EVE General Discussion

I would personally screw up the universe by suddenly dump a BPO in a random person's hangar. That BP can produce the equivalent of a modern day Atom bomb. Killing a whole fleet in one blast. Try to Imaging the horror and rage

OR have real Incursions blow up NPC stations

Competition is not about what companies want to sell, but about what customers want to buy.

Im not sure what that has to do with what I asked

But Id say the majority of players regard the personal freedom in EvE as a major selling point (buying point if you prefer)

I've been reading the book that comes with the Collectors Edition: Into the Second Decade, and it does talk about your second and third questions.



On the second question, according to one article the Jove were meant to be a playable race in the early days and CCP decided to hold them back to allow them the option to add them in to the game at some point.



On the "where are the aliens?" there was an article discussing that which had some interesting points about the purpose of aliens in fiction, films, games, etc but briefly, it's not seen as an integral part of the social experiment that is Eve.

Pilot Doreen,

To answer your question in an unbias opinion, I see Eve going places we never even thought possible even in the short time I been back. I think that the devs and others plus the over all community can see we are going in all sorts of directions presently BUT it's up to US to make it happen.

It's up to us to make our destiny and to make Eve a much better stronger community as a whole.

Questions Three;

1) None of what your saying has ANYTHING to do with my question to someone else who claimed there were FOUR COMPETEING games. You seem to claim there are none, so thank you for the support, I guess. Tarpedo said that they thought that EvE's only remaing USP was Sov. Do you agree or disagree?

2) If you are going to state figures, could you please cite evidence to support your assertation of a 20% loss since last year, so I have access to the data you are using as the basis of your position and can answer you on equal terms?

3) I have introduced 5 new players to EvE this year, and on average they are currently running 3 accounts each. How many people have you introduced to the game?

Doh, I may have done a terrible job explaining myself.

Any game that a potential player may play instead of EVE it's a competitor to EVE. The fact that EVE is unique doesn't means that can't be competed with by delivering a different product.

This is what I summarized by saying that competition is about what people wants to buy, not about what companies want to sell.

CCP sells EVE. But people are stopping to buy EVE, and also they are willing to buy other spaceship SF games.



Be my guest! (raw data)
(A friendlier version)



And that is a relevant point because...?

People need to realise that the PCU count does not indicate number of subs.

The 2 are completely different.

For example, I have 4 accounts but have only logged on once with one account during the last 2 days to update a skill queue. I will not long again for another 2 days.

So I have effected the PCU count not logging each day on with my 4 accounts yet I am still paying subs for 4 accounts.

See?

Now okay you could argue that a dropping PCU over a sustained period of time is not good as it shows people are losing interest, however it does not necessary mean subscriptions are down.

We all know that many people go though various length of times not actively playing Eve but keep their subscriptions active in order to keep earning SP.

With the end of the last War chances are many null sec pilots are feeling a little burnt out and are taking breaks, however they will most likely keep their actives active.

Again this will effect the PCU count but not the numbers regarding subs.

Now I have pointed out in the other threads that CCP suddenly going shy about subs numbers could be a indication that subs have dropped, but note the could in the sentence. MMO Developers have always been very secretive about their subscription numbers, good or bad. CCP might of just changed their philosophy and are now following others in this.

As for any will any of the other up and coming space themed MMO's effect Eve, of course they could, to argue otherwise is silly, anything is possible however will we only know for sure when those games are released.

Until they are released it is all just speculation, nothing more.

I have always said that the most likely reason for Eve dying will be CCP and not any other game.

My main concern is and will be that they are still trying to do much in regards to developing so many things at the same time and their track record in this department is awful. I have yet to see anything yet from CCP that gives me any encouragement things will change.

I do hope things do change as I want CCP to succeed and Eve to go from strength to strength.

PCU drops 20%, CCP employment drops 22%. Crazy, huh?

As for actual, hard data, we'll have to wait until July, when CCP must publish their 6 months financial statement. Of course, that report in 2013 was inflated by selling the CE & al, which skyrocketed revenue, but comparing 2014 to 2012, we should get a clue on how are subscriptions doing.

As for the future of EVE, I already said that CCP is taking a bold bet with the Rubicon plan, but I am not confident that they will succeed with it.

My perception, as bittervet and "last of the mohicans", is that EVE has always had a serious retention issue with the vast majority of players. Most players pay for PvE, hisec and soloing and being casual and so and so. That's the 80% of players who after one month, haven't quit and haven't engaged into PvP nor any social aspect of the game. And they will never do until they leave, which in my experience, takes between two and three years.

Players who "get it right" can stay for 11 years, but they are outnumbered by the "2 year quitters"... just "2 year quitters" kept subbing and replacing the missing ones and that wasn't inmediately obvious.

Thus, CCP has been ignoring this fact for years -subs were growing and everyhting was nice, even since Incarna suddenly killed the PCU growth... but after Incarna subs kept rising as people doubled and tripled their accounts, with no shy stimulus from CCP marketing.

But, what has happened in 2013? It's been two years since 2011, the last year when PCU grew, and also the last year when CCP (accidentally) targetted development at "2 year quitters" by aiming at something that was literally devoid of PvP (or gameplay, tbh). Since Incarna failed, the long stayers have become dominant, and everyone has been happy to ignore the fact that the last batch of "2 year quitters" was slowly fading away and very dangerously, future "2 year quitters" stopped subscribing (because among other things, now they can just wait for games better suit to their tastes).

So CCP has seen that most players never get it right and stay for short time, and others get it right and stay for long time, and thus they've figured that making it easier to do the things that make players stay long is the solution to retention.

Rather than fix what's been wrong for years (players who take a certain path in game meet a dead end after two years and quit -fix: remove the dead end!), they bet that improving what is good will keep players interested, and thus it makes sense to lure/drive players into the right content. FAI, by making NEW content accessible only if you play the game "right" -no 2 year quitters allowed, if that doens't pushes them outside of their comfort zone...

Yet meanwhile, what are 2 year quitters going to do? They'll be taking their money elsewhere. And not just burned out guys like me, but also potential 2 year quitters who join EVE now and meet its hostile environment. If there is a point in the last 11 years were giving EVE a second chance made no sense, it is now, when there are alternatives.

Eve did well enough with 5000 people

I dont care if its 500, 5000 or 5 million

Ill still pay my subs and still enjoy the game

The only thing that could harm that is Elite: Dangerous offering as free a universe and I cant see that hip hap happening, daddio