Test Server Feedback

This is not up to my usual standard of writing so I apologise. It's also a bit long so I suggest you make a brew before you start reading this

Dear CCP,

This letter started as no more than a few comments that I was asked to put on the forums however I felt that 'a few comments' would simply not do.

I write to you in this manner because I believe it is the only way I can make my points of contention clear. Before I continue I must stress that my views are my own and not those of my corporation.

I was going to spend a few paragraphs documenting my introduction to Eve Online however after a few sips of coffee and a biscuit I realised that this was not particularly relevant to this letter. It be sufficient to say that I was introduced to Eve a long time ago but only started playing regularly a couple of years ago.

My Eve career started with me mining whatever I could find in a Navitas. I had no idea what I was doing other than the fact that I could sell my ore to save up for a better ship. I now fly three Mackinaws, a Rorqual and I have a jump freighter pilot in training.

I have watched Eve change over the past two years and I think it has been, for the most part, all for the better. The changes to industry encouraged me to try manufacturing and there is now a point to training the ore reprocessing skills other than for mining crystals. We have the new sovereignty mechanics which I think work alright (not that I do a lot of sov stuff). We have a had a few welcome graphical updates too which look fantastic and from what I can tell from speaking to carrier pilot friends of mine, the changes to carriers make them a brilliant ship to have out for either PvP or PvE.

However I am concerned with the current approach CCP seems to be taking with Eve and the players. For example the latest patch, among other things, introduced a new docking/undocking animation. This has been slated in the forums with many asking for a toggle so they can turn it off. I don't even know how this got approved for development let alone deployment approval. It adds no practical value to the game and I'd even go as far as to say it's irritating to the extreme.

When Citadels were announced they created a bit of a stir with the community and we were rather excited to see what new gameplay and value they brought with them. They are an alternative to outposts in null and somewhere to dock in wormhole space but I don't consider them to be a replacement for the POS. My issue with Citadels is that CCP intends to do away with the POS entirely and force people to use stations and/or Citadels.

This issue of forcing new content is something I have a major problem with. From my point of view there has not been any effort on the part of CCP to find out if players actually want to do away with POS' or indeed what players use a POS for. There seems to be this attitude that CCP does what CCP wants and to hell with anyone else.

When the new sovereignty mechanics were announced there was, if I recall correctly, a fair bit of upset over it. I've never really been into sovereignty game play so I couldn't and still can't really pass comment on it. I am however a miner and the death of the POS would really have a dramatic effect on my gameplay as would the proposed changes to fleet boosts.

I have recently finished training a Rorqual pilot and as such the proposed changes to fleet boosts really have wound me up. It strikes me that CCP do not fully appreciate just how Rorquals are used nor do they seem to know how expensive and difficult they are to build. Furthermore by forcing boosters to be on grid it increases the risk considerably and you guessed it, increases the amount of possible PvP variations for the players that enjoy PvP.

I accept that fact that everyone needs to be catered for but it feels like CCP have an obsession with getting more fighting and as a result, more stuff exploding. Eve for me has been an escape from the pressures of real life and I mine to relax. I do not want to have to be constantly looking over my shoulder!

The point to all of this is why does CCP have to force people to take, for example, a Rorqual into an asteroid belt for it to work? Unlike with the new sov mechanics and the carrier changes CCP could retain the POS for those that want them and offer strong incentives to encourage people to take their Rorquals into the belts.

The Rorqual is currently immobile when delivering it's maximum boosts and is a hell of a target if it is in a belt. We have capitals for PvE and PvP so where are the mining capital ships? We have T3 PvP ships so where are the T3 industrial ships? My point is that I would love to take my Rorqual into the belt but I would be mad to do so because of the way it is. Seriously...modular T3 mining ships and capital sized mackinaws would be great!

I implore you, CCP, to reconsider killing off grid boosts and POS'. Both still have practical applications and if the Rorqual was allowed to move with the industrial core on and had capital sized strip miners then people may well do what you want but of their own accord. I don't want to be put in a situation where I have a character and ship which are redundant. Mining boosts don't hurt anyone and any decent indy corp will have boosts so you can't go on about market PvP.

One more thing. Can we quit with giving us stuff we don't need and fix some of the bugs and update stuff like corp management?

I am happy to converse with Devs directly and if you want to meet in person I will even pay, out of my own pocket, to come to Iceland and discuss these issues with you. Eve has become part of my life and I feel passionately about making sure that everyone is catered for.

If a dev or devs wish to speak to me you can email me using the email address on file for this account or send me an eve mail in game.

Yours Sincerely

Thor Eljer

Well said.