Jita Park Speakers Corner

It's a common opinion that risk is a factor that makes EVE what it is. If you lose something, you need to replace it and to do that takes isk. That's where the risk comes from: obtaining isk. It has nothing to do with losing a life. Life is cheap after all. Well, not cheap, but in fact free. In the worst case scenario, you could end up losing sp if you didn't upgrade your clone, but you still have your life. That's a given. Such is an immortal's life.

Would isk be the extent of a capsuleer's risk in the EVE universe? I don't think it would. There are things worse than losing capital after all, just as in our world there are things worse than death. For example, imagine a capsuleer awakening in a clone vat only to realize she's paralyzed. Her neural system has been compromised by faction authorities for crimes to the state (or a corporation), leaving her inert in the vat. She has been declared guilty and sentenced to 7 years of paralysis. She will spend her days in that vat, powerless to anything but consciousness until her time is done. She couldn't even kill herself if she wanted.

Now, I'm not advocating placing a player in an inert 'box' for 7 years. That would be nutty. Let's say 24 hours of real time instead. Or increments of such. It would first require the player dying for this to begin, so there would be that to do first. Actual approval of such a sentencing (call it 'freezing' or something) would have to come with CCP approval upon review of the charges. Also, require that the charges be of an extremely severe nature in order for CCP approval. It can't just be anything. It would have to be something seriously nasty or a recurring series of nasty offences. In fact, take it out of the players hands altogether and only allow for charges to be submitted to CCP. Let CCP decide (maybe with CSM overview) when enough is enough and let the freeze hammer come down on whomever is asking for it.

So, imagine being frozen. You can't adjust your skill queue(or maybe its even paused), you can't buy or sell anything, and you can't open anything except mail. And the only screen you see is one of you in a vat, dormant. Maybe with music of CCP's choosing (okay that's a joke). You can log off, but until that timer pings, that's about it.

Now, remember, this is a form of punishment that would fit in EVE's universe rather nicely. An in-game form of punishment. Something for players who have stolen just a little too much isk over a period of time. Suicide ganking could be tossed in there too.

You may say this is ridiculous, that no other game would punish its player base in this fashion. A subscriber base no less. Well, here's the thing: EVE is unique in allowing players to cheat and steal from one another. It's like C or C++. The damn game is wide open, which means you should be able to hang yourself if you end up with enough rope.

Now, that's what I call risk. You want to play seriously nasty, then be aware there are seriously nasty consequences. Frozen for a week would be a hell of a sentence in EVE. Not the end of the world, but something you wouldn't forget either.

It's your job to punish people if you decide they warrant it, not CCP's.

There is such thing in the game already, it's called temporary/permanent ban, and is reserved for suitable actions.

Lore-wise, it's possible to cut access to clones (see "Trial by combat" of SoE arc) and do something else as well (see "Angel Sound" arc).