EVE Fiction

First off, a quick note: Your post seems to be somewhat in-character. Just an FYI, the EVE Fiction subforum is not generally for in-character communication (stories aside). If you were hoping for a response, the Intergalactic Summit subforum would have been a better shot.

That said: I am personally not a great fan of CCP's current choices with regards to the "capsuleers breaking away from the empires" for exactly the reasons you have laid out: The Big4 and CONCORD started with a colossal advantage over any capsuleer group in both direct military capability and assorted control methods - a very big leash, for a very big beast. Even today, there is a staggering mass of direct ingame evidence that capsuleers are beholden to the empires in numerous ways - everything from R&D lines to alliance and outpost fees to gate usage are directly limited by CONCORD's power. There is significant indirect lore evidence as well: For instance, the ability of CONCORD to shut off stargates they consider to be a threat or cutting off our ability to use our weapons outside of authorized situations.

That capsuleers were a force to be reckoned with is not a new idea either. Even before the events of Empyrean Age (2009) we were obviously potent, and that particular expansion saw the Big4 form the militias more or less specifically to influence us.

So this begs the question: They recognize the threat and have the capability to reign it in; why don't they? There has been no in-character answer as of yet; the entire 'capsuleers are actually rebelling' idea thus leaves the Big4 and CONCORD looking like the biggest tools in the room: They actively have the capability to deal with capsuleer threats quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Why don't they?

I am honestly not sure what to think of the newest video release. Propaganda? Perhaps. A sign of possible things to come? Maybe.

However it is clear what they are showing in the video; the merger of EVE, Dust514, and Valkyrie. And a defiant Capsuleer Alliance engaged by The Imperial Navy.

One thing is for certain it does not depict an actual Capsuleer Alliance, which makes it hard to take the video as an actual event, only a possible event.

Are we soon to see The Empires attempt to reassert their power over independent Capsuleers by force? Maybe through territorial ambitions of their own into Nul Sec?

I do not think it is outside the realm of possibilities for even a large super alliance to fall at the hands of one of the Empire's. Remember we are talking about what are established armed forces, and intergalactic powers with the ability to conscript even more Soldiers from various worlds as needed. Not to mention the many Capsuleers who are loyal to their Empires and mercenaries willing to be bought for a price.

Add in the fact that CONCORD holds sway over the most basic function of the Capsuleer; The Clone, as well as the means of Travel; The Jump Gates, and you will find that in many ways Capsuleers really are beheld to the whims of someone else.

(Of course if CCP decided to just end EVE as we know it, that would be the equivalent of our Clones being destroyed and Pilots Licenses permanently revoked.)

It's somewhat IC because it started as... something else. By the time it reached this end, I was too far along to rewrite. ;)

It's one thing to say that there's no effective way to project an empire's power limitlessly. That's evident both in the lore and in the game mechanics. Lowsec and nullsec exist, sometimes perilously close to highsec hubs because there aren't enough ships to cover every single system from the ravages of pirates and capsuleers. And pirates even run rampant in highsec, but never in great enough force to threaten critical infrastructure. No one ever said that the power of the empires is infinite.

But the video depicts a clear and present danger (well, if the Theology Council is to be believed), which would necessitate overwhelming force, as well as diplomatic action to protect areas left vulnerable by those actions. The video even shows that overwhelming force: The number of men and materiel tossed into that crucible is staggering, on both sides.

The trouble is that doesn't match at all with the established lore. Now, if CCP were to say, advance the lore to the point where empire interference would be plausible (which is a reasonable direction to assume, following recent events) and that empire militaries have become so arrogant as to not bring enough force to deal with the situation (also, a reasonable direction to assume), that would be fine. But the lore hasn't moved an inch.

We get grand proclamations from CONCORD saying, "Don't go near the ghost sites." Then CONCORD, masters of highsec and holding dominion over the capsuleers, does nothing as ghost sites are easily tackled by capsuleers. It's like the reverse of my mother telling me to not throw the ball around in the house: When I break a lamp, she just shrugs and goes on drinking.

There's always going to be a disconnect between lore and game; it's inevitable. Gameplay has to come first. But the growing gulf between what is "lore canon" and "game canon" is a concern, if only because it makes the gameplay that much richer for those who care to invest in it. I applaud CCP Falcon for what he's done, but it's a pale shadow of what used to be.

Even if you're a staunchly independent capsuleer, don't you want to know you're throwing up a big middle finger to Amarrian zealots by building the gate that could unleash hell on New Eden? Even if you're an immortal god, shouldn't you occasionally see how your actions affect the common folks who might never see the stars?

(The other problem with the video, of course, is that it's been a long, long time since CCP performed a trailer that included actual in-game footage.)

I was going to post this. Empire navies consist almost entirely - bar service personnel and high command probably - of capsuleers.

Honestly, I think this is a vision of where they'd like to go. That is, Empire invasions of lowsec and nullsec. First, we have to answer WHY they'd do that.

1) Right now, for clones to work, capsuleers have to use Empire or NPC Corp stations. The introduction of Valkyrie is presumably going to change that. That's one point of control down.

2) Capsuleers must use Empire gates to move around. This video, on top of a previous roadmap, quite clearly states that player-owned gates are coming. That's the second point of control down.

3) This is pure speculation, but presumably at some point player corps will really have the option to rebel and attack their former controllers for control of lowsec and hisec systems. It would make sense if the Empires could return the favor against nullsec systems.


I'm not talking the lame sort of live events that CCP is doing now. I'm talking Incursion-style live events that amount to a free forever war between the Empires and independent player corps. And there's a good reason for nullsec to support such a thing. The ability to actually burn Jita to ash. There's also a good reason for the carebears and FW players to also support such a thing. The ability to actually prevent it. Not to mention the possibility of wiping out hi/nullsec for good.

Unfortunately, this is a result of power creep with player ships without NPCs being updated. Prior to the wide buffing of various types of gear, individual NPCs could be a serious hazard to unprepared players and a notable threat to those even prepared (perhaps the closest analogy now is trying to fight Incursion NPCs, although even they have suffered from mild power creep without compensation.



We unfortunately have not seen the large numbers of Empire Navy capsuleers represented ingame, largely because CCP of course does not have (and never has had) the desire to try and hire people to play that many characters for one single purpose.



This is partially correct: It is the case for the NPC pirates, who have access to smuggler stargates and un-controlled shipyards that we do not; against these, CONCORD and the empires have to default to standard search-and-destroy tactics, with the expected cat-and-mouse game ensuing.

Capsuleers, on the other hand, are another matter entirely. CONCORD controls what we see, what we use, what we shoot, and how often we clone. Shutting us down would be as simple as pushing an 'off' button. Comparing us to the NPCs is not accurate.



Untrue; the Caldari also fired on a CONCORD vessel during the leadup to the Gallente assault on Caldari Prime. CONCORD"s response was to say "lol, well then, you want to do that? We'll let the capsuleers shoot you instead." Note two particular points about this:
- First, CONCORD's response to being attacked was to remove a limitation which is normally placed on us, and which was replaced as soon as the battle was done. Unless you have a means of convincing CONCORD, I don't see that leash coming off any time soon.
- Second, in both cases (Caldari and Minmatar) this was done by vessels and ships not limited by the massive restrictions we are as 'unbound' capsuleers.

There are actually two classes of titan: The originals, and Promethean titans. Prometheans are the type capsuleers have access to: the Avatar, Erebus, Leviathan and Ragnarok. They're much smaller, comparatively flimsy, comparatively weak but require far fewer resources to assemble.

what Khanid II stole was an Emperor Ship, Imud-Habrau -class. Think the Death Star in shiny gold. Two of those things consumed the readily available resources of a whole planet, meaning that they are simply immense, and most likely powerful far beyond anything any Capsuleer has ever flown. A total of three Emperor Ships were ever built: two originally, one stolen by Khanid, and so a replacement was built.

The Promethean titans on the other hand are something the Empires have a lot of. the Imperial Navy has enough Avatar-class titans that it could spare about twenty of them for honour guard duty at the coronation of Empress Jamyl.

All of which makes the lone titan in the Imperial fleet in the video a bit weaksauce.