause to leave it) another thing to
consider is that people who fly more expensive pods in lowsec are far
less likely to lose them than the 10% ratio would suggest. For myself, I
lose approximately 1 pod for every 30 ships I lose. Flying with a
billion ISK plugged into my head, you can imagine I've gotten quite
adept at spamming the warp button once I realize a fight is lost.
Sometimes my ship goes down too fast to react, lag happens, or <a href="http://zkillboard.com/character/91049805/stats/" target="_blank">Santo Trafficante</a>
(lowsec pirate specializing in escape pod destruction, nearly 60% of
his 18,000 kills are pods) sees me warp off and is waiting for me when I
land, but aside from that, I have a very good chance of getting my pod
back home.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdM4NVVKvbI/VGD_Hf3anPI/AAAAAAAABpE/RMEEOiZe-io/s1600/death-scene_v001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdM4NVVKvbI/VGD_Hf3anPI/AAAAAAAABpE/RMEEOiZe-io/s1600/death-scene_v001.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a>Interestingly, the same people attending the
o\ Show that were hugely in support of getting rid of clone costs, also
voted in a 2-1 ratio that Escape pods having such a low rate of
survival in nullsec is a larger problem than clones costing money. Even
Charlie, our most vocal supporter of the change was given pause when
asked the same question.<br />
<br />
Here's my problem with this
change: Clone costs are being lauded as a dumb mechanic, a death tax
that serves no purpose than to cost people money. People risk the ship,
they lose that, and then they lose their pod as an added bonus. This
change, it is said, will encourage more people to risk PVP in nullsec.
The fact is that this change doesn't encourage risk, it removes it.<br />
<br />
People
that wouldn't risk a 30 million ISK pod before the change are not
likely to risk taking out a HAC or T3 cruiser after the change any more
than they were before it. They may "risk" flying in a t1 frigate or
destroyer after the change.<br />
<br />
For a 5 million SP pilot in
Brave Newbies, losing a clone means a cost of 175 thousand isk, which
to my veteran eyes seems awfully paltry. In fact, to exceed a clone cost
of even 1 million ISK one must purchase a clone that holds over 25
million SP, and is still less than the cost of the fully T1 fit derptron we throw away by the dozen in lowsec.<br />
<br />
For
a guy like me with a main that's nearly 10 years old, nullsec would
ABSOLUTELY be a pain in the ass. At 45 million ISK a pop, and better
than 60% chance of losing it, pods start to add up. Putting that in
perspective, and looking at the fact that clone costs are a non
consideration in areas of space where escape is more likely, is the
issue at hand the fact that clones cost money, or is it that losing your
escape pod is nearly a guarantee in nullsec if you lose your ship?<br />
<br />
People
say that there are no interesting choices when it comes to clones. You
must purchase one that will hold all of SP, and this is true. They don't
really do much else except hold your implants. In lowsec we have a
choice. When I lose my ship, I have to weigh out the cost of my clone
versus the convenience of instant travel home via the pod express.<br />
<br />
At
45 million ISK, I am very unlikely to prefer taking the pod express
over making 10 or 15 jumps back to my home station. If given the choice
of making the trip manually or taking it for free however, I'm much more
likely to sit back, activate self destruct, and hope that someone comes
along to pop me before the timer runs out to save even more time! As a
lowsec PVPer, I really don't WANT my victim to sit still in their pod
and type in local "Pod pls" just before the self destruct notification
goes off. In nullsec there should be some incentive for self
preservation as well.<br />
<br />
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Now don't get me wrong, I'm not
suggesting that the present mechanic is not in need of improvement. It
is in need of an overhaul. For one, loss of skill points AND money is
definitely too harsh. While I've never lost SP because I forgot to
upgrade my clone, I know i am in the minority there. Getting rid of the
SP penalty is definitely a good idea. For another, something needs to be
done to give "escape" pods a chance to actually escape in nullsec.<br />
<br />
Bubble
immunity is one idea on the table. I've heard the cries that this would
make pods "impossible" to catch in nullsec. In lowsec we have no such
tools to catch pods and yet we kill plenty. Some folks, like Santo
Trafficante, have made careers out of catching and destroying large
numbers of very expensive pods. This change alone would be far more
likely to encourage people in nullsec to fly with much more expensive
pods, than removing clone costs entirely will. Surely pod deaths will go
down, but would ISK destroyed from pod deaths go down with it? For my
fellow PVPers, would you rather nail 1 pod with a billion in implants
plugged in it's head or 30 empties?<br />
<br />
For those
vehemently opposed to bubble immunity for pods, what about a decent base
speed for them that would allow them to burn out of a bubble given a
short time if no one in a small ship were there to pick them off?
Changing base speed might also affect align time slightly, giving fast
lockers more of a chance to catch pods.<br />
<br />
These are just two options among many to help increase the chance of a pod escaping conflict
in nullsec, and bringing a small choice back into space combat: Is the
cost of death worth the convenience of instant travel back to base? Sometimes the negative consequences of an action ARE the incentive not to let it happen, and an instinct for self preservation isn't a bad thing.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-33557743428943195162014-11-10T18:02:00.000+00:002014-11-10T18:16:05.541+00:00The o\ Show Recap Part 1: Awoxing, Wardecs, and New Player RetentionThis past Friday night/Saturday morning we had one hell of a show on Eve Radio. Elijah Ghost, Charlie Firpol, Zeratha and I donned some of our best formal attire for the evening and engaged in a dual live broadcast (audio only through ER for those playing games or listening on the go from their phones, and a live webcam feed through twitch for those few with less divided attentions).<br />
<br />
For the evening we had 2 main talking points (which lead to several smaller discussions) and had occasional breaks to go over progress in a prize giveaway we were also doing at the time. For an Eve Radio first, we also featured a new live polling system to help give live feedback on the various topics being discussed.<br />
<br />
This posting will be the first of 2 covering the main topics of the broadcast. I was originally going to make 1 post, but it got to be quite long, and the topics are different enough to each warrant their own post. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the elimination of clone costs and escape pod mechanics.<br />
<br />
If you would like to view the original broadcast for yourself, you can view it on twitch <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/everadiolive/c/5462343" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br />
<h4>
The AWOX Dilema</h4>
<br />
We started things off this week on familiar ground, though the discussion took a turn from the previous week and I was able to keep my cool through most of it. Unsurprisingly, through live polling the majority of our listeners were in favor of the removal of highsec awoxing from the game. This is something I understand, even if I don't agree with it. The reason I don't agree with the change is because I also the issue that CCP is attempting to solve with this change, with the further understanding that this change will NOT solve the issue on its own and further changes will be needed to reach the goal.<br />
<br />
What is the goal, you ask? Quite simply, the reason for the removal of highsec Awoxing is to make players in high sec feel safer about joining a player corporation. It is designed to make a player corporation more attractive of a destination to new players, and make more veteran carebears feel safer about inviting new players into their group.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g-n75gkvI8w/VGD9RtCZAAI/AAAAAAAABos/KRB_Ob7LZdE/s1600/rubicon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g-n75gkvI8w/VGD9RtCZAAI/AAAAAAAABos/KRB_Ob7LZdE/s1600/rubicon.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a>Corp infiltration and theft are still going to be an issue, even I would consider it to be a minor concern. I mean, if you don't trust people not to Awox you, you're certainly not going to give them access to anything in your corporation, but at least you'll let them into your chat channel, maybe teach them how to play the game and be afraid of anything risky.<br />
<br />
The major issue still in play however is present wardec mechanics. Live polling on the show this week showed that the same people in favor of removing highsec awoxing also agree that the threat of wardecs is a larger deterrent to people gathering in player corporations in highsec. While being in an NPC corp gives someone Concord protection from intra-corp awoxing, it also gives the much larger benefit of making them immune from highsec wardecs.<br />
<br />
It's a known issue that a primarily industrial corporation based in highsec does not have the ways or means to defend itself against a larger, more PVP oriented group of players, and these guys are prime targets for groups like the highsec wardec alliance Marmite Collective. Marmite is not the ONLY group that does this, but they are one of the most prominent.<br />
<br />
Some of you will remember the story I told on the blog last week (and retold with a bit more detail on The o\ Show this past weekend) where I created a new account and posed as a new player in Eve. Despite fears of awoxing, I managed to get accepted into a highsec industry corp. That corporation then formed an alliance with another corporation and within 24 hours was wardecced by Marmite Collective, who likely saw them on a list of newly formed alliances in Eve.<br />
<br />
The alliance leader promptly sent a mail to everyone instructing them to dock up for the duration of the wardec, and everyone followed the advice. For the next 2 weeks, hardly anyone logged in, hardly anyone undocked in anything bigger than a shuttle, no one was talking, and I got bored and decided not to pay the next month's sub for that account. I wasn't the only one that didn't come back either.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Player Retention and Protecting the Newbies: One Possible Solution</h4>
<br />
It has been toted as fact that players that get engaged socially while playing Eve are far more likely to stick around than those that never leave an NPC corp and don't get involved socially. It is an apparent directive of CCP to make player run corporations a more attractive venue for players to congregate in than NPC corps. If CCP is going to be serious about this, then the removal of highsec awoxing can only be the next step on the yellow brick road to new player retention. Until wardecs and other forms of intra-corp risk outside awoxing can be eliminated, player corporations will continue to be sub-optimal destinations for new and/or defenseless players when considered next to an NPC corporation.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wur_9Q_RKk4/VGD9RhEdL4I/AAAAAAAABok/hepbxqmF7mQ/s1600/butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wur_9Q_RKk4/VGD9RhEdL4I/AAAAAAAABok/hepbxqmF7mQ/s1600/butterfly.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>There was a solution to this, but I did not bring up on the show until I was able to be clear whether it was covered under NDA or not. Upon talking with other members of the CSM, the solution in one form or another has been blogged about already by others, so I should be clear to at least drop my version of the solution here for public consumption and consideration. For the record, I am not sure whether this solution, or others like it are being considered by CCP or not. You would need to ask them if something like this is on the table.<br />
<br />
The idea is something called Corp Lite. This is a player corporation, but is mechanically different from corporations as we have them now. The idea is to leave corporations in the game as they are now, awoxing and all, and create this new type of corp. Corp Lite has some serious benefits over a regular corporation, but it also has some detractors. I think a bullet point list will illustrate this best:<br />
<br />
Corp Lite Benefits:<br />
<ul>
<li>Immune to wardecs</li>
<li>Can set standings like any other corporation. Makes forming fleets with other groups easier.</li>
<li>No intra-corp aggression without Concord response (in highsec)</li>
<li>Has corporate chat channel and any other <i>social</i> tools available to regular corps.</li>
<li>Individuals can create contracts that can be completed by any member of the corp lite.</li>
<li>Would have a 1 time option to convert to a regular corp. Cannot convert back to lite once conversion has been made. </li>
</ul>
Corp Lite Disadvantages:<br />
<ul>
<li>Can not rent corporate offices. (Reduces chance of corp theft)</li>
<li>Can not own a POS</li>
<li>Can not own a POCO </li>
<li>Can not join Factional Warfare</li>
<li>Can not join an alliance</li>
<li>Can not hold Sov.</li>
<li>Since there is no corp wallet or tax, should cost something to maintain, TBD. </li>
</ul>
So there you have it. A step up from an NPC corp, player controlled, would work well for mining and basic industry. As CCP seems to be a big fan lately of doing whatever is easiest, whether something like this would get implemented or not I fear will depend on whether it's easier to nerf the other stuff or code for a new type of corporation. A lot of support from the player base might go a ways to convince CCP as well.<br />
<br />
Of course we're left with the dilemma that many people in Eve get a lot of enjoyment out of causing grief to highsec carebears, and there is a strong griefer culture in Eve. This was brought up by a listener on the show, and I was forced to agree that some people who are new to the game are likely turned off by this and don't continue playing as a result of it. The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-22109120795304920892014-11-07T10:00:00.000+00:002014-11-07T11:49:37.784+00:00FunkyBacon's o\ Show. 00:00 GMT on Eve RadioThe spate of changes announced in the last week have inspired me to change the name of our weekly broadcast on Eve Radio. Today CCP announced on their second o7 show the introduction of a new "feature" for the next point release named Rhea. The feature is that they're getting rid of all clone grades and the costs associated with them.<br />
<br />
On the surface many people are seeing this as a great change. People in nullsec will finally want to fly on frigate roams because they're clones will not dwarf the cost of their ships! Risk averse PvPers will risk ships now where they would not risk empty pods before!<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bjKVsI805Hk/UlC2Zbo_FyI/AAAAAAAAALM/mPrJmTa3VeE/s1600/triple-facepalm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bjKVsI805Hk/UlC2Zbo_FyI/AAAAAAAAALM/mPrJmTa3VeE/s1600/triple-facepalm.jpg" height="195" width="320" /></a>On our next show, tonight at Midnight GMT (That's Friday night for those in North America, and Saturday AM for those in Europe) we'll be launching our first o\ Show** where we'll get to talk about lazy game design that completely misses the mark of solving the <i>actual</i> "unintuitive," "bad," and "arbitrary," game play that is the culprit here. (Hint: It isn't a few million ISK to replace a clone)<br />
<br />
You'll be able to tune in live at <a href="http://eve-radio.com/">http://eve-radio.com</a> when we get things fired up at midnight. Should you miss the festivities, we'll make the show available for easy listening later.<br />
<br />
For those of you that would like a bit more than another FunkyBacon rant, we'll also be finding some ways to give out some cool prizes, like a couple plex, and a really sweet faction fit Legion I was gifted by one of the high sec Awoxers that is canceling his account due to the impending Awox nerf we talked about last week.<br />
<br />
See you at midnight!<br />
<br />
** While the o7 is common Eve ASCII slang for a salute, o\ for the unaware would be someone slapping themselves in the face, or otherwise face palming.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-5863656542373544252014-11-02T10:00:00.000+00:002014-11-02T14:48:38.678+00:00The Death Knell of Awoxing<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<i>Before I go any further, I want to make plain that I am 100% behind
the CEO of a corp having the ability to kick someone from their corp
immediately, even if they are in space. If immediate is not possible,
then "queuing" someone for a kick the moment they dock, or when downtime
hits should be made available. I'm all for a good awoxing, but I don't
think an awoxer terrorizing a corp for days on end just because they
never dock, go offline, and can get back on within seconds of downtime
ending is a good idea.</i></blockquote>
<br />
By now people have had a chance to read the recently released CSM minutes, and the cat is out of the bag that the AWOXer community is about to get tossed out the airlock. Judging from the fact that I seem to have been about the only person in that meeting (I think Ali may have had a few words to say against it as well, but I can't recall) that was against the corp aggression change, it's a safe bet that this will get pushed through, possibly as soon as the next release after Pheobe.<br />
<br />
For some of you, the 150+ pages of the minutes may have been a TLDR snore fest, so I'll break this one down for you simply: CCP has proposed that aggression against corpmates will now trigger a Concord response in highsec. It is also likely, that with this tied into crime watch, those same aggressive actions taken against corpmates in FW will trigger the requisite factional standings losses and security status hits that come along with shooting a fellow member of militia that is not already a suspect or criminal.<br />
<br />
The reasons given for this change vary a bit. If I had my Game Dev Buzzword Bingo card handy, I could check off the "unintuitive gameplay" box for sure. Despite the mechanic being in place for the entirety of Eve's existence, somehow people still have a hard time wrapping their heads around why people within a corporation can shoot at each other. The reality of it is probably some limitation within the old crime watch system made it easier to allow corp members to shoot at one another than the alternative. I doubt anyone is left at the company that was involved in this particular bit of programming that could explain the "why" of it. It has just always been.<br />
<br />
It's a "confusing mechanic" for new players gets tossed around a lot as well. The protection of newbies in Eve is a very popular call lately. It's right up there with protecting baby seals and saving whales, which sounds really altruistic and good on the surface, but we also have to remember that this is Eve, and very few veteran players are REALLY interested in saving newbies. When a high ranking member of Goonswarm for example touts that line, I'm always given pause. I have lots of nice things to say about goons. I've been fans of them since their noob days bowling around nullsec in velator blobs. One nice thing I have never been able to say about high ranking members of Goonswarm (until now) is that they are benevolent protectors of anyone that flies outside of their circle of trust we call the CFC.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LK_nSxfCX0/UjuBQ-e9ikI/AAAAAAAAAJM/lUBGFX9Y_SU/s1600/clever-girl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LK_nSxfCX0/UjuBQ-e9ikI/AAAAAAAAAJM/lUBGFX9Y_SU/s1600/clever-girl2.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a>I don't mean to pick on Goons specifically here, but my point is that the people being protected the most by this change are not new players. New players typically don't fly ships worth Awoxing. I've never heard a soundcloud of a 3 month old player losing his shit after getting his thorax blown up by a corp mate. I HAVE heard some great ones of people losing multi billion ISK missioning bling boats.<br />
<br />
Noob Mercs is a corporation that I have been involved with in one capacity or another since it's inception in 2008. It is a training corp for players new to Eve, and also for carebears looking to learn a thing or two about PVP. Noob Mercs has an open recruitment policy. There are no API checks, or background inquiries before pilots are allowed to join. This is, of course, "counter intuitive" to how most corporations handle recruitment. Quite literally anyone can get accepted, and join and leave as they like. I made some inquiries to see how much of an epidemic Awoxing has been for these guys, and in 6 years of operation there has been exactly one incident of Awoxing where one pilot lost a 40 million ISK Comet. Other situations have arisen where people needed to be forcefully ejected from the corporation due to various forms of ass hattery, but of Awoxing, it was just that one time.<br />
<br />
Let's break this down:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Years of Operation: 6</li>
<li>Members: 300+</li>
<li>Recruitment: Completely Open. No API or Background Checks</li>
<li>Times free form corp agression has been used for training purposes: Too many to count.</li>
<li>Awox Incidents: 1 </li>
</ul>
So what gives? Part of the reason for the lack of Awoxing has to due with the PVP focus of the corp. These are not the kind of new players that get too upset about losing a ship, and tear potential is minimal. The other part of the reason is that Awoxers aren't looking to kill newbies in t1 frigs and cruisers. Anyone that takes the profession seriously is out looking for the big score, a blinged out mission ship, a freighter full of loot fairy gold. It takes time and effort to get a suitable mark, infiltrate his corp, and set up the Awox. Sometimes there are great successes, and sometimes there are failures.<br />
<br />
CCP has stated that people being able to shoot at each other inside a corporation prevents people from joining corps. A big part of player retention is getting people involved with other players, and playing together, making connections so you pay your sub so you can keep playing with your new friends. It is true that making friends in a game like Eve certainly does keep people around longer. However, since true new players don't know they can be shot by a corp mate until someone tells them, it's unlikely the threat of Awoxing is keeping them from joining a player corporation. The threat of Awoxing MAY keep a veteran player from allowing people to join his corporation for fear of losing his 5 billion ISK missioning raven to a 3 week old awoxer in an atron, those guys are scary as fuck.<br />
<br />
We can tell ourselves that these risk averse players will actively seek out newbies to take under their wings now that those newbies won't be able to kill their multi-billion ISK battleships with impunity in their frigates. I think the reality of the situation is that this won't change much. The threat of awoxing is about as real as an afk cloaker in nullsec. Yeah, there's a chance that guy might be hunting you, but by and large, it's your own paranoia at work, while the guy behind that character is actually off at his job, or watching TV, or playing on his main. Annoying? Sure. But 9 times out of 10, it's the threat of what MIGHT happen, not what actually will.<br />
<br />
<h4>
A Newbie's Tale</h4>
<br />
The fact is, if you're a newbie in Eve looking for social interaction, it's fairly easy to find. If you're a regular reader of the blog, you might recall I made a new account off the humble bundle a few months ago. It took me a bit of time, but I wanted to find a corp full of guys that did high sec industry and weren't completely lame. I spent some time going through the in-game recruitment ads, and settled on 3 or 4 corps. I put the recruiters on watchlist, sent out some mails, and sat back. Some of those guys never seemed to log in during the times they said they were active, but I finally managed to talk with one fellow.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOMpDnRlV0M/Uy5FC3IzuSI/AAAAAAAAAR8/0aybj5kYrGI/s1600/2014.03.22.23.50.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOMpDnRlV0M/Uy5FC3IzuSI/AAAAAAAAAR8/0aybj5kYrGI/s1600/2014.03.22.23.50.35.png" height="180" width="320" /></a>Was he cautious about the potential for Awoxing? You bet he was! I did not get directly invited to the corp. Instead I was given a destination and a bit of help getting set up halfway across highsec. They hooked me up with a new venture and a couple of frigs to try missioning with, gave me some advice on how to fit my ships, and told me to stay out of lowsec because people out there are mean (I had a nice chuckle about that bit). I was invited into a couple mining fleets, got social with the fellas, and after a few days they told me, "You know what? You're pretty cool and we'd like you to join." I can't honestly say that being in the corp was all that different than being out of it, except that we joined a newly formed alliance and were promtply wardecced by The Marmite Collective. The alliance leader told everyone to dock up for a week to deny Marmite any kills. I got bored, and let my account lapse.<br />
<br />
<h4>
A Story About Trust </h4>
<br />
Elijah Ghost, Doc Nielsen, LarkinAlpha, Zeratha, Charlie Firpol, Pawiie, Bajran Bali, and a few others I've met over the years, have all flown with me at various times, often in the same corp. We met in some way, had a chat, flew together, flew together more, got in corps together, shot people together, and had some good times together. Every one of those guys has had the chance to absolutely fuck me over in Eve. I've taken the chance and turned my back, and the knife never landed. If we'd met playing a game like WoW, they'd never have even had the chance to screw me in even a remotely meaningful way.<br />
<br />
I have played a LOT of other MMO's. I do not have 1/10th the connection with anyone in any guild or group I've played with in any other game than I have with my Eve bros. I consider these guys as much friends as anyone I know or actually come face to face with on a regular basis. Why is that? Why do I have that connection with these guys where I couldn't even tell you the first names of 3 people I've played other MMO's with?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Hoz0lHFZbs/UjTCs0Ib7FI/AAAAAAAAAIw/bmj4nt48lN8/s1600/duckscam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Hoz0lHFZbs/UjTCs0Ib7FI/AAAAAAAAAIw/bmj4nt48lN8/s1600/duckscam.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a>I'll tell you why. Because Eve, much like real life, doesn't have a lot of artificial barriers in place to prevent people from using and abusing you. When you land in a tight spot in Eve, you learn real quick who your friends are. The guys that come bail you out of a jam, the guys that swoop in to save your ass or die trying. The guys that when you're in a slump and the corp is falling apart around you, they don't steal everything not nailed down and make a run for it, but help you pick up the pieces and get things going again. The guys that had multiple chances to fuck you over, but never took any of them. When you interact with people under these conditions, the bonds of friendship are a lot stronger than they are when those elements are not present.<br />
<br />
<h4>
And now, back to the Meat and Potatoes</h4>
<br />
If CCP's real intent is to get players more socially involved in the game, with the realization that many new players probably never make it out of highsec, it might be a good idea to start looking at tools and content that encourage group play in highsec for newbies. Safety in numbers is a huge part of success in most other parts of the game. Sure there are some amazing solo artists in low, and null space, but to see success on a grand scale, you need some friends. On the other hand, almost every PVE activity in highsec is designed for a solo player, and there is no tangible benefit to bringing friends with you.<br />
<br />
You might complete missions faster with a group, but then you're splitting the rewards... there's no net gain for your time put in, plus when solo you have no need to hold off for a few minutes while your buddy refills his beer, or runs off to take a shit.<br />
<br />
Mining is more efficient with a group to be sure, but while we're on the subject of "unintuitive gameplay bingo" I'm not even sure I can call mining in Eve "gameplay". CCP may want to look into that particular aspect of Eve after 11 years, especially since anyone I've ever heard talk about how mining might be changed at CCP now works for Riot.<br />
<br />
There is no room for cooperative group play in market PVP. Being a space trucker arguably works better solo than with a group, since less people know what you're carrying and where you're going. High sec exploration doesn't pay well enough to invite your friends along to share. I will say that high sec scamming DOES work better if you have some help... but I think we're aware that CCP isn't looking to buff that particular form of gameplay, since they chip away at it on a fairly steady basis.<br />
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That leaves us with incursions. I think here is where we find the meat of our issue, and who this change is supposed to help. Incursions are the only high sec PVE opportunities that both require group play and are worth doing in a group. Running them in a player corporation is risky right now because who wants to risk a multi billion isk incursion ship to awoxing? Not many of us. Of course, newbies don't do incursions, because it takes time to get the skills and the isk together to get in that pirate battleship, or even to fly a t2 logi ship properly. If we remove the threat of Awoxing, people running incursion groups will be much more free with the invites right? Sure!<br />
<br />
Of course there's that second gorilla in the room that's keeping those guys out of player corps as well, and that would be wardecs. Not much point in making that player corp to run incursions with your friends you don't trust to not awox you, only to have some other group of players who love scoring big kills (or just ruining your day) wardeccing you, forcing you to keep those pretty ships docked up and not making you incursion money for a week or more. It's still much easier to stay in an NPC corp.<br />
<br />
After all these words and ponderings, I'm still left with the question of how removing Awoxing from the game is really going to help achieve the goals CCP has set out. I've looked at the publicly available PCU graphs, and Eve is in a slow and steady decline, and has been since Incarna. This change won't do anything to stem that tide.<br />
<br />
There are many player identities in eve: "miner," "mission runner," "wormholer," "pirate," and "awoxer" to name a few. That last one is about to get struck from the list. A tool for content creation is being struck from a game that hasn't seen any significant content added to it since the Incursion expansion of 2010. 4 years is a long as time to put your game in maintenance mode and expect people to stick around. As more people get to the point where they've done everything they want to do, and have no place left they'd like to go, they will leave. For those players that have settled on Awoxing and infiltration as the thing that keeps them playing, they'll now have to either find something else to do, or find something else to play. I doubt the retention of new players from their departure will do much, if anything to stem the decline we've been seeing.<br />
<br />
When it comes right down to it, what keeps Eve interesting isn't its PVE content, how many ships we can fly, or even the gorgeous art. It's player interaction, and that ever present danger just out of the corner of your eye we call risk, which comes from the less than optimal player interactions we might face. The level of risk in Eve is what keeps it apart from other MMO's that pander to the lowest common denominator and make things like loss and death hurt as little as possible. Many of us that have played Eve for a long time can't play those other games for any significant period of time without getting bored out of our pants. No real challenge, no risk of loss, no lasting interest.<br />
<br />
Any element of Eve that creates risk also creates content. Eve is a niche game. It will not get to the numbers of players that are seen in larger MMO's, no matter how many baby steps it takes in their direction to minimize chances of loss and risk in the "safer" parts of space. The removal of Awoxing isn't the first step in this direction, it is just the next step in this direction, and with each step that's been taken, there comes another that seems like it is in the way of retaining players and is confusing to newbies that needs a nerf.<br />
<br />
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And this isn't a slippery slope argument, warning of this being the first step towards some unknown, out of this world, destination. We're <i>already</i> a good way down the mountain of continually making non-consensual PVP more difficult to engage in, while adding structured ways for players to engage in "fair fights" with duel mechanics and dojos. Wardecs have been nerfed to hell with more likely to come in the future, we've changed loot can mechanics from limited engagements to global suspect to discourage stealing from others, added a safety feature to prevent people from accidentally getting concordokkened, contracts have been restructured and color coded so people don't have to look at them nearly as hard to realize they're getting scammed (hint: all contracts in Jita are scams), mining ships have been given battleship level tanks to make afk mining easier and more risk free than it's ever been, and the list goes on!<br />
<br />
<h4>
The more structured and rigid Eve becomes, the less sand in the sandbox. </h4>
<br />
I'm of the opinion that the only way to truly make highsec safe for "new players" (read: risk averse veterans with shiny toys they don't want to lose) would be to remove all non-consensual PVP from highsec entirely. Get rid of wardecs, and force green safety on all ships once they jump into their first highsec system.<br />
<br />
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Of course, CCP would never skull fuck the sandbox that badly, but this is becoming a question of how close to that line they're willing to go. Some players, maybe even a lot of players, might think that a safer highsec is a great idea, and at first it would seem so. But after a while, when you get bored of saving the damsel for the thousandth time with no need to make plans against someone trying to ninja salvage your loot, or realize you don't need to have a strip miner running in the background while you watch your favorite porn flicks (or episodes of My Little Pony if you're from Failheap) you're going to be looking for something that's more engaging to do. If you're one of those risk averse people, that something will likely not be out in lowsec, nullsec or WH space, but something outside Eve entirely.<br />
<br />
In the end, this is how Eve dies. Not this year, next year, or even 5 years from now. Not in a flaming ball of player rage quits and broken monuments, but slowly, as candles snuffed out one by one, with no fucks left to fan the flames of passion for a game that has seen nothing but minor fixes and tweaks since 2011. In a couple of months it's likely a good portion of Awoxers will be docking up their pods for the last time, their part of the sandbox closed off permanently. Unfortunately, if the trends continue, they won't be alone since that steady PCU decline has been... well, steady.<br />
<br />
I have faith that someday CCP will realize the steady decline we are seeing has more to do with a lack of actual new content (and no, a few new ships and mission types don't qualify) than new players getting awoxed, or risk averse veterans crying on the forums. Someday they might figure out that making high sec safer will not necessarily lead to more meaningful player socialization. Hopefully we'll get to see what's on the other side of that star gate we were shown at fanfest before the downward trend forces another round of layoffs. If not, I don't think there's a fiction department left to write the apology.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-62336540568661468962014-09-11T20:25:00.000+00:002014-09-11T20:25:18.485+00:00As the Ban Hammer SwingsYesterday started off fairly well for me with a trip to the local indoor playground filled with gigantic bouncy houses. My mission was to run my two young kids completely ragged in a day of intense activity, and as an added bonus, these bouncy houses are actually built strong enough for several adults to be banging around in them as well. I hate to say it, but it's more fun than Eve.<br />
<br />
During a quick break in the action I had the ill sense to check my phone for a moment, and found several pings across multiple mediums regarding a ban wave. At first it looked like CCP had got around to banning the various agents involved with the Bonus Room incident a few months ago. Obviously, I didn't have time to look into much at that moment, so I shot off some quick messages to James315 and others promising further review upon my return, then I went back to playing with my kids.<br />
<br />
Definitely more fun than Eve.<br />
<br />
Upon my return home, the kids barely made it in the door before passing out on the floor Sims style. With OP success on that front, I managed to get them in their beds, kissed the wife goodbye, and then retired to the dungeon where the Eve happens. Here's what I've got so far:<br />
<br />
Firstly, the CSM is not part of the GM team and are not consulted on bans. People are banned every day, it's not our business, nor part of our function to second guess any specific ban. There has been one recent instance of a <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=372469&find=unread" target="_blank">GM allegedly referring someone to go talk to the CSM</a> when they were unable to make a reimbursement for a bug that happened, but aside from that, we really don't have much to do with these guys.<br />
<br />
After pouring through communications from over a dozen people, reading accounts of people claiming to be involved on various sites, and checking a couple of blogs, I've managed to piece together what seems to be a reasonable approximation of what went down yesterday.<br />
<ol>
<li>A number of people were banned for what appears to be RL harassment. Actual numbers are not known and are unlikely to be released.</li>
<li>Some of those banned were involved in Erotica 1's bonus room.</li>
<li>Some of those banned had nothing to do with Erotica 1's bonus room, and had never been heard of by known participants within that subset of the community.</li>
<li>Some of those involved neck deep in Erotica 1's bonus room were not banned. </li>
</ol>
Based on the accounts I've read thus far, it would appear unlikely that all the people banned for harassment yesterday were involved in any singular incident together. With that reasonable assumption, this ban wave has more of a sting feel to it, and likely one that was cooking for a bit before the trigger was pulled. The only words from CCP on the matter thus far have come from CCP Falcon, first around the time that the bans actually hit:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hello everyone,<br /><br />We would like to remind the EVE community of our
stance regarding the usage of EVE Online and assets, characters and
items from within the game environment as leverage for the purpose of
real life harassment.<br /><br />As <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=4405531" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=4405531">outlined in our previous announcement</a>,
this type of behavior lies in clear breach of our End User License
Agreement, and as such we have a zero tolerance approach when dealing
with these cases.<br /><br />Our stance regarding this type of behavior has
not changed since the last announcement, and any individuals who are
found to be engaging in such behavior will be met with disciplinary
action against their game accounts in accordance with our Terms of
Service.<br /><br />- F (<a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=5004185#post5004185" target="_blank">source</a>)</i></blockquote>
Before I go any further here, I need to make one thing very plain. I'm looking on the claims of innocence/ignorance of the people hit in this ban wave as dubious at best. A statement such as "I'm not sure what I did wrong" can easily be translated to mean "I've probably done 5 or 6 things that would fall under this in the last 6 months, and I'm not sure which one this is for." Each and every one of these people has done something at this point to get banned, though the manner in which they were caught may be in question. That CCP will not give any examples in this case of what constitutes bannable harassment behavior is also unfortunate, however.<br />
<br />
A reply from CCP Falcon came in response to requests for a clear line to be drawn:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It isn't our job to dictate to people how to maintain a base standard of
human decency toward one another, and we're not going to do so.<br /><br />The
bottom line is that it's down to members of the community to know where
the line crosses from common decency to harassment. We will not draw a
line in the sand so that people can skirt on the edge of it and bend the
rules as much as possible.<br /><br />This isn't a debate about what
constitutes "harassment". If you're not familiar with the word, find the
definition in a dictionary and that will satisfy your question.<br /><br />What
we will do, is continue to use best judgement on a case by case basis
to ensure that real life harassment is kept out of the game, and ensure
that those who choose to involve themselves in such activities are no
longer permitted to be part of our community.<br /><br />Cut and dried, that's all we have to say on the matter.<br /><br />(<a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=5007086#post5007086" target="_blank">source</a>)</i></blockquote>
In this response, CCP and I are going to be in stark disagreement. When I look up harassment in the Oxford dictionary I get "<span class="definition">Aggressive pressure or intimidation". Dictionary.com gives me a bit more to work with on this: "</span><span><span class="oneClick-link">the</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">act</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">an</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">instance</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> </span><a class="dbox-xref dbox-roman" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harass">harassing</a><span>, <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">disturbing,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">pestering,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">troubling</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">repeatedly;</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">persecution:</span>" Following the link for "harassing"</span>then brings us to the definition of harass, which is:<br />
<div class="def-set">
<ol>
<li>
<span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">disturb</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">persistently;</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">torment,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">as</span> <span class="oneClick-link">with</span> <span class="oneClick-link">troubles</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">cares;</span> <span class="oneClick-link">bother</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">continually;</span> <span class="oneClick-link">pester;</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">persecute.</span></span><span class="def-number"><span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="def-number"><span><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">trouble</span> <span class="oneClick-link">by</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">repeated</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">attacks,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">incursions,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">etc.,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">as</span> <span class="oneClick-link">in</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">war</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">hostilities;</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">harry;</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">raid. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">In short, my question is not satisfied. The problem here is that we're talking about the Eve community. Harassment as defined in multiple dictionaries is an extremely common daily occurrence in Eve, and classing the majority of it as harassment in terms of the EULA or TOS would be laughable. Local smack talk, is, by definition, harassment. Blowing up someone's ship repeatedly is harassment. Bumping AFK miners out of belts could be considered harassment. Sending angry rage letters to people who blow up your ship is certainly harassing behavior, even if the result is that it makes them happy for your tears.</span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">If every instance of dictionary defined harassment that happened in Eve were to be petitioned, the GMs would likely have time for nothing else. Since we can all reasonably agree that the dictionary is not what defines EULA/TOS breaking harassment in Eve, a more informed definition from CCP is needed to clear up confusion in a game that advertises for potential new players to "Be the Villain," and where scamming/deception are not only common place, but encouraged. To save a couple thousand words, allow me to use my wicked paint skills to illustrate the issue as I see it in simple terms: </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<h4>
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">The Line </span></span></h4>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-osGDD_ye_dg/VBHTdv3fZwI/AAAAAAAABE4/fYVgdvJzs0I/s1600/now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-osGDD_ye_dg/VBHTdv3fZwI/AAAAAAAABE4/fYVgdvJzs0I/s1600/now.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">Here is a simplistic illustration of the status quo as it seems to hold right now. We have a few very clear examples of unacceptable behavior that one can reasonably assume will result in a lengthy vacation from Eve. We have a line that shant be crossed, but the placement of it is somewhat in debate, and it tends to make a move to the left from time to time, meaning that something that may not be enforced today, could be enforced if it happens next week, or next month, or next year. Something one GM may let slide could be met with a very harsh response by another member of the staff. </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">The annals of Eve history are littered with cases where one member of the GM staff has not seen a problem where another might. I won't bore you with a comprehensive list, but I can give at least <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=372701&find=unread" target="_blank">one example</a> of a debate going on right now where CCP seems to be a bit inconsistent on what is/is not considered to be an exploit in the game (you get banned for those too BTW).</span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">In this sense, CCP can't tell us where the line is, because in reality, CCP doesn't seem know exactly where it is themselves.</span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HcyVN7GIueo/VBHYjjm3AuI/AAAAAAAABFI/CBzrR9SUI3o/s1600/bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HcyVN7GIueo/VBHYjjm3AuI/AAAAAAAABFI/CBzrR9SUI3o/s1600/bad.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">CCP Falcon also has a point in that a super firm line cannot be drawn, otherwise (this is Eve afterall) people will absolutely step right up to that line and poke it and prod it and see how close they can come to it without crossing it. CCP Falcon is absolutely right, this would be a very bad idea.</span></span></div>
<div class="def-set">
<span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aR8d411ghPE/VBHg9OGIgeI/AAAAAAAABFY/xv2Hf_jKO0U/s1600/reasonable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aR8d411ghPE/VBHg9OGIgeI/AAAAAAAABFY/xv2Hf_jKO0U/s1600/reasonable.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
But I think Falcon is missing the point here. What people are looking for is not a hard and fast line with a concrete definition. What would be awfully nice is a second green line with acknowledgement that if you stay reasonably within it's bounds, you're pretty safe from a banning. Obviously taking things to an extreme out of hand status would put one in the danger zone, or straight into the red.<br />
<br />
As an example, this wave of bannings has once again brought up the question of certain aspects of the bonus room that have been a part of Eve for years. The age old tradition of pointing someone's pod and inviting them onto your voice comms to sing for the chance of not getting podded is something that has repeatedly come up. The operators of the bonus room had people sing as part of their scheme to get their stuff back, and the bonus room is not ok. Are we also saying that a practice with some similarities, though largely viewed by the community as ok, is to the right or left of the green line?<br />
<br />
Certain corporations can have very odd, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations with potential new recruits on outside voice comms. This may also include singing, or otherwise (mostly benign) hazing. Green?<br />
<br />
Someone told me a story once of how they wanted to join a prominent null sec alliance, and in order to be allowed in this person was required to meet with a representative while at fanfest. Part of the process included this person being asked to eat the testicles of some locally domesticated animal (apparently considered a delicacy in Iceland). Depending on one's views of sheep, this might be viewed even as sexual harassment in certain cultures. No actual assets were on the line here, but is this considered to be somewhere in the green zone? Furthermore, how the hell could CCP even verify it took place???<br />
<br />
<h4>
CCP and the META</h4>
<br />
That brings me to the next point of contention here. It is entirely unclear how far into the meta CCP is willing to dive to collect and accept evidence of out of game harassment. Without the specific incidents in question, none of us will have any idea what the answer to this question is. CCP is not likely to tell us anything, so the only people who can reasonably provide specifics are the ones who were banned, and they all seem to be feigning complete ignorance. I predict we'll be getting no help on this from either party.<br />
<br />
In the past, CCP has generally stayed out of the meta. In the case of Erotica 1, he posted links to his handiwork on the official Eve Forums. There was an actual CCP log showing his involvement in the matter, penned by his own hand so to speak. With that in mind, we can also assume that any form of communication within Eve is also part of CCP's logs. Eve-Mails and chat channels in game for example, regardless of how private you think they are, I guarantee can be read and monitored by CCP if they have a mind to. If these people shared links to their work in game, or talked about it in game with their fellows in this manner, it is possible CCP never had to go digging in the meta, and were just handed evidence of ill behavior by the people involved themselves.<br />
<br />
At this time, CCP has been extremely silent on methods used, and exact ways and means of how these people were caught would be an unreasonable request to make. However, I think what people want to be sure of here is that actual CCP generated logs were used to determine guilt or innocence, and yes, someone saying in game or on official forums "Hey guys look what I did! *link*" absolutely counts. CCP does not need to disclose how people were caught, merely that the logs showed something.<br />
<br />
<h4>
An Inconsistent Conclusion</h4>
<br />
In short, the issue I'm having at the present time has little to do with bad people who did bad things getting banned from a game. It is doubtful that the contributions these people made to the community that drew CCP's attentions to them will be missed by the vast majority of the players, especially where RL harassment is concerned. What I do have an issue with is a very ambiguous line in the sand that seems to continually move based on who happens to be on shift at the time something goes down, or who in the community is pissed enough to start a threadnaught over it.<br />
<br />
Either intentionally bumping a titan that is inside a POS shield out of a POS shield is an exploit, or it's not. The methods of doing it shouldn't matter, and lines of communication should be in place to ensure a consistent message on this back to the community rather than enforcement be at the whims of whatever GM happens to get their hands on it.<br />
<br />
The same can be said for harassment. Either something is harassment, or it's not, or it COULD be if taken out of hand. We have (sort of) some clear examples of things that are not ok to do. We do not have clear examples of things that are generally considered ok to do, and this leaves huge question marks in the air. Are singing ransoms ok? We know they used to be, but going forward we don't know. If I invite someone in game to join me on team speak and they come back later and say I harassed them, how far is CCP willing to go to get to the bottom of it if in game logs show nothing but my link to the voice comms server? We don't know.<br />
<br />
What we don't have is a reasonably clear definition of what actually constitutes harassment in terms of Eve. Things that are entirely unacceptable in a game like World of Warcraft for example, happen inside Eve with impunity, and are an accepted part of the norm. There is nothing "decent" about a bad guy, and if being a bad guy is to be an acceptable profession within Eve, rules and boundaries need to be made clear to give people a gauge on what is acceptable, and what is clearly over the line. These lines are important not only for those people living the life of a villain, but also for those tasked with enforcing the rule of law, such as it exists within our game.<br />
<br />
While CCP Falcon is right to not want to draw that fine line in the sand for people to dance around, when something is determined to be over that line, consistency in enforcement and clarity of communication is equally important.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-54081086112098650492014-09-01T18:07:00.000+00:002014-09-01T18:07:03.488+00:00Eve Radio Drama Llama<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Bacon's Note: This is a long one. If you were not previously aware of the happenings the other night on Eve Radio, don't care about such things, and generally hate drama, it's best to pass this one by. If, on the other hand, you were there, or heard about it, and really want to know what happened before, during, and after the "incident", sit back and enjoy the story.</i> </blockquote>
<br />
It's never been my desire in life to be a hero or a martyr. My time at Eve Radio these past 8 years has been a labor of love, something I've put thousands of hours into free of charge because I enjoy entertaining people, and sharing knowledge about my favorite internet space ship game, Eve Online. What I have tried to avoid as much as possible is the drama that comes with being a well known person in an organization with the scope and history of Eve Radio. This past Friday night/Saturday morning, my drama avoidance protocols fail cascaded, and the whole village nearly got burned down in the process.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The History</h4>
<br />
To fully understand what happened, I'm first going to have to explain how the stage was set. Eve Radio is not really unlike any other corporation or alliance in Eve. There are politics, happy people, disgruntled people, people that scheme, and people that dream.<br />
<br />
You've got the station owner, Diaego (aka Ross) without whom the station would have ceased to exist years ago. He's the guy that pays the bills. Eve Radio subsists on donations, premium memberships, and recently through being an official GTC reseller for CCP. When those funds fall short, Ross covers the difference out of his personal funds. I don't have an exact number for you (such a thing is not really my business) but I can confidently assure you that he's into this project in the tens of thousands of GBP of his own personal money, if not more. The man himself is an enigma. Not many people still at the station outside MrBlades really know too much about him, and if this was a movie, he'd fit the role of shadowy benefactor/mastermind quite well.<br />
<br />
Just below Diaego, we find MrBlades. If the station exists because of the funding shortfalls covered by Diaego, it equally exists because of the time and effort put into holding it all together by MrBlades.<br />
<br />
After Blades, things are a bit muddier. There are several middle management types, night ops bosses, people who volunteer to run specific stuff, etc.. Then you have some senior DJs, along with the rest.<br />
<br />
I've been asked before why I'm not a manager at ER. Fact of the matter is three fold. 1: I do this because it's fun, and I don't find management positions fun. 2: I have no interest in the politics of it. 3: I don't have the free time for it.<br />
<br />
Over the years, I've progressively distanced myself from the inner political workings of ER. As my primary function and interest in ER is the weekly show my team puts together with me, I spend extremely little time in insider staff channels or forums these days except to catch up on whatever programs or promotions are running at present. I pop into IRC 20-40 minutes prior to broadcast, say little beyond the minimum, try to keep my head down, and get on with the show. When the show is over, I tend to leave as quietly as I came. If one were to ask me about the political issues and nature within ER's staff and management, I honestly couldn't tell them anything because I simply don't know, and until now it really hasn't been my problem.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jKhLd2g9gJ4/VAStH1BbRTI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/stA55W8bgfk/s1600/haters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jKhLd2g9gJ4/VAStH1BbRTI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/stA55W8bgfk/s1600/haters.jpg" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
My political avoidance practices have at times been interpreted as an "I'm better than all of you" attitude among certain staffers at ER. That's not the case of course, but my response to this is generally that I don't give enough fucks to try and convince these people otherwise, and to just move on with whatever I'm working on. This has lead to issues with 2 members of ER's middle management in particular in recent months.<br />
<br />
For nearly the entire 8 years of our show, the majority of our behind the scenes and preshow work has been handled within our team. Over the last 6 months, one of the two middle managers at ER had decided this was no longer good enough, and that certain things needed to be done by other members of ER staff. This along with several other little things was quickly snowballing and becoming an annoyance, culminating in one night where I told this person outright that if things were going to continue to ramp up and become more difficult, I had very little interest in continuing with ER. This manager backed down some, we spoke at length, and as a sign of good faith, some concessions were made on our part including giving this manager access to our showtime skype channel as an easier way to ping us in the middle of live broadcasts if necessary.<br />
<br />
In the case of the first manager, I can at least say that her interests were in line with what she thought were best for the station more than "new manager attempting to show who's boss," so I worked with her until we were able to come to an arrangement that was agreeable to all parties.<br />
<br />
In the case of the 2nd middle manager, we can say that his particular style of management tends to be a bit heavy handed with a good dose of "do what I say or else". I'm not the sort of person who demands respect from people, but I certainly have no care for disrespect, and found this particular individual to be entirely disrespectful. I won't go into details on specific incidents, but at one point I did send a letter up to senior management informing them of the situation and suggesting that this guy should really calm his shit. After some time, Manager 2 had some RL stuff come up and took a break from the station, but then returned a short time ago.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Incident</h4>
<br />
Now we come to the meat of the issue.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to this past Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on what part of the world you live in. At midnight GMT we got on with our regular broadcast. The team and I, having been together on the show for a number of years, are also all members of the same alliance, Monkeys with Guns.. This was the eve before us getting face planted by Agony Empire, and we were doing a fund raiser to secure some ISK so we could get some of the ships we needed. The listeners were coming up huge, and we were taking requests to do some silly stuff on the twitch stream from the biggest donors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a487/Radamere/FunkyCaldariBacon_zps69a86940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a487/Radamere/FunkyCaldariBacon_zps69a86940.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></div>
One of these requests was for Elijah Ghost and myself to draw Caldari logos on ourselves: his cheek, and my rather shiny head. While I was in the process of marking up myself, my arm nudged something on my desk, which in turn jiggled the USB cable on my mixer and caused a cut in audio. Due to the way our broadcasting software works, a loss of connection to the mixer results in the software spazzing out and needing to be reset. All told, our audio stream was dead air for about a minute. We were able to get things back up and running, informed those watching and listening what happened, and got on with the show.<br />
<br />
Within a couple of minutes my attention was drawn to an ER staff IRC channel where Manager 2 had delivered an ultimatum: Respond to Manager 1's inquiry within 2 minutes or be pulled off air (this was part of some sort of established protocol at ER I was unaware of, though was delivered in what can be diplomatically termed a heavy handed way). During live portions of our broadcasts, I spend very little time looking at IRC channels due to all the things we have going on. We were live at that point, and I was frantically skimming up in that channel looking for Manager 1's inquiry, but couldn't find it. There was a bit of "WTF is this shit?" while we attempted to figure out what the issue was, and finally came to the conclusion that Manager 2 wanted to know what had happened. Had he been tuned into the stream, he'd have known this of course, because we had just explained it, so for his benefit, I typed it out for him in plain words, and again attempted to move on with the show. A few seconds later he responded that he was pulling us off air for "talking shit" and at that moment, my tolerance for bullshit had been expended, and I lost my cool.<br />
<br />
What followed was a pissing contest in the extreme. My response to getting pulled was that I didn't need this shit, peace out. I closed IRC. A few seconds after this, Manager 1 and another DJ were in game and purging my team from the in game channel. They hadn't got to me yet as I hadn't typed anything in there for a few minutes and wasn't on the side bar myself. Figuring I was done with Eve Radio anyway, I completely went off the deep end and zapped Manager 1 off the ops list for the in game channel, the other DJ as well, Manager 1's obvious alt, and after a moment of rebellious contemplation, I zapped everyone else off the ops list except Ross, MrBlades, and QGazQ (an engineer who keeps the servers and website running). I then restored access to the rest of my team.<br />
<br />
Listeners at this point were in an uproar since the entire incident had been broadcast live and they were pretty keen on what was going down. Calls of "Free Bacon" were scrolling, and Manager 1, probably not realizing yet that she'd lost ops access, was firmly calling for people to change the topic. Feeling inspired, I changed the channel topic to something about Manager 1 and Manager 2 being supreme dicks, and another line which escapes me for what it said. By then, the stream on the ER website had been switched to jukebox, but we were still live due to the twitch stream which we could not be kicked from.<br />
<br />
From that point forward, I told those watching that if this was was going to be our last show, we'd make a show of it and hang on until we were originally scheduled to be over, at which time I would restore access to the in game channel, and we would release the twitch stream. We informed people our plan was to go to an independent podcast and possibly expand upon the twitch streaming we were already doing in our spare time.<br />
<br />
I had some choice words for Manager 1 and Manager 2. We reminisced on 8 great years at Eve Radio, had some nice things to say about Diaego, MrBlades, Gaz, and several others. Towards the end, I encouraged people to continue to support Eve Radio. There's a lot of good talent at the station that deserves the outlet, and one manager with Napoleon Syndrome shouldn't be the deciding factor. At a listener's request, myself, Elijah Ghost, Doc Nielsen, and Charlie Firpol recited the poem "O Captain, My Captain" saluted our audience, and shut down the stream.<br />
<br />
Once we were off, I went back into the in-game channel, and added people back onto the list that I could remember, but then removed myself from the ops list before I hit the OK button and cocked the whole thing up. That was totally my bad, and not what I intended to do. For those of you confused when you logged in Saturday morning to still see the "dicks" MOTD in the channel, that would be why.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Aftermath</h4>
<br />
Once the show was over, I was considerably calmer than when things had initially gone down. I said goodnight to the rest of the team and penned my official resignation letter to MrBlades. In it, I apologized for setting fire to the village on my way out. He and Ross certainly didn't deserve the fallout that would be the result of it, and though it was extremely satisfying to give Manager 2 a lesson in who the bigger dick was, there were no good guys in this, we all did wrong. My apologies for letting the situation spiral like it did, there were certainly classier ways I could have made an exit, see you around.<br />
<br />
After that, I dropped the news of my departure from Eve Radio onto social media. The story was already spreading, and I figured better for people to see it from me than hear about it 2nd or 3rd hand. It was nearly 2am local when that was all done, and I went to bed.<br />
<br />
The following morning, a reply was in my box from MrBlades. In a nutshell my resignation was not accepted, shit needed talking about. After getting face planted in the AT, I was able to get him on skype and we hashed things out over the course of about 3 hours.<br />
<br />
I can't get into too many details as to what was discussed, but I will share the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>The FunkyBacon Show will not be leaving Eve Radio. At my request, my team and I will be taking a 2 week break from our regular broadcast. </li>
<li>While it's not my place to discuss any specifics in this case, I've been assured that Manager 2 and I will not be in each others hair moving forward.</li>
<li>There are some exciting changes coming to ER in the not too distant future. Keep an eye out for them.</li>
</ul>
For my part, I do owe an apology to several people on the staff and within ER's community that got dragged into something they had no part in creating. As satisfying as it was to piss in Manager 2's face and moonwalk out, there was some collateral damage in the process that was undeserved, and for those adversely affected you have my apologies. I certainly could have handled the whole thing better, I didn't, and that was a failing on my part.<br />
<br />
For the rest of you, we'll see you back on air September 19th/20th!The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-86666076298230065782014-08-27T10:30:00.000+00:002014-08-27T10:30:00.017+00:00Gallente Victor: Thoughts on the 2nd Warzone Sweep in 2 Years.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdjlg5wYsZw/U1meztPE0KI/AAAAAAAAAew/gaxh-T2NhpQ/s1600/moros2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdjlg5wYsZw/U1meztPE0KI/AAAAAAAAAew/gaxh-T2NhpQ/s1600/moros2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Congratulations are in order for the Gallente Militia. This is the second time I've seen the warzone get swept like this. Last time worked much the same, except without the Caldari throwing in the towel. As I recall, Gal Mil only held the whole zone for a day last time as Ev0ke landed up in the northwest and began their march to Eha where they were eventually stopped.<br />
<br />
That said, this is looking like the beginning of a long painful drought for the Caldari Militia. Some people have brought up to me, and I would agree, that the current system is a bit too punishing for the side getting the screws put to it. It's something I'll bring up with CCP, though I'm not 100% on a solution yet. What is clear is that there is no incentive to join a side losing as bad as the Caldari are right now. That is bad for player retention on their end, and also for bringing in fresh blood. Only a true Caldari loyalist (Read: RPer), gluttons for punishment, and those too stubborn to back down would see much value in joining or staying with Cal Mil at this point. That is unhealthy not only for the Caldari's ability to remain competitive, but also for the Gallente that rely on decent Caldari numbers for content.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKfdXRE6fY0/U3Vi9R0upKI/AAAAAAAAAes/jyb-dYG7F50/s1600/bulletproof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKfdXRE6fY0/U3Vi9R0upKI/AAAAAAAAAes/jyb-dYG7F50/s1600/bulletproof.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't think the pendulum should swing on the nuts of AFK plex farmers, but at the same time, there has to be some value to a player willing to fight for a side on a down swing.<br />
<br />
A good part of this Gallente Victory is the also Caldari's inability to work together between corps and alliances. I was there in the meeting when the plan was laid out on which system would get hit in what order, the Gallente FCs and CEOs having full knowledge that none of the groups would move in to help one another hold their space, and would patiently wait their turn for the whole of the Gallente militia to come to them.<br />
<br />
In a sense, I'm a bit sad at this victory. I saw flashes of brilliance from the Caldari side during the Okkamon campaign, with large Caldari fleets and several groups working together. There was one night in particular where you guys really brought it, and there were a lot of frustrated words on Gal Mil comms. Had you guys been able to keep it up, the Gallente might never have taken that system, but you didn't, and they did.<br />
<br />
I also think there's a marked difference of attitude between the two sides. I remember a few months ago spending 12 hours attacking Enaluri and finally getting it to 28% that first day after losing hundreds of ships. I wanted to put a fist through my monitor that night when the node crashed from something that was happening several systems away, and we logged back in to find the system back down to 0%. We petitioned it of course, but the response was that the tools didn't exist to fix the percentage bar back to where it had been. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BsjAO3C6wqY/Uzoqy9ZtnOI/AAAAAAAAAU8/4IiIef-tRf0/s1600/2013.10.16.00.59.03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BsjAO3C6wqY/Uzoqy9ZtnOI/AAAAAAAAAU8/4IiIef-tRf0/s1600/2013.10.16.00.59.03.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
We had to start over from scratch, and what happened was that the following day, Gallente numbers swelled as people who had not participated in the offensive at that point, and hadn't really cared, rallied around the FCs and people who'd wasted their time and ISK the previous day, because "fuck that shit".<br />
<br />
That's the real difference I see between the militias. When the Gallente get a bad turn, they seem to rally together tighter than before, and try harder. If someones home system comes under attack it's basically a guarantee that almost every major corp and alliance will be there to help in the defense. Help is asked for, and it's given without a second thought because each of us knows that those guys will be there for us when it's our turn to get shit on.<br />
<br />
The Caldari could learn something from that, but it won't be easy. The Gallente core groups have the advantage that comes with flying together for years at this point, while the Caldari have gone through a lot of turnover in that time. If you were to look at the Gallente corps and alliances that bashed the final iHub in January of 2013, a lot of the same flags were flying in August of 2014. On the Caldari side, I don't think more than Templis and the Russians around OMS still remain from the 2013 Campaign.<br />
<br />
In closing, while I will happily look at ways to incentivize a losing side to keep fighting (and take suggestions) to bring these ideas to CCP's attention, I also think the Caldari have some work to do in their own house. Any changes that could be made that would affect all sides equally at this point still won't save you guys from yourselves, and your inability/unwillingness to work together. The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-16553816466899560442014-08-20T01:18:00.000+00:002014-08-20T01:47:17.534+00:00SOMERtime BBQ, Now with More SauceShortly after my update last night was done, SOMERblink's PLEX buyback promotion hit the skids. Somer posted a bit of a bitter message on his website, and I smiled for the first time all day. His words were not the words of someone interested in making things right, rather he drew his sword, then lashed back at CCP and the VP of sales it would appear he manipulated into giving the go-ahead for his latest RMT cashout scheme.<br />
<br />
Based on Somer's reaction, <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s4n9pg" target="_blank">my advice to the community</a> last night on twitter was to cash out of Blink before Somer tried to pull an Eve Bank and hit the exit running.<br />
<br />
This morning the CSM had another alarm clock meeting with CCP. The picture of what happened is getting quite clear at this point. What you don't need an NDA to know was actually posted up by Somer himself where he linked <a href="https://cogdev.net/blink/affiliate.rtf" target="_blank">his proposal</a> to CCP, and CCP's VP of sales <a href="https://cogdev.net/blink/lisa.txt" target="_blank">e-mail response</a> to him. Where Somer hung himself on this was where he said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<i><span style="font-size: normal;"><span lang="en">Blink provides no extra ISK or bonus Blink credit for buying through the link. - </span></span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en">Somer</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
Now I can't speak for CCP on this, but the way I see it, offering to buy PLEX back from only people who buy from you at a price substantially above market looks to me like extra ISK in thanks for dropping a little RL $$ in your pocket. Making it retroactive for almost a year saw PLEX prices in Jita yesterday rise from 785 to over 800 million as a result of what I assume were people snapping up PLEX on the market to cash out on what Somer said he owed them. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCOsx5I6vVU/U_P1McWq3nI/AAAAAAAAA80/lFV_XlOOPzs/s1600/blink.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCOsx5I6vVU/U_P1McWq3nI/AAAAAAAAA80/lFV_XlOOPzs/s1600/blink.png" height="59" width="320" /></a>Somer's entire proposal reeked of a sleezy sales job, deliberately deceptive as to what his intentions were, and tailor made for an audience with limited knowledge of the actual game Eve and its economy. It's also telling that he seems to have avoided the Community team on this, where his proposal likely would have found its way to the trash bin faster than a Doritos bag in the hands of a fat kid.<br />
<br />
Based off the e-mail chain posted by Somer, it also appears that Markee Dragon has had his hands in this, and Somer was trying to cover Markee's ass almost as much as his own in seeking approval for this RMT run. Markee himself is no stranger to RMT, and has a deep seeded history in it going all the way back to Ultima Online. He may have cleaned up his act since those days, but I refuse to believe he doesn't recognize an RMT scheme when he sees it, especially one as blatant as this one.<br />
<br />
So where does this leave us at this point? I'm absolutely of the opinion that Somer is in breech of the EULA and TOS. His "approval" from CCP means jack shit. His proposal for this promotion was deliberately misleading as to what his actual intentions were. He knew what he was doing from the start, and put a house of cards in place to attempt to cover his ass from the inevitable community backlash that would result from this, a house of cards that has gone up like flash paper thanks to his own revealing of both his proposal, and the VP of Sale's response.<br />
<br />
While Somerset Mahm is a player in eve, Markee Dragon is an official CCP business partner, and PLEX resellers are governed by a different set of rules than players. He could also play the plausible deniability card, stating that he took what I did from Somer's proposal and didn't realize Somer was actually going to give the ISK bonus as an above-market exclusive buyback.<br />
<br />
If this was my call to make (and fortunately for Somer it's not) I'd see SOMERblink burned down epic BBQ style for this. This guy has gotten so many breaks at this point it almost makes me sick. This latest incident is a nose thumbing not only at the community, but also a nice little teabagging for CCP in the process. This is the sort of person you make an example of for others to understand that this is not how to conduct business.<br />
<br />
Sadly, as of this evening, it looks like Somerset Mahm has chosen seppuku over the possibility of a public execution:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hey friends,<br />
<br />
Thanks for all the years of Blink that we've spent together. It's been a long four years-- some of it longer than others!</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Unfortunately, as of today, Blink is going to go on extended-- perhaps indefinite-- hiatus. CCP has gone back on everything they said several months ago, and the resulting environment is so hostile that it's not one we want to try to operate in, if <a href="https://cogdev.net/blink/lisa.txt">CCP throws us under the bus</a>.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If you have prizes waiting, they will be fulfilled. You can claim prizes as normal. Bonk tickets have been refunded to your account balance. We will begin refunding all account balances of people that have played in the last 6 months, starting with balances over 10 million ISK. As always, we're not in the business of stealing your money. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> It's been an absolute pleasure to meet many of you, through Blink, Eve, and our lotteries channel. Thank you for the experience.</i></blockquote>
Smart play on his part returning the ISK to people, assuming he follows through on it. That will at least ensure some goodwill from his customers if he ever figures out how to run an Eve business without resorting to RMT. I'd like to think this will be the end of it, but Somer strikes me as the dramatic sort. While a quiet fade into the night would be preferable for all those involved at this point, one can only hope he provides us a little more rope to hang him with.<br />
<br />
<br />The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-86610266640701785782014-08-19T00:20:00.000+00:002014-08-19T03:01:46.706+00:00SOMER UpdatesThis one's going to be a very short posting today, but an update none the less. The CSM's day started pretty damn early today for those of us in North America having to alarm clock into a meeting first thing this morning. I suspect CCP's community team was up long before we were, and some of them are still working long into the night as I'm typing these words.<br />
<br />
Due to NDA constraints, I can't tell you anything that's been discussed with us today, but I am happy at this point with the effort that is going into getting this situation resolved. Those people at CCP we have been in contact with today are taking this seriously.<br />
<br />
CCP Falcon has given a <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=367146&find=unread" target="_blank">preliminary statement to the community</a> and I urge all of you to read it, as it's the most official detail available in the open right now. Keep your eye on that space for further updates as this situation progresses.<br />
<br />
Given the size of this situation, patience from the community will be a virtue. I understand that people are mad, but this is going to take more than a day or 2 to resolve. By all means, weigh in and make your voice heard, but do try to be civil about it.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-25361013006865414292014-08-18T02:06:00.003+00:002014-08-18T03:35:26.040+00:00Breaking: SOMERgate 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>EDIT: I got some confusing info from a user on twitter. While I made sure to include wording such as "if so and so is correct" to avoid presenting the info as solid fact, the claim of that user has been called out as misinformed on several fronts. I've put a <strike>strike through</strike> on the affected part of this post. </i></blockquote>
<br />
At this point I don't have a ton of details. What is known thus far came initially from <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/2dtgvs/ccp_allows_somer_blink_to_rmt_at_19_dollars_per_1/" target="_blank">THIS</a> reddit thread, and there has been a lot of back and forth over Twitter as to exactly what is going on.<br />
<br />
On the surface, it looks like SOMERblink is at it again with another crazy masked RMT scheme. Their <a href="http://funkybacon.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-worms-are-out-of-can.html" target="_blank">last one</a> ended in a sort of implosion of public angst, and was shut down by CCP in no uncertain terms. This latest one was apparently "vetted and approved" by CCP.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYQ2D2CM7yk/U_FA-NylWWI/AAAAAAAAA3o/sWNGIZyv_xk/s1600/PLEX.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYQ2D2CM7yk/U_FA-NylWWI/AAAAAAAAA3o/sWNGIZyv_xk/s1600/PLEX.png" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen cap provided as one needs a Sb account to see prices.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The scheme this time around works like this: You go to Somer's site and click their link to buy a PLEX from Markee Dragon. Once the purchase is confirmed, you are granted a "PLEX Credit" which is Somer's promise to buy that PLEX from you. Right now, Jita prices are around 785 million, but Somer will buy them from you with your PLEX credit for 830 Million. A best estimate suggests that Somer's cut of a PLEX sale at Markee Dragon is in excess of 8% of the sale (<a href="http://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2013/10/somerblink-somer-clone-and-gtcs.html" target="_blank">SOMERblink bailed on Shattered Crystal</a> and switched to Markee Dragon when the bidding war between the 2 resellers hit 8% according to SC)<br />
<br />
Assuming 8% of the sale and a PLEX sale price of just 780 million, $35*0.08=$2.80/2=$1.40. 830m-780m=50m actually spent per $1.40. 1 Billion ISK/50 Million=20*1.40 = $28 per Billion ISK. <br />
<br />
The lower the sale margin, the better for Somer in this case, so if they are able to sell off their PLEX for the equivalent of 785m ISK they make $31.10 per billion at an 8% commission. Even at $28 per billion, Somer is far outstripping any "honest" ISK selling service (read: the dudes who don't try to hide that they're doing RMT) who are making $11-$13 per billion, and getting both their and their buyers accounts banned left right and center. If you or I buy a pair of PLEX for $35 and sell them on the market for 785 million ISK a pop we are spending about $22.29 for 1b ISK, but this is before the SCC takes their cut.<br />
<br />
Bear in mind that if Somer puts that same PLEX up in one of their blinks
at a 20% markup, they will also pull in 936m ISK, so really, they're
paying nothing except perhaps a little more than if they purchased off
the market. <br />
<br />
<strike>But it gets even better!</strike><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezKUedZsNWU/U_FfLMDnrHI/AAAAAAAAA34/bGWsYu5rf7Q/s1600/somer2014.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezKUedZsNWU/U_FfLMDnrHI/AAAAAAAAA34/bGWsYu5rf7Q/s1600/somer2014.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year's SOMERblink graphic updated!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strike>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/Radamere/status/501152168117039104" target="_blank">Radamere on Twitter</a>, that 830 Million ISK is put directly into your Blink account, meaning, you are selling a PLEX for Blink credit (something entirely misleading on SOMERblink's site if this is true, as they word it to seem like they are paying out straight ISK). Somer's payout is around 80% on the average, so 830 million in blink credit will generate payouts back to players worth around 644 million ISK. Instead of paying 830 million for an item worth 780, they are paying out the equivalent of 644 million for that same product. Using that logic YOU are paying Somer 136m ISK plus $1.40 from Markee Dragon to take that PLEX off your hands! In other words, I can't give you a $$ per Billion figure since Somer isn't actually spending any ISK on this, you're paying them....twice. (Read: You're getting scammed son)</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>When one considers the old RMT scheme was paying out 200m in blink credit per GTC sold, and the new one taking IN 136m ISK + $1.40 per PLEX sold, Somer has REALLY put the screws to their customers on this <b>if Radamere is correct</b>. </strike><br />
<br />
Whether blink credit or straight ISK payouts, the scheme would be positively brilliant if not for the fact that anyone with half a brain should be able to see that this is still obviously RMT, and should be quite against the spirit of the game, the EULA, and TOS and all that jazz.<br />
<br />
Of course, according to SOMERblink's website, "<a href="http://cogdev.net/blink/docs/11/37" target="_blank">This program has been vetted and approved by CCP.</a>" Assuming for a moment that Somer isn't dumb enough to make a false claim about that, I have yet to see anything from CCP endorsing this. If I were a betting man (haha get it?) I would put my ISK on Somer dropping a petition outlining what they wanted to do and getting a response from a GM saying they didn't see anything wrong with it. Since there is no point of reference on Somer's site, and petitions are considered confidential information (you can get banned for a copy/pate of a GM response to a petition even if you don't post it on a CCP service) this seems the most likely scenario.<br />
<br />
From a lot of the angry words I'm seeing on the net, there are some hot headed people ready to string up CCP over this scheme for "endorsing" it, but I would urge everyone to stay calm. Why?<br />
<br />
1: This scheme is complex, and we don't know how this was explained in the petition (assuming there was one. I have no insider info on this and can't confirm or deny this was even done through petitions). In simple terms, they could have just asked if it was ok to purchase PLEX from players in exchange for Blink credit. It's obviously ok to purchase PLEX from someone for ISK. All of that seems pretty legit except for the part where that PLEX purchase and what looks like a bonus requires a RL cash payment to SOMERblink in order to obtain. Without all the facts presented in a clear fashion, even I would probably give the nod to this. Without the RL purchase requirement, people are just dumb to sell something worth 780m to Somer for the equivalent of 644m. I'd call that a scam, not really RMT, since if Somer wasn't required to get paid RL $$ to sell the PLEX to you in the first place, it's just in-game items being exchanged, and there's nothing wrong with that.<br />
<br />
2: Even if the scheme was explained to a CCP employee in the fullest detail, this would not mark the first time in Eve history that some clever player got a GM to tentatively sign off on something, only to have the decision completely reversed upon further review.<br />
<br />
Look, there's no way CCP lets this scheme stand, it'll get shut down just like the last one. Ideally, I'd like to see SOMERblink and Markee Dragon get their pee pees slapped for this, because both of them should know better and shouldn't have tried to pull this stunt in the first place. Unfortunately, if someone at CCP did sign off on this (and I doubt that they would if given all the facts) I think the best we can look forward to is a swift and decisive closure to this little loop hole, and another cease and desist order from CCP to its PLEX resellers.<br />
<br />
For the CSM's part, while I can't speak for the other members, I don't think anyone is happy about this, and I wouldn't be shocked if you hear or read words from the others as this develops.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-27862978727760255512014-07-23T16:25:00.000+00:002014-07-23T16:25:37.704+00:00FW Sov vs Null Sov: Setting Phasers to FunI've noticed a bit of a theme when it comes to the sov grind. Your average FW line pilot tends to get excited about taking important defended systems. The average null pilot does not seem to get very excited about a Sov push. During a slow night on comms, our pilots will begin to fondly tell stories of past campaigns; taking Innia, defending Nennamaila, vacationing in Huola. A lot of the Null guys I talk to, with a few exceptions, generally don't have much to talk about.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m1IObu9wMfc/U8_gFyt0P-I/AAAAAAAAA0w/s2lLczOCM88/s1600/2013.04.29.04.32.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m1IObu9wMfc/U8_gFyt0P-I/AAAAAAAAA0w/s2lLczOCM88/s1600/2013.04.29.04.32.54.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
During a FW sov grind the pilots are motivated to participate with lines like, "Holy shit guys! My kill cup runneth over, you should get down here before you miss out on this!" During my null days it was more like, "Ok guys, let's get our shit together, it's time to go RF some towers." (I left null just prior to Dominion, though I hear the excitement of RFing structures hasn't improved all that dramatically).<br />
<br />
So what gives? Why do we in lowsec FW Sov enjoy the activity so much while our cousins in null sec get to it with a grumbling resignation of "Let's get this over with"? Is there anything we could learn from FW and apply to null? I'll take a look at some key differences, and see if there's not something to glean from them.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1: Your Supers Can't Help You Here</h3>
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nWbQhXGby8s/U8_flKPjZII/AAAAAAAAA0A/FaN5ir2wpgk/s1600/b-r2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nWbQhXGby8s/U8_flKPjZII/AAAAAAAAA0A/FaN5ir2wpgk/s1600/b-r2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>This is one of the most obvious differences. In a lowsec Sov push, caps are the next thing to useless. You *could* drop them somewhere in system and conventionally warp them into a large complex, but that will get you only 1 out of every 4 complexes. If you can get the system to vulnerable 5 dreads can knock out the iHub in a single cycle, but all it takes is a couple guys in frigates to defensively cap a plex or two for it to go invulnerable again. Your fleet can't even lock the iHub at this point, and your system capture is on hold until you can gain plex superiority again... with your subcaps.<br />
<br />
I've been on both the giving and receiving end of the iHub going invul before the system can be taken. It's frustrating as hell for an attacker, but the defenders are usually skittering around having a laugh because they just gave their fleet a bit of extra time to mount a proper defense. In these situations, if the system already got this high to begin with, it's likely to fall at some point anyway, but not today. If an attacker is using caps, they will usually evac them before someone with more caps shows up, but even then, a 40 or 50 man mixed subcap fleet is more than enough to take the iHub in 10-15 minutes.<br />
<br />
While a huge limitation to the power of supers in FW is one of the biggest draws we have, for feasibility in null, I'm not sure there's much to carry over here. While many people are quick to bemoan the proliferation and power of Supercaps, I don't see a forced push away from them as going over too well, especially with the people that rely on them so much. If there was some part of the null sov grind that required subcaps it might make people who don't enjoy flying caps and supers feel a little more useful, but artificially limiting fights in null seems a little against the grain, so that brings us to...<br />
<br />
<h3>
2: 1000 Paper Cuts, The Benefit of Many Smaller Timers</h3>
<br />
To take a system in FW, at least one that's actively defended, the attacking force needs an around the clock presence. Plex timers run anywhere from 10-20 minutes. A capture will either add 20 Victory Points to the contested pool, or take 20 out of it. In a non-dust modified system, it takes 3,000 VP to make the iHub vulnerable, and that iHub has no RF timer; you put it to structure, you win.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-fR3Macm0g/U8_gHHreDSI/AAAAAAAAA08/5I-KsWBKPw0/s1600/2014.07.13.04.16.03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-fR3Macm0g/U8_gHHreDSI/AAAAAAAAA08/5I-KsWBKPw0/s1600/2014.07.13.04.16.03.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good indicator that someone's house is on fire in FW.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A FW FC has decisions to make when assaulting a system. There can be 4 (and sometimes more) plexes open at any given time. If you ball your fleet up in one of them, the enemy can stick a single dude in each of the other 3, and you won't be accomplishing anything. This requires splitting forces to maintain plex superiority, or a very nimble fleet to constantly push the enemy out of plexes while trying to keep timers going in your favor. A HAC/T2 Logi gang can effectively hold 2 out of the 4 plex types, but you also need a good number of frigates and destroyers to support your fleet and hold the other 2 types. If your enemy ships down and becomes too much for your small ship support to handle, as an FC you have to decide if you need to ship down your whole fleet as well to deal with it.<br />
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While the FW way of doing things seems to play back into that whole bit about forcing people to fly smaller ships, there IS something that might translate here. As it stands in null, you drop fleet, RF structure, take note of the timer, and then leave with plans to come back in a day or 2 to push it to the 2nd timer, and then hopefully a couple days after that to finally destroy it. If you're lucky you'll get a fight, and it won't result in an atrocious amount of TiDi. If you're unlucky, you'll be reading a book or shooting the shit on comms while trying to remember to hit F1 every couple of minutes between reloads.<br />
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In FW, leaving a system for 18 hours means giving the defender every opportunity to plex it back down a long way towards stable. What if sov null consisted of a larger number of timers that were shorter, spread out location wise, and encourage guerrilla warfare against larger entities with big slow fleets. Maybe 20-30 minute timers akin to FW plex buttons that require pilots in proximity to capture instead of raw DPS and wrecking balls. Guerrilla warfare would be feasible at this point, allowing smaller fleets to outmaneuver larger less nimble ones, or forcing those larger fleets to break apart to hold multiple objectives at once. I could go on all day about the tactics that would be required to hold and take multiple short timers over a 3 or 4 day period instead of 2 or 3 planned fights at a RF timer expiration, but I think most of you could figure this out for yourselves.<br />
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What I can say definitively, is that highly contested running battles that last for days on end are some of the most exciting times for a FW pilot. Even the solo and small gang guys that despise fleets have a good time flying around catching stragglers that can't keep up with their FC.<br />
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Of course I haven't addressed the issue of iHubs and outposts, but a system like this would allow for there not to be 2 long RF timers between grinding those structures 3 times.<br />
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3: YOUR Space is MY Income Source</h3>
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Holding a system in FW means having access to the station in that system and denying its access to your enemies, but if you want to make the big FW LP money, you need to go to enemy territory to do it. Our PvE mission agents will send us 9-12 jumps mostly into enemy territory (not as much when we hold the majority of the zone) and if we opt for the plex for LP route, defensively plexing in your own systems, while easy, pays a fraction of running them in enemy held systems. We can mine or rat in our own systems of course, but unless we get lucky with a Mordu's spawn, the money in FW is in LP or exploding someones ship sporting an overpriced fit.<br />
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In this sense, losing the system next door to a fortress system is both good and bad. While it does offer the enemy a staging area to assault a fortress system more easily, it also provides a fertile farming ground if that enemy isn't on top of their game defending that staging area. when these assaults happen, often major fighting will occur in both systems in a tug of war to see who can oust who first. The fighting in 2013 between the Gallente in Nennamaila and the Caldari next door in Enaluri was legendary, with fleets attacking and defending both systems for nearly a week non stop until the Caldari were finally pushed out, and forced to evacuate the area.<br />
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While this is a huge win for FW and people looking for fights (someone running a plex in your system is likely looking to do some shooting) I'm not sure there's a translation here for null sec. If each alliance was an island unto itself, it could maybe work, but with coalitions being what they are, I can't see a way for CCP to code the game to tell the difference between your coalition buddy's space and that of "the other bloc". On top of this, with the size of nullsec, it would probably be too difficult for a bloc to say, strike a non essential system at the heart of the other bloc, and keep the logistics up in that system for an assault on the enemy's capital.<br />
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<h3>
4: Conclusions</h3>
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Looking at what are probably the 3 most major differences between FW and Null sov grinding, it might be a little easier to see why FW pilots tend to enjoy the grind more than their null cousins. Unfortunately, what null really needs is a complete overhaul, and I'm not sure there's much that can be taken from FW's successes to translate. I do see some merit in the 1000 Paper Cuts approach over the current meta (amassing as much supercapital damage as possible, RF, Timer, RF, Timer, Capture, with almost no focus on smaller operations or need for subcap support) but such change would have to accompany other mechanics, and would be a major undertaking on CCPs part.<br />
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I think many people will disagree on specifics at this point, but one thing I think I see almost everyone out in null saying these days is that the current system isn't all that good or fun, and something needs to change. The rest is all just details.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-70793204752878285322014-07-21T03:49:00.000+00:002014-07-21T04:26:32.677+00:00The Power of ConflictThere have been quite a few postings made elsewhere about Lowsec lately, and I think it's time to toss my own thoughts into the ring about the subject. For some context here, I'm going to suggest a bit of light reading before I get into the grit.<br />
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First up we have a lovely posting by fellow Gal Mil pilot Niden over at Crossing Zebras "<a href="http://crossingzebras.com/eve-is-dying/" target="_blank">Eve is Dying?</a>" The TLDR here is that lowsec kills are rising, nullsec not so much. He makes the case that if Eve is dying, lowsec didn't get the memo and is doing great.<br />
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Our friend <a href="http://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-game-of-graphs-whats-happening-in.html" target="_blank">The Nosy Gamer</a> took Niden's data a bit further and made the case that kills in almost all areas of Eve are related to the Average Concurrent User (ACU) data. Then Gevlon took Nosy's data and used it to show that <a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2014/07/if-more-people-log-in-more-x-happens.html" target="_blank">Nullsec players are running off to highsec to make money</a>. Sweet shit, it's like anyone can take a line of data and dress it up to show whatever point they want to get across these days.<br />
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All I'll say about those who have come before in this discussion is that they all have a point, and they're all worth reading. Who knows, maybe you'll find some piece of data to expound upon and write about yourself. For my own part, I'll share some of Niden's feelings that lowsec certainly feels busier as a whole, but something none of the data can demonstrate or predict is an intangible: Conflict drivers.<br />
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I'd been watching my own data line before any of these articles hit the interwebs. As most of you are no doubt aware, when I'm not bashing my face in CSM stuff I'm the executor of a 377 man FW alliance. We don't hold sov (our home system is debatable since we do actively defend and hold it) we don't run POSes, we have no POCOs, and we certainly don't rent space. We serve one function: shooting stuff, and our killboard has told an interesting tale these past few months.<br />
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Like anyone in a leadership position in Eve will tell you, there's nothing like some nice propaganda, and a great purpose to rally your lads (and ladies) to log in and put the screws to someone. This past March we saw our busiest month yet, topping 4200 kills and leaving over 1600 wrecks on the field of battle. March was an incredible month that saw some spectacular fighting between the Gallente and Caldari, where several pushes were made to take important systems... places both sides were more than willing to fight for. Conflict happened, content was generated, and we had people logging in to be a part of it. April saw a dip to 2600 kills, May things tipped back up over 3k, and then in June the wheels practically came off.<br />
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What happened in June? Nothing, and that was the problem. Kronos came, seemingly 90% of the farmers went away, and they might have taken most of the Caldari with them. Most nights we couldn't BUY a fight, and finished the month with numbers we hadn't seen so low since May of 2013 when our alliance was half the size it is now.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUERBapaWVc/U8yNCtSaWEI/AAAAAAAAAzw/z9b-K1pwJN0/s1600/explosion2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUERBapaWVc/U8yNCtSaWEI/AAAAAAAAAzw/z9b-K1pwJN0/s1600/explosion2.png" height="256" width="320" /></a>July had the start of another dismal month, but was salvaged when bunch of Amarr FW guys got together and decided it was time to headshot the Minmatar in their main staging system of Huola. As it turns out, there are some Russians living in Huola that helped us out a year or so ago, we owed them a favor, and a bunch of Gal Mil corps and alliances sent some of our best and brightest to aid the defense. The fighting in Huola, that one system, has accounted for over half of our kills this month, with less than half of our kills coming from the entirety of our own warzone. It is conceivable that had the Amarr not gotten it into their heads to attack Huola, my alliance would be sitting on less than 900 kills so far this month.<br />
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Does the spike in lowsec kills that's about to show up on Nosy's kill graph for July have anything to do with ACU? If there is a correlation between the two, is it a result of more people logging in to take part in a conflict that wouldn't have logged in if that conflict wasn't there?<br />
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You know what gets people to log into Eve? An epic expansion certainly helps bring people in to check out new stuff, but a few new ships or a fancy new game mechanic doesn't keep people around forever. Conflict does. Your buddies calling you up on the phone yelling at you to get your ass in the game because shit is going down and we need everyone we can get into a ship in fleet RIGHT FUCKING NOW! People who don't give half a shit about what's coming in Crius this week resubbed their accounts to help their friends defend their home system, and get some epic fights in Huola earlier this month. If the Caldari wake up tomorrow and decide to shoot for the moon and assault Nennamaila, the same thing will happen in our warzone.<br />
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B-R earlier this year probably generated more subs for Eve than Kronos did (that is completely unresearched and unscientific as I have no data to back it up, but I'd bet you 100m ISK I'm right). I can certainly tell you that it generated more applications to our newbie corp than anything that's happened since. <br />
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Conflict, ladies and gentlemen: any story is shit without it. Eve is a pretty big story filled with some epic conflicts... though not as many lately. We've had some great one-off battles this past year, but the real wars have been rather light. A lot of folks in null will point to the problem of Sov mechanics as a serious detractor to wanting to start up a serious war, and it's true that the onus is on CCP to provide the mechanics and tools needed to make the jobs of the content (and conflict) creators a bit easier.<br />
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What's also true is that part of this is in our hands, and I can tell you that the next great bout of content in lowsec isn't going to come from a mechanic instituted by CCP. It's going to come from a handful of players sitting in a private room on their teamspeak server discussing their next move to stick it to the other guys. They'll motivate their pilots, and spread the word to their allies. People who have been bored with Eve and have hardly logged in for the last month will get ready for war, because hey, it's something to do. Some of that intel will get leaked, and the guys about to have the hammer dropped on them will rally their pilots, and more people will be logging in. The fighting will start, and people who unsubbed from boredom a while ago will reactivate their accounts to take part in some of the epic fighting that will be taking place. Hell, even the QCATS might put down League of Legends for a few nights.<br />
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None of that might show up prominently on some ACU chart, but it will likely result in more than its fair share of destruction. With that in mind, maybe what Eve's sub numbers need more than some industry revamps and a few new and rebalanced ships, is a world war.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490340916886486838.post-51697565748784380272014-07-16T21:02:00.000+00:002014-07-16T21:04:24.574+00:00CSM9: Quick and Dirty UpdateGreetings space friends! It's been a little while since I've sat down to have a bit of a write. My last posting ruffled a few feathers (mostly with the rest of the CSM) so I resolved to hold off on another posting until I had something more constructive to say.<br />
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While I'm on the CSM front, things have been relatively quiet from a Lowsec PVP representative perspective for this update cycle. As you're likely aware, Crius is all about the new industry changes. I find them interesting, and there's been a ton of debate and work internally making sure that the devs get things right hopefully on the first pass, but the majority of that debate has been carried by members of the CSM with far more invested in industry than yours truly. I don't really build much, and most of what I sell is looted from wrecks, so Sugar Kyle is far more qualified between your 2 lowsec reps to talk about and represent that aspect of things. Fuzzy Steve has been especially indispensable for this update.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0n_4fCZMue4/U8boA-nJANI/AAAAAAAAAzM/1C_OmYeoZi4/s1600/intothesunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0n_4fCZMue4/U8boA-nJANI/AAAAAAAAAzM/1C_OmYeoZi4/s1600/intothesunset.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a>For my part, Crius works like this: "Is it going to be more efficient to do industry in lowsec than high?" Everyone seems to be nodding their heads yes. The capital manufacturers are getting a special POS module to make up the gap in cap production between us and null. FW people will have the ability to get some deep discounts on production costs with system upgrades. There's a bunch of other stuff involved as well, but the bottom line is that lowsec isn't getting the shaft, and I'm content to not make a scene about it.<br />
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On the subject of the summer summit, a tentative week had been set that I had off from work, but the conference needed to be moved to its present week. Unfortunately, I can't move vacation so there are likely to be several sessions I won't be able to attend. As we get closer to the summit, I'll work with folk to see if we can get lowsec related stuff scheduled for earlier in the morning so i can alarm clock 5 and 6am local time sessions, or hopefully be able to score a day off on either the Wednesday or Thursday to catch sessions then.<br />
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The Winter summit should be less of an issue as I'll hopefully be able to plan vacation time AFTER we get a final date. I still won't be able to make a trip to Iceland, but the technology for attending virtual conferences at CCP HQ works exceptionally well, and I won't be missing much besides the after hours elbow rubbing, drinking, and friend making... stuff I wasn't really elected to do in the first place.<br />
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Should anyone have any questions regarding CSM or Crius stuff, feel free to post them below. I'll try to answer anything that won't break the NDA. :)The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09943719085849242739noreply@blogger.com8