EVE Alliance Tournament Discussion

As much as i agree, you have to remember this is the first NEO tournament ccp have ever done, and are probably focusing more on technical issues. But yes, some key fight-changing "moves" have been missed out so far. GAWD DOLAN/FOZZIE!

Definitely, enhancing viewer experience during this tournament will have a huge impact on the growth rate of EVE as a game. So it's in CCP's best interests, and our own.

Well it can be done, see LoL. Commentators are doing the camera job also. Make them try a bit till the next weekend and see the responses.

If we want the tournament to be popular and attract more players into EVE. The tournament itself must be fun to watch.
More dynamic cameras are the way. Cameras need to change focus more often and to follow always the most interesting things on the field and to comment it properly.

LoL aint that much more dynamic than EVE. Guys are last hitting mobs for most part of the game but the camera done by commentators are so dynamic and its always spoken about what is on the screen because its easier than commenting when someone else is following the field.

Same applies to starcraft.
LoL and SC have also professional commentators. Maybe is time to train better actual or hire new ones that are dedicated soloely for that purpose, following and commenting what is happening on the field.

Also what i noticed is that LOL has the replay mode after the match which could be a great tool to explain some EVE mechanics, tactics or gameplay. Also the explanation panels you had on ATX are a great way to get non EVE players familiar with what is happening on the field.

Yeah, there are very few "larger" productions (people not streaming out of their own home) that have people do multiple roles. EVE is a pretty complex game too, which makes it even more complicated.

I'd like to see a greater synergy between the camera focus and what the commentators are discussing.

I've just been reviewing several of the matches and the commentator focus is rarely connected to what we're seeing in the main view - it seems most of CCP Fozzie and CCP Dolan's focus is on interpreting the statistical data. This is very helpful, but it would be a much more connected viewing experience if the cameramen and the commentators could work together to tell us the story of the match as it happens.

eg.

"Here we can see the Taranis wing speeding to toward the enemy Vargur to tackle it and in the background a Sabre is moving to intercept. Fire from off-screen is coming in from the Sleipnirs."

"We're looking at the [Team X] Kronos under heavy fire from the distant Machariels whilst his team mates try to shake off the tackling Merlin."

What we tend to be getting is a more high-end discussion about what the teams are trying to achieve, how they're set up and what *might* happen.

Please assume I have no idea what I'm looking at (as is often the case) and tell me what ships are on the screen and what they're doing. Why they are doing it and what the results of that might be is a secondary concern - let the events show the outcome and then chew over the ramifications afterwards in the post match discussion.

Do the commentators have their own camera? There are a number of occasions when they seem to be manually taking a look at something off screen. If so, could the director not use that as an optional feed to cut to when relevant? Can the commentators verbally request what they want to show/commentate on? At least we'd get advance notice of the next camera switch.

In any case, I'd like to see a clearer focus on key action points as they happen, even if this means fewer cuts from viewpoint to viewpoint and less 'deep dive' info.

As an example of disconnected commentary, during the coverage of the RONIN and Pixies vs. Expendables match, at no point is the action directly mentioned until (briefly) during the last minute. The viewer is left to decipher the match themselves with a torrent of distracting conversation coming from the commentators. All that achieves is additional noise that adds to the confusion. We could almost be listening to a post-match discussion.

Please just try it for a match? You might be surprized, if the commentators, or at least one of them was controling the camera, they could get a better look at what guns are fitted to ships, what ships are currently webbed. What ranges are.

More than once I've heard, "where is that scimitar it's one of those red dots right? He shouldn't be anywhere close to that kronos so he won't be hit"

Why do the commentators have to guess?

hmmm hows this for compromise? Give one of the commenators a camera boat and a laptop. But don't stream his view, just give the comentators a laptop they can use when they want to get into the match and actully look for themselfs what guns are fitted to what or so on. Give them more tools by letting them have thier own view of the battlefield they can fall back on.

It's not like anyone is watching the little box in the bottom left. No offense but there is action up top, new stat bars, ship hp and EW effects. I don't think anyone would mind if one of the commentators had a laptop on the set. Use Razer gear on it.

But yeah I'm not so quick to write off the op, I think there is some truth here.

Not control the camera, but hw about giving the camera to the hands of the off comentator so the primary can ask direction questions and the 2nd guy can go in and see fitted gun,ect.