EVE General Discussion

Not sure the analogy works because mining has a role in the life cycle from resource to product. It forms a core part of the market (though not necessarily profitable in most ways).

WIS is not functional, like mining is. It is a luxury product. Something that is desirable by some.

EVE has been operating on basic rations for a while. The nice to haves have mostly been concentrated on the core product because that's what people have come to sub for.




I think mining and WIS are similar in one way:

For mining I don't think CCP has a solution to solve the problem of boredom and monotony associated with the activity. Many people have suggested ideas (ie: minigames, comets), but there isn't a single one that really clicks by making it interesting without losing mining's already dismal ISK/hr.

CCP by its own admission doesn't have a WIS solution either. How would it integrate into the game? How would it be compelling enough such that the larger percentage of EVE players use it such as to justify its development cost? I've yet to see a satisfying answer (or better yet, any answer) for these 2 questions. People always talk about why they might personally use it but that's not particularly compelling in and of itself.

I think Steppa was using the analogy from more of a social context. In which case it's very accurate.

As for compelling reasons to justify it's development you mention not having seen any answers, yet I can see one right now looking at your portrait. It's already generating revenue even without wis. Avatar items, accesories and features found in the NeX, for example. It's doing pretty well, these days it's almost become harder to spot an avatar in default clothes than it is to find one wearing an NeX item.

But right now all that stuff is just like buying a fancy sports car. Looks great, and that's enough for many people like me to spend the money on one anyway, even though there's no race track around to really drive it on and make proper use of it. Just imagine what happens NeXt to sales when CCP finally provide that "race track"...

$$$$

I have a lengthy answer for why I support character creator as a feature but not WIS but I think I'm going to have trouble writing it all down from the crowded environment where I am right now.

For me personally, WIS would break immersion. It has to do with the same viewpoint Sol has about WIS being a kind of "enemy of imagination".

I will write down these thoughts in a later post..

Ah but you see each time you levy support for the character creator you're also levying support by default for an arena to use avatars in, even if unintentional. For potential profit margins for a concept such as wis where do you think CCP would look first?

Nex sales.

As for inmersion well likewise I wrote a lengthy piece in an EVE live events thread a while ago where I explained the concept of "immersion" is a vastly different beast for every individual. Me, I like to immerse myself into my character, who flies a spaceship in space. For me over time I've RP'd almost every situation conceivable in a station with others, to be actually able to see that, while freeing up more time for text, while sharing the experience with others adds to my immersion. A lot.

But that's just my immersion.

Your concept will depend on your playstyle and outlook, among dozens of other factors And so will Sol's. There is no black and white blanket viewpoints when talking about immersion.

Relax and enjoy.

If it feels good just roll with it baby.

*snuggles Ma Baker*



The character portrait is like a logo, or a brand in many ways. It gives the player the option to choose what is presented and how it is presented. There are limitations to this of course and we'd like to change that, but that's a separate discussion.

A logo loses its value if you can take and change its colors to whatever you want or move it around in 3d. I've been told that my alts are easily recognizable as me simply because of the similarity in style. The portrait is a useful tool to express a feeling or thought using colors and light and other tools. A portrait can express personality.

Putting Sibs in 3d removes my ability to "fashion" the presentation of Sibs. It removes an element of my own personal identity, which is expressed through the portrait design, and makes a level playing field for anyone with a character. In that generic WIS rendering environment where we won't be able to choose lighting or colors or camera angles or atmosphere, your specific uniqueness is forfeit. In my opinion, there is an element of mystique in the portrait that WIS removes. It's like taking a cell phone video of the scene in an Ansel Adams painting.

Its unorthodox, but Ill allow it

May God have mercy on us all

Funny, I was making a similar point in another thread;

I was against buying characters as it dissolves RP, but then conversely I was also under the impression that not only was there almost none of this happenign anyway, but that the vast majority of players didnt even want it.

I was always under the impression it was a MMORPG.

Ive been informed by several people that it is not.

I hope they are not correct.

I think it's whatever you make it.

I make it a MMORPG. Spend my days in space murdering folks, nights writing and doing some RP. I love EVE *shrug* and dunno why people try to say there should be no RPG in our MMO. If there's none in their playstyle then cool, enjoy your EVE as you do.

Don't get me wrong though, my personal support for a wis like concept doesn't only come from being an RPer. I can also see it's potential for graphics which I love making and other ways to spend downtime ingame without logging. Others here who aren't RPers at all have pointed to many other uses for such a concept, whether practical or otherwise. We're all here to burn some time, escape or be entertained. In our own ways.

Fair enough.

Ive had to try to incorporate mine into financing space murder as much as possible as I couldnt find any anywhere