Warfare & Tactics

Sov null is not some scripted story line. It is an evolution in progress. It is the 'real' story of how empires like the NPC factions rose in the first place. NPC factions were spawned overnight and their entire evolution just a matter of some writer's imagination.
We didn't get to see the NPC empires become empires.

Sov shows us the evolution of how empires are made. From smaller, fragmented groups often at war, to consolidated territories with defined (and defended) borders. Sov allows players to create an empire, rather than cling on to a story board generated one. It is the ultimate expression of sandbox- actually becoming one of the major empires in a game.

Certainly, any true assessment of New Eden would not limit the number of 'empires' to four. The CFC, HERO, Provibloc, and the latest version of N3- all should be included as 'empires' when talking about New Eden.
Just as there is more than four human races in Eve (counting Sleepers, Jove, and the 'forgotten' races like Talocan), there are more than four empires in New Eden now.

The ability for player created empires to eclipse the NPC story line is the natural evolution of New Eden. Given the tools of empire-building, players did just that, as was intended. We were shown what an Eve empire looks like, what tools define it as a faction- then given those same tools. Instead of storyline diplomacy, we had real diplomacy. Instead of some fiction about civil wars and betrayal, we actually do it.
Sov is just playing out the origin stories used for NPC empires.

So it's not a matter of 'hitting the end', but rather we're just at the point in sov empire evolution where it's almost on par with the NPC factions. Sov has just about achieved what the storyline says the four NPC empires accomplished.
There is no 'end' in an evolutionary process. Only the next step.

I think the problem here is that a lot of pilots seem to view the world of EVE through the lens of their own game morality, that is, they want to believe people pay (or plex such that other pay) to find good fights, get the most out of spaceship combat that's close and heated, and generally want to perpetuate an environment where the game of risk is always one move from a serious upset. You get a similar worldview from the highsec miners and industry guys who believe that the game is about pvp only when you want it and otherwise should be care-free sim-city style building and creating.

What most pilots either purposefully ignore, or diminish as un-fun/bad for the game (subjective preference here), is that for a great many players, especially those with the skill and ability to lead player empires, aren't interested in a map that could be re-drawn tomorrow. The game they're playing is about expanding their ability to project their own content or desires. Whether that means controlling the most space, having the most resources, or simply being capable of bullying as many other entities as possible (or something I haven't even considered here, just as well); their design in the sandbox is equally valid given that there is no ruleset preventing them from seeking this above aformentioned traditional goals.

In the long run, what mechanical limitations are in the game produce some incentives to do one thing or another. Supercap proliferation is a large part of this; however, to the extent that the game is still largely emergent, I don't think it's realistic to assume that Mittani or anyone else is angling to be the greatest bean-counter in New Eden. Even if the CFC emerges as an uncontensted space-renting organization (and I doubt that given the current climate), there will still be plenty of room for some politically connected players to "fuckgoons," and begin the process of chaotic power struggle again.

TL;DR: "Not playing the game right," is just like, someone's opinion, and a really bizarre concept in a sandbox mmo. If you want to change the landscape, you need to get out there are start working on it. Saying in lowsec and claiming null is rigged is a wastes of time, unless you have an ear with the devs. What's going to bring widespread chaos and fights back to more of null will be players who go out and live in null with the expressed goal of empowering themselves to do just that.

Yep, that probably means infiltration, lots of boot-licking in the short term, making not-so-cozy alliances with people you hate, selling your supposed moral compass for another shekel, but your preferences are defined by your actions and not your words. If you want to impose your will and your preferences on others, you'd better get to emulating those bean-counters. It ain't cheap to be a space-lord. Influence has a price.

I am not saying they aren't playing the game "right."

That's why I made it clear the current null sec is a problem only if you don't like to play serious agriculture business.

As far as getting online and licking the boots of people who like serious agriculture business, that doesn't sound fun either. But for some it is, and the eve sandbox offers them null sec. It's fine with me, as long as ccp doesn't get the idea that low sec is supposed to be a stepping stone to that.

Imagine if they were able to merge the servers. There would be stories to write about for a good long time.

Make nullsec occupancy an active pastime that requires people to log in as per FW, rather than the passive nonsense it is now. Winning should require more than a couple of mass logins per month.

I agree with what you want.

But it may be that fw is becoming more like null sec rather than the other way around.

Considering how inflated the currency is on that server it makes sense. From what i understand BOTs and RMTing abound on the Chinese server.

I believe i read an article that valued a single PLEX on Serentiy at just shy of 4Bil ISK. PLEX prices / Titan Production Stats

If the above is true than sure it must not be a huge deal to throw **** away when its literally 6xLess valuable than its Western counterpart.

Anyone that's bothered to crack a history book will note that the rise of null sec empires reflect exactly that of real life empires. The ancient Greeks, then Romans followed the same pattern. Individual but localized groups fought amongst themselves day to day, and fought together against common foes.
Eventually the individuality disappears as the need to unite against ever larger/more dangerous enemies forces long standing alliances and treaties to replace tribal warfare. Warfare goes from the fields next door to the border provinces far away.

Since I'm in the CFC, I can only speak to that- but it's no different than how the Roman Empire operated. Individual groups are basically left to govern themselves and maintain individual identities. Day to day, Eve is for me just my corp and alliance like everyone else. The CFC is not a visible part of how we play Eve just as being 'Roman' for most people in the ancient world meant little more than increased trade and perhaps bath houses being installed in your village.

We pay a small tribute (made smaller with each new conquest and new 'citizens' paying a share) and are called to provide bodies for war. Citizens are moved around within that empire according to resources available and need.

Whereas we used to go two jumps over to fight another group, now we move across whole regions. But this too is Eve working as intended. The rise of Capital ships and the increased wealth in general of players evolved warfare to the point now where we 'deploy' en masse. The evolution there went from flying the ship you were fighting in directly a few jumps, to moving a few combat ships yourself in a personal carrier, to full on coalition level movement operations of entire strategic assets and seeding markets overnight.

Simply put, it's better to be a citizen of a sov null empire than it is to be a citizen of the NPC factions. This is exactly what CCP intended. While they are famous for starting story threads then abandoning them at the next expansion, the one concept they have actually clung to over time is 'The Empires are losing their grip on power'.

Sov null is the only way for the 'history' of New Eden to continue. Being static and beholden to storyline, there is no real forward progress in the NPC empires. No amount of FW will ever change anything but some LP payouts. Gankers and anti-gankers come and go. But roids always respawn, no amount of mission running ever actually changes the situation with pirate factions.....it's a static world.
The only way to see what happens next in New Eden, is to watch sov null.

With all that time, experience and ISK it's almost like you should know how to create content for yourself... or something? Start a newbro frigate training program. I'd trade ISK for fun anyday.

Isnt that the Alts of the leadership of CODE?

duh duh duh