Player Features and Ideas Discussion

There are three major systems that have been added to EVE in the past that could be tied together to create an elegant Player Housing system that would add a layer of gameplay variety appealing to people that do not currently play EVE, while remaining true to the implied obligations CCP has made to the community by dubbing EVE a "Sandbox."

These three systems are Incarna "Walking In Stations," Player Operated Stations (or POS), and Wormhole Space.

My basic idea, and I'll refrain from suggesting any details on technical implementation since I'm no expert there, is this.

Walking In Stations is considered by the vast majority of the player base as an abject failure in implementation, and CCP seems to agree. Even so, the system is implemented and I can only guess at the amount of assets still gathering dust from before CCP stopped working on it. The reasons for the strong reaction from the player base on this were numerous, but a major one is that it deviated from the Sandbox nature that the rest of EVE relies on. Everything happened in stations, which players can't really effect. The content was largely purchased directly from CCP, rather than craftable and destroyable by other players. There was a lot of paranoia about a cash shop leading to Pay to Win "Gold Ammo" style content that would further poison the Sandbox environment.

These were valid concerns, however the basic idea still has merit. Walking in Stations was a good idea that was implemented poorly in a few ways, but salvaging that idea could open EVE up to an entirely new player base without violating the sandbox ideal.

Imagine this. You are invited to some friends to their wormhole system. This system is a little different than the rest. They've built a large POS that's open to the public provided those that dock pay an entry fee (in ISK). When you get there you pay your cover and get out of your ship to discover the interior of this POS has been converted to an enormous night club where people hang out and chat with each other while planning the next day's activities. The furnishings are plush, there's music, and everyone's dressed in their most beautiful attire.

You're free to do 2 things here. You can just unload your cargo onto their market, sit in your hangar, and leave when you've found a suitable route or you can mingle with the inhabitants and chit-chat in the POS Local Channel about whatever's on your mind.

Now, if you're not interested in Space Barbies then you can decide you don't care about a space nightclub and party dresses and just opt out. Nobody's going to make you.

If you are interested in Space Barbies you can mingle and appreciate the beautiful (or ugly) interior.

If you're really interested in Space Barbies you can take mental notes on how you'll design your own custom POS.

If you're really, really interested in that particular system you can make mental notes of their defenses and come back later to blow the place sky high.

Additions to the game:

Dramatic POS Updates:
Ability to purchase upgraded POS interiors that mimic Captain's Quarters, but can be larger and custom built/designed by players.
Ability to upgrade POS with a market interface, while ensuring that any products still "for sale" at a POS when it's destroyed are also destroyed and removed from market.
Ability to upgrade POS to have a local channel available only to those inside it.
Ability to dock at POS, while ensuring that any ships docked at a POS when it's destroyed are also destroyed. (An upgradable number of maximum docked ships might be necessary here)
An "All In One" interface for POS use that basically recrafts them into minature, destroyable, stations.

CQ/Walking in Stations tweaks:
A finished Walking in Stations experience which utilizes as many existing assets as possible
Must be completely optional (which is why it happens in a POS)

Wormhole Space Tweaks:
Almost nothing. It's just the portion of the game that would benefit most from this expansion.

So, now the why. Why? Why should CCP bother to waste the dev time and resources to finish something the community has reacted to so strongly. Because it isn't for us. It's for people that play The Sims. It's for people that returned to RIFT due to their player housing system (which is fairly robust). It's for people that want to play a Sandbox MMO their way, and that doesn't include an interest in Spaceship Combat. By keeping all of this walled off inside the POS system it will ensure that these players can benefit handsomely from a well-placed trade hub, night club, hostel, war-room, or whatever without opting out of the risk inherent in almost any activity in EVE.

I don't know how financially feasible something like this would be, but I've come to believe that in order to grow much more EVE will have to find a way to incorporate more playstyles into the current sandbox environment. This, if done well, will grow subscriber counts while making EVE a more vibrant community and reducing the risk that future competition will bring to an overly narrow focus on ship combat.

TL -> DR Version: Revamp the POS system to be upgradable and incorporate many of the old WiS systems/ideas. Make the interiors customisable so that they can be designed/decorated by the player that owns them. Pitch it to players currently involved in Sims style gaming as a more interesting, edgy, and interactive version of what they're already doing on the Sims.

It was just an example. I'd be interested to see a POS in W-Space that was intentionally left alone because it was used for trade.

I don't particularly want space-clubbing. I want EVE to attract a different kind of customer so that it can more easily weather unexpected competition in the future.

What if you could disable and steal it in stead?

Also, why is that still not an option in POS warfare?