Jita Park Speakers Corner

It is with great pleasure that I am announcing my candidacy for CSM7. If you are not familiar with my blog which outlines years of industry, trading, fighting, and wormhole experiences please visit it and enjoy our stories. I will be keeping my main announcement on that site but will gladly answer questions here.

Official announcement post http://k162space.com/2012/02/09/blake-armitage-for-csm7/

Starting Eve in 2008 with humble ideals, I quickly learned how harsh the universe can be to a person. I began running missions and mining for profit, soon setting my eyes on production; I started off producing drones and selling them to mission runners. When the Apocrypha expansion went live, I journied into unknown space. The rules were new and unique so I set out to share my knowledge. Over the years, my fellow wormhole dwellers and I have always championed transparency of information and that is why my blog site was born. Our hope was always that our efforts, struggles, and highs would enlighten other people and set their goals as high as ours.

Though I have left wormhole space in search of massive industry and trading campaigns, the ideals that I formed in the void still remain. I want to keep that message of transparency alive. It is with great pleasure that I, Blake Armitage, am announcing my campaign to run for a seat on the CSM.

I bring with me the experience of living and working in known and unknown space, building items as small as ammunition and as large as a carrier, and the industry knowledge that has brought me fortune. I wish to use this knowledge to help expand the Eve framework in many dimensions, hoping to achieve the vision that CCP has always had of making Eve an all encompassing simulator.

Highsec Beginnings

I started the game running missions in Gallente space, feeling afraid to run out into the unknown. After joining my first corp, I got a taste for manufacturing and started to make Drones and other small ships.

Wormhole Space

I spent a year in wormhole space when the mechanics were new and spent a lot of time documenting and sharing my corp's experiences on our blog. We figured out Sleeper aggression mechanics, chain collapsing, site re-spawn rates, and even had a few run ins with Aperture Harmonics.

Nullsec Warfare

I've fought in the Cloud Ring purge of Ev0ke, Russian fights in Insmother, and White Noise battles in Branch. Though PVP and blob warfare tactics are not my profession, I learned the methods. I took on an opportunity to lead and reformed an idle corp under a new flag. I helped put together a production line, research POS, and Battleship production chain to help assist in the Branch campaign. I also spent time researching reactions to help fund out corp wallets.

Production and Trading

I have build small items such as ammunition and large, complex beasts such as Jump Freighters. Industry is the cornerstone of my knowledge base and I want to use that to help iterate through many changes.

Platform Goals

Large and small organizations would not be able to hold such might if they lacked the tools. Much of the ability of organizations to work towards a goal come from systems developed around the Eve API. In March at Fanfest CCP is going to be talking about a read/write API. Yes, write. We might have the ability to interact with the database with 3rd party tools.

What does this mean for everyone? There are major concerns on my part. The ability to script and automate input must not be allowed. I do not want the markets controlled [further] by automation methods. Given my professional background in computer engineering and telecommunications, I believe that I can serve as a major resource for CCP when exploring API options.

I wish to declare my campaign title as "API Champion"

Further details about what API changes mean to us can be found here http://k162space.com/2012/02/16/3rd-party-api-advocate/

Overall tl;dr

Wormhole, nullsec, and highsec adventurer Blake Armitage seeks to bring industry and economic balances to New Eden using years of experience. Having funded massive war efforts on the industry side, and living in every environment of Eve, he brings a unique perspective on how the universe works. His professional experience mirrors the CCP code liftstyle as he works on an economic processing system and developers on a day to day basis for a client facing system.

Feb 16
Jason Parks, the creator of the popular Aura suite for the Android platform, proposed a few questions on Google+ in regards to my platform for CSM7.
http://k162space.com/2012/02/16/3rd-party-api-advocate/

tl;dr

“the struggles of developers will be a major source of direction on my part if I become a member of the CSM”

“Expanding the API, while keeping security and automation exploits in mind, can do nothing but enhance the game”

March 2
Appearing on Voices from the Void podcast.
http://www.voicesfromthevoid.net/

You got my like. I'm looking forward to talking with you about the issues.

Roger. I'll move a lot of the content here. Thanks for the input.

Recent question on my blog from TurAmarth

OK, here’s my question… (from a recent forum post of my own):

“(I want a CSM that ensures) ALL factions in EVE are represented, not just those (goons) who can oder the most votes from thier aliiance…

There are moar players in Hisec than in lo & null combined as I understand it (if I am wrong, I would like proof)… If EVE has a nullsec, PvP “purist” CSM (I can say this in all honesty…. all anyone has to do is search CSM Mitani’s posts on the forums to know what his agenda is…), CCP will be doing the vast majority of it’s playerbase, and income base, a great disservice.

I am by no means “against” nullsec or losec, pirates or griefing…I have lived in W-space for moar time than I have in any other area… and I have plans to try out Nullsec soon. It is one “part” of the tapestry that is EVE… but ALL of EVE should not be held to nullsec rules or nullsec gameplay… and the CSM should be balanced in it’s representation of the multitude of players and playstyles.

In RL (in the US as I am an American) we have Republicns and Democrats…
In EVE, we have Griefers and Bears…

I greatly fear the damage that can be done by one power block holding sway over the CSM.”

We NEED equal representation of the 4 main “districts” of EVE.
Hisec; Lowsec, Nullsec and W-space.

My question: Who do YOU represent?



Answer:

A lot of the industry and trading work that I have done has revolved around highsec. I wouldn’t like to align myself with a label such as “highsec player” because I have a character in nullsec and another one that is NPC to go wormhole diving. I’ve spent time in large fleet fights, supplying wars with ships/ammo, and running missions in highsec so I would have to say “all” if there was such a checkbox.

My motives for seeing a position will be to keep the minds of the CSM on the entire picture. How does highsec, nullsec, and wormhole space fit together? I almost fell off my chair when I read that the CSM6 was generally OK with removing ABC or Arkonor from lower class wormhole space. It seemed to me that they didn’t understand the self-sufficiency and isolation that comes from wormhole space. This is the type of scenario where I can provide perspective.

I read your blog for some time. Great writing, great ideas. I wished you (and other high-end manufacturers) would pay more attention to the whole spectrum and not just what you do (id est : capitals, T2 or T3). Rigs (both T1 and T2) need attention as well as the manufacturing of T1 overshadowed by the rat's drops. What's your take on that ?

Posting a clarified view of the request due to sensitivities from one candidate.

Please can you provide your candidacy views on the following subject of Bounty Hunting

(The linked thread is a posting to maintain a holistic view of the various candidates comments and in some way to act as a foundation for discussion. It seems to have offended one candidate that linking it is in some way implies a prescriptive need to read it or post in it, this is not the intention. Such that if you have specific thoughts on the subject due to your own awareness or thoughts, I would be happy to coallate the views for you as a result)

ty, for your repsonse Blake, I have placed your comments in the linked thread.