Live Events Discussion

The only ones that could classify as "devhax" were the ones used to move the Capital ships from Amarr to Safizon, which given the circumstances would have been troublesome to even leave the primary system when you have 1500m/s Machs ramming the ships and setting them off course.

They could have used Fighters to kill every capsuleer that was bumping the titan. The fact they refrained from such was quite a measured response (I did see that one deployed a few Malleus fighter bombers, but quickly pulled them back) give that such could have been seen as a possible interference on her Imperial Majesty.

But there gets a point where the story must progress, lest it grow stagnant and people stop attending them because nothing gets accomplished. When Jamyl got to Safizon, they jumped her about 50km from the station. The ships in local then started bumping her and managed to push her Avatar off grid. Some ships had difficultly keeping up, even with afterburners in place.

At the time of the event that involved QA Shield Extenders, the volumes of feedback the event team received were taken onboard and we said that we would not use those modules or modules of a similar nature going forward.

The reasoning for this was that such modules introduce game-breaking power into a live game play environment and they are not designed for such purposes. Their effect is to nullify interaction. We haven't used them since and we won't again.

We will feel free to use specially designed modules and implants that do not break game power and have at their heart the intention to enable wider interaction in the course of such events. Aurora implants are an example. They are potent but they by no means confer invulnerability and their primary effect is to extend the window of interaction during a live event.

Whether we use them or not depends on the nature of the event and also compensates for limitations we impose on ourselves when it comes to the use of high-end player-available modules. In general, faction equipment is the highest level of equipment we will use.

As to the use of developer tools to enable this event. Yes, they were used. It is not possible to use conventional capital ship movement within high-sec space. We therefore simulated the use of the empire's cynosural network (which exists in lore) by using developer tools both for arrival and departure of the Empress's capital flotilla.

It's not ideal but it is what we have to make such events work and where necessary we will use such tools to enable events. I will note that the team had decided on keeping the actors in space for a given period of time, to allow for such interactions as would crop up to occur, and after that we departed using the same methods used to arrive.

I will note that all our event-planning includes discussion of what the consequences are in the case of being surprised by player actions. While it was somewhat remote as a contingency, we were perfectly prepared to deal with the destruction of the flotilla as a real consequence of the event. We do try very hard not to rely on the likely outcome being the only outcome.

We're looking forward to providing more events in the near future.

The real lore response would actually be that people would only be allowed with 1000km of the titan in Shuttles to present no risk and any armed vessel without permission breaching that zone would be instantly tackled and destroyed by Amarr military forces.
Because you know, that's what happens IRL if you turn up with an armoured vehicle to a government leaders parade. They blow the hell out of it if you don't stop it and immediately exit the vehicle and even if you do, they arrest you and confiscate it.

Lets not get carried away demanding no Devhax be used for the sake of 'reality' shall we?

I didn't really see this as a 'Live Event'.

No offence to anyone, this kind of thing is a necessary visible news article that was not designed to have an impact on the progression of any plot as a tailed event, it was an event sure enough, but not one with any other outcome.

The Battle of Caldari Prime struck me as a live event, though.

I'd just like to step in and say that I frankly feel there is nothing wrong with using devhax, even devhax modules, to provide a more interesting and cohesive overall narrative.

People showing up and interrupting every single meeting is not a fun narrative. "Let's **** with people because we can", while perhaps in the spirit of EVE, is not a fun narrative. Factional leaders getting constantly suicide ganked, perma-bumped, or otherwise disrupted to the point the event cannot continue is not.

Having events where capsuleers can significantly alter the outcome is a good thing - but so is having events that put the might and prestige of the empires on display, especially for players who otherwise might not have interacted with the storyline before.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with fudging things a bit to make that happen. Don't think of it like the Battle of Caldari Prime - think of it just like you said, a cut-scene. A trailer that you happen to view ingame.

I understand your point, I think it's a wasted investment to consider primer events a 'live event' as other people have expectations of live events being inclusive, and to get over that interaction deficit I've opted to treat live events in EVE with levels, the ship revea, for me, was less than a scope video, for people who like to chatter about character postures and the character choices amongst themselves; no problem, glad you got that time.

The opportunity to shoot Elder Mentor Raish was more what people openly said they expect when devs turn up.

The Hilen Tukoss memorial tonight at 18:00 is not on the scale of a 'live event' and more of a player gathering. If a dev was doing a reading of a will in Eram local, I still wouldn't treat it as a live event, more a live gathering. If something else turned up it would be an event.

I hope that clears up our differences.

In the older Sansha live events, which I have been told were done using different mechanics, none of the actor ships (even CONCORD agents) were subject to CONCORD protection, and likewise were not subject to the normal CONCORD rules. They only triggered CONCORD when someone got the clever idea to spawn police NPCs in smartbomb range of the carriers. Coincidentally this more or less ended that series of events.

In the recent events, the Amarr navy ships and (to a point) the SoCT ship had full protection, as shown by the folks suiciding into them in Safizon and Amarr.




Understood, and many thanks for getting these going again.

And personally, if people want to bump Jamyl's titan or some other government ships, I think CCP should annihlate them. Maybe tell them to back off first, in rp, then just open fire when they don't. No need to coddle the entitled little crybabies. Enjoy their tears. Show the troublemakers they don't own the game for a change. If they want to play bad, they need to HTFU.

Edit: And make a news article out of it! Maybe even a Scope video. In a law enforcement action, Jamyl's Sarum's fleet wipes out 30 capsuleer piloted Macharials. Good riddance! Even the Gallente Federation praises Jamyl's actions this day.

I really don't see much point. Players that aren't invested in the Lore or care about the progression of story arcs are just going to turn it into a giant debacle for the sake of it. You'll always have players trying to bump titans or firing on key story characters with no real reason or drive other than to... well, essentially troll the community that does care about those sort of things.

I'd personally take the live cut-scenes than to see something along the lines of Empress Jamyl undocking in her Titan and then we all get to spend five hours waiting for her to align the damn thing just move things along. Realistically speaking, the Amarr Navy would likely just blast the offending party into oblivion and the next thing you know you have a whole Capsuleer vs Amarr Navy version of B-R going down because of a freaggin keelaying ceremony.

Sandbox? Sure. Interesting? Maybe. Immersion breaking? Incredibly.