So this whole drama-fest is getting absurd. People that are still upset just want a reason to be upset, and everyone likes to claim "EVE is changing ablooooo blooooo..." and "it's gonna be all Hello Kitty Online now abloooo bloooo..." Seriously? CCP throws Mittani under the bus (after he already fell on his own sword and owned up with dignity and integrity), and y'all start crying foul? This is what you wanted, you wanted CCP to come in and "deal with it," and they did. Was the 30 day ban and forced removal from the CSM necessary? No, but it was harsh as fuck. Isn't that what you want? Let's just take a minute and learn from CCP. HTFU.
29.3.12
28.3.12
The Burning of Jita [or a Diet by a Fire?]
UPDATE
Another Goonswarm communication, this time from the CEO himself, has been intercepted and decrypted. Analysis pending.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intercepted Transmission:
Target: Jita
Threat Level: Primary
Aggressor: GSF & Co.
Relevant data:
If successful, the Jita project will be the single largest and most coordinated act of grief in the history of EVE – we can expect press, calls for us all to be banned, and other nullsec entities joining the fun. While GЅF will be focusing on high-value targets like freighters‚ іt is entirely possible that PL and RDN and god knows who else will swing by and smartbomb the shit out of Jita just for the fuсk of it; there was palpable exсitement at Fanfeѕt about the idea aсross most of nullsec.
Another Goonswarm communication, this time from the CEO himself, has been intercepted and decrypted. Analysis pending.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intercepted Transmission:
Target: Jita
Threat Level: Primary
Aggressor: GSF & Co.
Relevant data:
"Jita will burn."
I suspect that the cries of protest when we begin hitting Jita will make the Ice Interdiction sound like old Manilow tracks played through a de-tuned Muzak speaker at half volume in an elevator full of incontinent chimpanzees. Everyone uses Jita – alliances, humble traders, mega-jews, legions of market bots, you name it. Ice miners could escape our Interdiction by moving away, but ruining Jita will ruin, erm… everything. It will be like surrounding the New York Ѕtock Exchange, the Board of Trade, and the Federal Reѕerve with a ring of armored vehicles and shelling them all, simultaneously, until the entire economic system flies apart at the seams.If successful, the Jita project will be the single largest and most coordinated act of grief in the history of EVE – we can expect press, calls for us all to be banned, and other nullsec entities joining the fun. While GЅF will be focusing on high-value targets like freighters‚ іt is entirely possible that PL and RDN and god knows who else will swing by and smartbomb the shit out of Jita just for the fuсk of it; there was palpable exсitement at Fanfeѕt about the idea aсross most of nullsec.
[OOC] Is it over? Can I come out and play now?
Whew! It's been quite the crazy day, and my phone has died three times with the #tweetfleet going ballistic. People have said crazy things, threads have been locked, accounts have been banned, but FINALLY the end may be in sight. Mittens, in a rare display of dignity in EVE, posted this thread on the forums.
What I posted in response is as follows:
"You have won my respect, for what it is worth. This is probably the single most articulate discussion of the current fiasco, and I thank you for the time you took writing this. While ingame, my character is hellbent on the destruction of the Goonswarm, I cannot state enough how much respect I have for you as a player and as a human being. What you have done with Goonswarm for ingame RP is beyond expression, and makes EVE the best damn game out there. Thanks to you, there is legitimate cause for ingame RP warfare, and that is just awesome. You show true dignity in declining the CSM Chair, and wisdom in understanding the "hat" problem. I applaud you, sir.
All this coming from a four year pubbie. Don't think so little of us, and you might be suprised."
Perhaps now we can all go back to that internet spaceships game? This witch-hunt is not very enjoyable, from either side.
What I posted in response is as follows:
"You have won my respect, for what it is worth. This is probably the single most articulate discussion of the current fiasco, and I thank you for the time you took writing this. While ingame, my character is hellbent on the destruction of the Goonswarm, I cannot state enough how much respect I have for you as a player and as a human being. What you have done with Goonswarm for ingame RP is beyond expression, and makes EVE the best damn game out there. Thanks to you, there is legitimate cause for ingame RP warfare, and that is just awesome. You show true dignity in declining the CSM Chair, and wisdom in understanding the "hat" problem. I applaud you, sir.
All this coming from a four year pubbie. Don't think so little of us, and you might be suprised."
Perhaps now we can all go back to that internet spaceships game? This witch-hunt is not very enjoyable, from either side.
[OOC] CCP and Goonswarm
So while in the midst of this whole MittaniGate controversy, I decided "Hey! Why not take this heated forum-war and bring it into EVE!" And so I started posting about this idea of the Anti-Swarm. That was last night. Overnight, GSF decided they were going to derail my attempt to rally others against them, and hijacked my thread to discuss the finer points of Roadhouse. Now, the thread has been locked, as have any other thread that questions GSF, CCP, or really anything other than The Mittani's Apology threadnaught (now at 184 pages).
All I can say, is that CCP must LOVE the taste of GSF dick. I used to ignore the comments from the tinfoil fleet that CCP actively supports GSF from within, and I didn't think much of the fact that many of the devs at CCP were originally GSF members (or still are!). Now? Now I know that CCP will do whatever it can to provide it's goldenboys with whatever damage control they can, abusing their power as forum moderators and developers of the game.
What is so bad about translating real anger towards GSF into blowing up spaceships belonging to GSF? Maybe it's because they might lose...
EDIT: I hope I don't get banned from the forums for posting this on my blog. CCP is getting a little out of control with the thread locking/forum bans. Damage control is one thing, censorship of your playerbase is another, especially if it's only because you don't like what they are saying about your goldenboys. That just makes it seem even more like you are the GSF's bitch. And I say that with all due respect, which you are losing fast.
I would LOVE to be proven wrong, as CCP is an amazing company doing amazing things for MMOs and videogames in general, and I freaking LOVE the Sandbox that is EVE Online.
EDIT: CCP, you proved me wrong. Kind of.
All I can say, is that CCP must LOVE the taste of GSF dick. I used to ignore the comments from the tinfoil fleet that CCP actively supports GSF from within, and I didn't think much of the fact that many of the devs at CCP were originally GSF members (or still are!). Now? Now I know that CCP will do whatever it can to provide it's goldenboys with whatever damage control they can, abusing their power as forum moderators and developers of the game.
What is so bad about translating real anger towards GSF into blowing up spaceships belonging to GSF? Maybe it's because they might lose...
EDIT: I hope I don't get banned from the forums for posting this on my blog. CCP is getting a little out of control with the thread locking/forum bans. Damage control is one thing, censorship of your playerbase is another, especially if it's only because you don't like what they are saying about your goldenboys. That just makes it seem even more like you are the GSF's bitch. And I say that with all due respect, which you are losing fast.
I would LOVE to be proven wrong, as CCP is an amazing company doing amazing things for MMOs and videogames in general, and I freaking LOVE the Sandbox that is EVE Online.
EDIT: CCP, you proved me wrong. Kind of.
Operation:Anti-Swarm
The time has come. Rise up and defend New Eden against the Goonswarm terrorists.
The Great shall Fall, burning in the fires of hubris.
The Great shall Fall, burning in the fires of hubris.
27.3.12
[OOC] SuicideGate now MittaniGate...
The Mittani has certainly made the CSM7 quite the drama already. The forums are blowing up, and his Apology thread is almost at 150 pages. Most of it are Goons flaming anyone who attempts to voice their opinion, which is pretty typical of Goonswarm (see Lady Harlot for some of the "best" in the thread). But a lot of the posts are starting to sound like a personal grudge match.
The TL;DR of it all is that what The Mittani said was:
For a Goon: Understandable, if horrible, and usually expected.
For the Chair of the CSM: Unacceptable, and punishable (by removal from office).
The TL;DR of it all is that what The Mittani said was:
For a Goon: Understandable, if horrible, and usually expected.
For the Chair of the CSM: Unacceptable, and punishable (by removal from office).
26.3.12
[OOC] SuicideGate and The Mittani
So as I was getting ready to eat dinner, I saw a few Twitter updates from @TheMittani about some comments he made during the Alliance Panel at FanFest. Looking into it, I found this article on Eurogamer.com. Checking the forums, I quickly found not only the already 20+ page thread reacting to what he said, but also his apology thread as well.
Let me begin by making this point clear: I am not trying to attack The Mittani, nor do I question the fact that he did lead the most successful CSM in history. While ingame, I hate the Goonswarm with the fire of a thousand suns, I respect The Mittani for the ingame roleplaying he does, and his leadership in making the Goonswarm what it is today. This is about his comments at FanFest, and what they represent coming from the Chair of the CSM, not the CEO of Goonswarm. I do not believe that The Mittani should necessarily step down, but it would provide CCP with a legal way out of the developing media scandal.
This is a big deal, not only for EVE but for CCP as a whole. The CSM7 election results have already been released, and The Mittani received over ten thousand votes, well above the closest competition. Mainly due to being the CEO of the undeniably evil alliance Goonswarm, The Mittani also successfully campaigned on being a part of the CSM during the most tumultuous year of EVE. That being said, he is known in EVE as an unabashedly arrogant and unethical asshole. And that's what's great about EVE, you are allowed (and even encouraged) to live an alternate persona. But when Mittens (as he is more commonly known) drunkenly discussed a player that admitted he was contemplating suicide, and then when asked further, said (on camera streaming live to thousands of EVE players) "Incidentally, if you want to make the guy kill himself, his name is [redacted]," Alex said, adding that "he has his own corp. Find him."
Let me begin by making this point clear: I am not trying to attack The Mittani, nor do I question the fact that he did lead the most successful CSM in history. While ingame, I hate the Goonswarm with the fire of a thousand suns, I respect The Mittani for the ingame roleplaying he does, and his leadership in making the Goonswarm what it is today. This is about his comments at FanFest, and what they represent coming from the Chair of the CSM, not the CEO of Goonswarm. I do not believe that The Mittani should necessarily step down, but it would provide CCP with a legal way out of the developing media scandal.
This is a big deal, not only for EVE but for CCP as a whole. The CSM7 election results have already been released, and The Mittani received over ten thousand votes, well above the closest competition. Mainly due to being the CEO of the undeniably evil alliance Goonswarm, The Mittani also successfully campaigned on being a part of the CSM during the most tumultuous year of EVE. That being said, he is known in EVE as an unabashedly arrogant and unethical asshole. And that's what's great about EVE, you are allowed (and even encouraged) to live an alternate persona. But when Mittens (as he is more commonly known) drunkenly discussed a player that admitted he was contemplating suicide, and then when asked further, said (on camera streaming live to thousands of EVE players) "Incidentally, if you want to make the guy kill himself, his name is [redacted]," Alex said, adding that "he has his own corp. Find him."
[OOC] Those Monday Blues...
Here's a little lightshow to brighten your happy hour... Pax Amarria! Enjoy!
25.3.12
[OOC] Democracy in Space: The CSM7 Elections and Results
So EVE is unique in a lot of ways, but none are more easily identifiable than the CSM. The CSM, which stands for the Council of Stellar Management, has been around for seven years now, and to quote the CSM white paper :
"The purpose of the CSM is to represent society interests to CCP. This requires active engagement with the player community to master EVE issue awareness, understanding, and evaluation in the context of the greatest good for the greater player base."
"The purpose of the CSM is to represent society interests to CCP. This requires active engagement with the player community to master EVE issue awareness, understanding, and evaluation in the context of the greatest good for the greater player base."
[OOC] FanFest Keynote Overload...
So with FanFest now over, the wait begins for CCP to upload all the presentations to Youtube; however, some enterprising EVE-junkie decided to capture the livestream, so that it could then be uploaded even sooner. So here are the keynote presentations, from Day 1 to Day 3 (individual presentations will be linked here):
[OOC] FanFestivus for the Rest of Us!
Fanfest may be over, but here's one last look at CCP's vision for EVE. And it's got plenty of shiny, plus Empress Jamyl! Spiffy!
23.3.12
[OOC] EVE FanFest is here!
I've been quite busy writing a lot for a separate project, but since last night, I've been hooked on EVE TV. FanFest 2012 is here, and I'm wishing I was there in Iceland. But aside from the nerdgasm of FanFest, there are some pretty awesome looking DUST 514 previews...and MISSILE LAUNCHER TURRETS are finally coming! Oh the joys of missile-spam, now coming with new shiny... Anyways, check it out for free, either online or (if you swing that way) through Playstation Home.
15.3.12
Shattered Faith: Part II
Location: Asesamy < Damadil < Tash-Murkon
Security: 0.6
The strategic cruiser, registered by CONCORD and designated "The Despair of Heretics," slid out of warp ten kilometers out from the Hostni gate, silent but uncloaked, it's massive Tech II pulse lasers deactivated. As the warp bubble collapsed, and space-time resolved itself around the Amarrian cruiser, the on-board navcom identified only four CONCORD frigates and a single CONCORD battlecruiser patrolling the gate, as a single Hulk struggled towards it's next jump on what was likely the end of a month long ore-haul out of nullsec, judging by the scarred plating and faulty drivecore on the massive exhumer. None seemed to either notice, or care about the appearance of the cruiser, so Akai eased up to full speed while still keeping an eye on the navcom, expecting at any minute a full blackops strikeforce to light a cyno and warp the whole fleet right on top of him.
11.3.12
Shattered Faith: Part I
Ashab VIII - Moon 10 - Theology Council Tribunal
23:00 UTC
Reclining back into the plush couch, Akai watched another re-run of "CONCORD's Most Wanted," attempting to wash away the foul taste of betrayal with a hefty draught of khaas, the drink of choice among Khanid alcoholics everywhere. On the couch next to him lay a datapad, beat up and long-over due for service and replacement, blinking furiously in the darkness; Akai didn't need to keep reading much past the "We regret to inform you..." part to know he just got fucked. Royally fucked, no less. That he was fired didn't matter much in the end, the Ordo was falling apart as it was, but what really burned was losing that Legion to those pirates outside UNITY Station over in Providence. Almost a billion lost, all because that bastard Davohl wouldn't undock his Curse.Internet Spaceships and You [OOC]
I don't believe in superfluous introductions when it comes to blogs, and so I will endeavor to keep this introductory post succinct and to the point (despite my tendencies towards verbosity). If you don't know me, I live (happily married) and work in the crazy city of Louisville, KY (where bars stay open till 4am, even on Sundays), and I work at Heine Bros. Coffee slinging lattes when I'm not writing or doing other relatively creative things. This may seem rather mundane, as many of my generation have discovered the profession of the "creativity barista," be it as writers or musicians or artists; however, this blog is not about being a barista (or really even about being a writer, although it requires writing...), but rather about INTERNET SPACESHIPS or more commonly known as EVE Online.
So, I play EVE Online. Quite a bit, when I get the chance. But what is unique about EVE is that it does not necessarily require you to actively play to further develop your character's abilities (ie grinding XP); thus, I can work and write and take care of my puppy, all while my pilot is training a skill IN REAL TIME. The time to train each skill varies in accordance with the pilot's stats, complexity of skill learned, and prerequisite skills; thus training Battleship (a skill necessary to pilot battleship class spaceships) to Level 5 (the highest) will take me 33 days, 22 hours, and 16 minutes (around mid-April). This is all to put into perspective what I am usually doing when playing EVE, and it has nothing to do with traditional MMO level grinds.
What makes EVE truly unique is that it is not run on server-shards, and the universe is also not sharded (except for China, but that's only thanks to the Great Firewall, not CCP); what this means basically is that every single person who plays EVE plays in the SAME universe, thus 40-50,000 players (daily average) fight and die on the same server, at the same time, rather than 50,000 players spread across 500 server shards, each one an independent universe with perhaps 5-10,000 players per server. Combine a singular universe with a truly player-driven economy (materials, ammo, ships, weapons, mods are all manufactured or mined by players), leave the player free to make his/her own choices, and you end up with the most ruthless, open-ended, virtual reality yet created. I could go on for hours about why EVE is simply better than any other MMO other there on the market (although SWTOR certainly does take the gold for single-player narrative), about how awesome free expansions are, about how amazing the graphics look (even on lower-end machines), about how international (and active) the community is... But in the end, the only thing that I can say is snag the trial and see for yourself.
All that being said, most of the posts in this blog will (unless otherwise stated) be written in the form of short fiction, detailing the adventures of my capsuleer, Akai Kvaesir, as he works towards finding a place to belong in the harsh and unforgiving universe that is EVE Online. Sentences, or even whole sections separated by [ ] will be written OOC (that means Out Of Character) when necessary; otherwise, if a post is not written in character it will be tagged in the title as [OOC], as this post is.
Warning: EVE requires you to learn and adapt. It is not EZ-Mode entertainment, and the rewards scale with the risk. Just as in life, there are lessons to be learned, and while it may seem confusing at first, there are plenty out there willing to help you learn the ropes. Just don't forget EVE is a harsh place, and anyone can stab you in the back.
So, I play EVE Online. Quite a bit, when I get the chance. But what is unique about EVE is that it does not necessarily require you to actively play to further develop your character's abilities (ie grinding XP); thus, I can work and write and take care of my puppy, all while my pilot is training a skill IN REAL TIME. The time to train each skill varies in accordance with the pilot's stats, complexity of skill learned, and prerequisite skills; thus training Battleship (a skill necessary to pilot battleship class spaceships) to Level 5 (the highest) will take me 33 days, 22 hours, and 16 minutes (around mid-April). This is all to put into perspective what I am usually doing when playing EVE, and it has nothing to do with traditional MMO level grinds.
What makes EVE truly unique is that it is not run on server-shards, and the universe is also not sharded (except for China, but that's only thanks to the Great Firewall, not CCP); what this means basically is that every single person who plays EVE plays in the SAME universe, thus 40-50,000 players (daily average) fight and die on the same server, at the same time, rather than 50,000 players spread across 500 server shards, each one an independent universe with perhaps 5-10,000 players per server. Combine a singular universe with a truly player-driven economy (materials, ammo, ships, weapons, mods are all manufactured or mined by players), leave the player free to make his/her own choices, and you end up with the most ruthless, open-ended, virtual reality yet created. I could go on for hours about why EVE is simply better than any other MMO other there on the market (although SWTOR certainly does take the gold for single-player narrative), about how awesome free expansions are, about how amazing the graphics look (even on lower-end machines), about how international (and active) the community is... But in the end, the only thing that I can say is snag the trial and see for yourself.
All that being said, most of the posts in this blog will (unless otherwise stated) be written in the form of short fiction, detailing the adventures of my capsuleer, Akai Kvaesir, as he works towards finding a place to belong in the harsh and unforgiving universe that is EVE Online. Sentences, or even whole sections separated by [ ] will be written OOC (that means Out Of Character) when necessary; otherwise, if a post is not written in character it will be tagged in the title as [OOC], as this post is.
Warning: EVE requires you to learn and adapt. It is not EZ-Mode entertainment, and the rewards scale with the risk. Just as in life, there are lessons to be learned, and while it may seem confusing at first, there are plenty out there willing to help you learn the ropes. Just don't forget EVE is a harsh place, and anyone can stab you in the back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)