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A Game Design Question for CCP
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Andreus Ixiris
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#1 - 2011-11-24 13:44:18 UTC  |  Edited by: Andreus Ixiris
Don't worry, this isn't another query about Crucible or a whine about some broken feature. These are a few questions from genuine curiosity that, if you have a game designer with a little bit of time to spare on hand, I'm really interested in the answer to.

So back in the day when EVE was in its early design and implementation stages, how did you decide on the layout of the systems? How was each system designed? Was placement of stations, planetary bodies and stargate positions decided more or less randomly, or were there individual design choices for the placement of each significant object in a system?

How were stargate links determined? Were they random, or was there a specific reason behind each one? Is it easy to add new stargates and new links to existing systems, or difficult? How about new stations and new celestial objects like planets or asteroid belts? When you do add something like that, are there more design decisions behind it than there used to be, or less?

I'm really interested in the process that goes into designing systems and other work like this.

Andreus Ixiris > A Civire without a chin is barely a Civire at all.

Pieter Tuulinen > He'd be Civirely disadvantaged, Andreus.

Andreus Ixiris > ...

Andreus Ixiris > This is why we're at war.
Thorn Galen
Bene Gesserit ChapterHouse
The Curatores Veritatis Auxiliary
#2 - 2011-11-24 13:56:19 UTC
@Andreus,

That's a lot to ask CCP but yes, it would make an interesting read. Perhaps someone at CCP would consider putting together a document of "The Birth of Eve" wherein the questions you're asking are in there as part of a cumulative process they must have gone through. Who had that first kernel of an idea? I would buy the book Big smile

COO - Bene Gesserit Chapterhouse  CEO - Sanctuary Pact Alliance
Sadayiel
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#3 - 2011-11-24 13:58:10 UTC
Well i remember some early screens the *systems* looked like a big blacks creen with 3-4 shopped station/belt/planet images i think they are still around eve-files...


Indeed good question Andreus i never asked myself this but i'm really curious now Big smile
Andreus Ixiris
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#4 - 2011-11-24 14:02:34 UTC
I just look at placements of objects and the links between systems sometimes and wonder if it was intentional or random. For instance, Allotek Industries only has stations in the Solitude region, and only one constellation of that region. That's interesting from a story perspective, but only if it was intentional.

Also, Black Rise. Given that Black Rise is an entirely new region added to previously empty space between Caldari and Gallente space many years after the game was realised, I'd be willing to bet the design process for that region was way different to the design process of regions back during EVE's infancy.

Andreus Ixiris > A Civire without a chin is barely a Civire at all.

Pieter Tuulinen > He'd be Civirely disadvantaged, Andreus.

Andreus Ixiris > ...

Andreus Ixiris > This is why we're at war.
Havegun Willtravel
Mobile Alcohol Processing Units
#5 - 2011-11-24 14:33:49 UTC
I must admit I've also been very curious as to how things were decided way back in the day.

Some systems, both HS and LS are jammed full of stations and others seem to have missed out on the lucky roll of the dice.

Much more strangely, and in a seriously game effecting way, are the null sec systems that I've encountered with just 1 or 4 belts. Not quite enough for even a solo belt ratter to stay busy.

So yes if there is a dev who's got a spare 5 min quite a few of us are curious, how did it happen way back when. ( and how hard would it be to tweak a few more belts into those kinda blah null and LS systems ? )
RaTTuS
BIG
#6 - 2011-11-24 14:55:43 UTC  |  Edited by: RaTTuS
mostly Random - though modified Random is probably closer

oh yeah and they put in the black rise systems fairly easily when thy had to

http://eveboard.com/ub/419190933-134.png http://i.imgur.com/kYLoKrM.png

Brynhilda
Chimp Hoons Export and Expo Service
Scary Wormhole People
#7 - 2011-11-24 15:03:53 UTC
I'm sure there's some random number generation involved.

One system I visited a bit in my career is Piri. Its connected to 3 Lowsec systems, one beyond a constellation gate, has no stations and a few asteroid belts.

Why is it high sec? All three systems its connected to are lowsec.

How may I drug you with drugs?
Andreus Ixiris
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#8 - 2011-11-24 19:11:18 UTC
Brynhilda wrote:
Why is it high sec? All three systems its connected to are lowsec.


There's Evati, with its links to Anher (hi-sec) and Arnher (low-sec). One has to wonder if that was a dev having a little fun at the expense of -10.0 players.

Andreus Ixiris > A Civire without a chin is barely a Civire at all.

Pieter Tuulinen > He'd be Civirely disadvantaged, Andreus.

Andreus Ixiris > ...

Andreus Ixiris > This is why we're at war.