EVE General Discussion

I actually do agree with you that highsec players, for the most part, lack the coordination and cohesion to defend themselves properly; unfortunately, the game mechanics in highsec don't promote that kind of organization, and indeed many new players don't even know it exists.

I don't just want the nullsec players' attitudes to change, I would like the attitudes of highsec players to change as well. Hulkageddon is a means to that end as well. I just don't agree with the method. That amount of negative reinforcement isn't the best option in the long term. What we should all be trying to accomplish is to encourage all players, not just those in nullsec, to band together for common goals.

As I think about it while participating in this thread, I get the increasing feeling that NPC corps are a huge part of the problem. But, there's also the fact that player corporations in highsec have limited tools to defend themselves and limited options for organization. Theoretically, let's say that NPC corps went away and new players and highsec dwellers had to find player-owned groups to join, maybe even going as far as to make most NPC stations inaccessible. And, the player corporations would be capable of recognizing most of the advantages of being organized - that is to say, unrestricted anchoring, jump bridges (perhaps inside their forcefields and only from one starbase to another), and such. They would, of course, not have sovereignty benefits and would still lack access to capital ships. Now, the move from highsec to lowsec to nullsec (although lowsec also needs help) becomes fluid. The mechanics of being a player don't change, and of course the risks and rewards scale properly.

Right now, carebears don't live in highsec. Think about reversing the causality. Highsec BREEDS carebears, especially the kind that stay in NPC corps or make their own for tax evasion purposes, and highsec doesn't provide any incentive for players to work together. The incentive to work together to accomplish things should be everywhere, in every system, and instilled in the heart of every player, whether they want to work together to strip a roid belt, bash a POS, or crash a mining op.

My specific idea is completely irrelevant, since changing mechanics is up to CCP. But that's what I mean by changing attitudes. EVE won't be any less brutal or any less dangerous, but there will be more parity in the ability of players to defend themselves reach their goals, and ultimately have fun. The atmosphere of the game can be dangerous and tension-filled without being venomous.

On the matter of NPC corps, I personally do not want them taken out. Instead I would rather be able to join any NPC corp I chose, and that those corps would have specific advantages and disadvantages to membership.

Joining Ishukone for example would give you certain perks on building things they make, however it would also perhaps put you in the middle of a dispute with their competitors (either in the Caldari faction or outside it) which could put you at a disadvantage (or even in harms way) in other ways.

Joining an NPC corp should always be more restrictive, and offer less overall advantages than being a member of a capsuleer created corp. However they are a huge piece of the EVE universe and we should be able to interact with them on a more meaningful level.

Faction Warfare does this to a degree in regards to the NPC factions in game, I would like to see mechanics brought in to introduce a (roughly) similar state to NPC corps... perhaps based primarily on industrial competition but also having combat elements possible as well.

My problem with the current situation is that making every area of the game a truly unpleasant place to be WILL have cascading consequences if it continues. I agree with the basic premise that something needs to be done, and that that something does not involve eliminating the possibility of suicide ganking. I think there's a much deeper problem plaguing the game; Hulkageddons and the recent uptick of suicide ganking is merely a symptom.

If suicide ganking in highsec was a true problem, highsec miners would forego their maximum-yield/minimum safety fits and instead fit a decently tanked Hulk and take out the cost of having to buy new Hulks from net profit calculations. However, since they do not so, it can be safely concluded that suicide ganking is not a real problem (or loss of net profit) to the significant majority of highsec miners on a regular basis.

If suicide ganking is a problem, then the problem lies in EVE highsec players not being able to contest resources/assets using any other meaningful mechanic.

If this is really a sandbox, then where did the game get a "play style" from?

Not sure if I've seen that. Can you link it ? Bit busy not mattering in a blob out here.