EVE General Discussion

As someone who enjoys the occassional bit of RP (dons flameproof biohazard suit), I can say with near certainty that if CCP has any desire to reignite the RP portion of the playerbase, expanding WiS would do just that.

There's much to be said for being able to talk to other characters in-person, so to speak. Yes, this is a game about spaceships. But it's not ONLY a game about spaceships. It's the penultimate sci-fi space opera, and adding more forms of social interation can only help the game, in my opinion.

Nobody is asking for CCP to devote another expansion to WiS (though it would be nice if they did). However, they have everything to gain and nothing to lose by devoting a handful of personnel to fleshing out the WiS experience.

I don't support the idea at all, but OMG I could not stop laughing at this post. Would LOVE to see a Machinima of something like this.


It took me a couple of reads to really understand this, but when I did... well, awesome. This is EXACTLY what I would tell a CCP employee about WiS if they were around to talk to. This is truly how I feel that CCP could and should approach future development not only in WiS, but future avatar gameplay. BUT, what I REALLY like about this post was the second sentence. This is why I HAVE to shake my head at the WiS doomsayers. I mean, I suppose there are people out there that spend their time almost exclusively in space (yeah wormholers!), but your NOT always going to be out there doing a mission, or hunting a mark, or shooting some fool at a gate with juicy cargo, or w/e else you do out there.

That being said, on the other end of the spectrum there are marketeers, industrialists, and the occassionally OCD person who has to have everything organized perfectly in different clearly marked station containers ( \o/ guilty!), and these people spend a SIGNIFICANT amount of time docked. Now this is where those on the other end of the spectrum see MASSIVE use for WiS. I'm not saying ship spinning ain't fun, but I can't say enough about how much I enjoy taking my avatar, kicking back on the sofa, and just sorting my affairs in the station. There is something about the element of having my avatar there that immerses me. Sometimes I just want to relax, kick back, and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but stare at that screen and check out the occasional new player or notable bounty. Not only that, but I also enjoy running EVE in the background, listening to the station ambiance while working away on web development projects in real life. More often than not, I get to pretend in my head that I'm doing it all in the captains quarters than at my desk, and that suits me just fine! (Imagine if the in game tools like browser and jukebox weren't disappearing slowly, giving more in game options for 'station entertainment'. Flash support for the browser? Yes please!)

Also, the post's third sentence. EVE Online is a social game, and enough cannot be said about the usefulness or having more means to socialize with others in game. I remember it being mentioned somewhere in another WiS thread, comparing this to an older Star Wars MMO (that shall not be named) and how cantinas worked and such. Imagine something similar in EVE Online, being able (mind you, WITH PURPOSE!) to gather together in a bar, meeting room, etc. just to hang out, or talk to each other over proximity voice chat (EVE Voice could evolve into this, moderation being possible through permissions in a chat channel). Plot the next excursion to destroy a nearby POS, discuss the details with a fleetmate on an upcoming mission, etc. Come to think of it, this would be a useful features for miners in a belt... Anyways, I feel this could be the future of EVE. I believe that if Incarna had worked out better than it did, perhaps meaningful avatar gameplay and 'second life' opportunities would have attracted more players, making it possible for CCP to hire for future WiS/Avatar gameplay development. We may have well been in the direction of realizing the above thoughts. Point being, that there is A LOT to be said about our avatars and what they truly add (or detract) to/from the game. But, I'm of the opinion that it will ALWAYS be better for us to have the option of using the content, than not having it at all. This is how to you cater to a larger audience, and to be blunt, I think that's exactly what needs to happen with EVE Online if what it has right now is not sufficient for future development.

I started a mammoth thread about WiS last year.

I'm still waiting for my opportunity to molest female NPCs and players alike. Oh CCP. won't you grant this frustrated player's wish?

Anyway, check out that thread, it had a few dev responses that were positive for a while, but eventually those responses were relegated by decisions from higher-ups. Needless to say we won't be getting WiS anytime soon.

However I am secretly hoping that the release of new space MMOs like Star Citizen (that will feature 3D avatar interaction) will force CCP's hand on the issue.

I also personally love the idea of using WiS content to add more player created content to Eve. Let me explain what I really mean by that.

I used to play the Neverwinter Nights series. The attraction was that they came with the software used to create the game environments. This meant people created and hosted their own worlds, which varied so much and added such a ginormous amount of diversity to the game. People were also allowed to use C++ to customize object behaviors, player animations, or if necessary completely change the game dynamics.

Now, I am not asking for something that powerful. But I think that if we do ever end up with Establishments that there should be very very significant amount of customization involved. So that the players can create places that other people would genuinely want to see (if only for the novelty). Perhaps some basic ability to use the API to give objects in the environment usefulness. Someone with some programming savvy could then have a screen display relevant corporate details or give tax exemption on the slay table to those with the most kills in a given time etc etc.

Games with this level of customization almost literally never die. Games like NWN, Minecraft, VtM and other hugely customizable games just carry on going. Because it gives people something to do that takes up a lot of time and gives them something to be truly proud of when they're finished. Establishment manager could become a common new corporate role filled by programming enthusiasts, developers, design people and artists all over new Eden.

That idea actually has come up fairly often, and it would be amazing. I think the more things we can take away from the NPCs the better. Player interaction is always better than NPC interaction. The problem with it is that the basic premise of any mission a player might want to create is that they are never going to be profitable or viable enough for other people to want to do their missions. The only thing a player could ever want is an asset of some description, such as an item, or standing or whatever. The problem you then get is that all you will really be doing is putting a buy order up with a fancy interface. If the person then completes your mission and finds someone has a higher buy order for that asset, they're not going to give it to you.

You could do something like player created missions, such as an interface that allows you to track your corp member's standing increases with certain empires/corps. Then you could reward the players who increase your corp standing in certain ways the most. Being able to program CQ like screens in an establishment would be a great way of tracking stuff like that so that the whole corp could see. Would help with planning and things and its perfectly possible with the current API. All you would really need is a screen able to display web pages and this would work. I guess what it really boils down to is a communal screen that is able to show a web page and then people could design them themselves.

I guess then that you need some higher level of automation for it to be worth it, otherwise you can just use a web page. Automation such as, for example, making you exempt from the slay table tax if you have the most kills this month/week. Building in automated player benefits is more or less how missions would need to work. Kill most people, receive tax exemption. Raise corp standing, have your name plastered on the CQ screen (with honors), etc. There wouldn't need to be any formal 'Accept Mission' window/UI.


WiS Threadnaughts are easy to come by. There are a lot of them.

That's probably because they have nothing new to say on the matter. Everything they do say (and they get asked regularly) comes down to something like "We want to make WiS a reality, but not right now". They've been saying that since the game was conceived, and they only made one attempt at it which they messed up royally.

When ever they post, it just feels like an insult. Because "we'll do it eventually" has taken them 10 years so far, so I have no hope of it happening unless something happens now. Saying it will happen eventually isn't fooling anyone. Unless the players see progress no one is going to believe that crap anyway.



That seems like a common theme. Whenever a dev takes the time out to post us their opinion on WiS, it is almost always positive. Unfortunately that doesn't bring us any closer to making it a reality. Especially now that they are working towards a new vision, that barely anyone asked for or really wants.

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I like their new vision and am one of the people who asked them for it. It would be better for you to speak for yourself Davon.

Oh, that's cool! I've been looking for someone like you for a few montths already. Can you produce your suggestion of player built gates leading to new null security space?

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I didn't make any suggestion, I asked them for more space stuff, more structures, things like that.

I asked them for these things by voting for Malcanis. And you can too!

But seriously, this thread and every thing everyone posts about WiS reeks of butthurt and entitlement (with a hint of teen spirit).

As for the future vision, Rubicon has been the single best expansion I've ever experienced (of course it's aimed at people like me, K-space explorers) and since the idea is to keep adding to stuff like that, I am of course happy. The mobile structures have opened so many doors in low and null sec that it isn't even funny (moving a tengu to a lvl5 mission is no longer a 2 toon affair for one small example).

I'm sorry if you are not with the current program. Every situation has winners and losers, you WiShers are simply on the losing side this time.

A lot more people want the new vision, than want walking in stations forever alone Barbie dress up simulator.