Jita Park Speakers Corner

And if that wasn't enough, you can now harass me and send me death threats in a fresh, new, innovative way!

https://twitter.com/TalocanUnited

Perfect for those little thoughts or questions that don't even deserve a full forum post. Or love notes. I'm not picky.

Nice articles Nathan, keep it up :D

So if I vote for you, on the basis of providing a voice for wormhole space and POS revamp/modular POS, I will not have to worry that you are secretly in favor of carebear creep?

What I'm talking about, is this blog post here: http://www.minerbumping.com/2013/01/good-csm-bad-csm.html

People voted for these representatives for entirely different reasons than getting them to speak for the crying carebear, yet here they are, doing just that. Trebor actually doesn't understand that a PVE-only hisec would break the market and break the game as we know it.

Basically, I want to give you at least one of my votes but I don't want to get a turd like that in my lap if I do.

Well, the reason I posed the question that way is I wanted a very simple yes/no response, instead of letting you dance around the issue like Ripard Teg (who is not getting my vote(s)) does.

I guess a question you might like better is what is your stance on lowering risk and/or limiting non-consensual PVP in hisec space?

I was hoping to make a blog post of my thoughts on the matter of consensual PVP in high sec, but my personal history is limited to industry, freighting, marketeering, and generally keeping out of the way of wardecs (my PVP is in -1.0 space). Since I'm not sure I have enough experience to make a list of generalities, I'll post this here first.

For one, Beaver, I hope that you are not forming your opinion of the CSM and of the issues being discussed primarily via James's blog. He's good at getting attention, but not so much at objectivity. I'm glad he's able to listen to responses from the CSM members in his comments, but he uses very loaded language and quickly jumps to conclusions about peoples' motives. For example, his treatment of Solomon is (in my opinion) rather unfair. Quoting page 68 of the minutes, Solomon clearly states he is "stimulating conversation" when discussing how to conceptualize wardecs. All his thoughts are phrased in questions of definition, where he discusses both sides of the issue. ("If we're going to balance the system, you need to understand what the primary goal is that you're trying to satisfy.") Yet he is demonized by James, who is convinced that promoting more groups battling on equal grounds automatically equals the removal of griefing tactics. (It does not, unless one tries to also include that.)

However, this post primarily is in response to your question, not my personal views of another candidate's blog. To answer your question, "what is your stance on lowering risk and/or limiting non-consensual PVP in hisec space?" I would say that two elements must be kept in mind:

1) The flavor of the mechanics and environment of high sec.
2) Options given to both sides of a conflict.

For the first, each area of space has its own unique flavor that should be remembered when tweaking anything in it. High sec is home to the heart of the NPC empires, and (naturally) there should be rules set in place for how hostilities are conducted. Things are looser in low sec, where a quick pirate who knows his way around guns and gates can pretty much get away with what he wants; and in null sec, anything goes (except when going through stargates, those silly things). Wormholes are like null sec in that regard, except you can't see the thug(s) creeping up behind you. Or the thugs behind them.

Open hostilities should be possible in high sec, but there should be a few more hoops to jump through than simply turning off your weapon safeties. Whether it is through a formalized note of aggression (currently a "wardec"), or losing your ship and sec status to drive home a point, consequences should be higher. But non-consensual PVP should always be possible.

And honestly, when you think about it, you don't even need a wardec to attack an entire corp. -10 pirates can still dock up in high sec, reship, and grief a favorite enemy until their entire corp pisses their pants and folds.

---

The second is, in my opinion, the more important. This link was one of the first things I learned when I began in high sec, so many moons ago, and it was invaluable. Not because I used anything in it in my first month (on the contrary, I moved to wormhole space to get my footing). Instead, it taught me that there are always options for fighting back, even if it's making the conflict so much of a headache that the opposition simply leaves.

The current wardec system is far from perfect, but the creators had the right idea. Allowing defenders to call on friends (or allow PVP lovers to offer their services for a fee or free) puts tools in the hands of both sides, giving more options than simply docking up for an industrialist corp. Agreed, the current iteration needs a massive retooling, but the intentions were solid. And this is what we need to always keep in mind when adjusting aggression in high sec. Not simply removing it, or trying to perfectly balance a single mechanic, but instead making sure that both sides have plenty of options. (In my opinion, the current bounty system, suspect flags, and adjusted timers have done much to promote PVP in empire space, even prompting me to pod people "cause I could." Then figure out what sec status grinding was.)

At the summit, CCP and the CSM were looking for ways to promote balanced warfare--war that actually "meant something." This is good; we could always use more big fights. Doomsayers, however, will equate this to the removal of unbalanced aggression, but that's like saying because I love apple pie, I will not rest until I see mince meat pie removed from every menu. (Even if it IS of the devil.)

In closing, I'd like to point out something that perhaps everyone has forgotten. PVP cannot be forced on the unwilling, no matter how many carrots or sticks or sticks made of carrots you use. I've had plenty of pilots and corps in my alliance that simply will not play the game that way. They are not paying for their subscription for that experience and see no reason to start. One can attempt to force PVP upon them; but the harder you push, the farther into they withdraw into their burrows. Those who love to pew, pew. Those who do not, will not. And those who are on the fence will go the way of their friends.

Which is, honestly, the best way to promote PVP in high sec. I've had more than one CEO in my alliance turn a former carebear into a stone-cold assassin simply by taking them out on a single roam through null sec. Even I will lay down my spreadsheets for a few hours if I hear JohnnyTazer has a new fleet up and is looking for action. Nothing like staring down a Moros solo while in an Abaddon--those are the sorts of experiences I love to remember.

CCP can do their part to give us the tools. It's up to us to make sure we use them.

...

Well, shoot. Maybe I have enough for a blog entry after all.

Here in Taiwan, it is very difficult to find an actual stew. They eat more hot pots and curry (which I also rather enjoy).

My favorite stews, however, include a hearty amount of mutilated animal flesh (preferably prepubescent), tender and fragile roots wrenched callously from the soil, with only a touch of eukaryotic seasonings, bred in dark and fetid pastures.

Or, when in a pinch...

Basically, anything that satisfies my dark hunger for the meat of the innocent.

Ok, I'm sold!

Confirming that enjoy hopping into nathans ts channel and shouting really loud at him before quickly leaving the channel.

New blog post up, in which I answer questions about my wormhole résumé.

@ Singular Snowflake: I'm personally comfortable with the current level of risk/consequences in high sec, assuming wardecs can be made more functional. The presence of NPC corps means that high-sec citizens always have an option to avoid griefing above simple ganking, and that if they really want to make their own corp, there's more thought involved than simply registering at CONCORD.

As someone who has worked with Nate extensively in the past I can confirm he is a sane and trustworthy individual.

Nate: good luck with your campaign, I'm looking forward to seeing you succeed.

On another note, Kaji and Blazier still have those Tengus and fly them often. (It was intarrnational talk like a pirate day after all)