EVE General Discussion

Thank you for mining in an interdiction zone/piloting a freighter afk/flying into our space/being someone we're at war with
Prior to your imminent destruction, purchase of a GTC through http://themittani.com/ will allow you to retain your ship.

You may rent systems in our space for a reasonable amount of GTC purchases per month, please refer to www.goonGTCrentals.com for details.

We take our responsibility as authorised GTC sellers seriously

(I shouldn't have to say this is not a serious post, but given this is Eve-O I probably should).

At the end of the day, CCP can do what they want with their game...saying that:

“Please do not immediately run to the forums and WTS the ship, 30 of them appearing all at once would be weird,” writes Mahm, “This is a really unique thing CCP is doing that doesn't directly map to anything they have done in the past, and we don't want to mess up that future relationship-- Navigator has already offered to help promote our events in the future.”

This comment in the Somer Blink mail, proves that:

1. Either Somer knew it could cause a backlash within the player base...
or
2. They were told by CCP to keep it quiet, because they knew it would cause a backlash.

There is no doubt Somer Blink supports many things within the community, but so do many other people and entities. Somer Blink was not initially created, to support EVE based events, it was made to create isk...eventually having the isk to support various events is a side effect. A beneficial side effect, because it acts as advertising, that can generate even more isk.

It is quite obvious CCP's "idea" of a community site is a lot different to mine.
I take it a great community site in CCP's view, is a site that creates a vast amount of ISK and Plex revenue...and not a site that actually provides the player base with valuable help and information.

For me, the sites ran by Chribba are TRUE community sites. These sites are run with an altruistic vision...no isk is asked for to gain access to the info and are in no way, an in-game business. But this goes for many fan based sites or apps, be it EFT, EVEMON etc, etc.

There is only one reason, CCP gave SOMER Blink these ships - because they are a huge real world money earner for CCP!!

Hmmm, it just also occurred to me, would the owner of a TRUE community site, put their own personal monetary (in-game or out of game) gain above that of the community? No they probably wouldn't! It seems SOMER and CCP are as bad as each other

Holy ****, I better dont tell anyone how many billion ISK have been indirectly been given out at this years gamescom in form of faction rookie frigates. That would totally get everyone mad.

Oh no, it wouldn´t, just like buying PLEX isnt seen as pay to win, because ISK dont make you win EVE.

Oh, but here people have a 20+ threadnought because someone got ISK by CCP and has now won EVE.

You misunderstand. No one has an issue with CCP giving gifts directly to players. They should do this, it is using a third party site, who's purpose is to make a profit for themselves to do this. CCP should absolutely give away things, run raffles, etc., but it should do so independent of Somer.

The more I mention this to people, the more I have heard of special ships and give aways being handed to Somer to "give out". I am not sure if any of them are valid, but I'd like to know.

Anyway, prizes should flow from CCP to the players without directly endorsing or rewarding an in-game profit making entity in the process.



Yeah, Johnny summed it up better.

So ccp is now going to give everyone an Obama scorp on nov 19... cuss thats the only way to get the publords to shut up

I thought ccp was 100% honest

I really shouldn't bite but responding to the crazies is a personal weakness of mine.

Try actually reading this thread, there are a lot of very cogent points put forwards which explain why CCP's actions are bad for the game, unethical and open for debate.

Or, of course, you could be all internet hero and make your offhand 'cooler than you' posts without considering that as in the past, with Incarna and T20, CCP is doing material damage to their brand.

CCP has gained positive press from events such as 6VDTH, Asakai, Burn Jita

CCP has gained negative press events such as T20 & Incarna

This event, as a followup to CCP's publicly known dispensing of ludicrous amounts of valuable stuff to Somer has already caused negative press. There's a not inconsiderable chance that this is going to spread and grow traction in the gaming media. CCP: unethical. CCP: Dev favouritism, CCP: insert your phrase here.

As with the ToS changes, the concern being shown throughout this thread, the reason for the article and all of the words written attacking CCP for their decisions are done because people care about game (terrible though it is). Goons have a lot of history with CCP bias (directed towards our enemies), maybe there's more of a kneejerk towards it than with most other alliances, but that kneejerk is done because CCP has a history of being biased. It has a history of terrible PR decisions, of interfering in its own sandbox and disregarding the views of its players.

That's why the CSM was formed, with great fanfare and pronouncements on how progressive CCP were doing at the time.

So now where are we?

ToS changes: No consultation with the CSM, slipped in by stealth
Somer Blink prizes: No consultation with the CSM, not announced by CCP until a threadnaught started
Somer Blink freebies: No consultation with the CSM, recipients told to keep it secret.

From conversations with CSM members, from their blogs and comments it's obvious that they feel passionately about the bits of the game they get to be involved in, but CCP is shutting them out of the bits of the game where it's acting in an unethical fashion. They're deliberately avoiding raising the issues they should be discussing, those issues that go back to the very founding of the CSM. Developer bias.

As for your glib off-hand, internet cool comment, this isn't about people 'winning eve' because of their freebies from CCP, it's about CCP being biased and showing favouritism to a particular player corporation on more than one occasion. It's about them being secretive about it. It's about them giving an unprecedented level of support to a gambling site that exists to benefit its owners and employees.

But if you truly don't care about that, if you really do not care that CCP will happily cheat their own game, then simply stop reading the threads where they're being brought to task for doing so, and get back to complaining about falcon, or warp stabs in FW or whatever it is you do care about.

Hell, I applied to Somer blah blah blah Corp today! Taking and counting other people's ISK while getting paid in ISK, PLEX AND limited edition ships, all funded and sanctioned by the supposedly impartial developers of the game? Sign me up! I wish real-life work were this stupidly profitable!

This entire affair is beyond outrageous and violates any trust the playerbase has left in CCP. Not only should the responsible CCP employee be disciplined, the entirety of the Somer Blink organization should be banned and all assets destroyed. Nothing less than that would even come close in making restoration for this colossal **** up.

They're partial to somer, so you're in good hands.

Please sign an NDA to avoid leaks in the future tia