EVE General Discussion

TL;DR In trying to build player populations is CCP taking in to accout perspective players may have real life time constraints that are not compatible with the current EVE ideal play style?

First off yes I’m away I aware that easily 80% of the responses to this will be vile trolling and venomous pro-PVP the null sec life is the only way in EVE BS but I’m going to ask the question anyway and hope for a few serious thought out responses.

In this years fanfest discussions there was talk about how to build the player population. After watching some of these talks (online not in person) I was left wondering does CCP have realistic expectations of how much they can manipulate the player base to the target game play style of PVP? I’m a carebear, but the main reason for that isn’t that I don’t like PvP. I’m not a huge fan of PvP, but it does interest me. My biggest issue with it is time and commitment. I’m a parent in my mid-30’s who maybe gets an hour a night to play some EVE and try to unwind. That’s pretty much one L4 a night, or maybe a few exploration or combat sites. I’ve dabbled in null, been in some corps that were there or on their way. It always become a time and commitment problem. I can solo some missions and do some HS content while BS’ing with people in my corp on my schedule and in my limited time. I can’t form up with a group for a roam or patrol and actually complete anything in 60 mins. I can’t be online exactly on time not to screw up other peoples schedule on be sure to be available at certain times. My real life just doesn’t allow for that I have real life constraints.

CCP seems focused on how do they refine more of the same. Just to get it out of the ways I’m under no deception that EVE is a sandbox, it really more like a funnel. Most game mechanics are designed to move the new HS player toward PvP and null because the economy needs more consumption. Got it, to many ISK faucets not enough drains unless there is more PvP. But what if EVE has max’ed out or is near peak PvP players not because of some in game mechanics issue still to be tweaked but because the players who are resisting have real life constraints that are more important to them then EVE. In that case changing game mechanics to increase the pressure toward PVP and Null is more likely to frustrate those players in to simply leaving. It seems that many hard core players and CCP itself forget that its all just a game, no one has to play by the rules created and if its not fun players are going to walk away not change their real lives to suit EVE.

Also Life circumstances change, todays time constrained carebear that could become tomorrow's “CCP ideal PvP” but might not be subscribed and think to return when those constraints disappear. By not having a stable game play area for the casual player / carebear that players revenue could be lost and the opportunity to develop that player in the future.

So I guess the short version is does CCP have metrics on players amount of activity to try and know what percent of the population may have limited time and are they taking that into account when mechanics changes are made?

wut

I'm really lazy, can you add a tl;dr for the tl;dr?

TL;DR: Bad idea.

CCP have stated and demonstrated on several occasions that there is no such thing as an 'ideal play style'.

Whether Carebear, pirate, teacher, scammer, market trader, awoxer, pvper, miner or any other play style; they are all viable and valid choices; and really the choice of which profession has little to do with the time available to devote to it.

It is just as easy to be a casual pvper as it is to be a casual miner (probably even easier to be a casual miner) and whether you are playing for 30 minutes a week or 23/7 when you are undocked and in space, the same principles of survival apply.

So I don't really know what you are getting at by suggesting that a 'stable game play area for the casual player / carebear that players revenue could be lost and the opportunity to develop that player in the future.' means.

If by that you mean, there needs to be a 100% safe area where people can just go without any concern of being ganked, then that would be a bad idea, for many reasons that have been outlined in similar threads in the past.

Low risk also means low reward, so your 'casual players' might not enjoy the game much at all and not be encouraged to stick around even if their time constraints change in the future. Additionally, playing in a 100% safe teaches you none of the survival skills needed to expand beyond that area which would make the transition to regular New Eden more difficult later on and discourage players from transitioning to 'dangerous areas'.

There is also the aspect that providing 100% safe areas would in more competition for limited reward for the casual player. Players with more time to play would populate it and take all resources before the casual player even has a chance.

None of that would encourage the casual player to stick around in my opinion.

Additionally, players like myself who see real value in the harshness of EvE might decide to leave, affecting subscriptions negatively; which might more than offset the potential revenue that casual players might one day provide at some unknown time in the future.

So, if my reading of your post was correct, I don't think that is a good idea. The game is fine as is, for both the casual and the hardcore player.

So CCP wants people to kill each other but you don't have the time (and therefore not ISK) to PvP? Build the **** that people kill each other with and sell it. Then you can do market PvP, which is fun as hell, no joke.

How disgustingly prejudiced

Stopped reading here

So did I, then found myself back here after reading the other same old, same old threads.

I'm older than the OP and might get an hour 3 or 4 times a week to play EvE, that's it. How is CCP to cater for that kind of play style? I don't see why they need to, there is still so much to do even as a predominantly solo player.

I accept my lack of play time and know I won't be able to get involved with many corps. Instead, I go roam low sec FW and try and find some PvP, or run a few combat sites, or see how many level 4's I can get through in an hour, or go exploring for relic sites in Sov Null. I used to log onto my trader alt and sort out my orders, made a few billion isk until I got bored and stopped logging him in. If I know I have more than an hour to play, I'll go to Spectre Fleet and jump in fleet for some roaming, or ISN for some incursions.

I do miss my times in a large null alliance, not as much as I miss my WH days but I still enjoy Eve. At the end of the day it's an MMO and to get the ultimate experience, you need to play it with friends. CCP can't cater for everyone and if the majority of players get involved with corps, that's what they need to concentrate on. Calling for them to change the game just for solo or time restricted players is going to mean they're not concentrating on their core audience. Which, quite frankly is far, far more important.

Lucky you came in to this thread with the intent of having a discussion, rather than be abrasive and adversarial from the outset.

OP lacks basic understanding about both the game mechanic and game economy of EvE online. This is my impression.

Outside of FW, lowsec PVP is too restrictive to be considered the epitome of Eve PVP. WH and 0.0 is a better environment for PVP.