EVE General Discussion

For those complaining on both sides about Crimewatch, Bounties, and the new AI, I think you are missing the big picture.

Some disclosure upfront:
I think the new bounty system is a disaster as a standalone system, and same with the new AI.
I also have not much opinion about Crimewatch, because there are so many moving parts I don't know how this will all play out once Dec 5th rolls around.
I also hate Soundwave because I believe he is a null sec zealot.

However, with that being said, I think people are missing a key point with all these radical changes to the game, and I can't believe I am saying this, I am kind of defending Soundwave, the one who hates high sec.

Soundwave has stated that he ultimately wants players to police themselves in high sec, ie. NO CONCORD.

So what does that mean for "high sec" in this new form?
It means that if CCP wants to keep that sub base of high sec players, but also wants to remove Concord, whatever high sec is morphed into, the players will have to have a ton of new game mechanics to combat the anarchy of the pirates plus the privations of the null sec alliances.

Crimewatch and the new Bounty system, and I assume the new NPC AI, are all modules in the grand plan to transform high sec into something else. What other new game mechanics are needed to complete the transformation, I have no clue. I am guessing that CCP has no real firm grasp atm either, and these radical changes are just the first of many.

Because these changes are so complex, so pervasive, there is no way they can be all introduced at once and tested on Sisi in a couple weeks. The player base is going to be beta testing them on TQ for months.

And that means that new game mechanics which are a disaster as standalone systems might work when all the new game mechanics, whatever they are, are all finally integrated, however many releases that takes. My guess is CCP is willing to risk losing a number of players (the ones that goons drive out of the game with the new Bounty system, plus a number of pissed off pirates, plus all drone PvE players), since someone at CCP has this grand vision for the game, and they recognize that the new game mechanisms will be a slow, painful process to design, implement and perfect. I am guessing they have a 24-30 month view.

Does this vision belong to Soundwave's, or his null sec masters' , or someone else entirely, I have no clue.
Will most people agree with whatever the finished product will be? Who knows.
I personally have zero faith in Soundwave, and likely won't be around when the new game mechanics are finally all in place.
But maybe a new batch of players will love them. Maybe a number of old players will return.


But for those that hang around, I would suggest that "you ain't see nothin' yet" when it comes to game mechanics changes.

I ultimately want to sprout angel wings and fly around the room, that doesn't mean it will ever happen.

We've been here before - CCP makes grand statements about massive game-changing things they'd want to do one day in the future, whilst the things they actually work on expansion after expansion do nothing to contribute to that goal and usually work against it. I've been in three consecutive fanfest round-tables on 0.0 where everyone has said that 0.0 needed to be majorly reworked to re-vitalise the regions, to encourage conflict, to encourage repopulation, and the CCP representatives have nodded and agreed and said that they'd like to do those massive reworkings, and what do we get? Death by a thousand cuts. Jump Bridge nerf. Anomoly nerf. Tech nerf. A highsec of low risk, low effort, high reward.

There's a severe disconnect between what CCP says is on their roadmap, and the direction that their car is actually driving.

Maybe it will return to the cold dark harsh world some of us remember...

When was the last time you were ganked mining Veldspar?

I am pretty sure there are already several dozen players or corps raring to start that will exploit the "sheet" out of the new crimewatch system...
I just do not like the fact that high sec WILL be a "cold dark place" only for one side of the equation...for the other side it is warm and cosy if they wish to and take a little bit of care...

Regarding those holes.

I agree with this. Risk adds value.

Not THAT dark

Ofc it is

Sumone slams u with a bounty because you *mined there roid*, u dont know who took the contract

u undock

ur dead

TONS of people will have bountys on them

pvpers will come out of null

eve will go stale

this bounty system is a damn stupid idea

More potential for emergent player driven gameplay sounds good to me, whether the average high seccer gets involved or not.

High sec feeling more dynamic and less passive will probably also go a way to hook newer players and help them get involved in the game. Still, can't give a real verdict until it's done, but it sounds like a reasonable direction.