EVE General Discussion

Well... if what you are asking is why on an annual basis we've stagnated I would say the answer is "incarna".

If you are asking why we don't see explosive growth I would say because it takes a few months to figure out even the basics of wtf is going on in this game.

If, however, you are asking why we don't see say 3-400% annual growth (while achievable) I would say the answer is a two parter:

• EvE Gameplay has stagnated. In the early days of EvE, the devs were fearless. They introduced huge new mechanics that radically changed the landscape of the game. The addition of deadspace and conquerable stations in Exodus, Fully owned outposts a bit later, the introduction of T2, T3, Wormholes, warp-to-zero (it was a very big deal at the time) even faction warfare and caps. Some of these expansions were so dramatic in terms of gameplay they forced you to re-learn what you thought you knew about the game. Since wormholes were introduced not much has changed.


• BitterVets are the other problem imho. They complain about everything new or anything that might encourage them to adapt. If something doesn't fit precisely with how they want the game to play them they write a wailing wall of posts, and CCP, bless their hearts, does their best to accommodate them. While the protests last summer were justified imho, I fear it might prevent CCP from taking chances in the future (thus perpetuating the above point). This coupled with the false perception that one must "catch up" in terms of SP in order to compete is a real turn-off to other MMO players and would-be capsuleers when they contemplate investing any ammount of time in a new universe.

Anyway... that's how I see it. Obviously, it wouldn't take much in relative terms to overcome some of these obstacles. ...and I'm just some random guy on the internet. I'm sure CCP has hired focus groups to look at this and they have probably included some similar points: and CCP more than anyone would likely want to see the playerbase grow, so they know what's up.

We will just have to see what they do. After Crucible, the ball is in CCPs court.

Post Script:
To apologists using magic math: The only number that matters is connected players online at any given time.

I would rather see a game like eve grow slowly and push CCP because they want to grow just that bit more, then have a game like WOW were it was at 12 million subs and Blizzard could not care about there game because they have too much money to give a ****...

Eve been the size it is, is great because the people become a big family and a lot of people know each other while if you play wow, your see some one once and never see them again in your life on wow.

Eve will grow and keep growing over time, but not like other mmo's, Eve as a game needs to grow before the sub numbers can grow as well. Eve is a sandbox and some times that sandbox can get full.

Alternative version:

Eve is cruel; people kill players who can't fight back; people cry because killing defenceless players isn't easier; newbies go to find something more enjoyable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq2oxt7Nrxo

1:48 into the video is the meaning of a sandbox, but Google works too you know. :)

Biggest mistake ccp made was removing sanctums from 0.0 systems.
Sanctums payed for pvp ships but now almost everyone disabled their alts.

I deactivated 7 of my accounts due to this.

People been online, and people subbed are two different things mate...

Very true, which seems to confuse many in this thread, however his problem is he doesn't realize which side the newest information is on.

First question - do you know the most recent date is to the left of that graph? It is an obvious one, but it seems a few people do not realise that.

Second question, which points / periods are you selecting as your peak and as your current? And what time-frame are you placing on each one? Because when I look at the pure peak numbers it says:

Current Record: 63,170
Peak today: 50,322

Now there is no Alliance Tournament today. And the game is in a recovery mode. But I can't see how ~13,000 pilots is 66%.

So, can you please explain how you got to that strange looking number?

My opinion (opinions are all you're gonna get on this topic) is that its down to the long-standing difference of opinion between pvp players, and those not interested in pvp. You don't have to go far in these forums to find threads with these two sides.

There are those that play eve for the PVP. They love to see ships exploding, and more importantly, you crying about said ship exploding. They generally have been playing for a while, know what they are doing, and live in null or low-sec space. They're of the opinion that eve is a "pvp-only" game, and will enforce that opinion by blowing up your ship.

Then there are the players of high-sec, who play eve because they get enjoyment out of the game by doing all the boring stuff. Hauling stuff, buying high and selling low. Industrialists with their pretty spreadsheets, managing production lines and making stuff. Pve players, doing boring missions over and over and over. And miners, watching their pretty lasers hit rocks and getting free resources [Gasp!, insert standard "They're not free!" rant here]. These players have NO interest in PVP

I've been playing since 2005, and always have been of the opinion that these two groups should be able to co-exist in eve. Afterall, who cares what you get from eve, as long as you are playing, and therefore, paying. Empires there to allow people to be safe while they get to grips with eve's MASSIVE learning curve, and slowly facilitate their movement into low and nullsec space.

I think now tho that this mechanic is broken. High-sec players don't have any incentive to natually move-on in the game, as those players that have already made the transition make it difficult for those that haven't. Suicide ganking is pretty standard now, and what incentive is there for newer players to make the leap into more dangerous space if they're already getting pwned in supposed safe space?

I've always been of the opinion that empire should be safe for those players that want to do the boring stuff, and have no interest in pvp. If thats what they get from eve, then good for them. Its certainly not what i enjoy, but each to their own. Its those players that enjoy pvp, and with their "pvp-only" game opinion, that feel justified in forcing pvp on those that don't want or enjoy it. And people that can't get what they enjoy from eve just unsub. Thats what's ultimately harming the continued growth of eve.

But voicing such opinions on these forums are likely to get the pvp-side of the formula bashing you.

Personally, i don't see why they are so passionate about attacking those that can't and don't want to fight back. Don't they get enough pvp from null-sec space? Or is it that the players there shoot back?

This can't be true. There is no real PVP alternative to EVE.