EVE General Discussion

Because I am contrarian:

Eve is promoted as an open world pvp game.

The antithesis of an open world pvp game is battle zones.

In open world mmos where battle zones have been introduced open world pvp has greatly suffered.

A battle zone is about "immediate pvp", whereas open world games typically eschew instant pvp in favor of a hunting style.

When battle zones are introduced in an open world game, a significant percentage of players will abandon the open world game in favor of obtaining instant pvp. In other words, the battle zones suck the pvp out of the open world areas like a vacuum, killing open world play.

Thera functions like a battle zone. Its clear purpose is to promote availability of instant pvp, i.e. you log into Thera and get fights.

If players are in Thera they are not, by definition, in the rest of eve living, fighting and dying. Consequently, Thera harms open world pvp in eve by removing players from systems where they would normally be living, roaming and fighting and placing them in a single location. The more Thera is a success, the more it hurts pvp in the rest of the game. After all, why should some player spend hours roaming through lowsec looking for fights when they can just log into Thera?

Recently CCP devs have been hell bent on gimmicky systems such as the ESS, fatigue, the MJD, etc. . . Thera is just another of these gimmicky ideas that seem good on the surface but with serious flaws under the surface.

If CCP truly wanted to promote an open world pvp play style, rather then relying on gimmicks, it would be substantially better if CCP improved lowsec and null giving players more reasons to live and fight in those area.

P.S. I am aware, BTW that battle zones are typically "instanced" whereas Thera is not. The analogy is not perfect, but IMO the effect of Thera should be the same as a battle zone.

Not really. Arena gameplay involves a specific set of rules and a specific team structure. Anyone can enter Thera and anyone can leave Thera. They can also use any and all assets at their disposable in the sub-capital bracket.

I disagree.

Thera is a staging point for conflict. At first, there will be a lot of conflict in Thera, as with any other new addition to the game. Then, as the dust starts to settle, those really interested in living there will likely start to work together, finding that with teamwork, they can use Thera to dish out constant pvp to a large variety of null and lowsec targets every day, with easy access to highsec to bring in new product. Thera itself will not be the 'combat zone' or 'battle zone', Thera will evolve into the dynamic facilitator that brings more small/medium gang combat to nullsec.

Will Thera be a mos eisley trading hub? I seriously doubt it. Will it be a giant combat/duel area? I seriously doubt that too, after the dust settles.

As a notion toward what I think EVE's potential "battlezones" would be like, in comparison to what other posters have stated regarding Thera;

If CCP were to introduce some form of go-to area, they would be foolish to do anything other than integrate as much as possible; as such, a battlezone in k-space would likely consist of lore-specific locations containing Incursion-style spawns of NPC ships from a particular faction within the EVE universe. On cue, NPC ships that are traditionally against said faction would then spawn in; perhaps finding the location would be as easy as warping to it from the overview, or scanning it down for tougher/etc versions, but it would likely consist of a bit of a slugfest between two opposing fleets - as the fight goes on longer, or as more people join, both sides would escalate appropriately, all the way up the scale of ships to include whatever the system can handle (think how a "feeding frenzy" starts in the ocean), with real players opting to battle for a specific side, or attack both, or maybe logibro style etc.

You get the idea.

Point is, I'm pretty positive that if CCP wanted to create a specific area "just for PVP", they'd make a lot more of a visual and integrated experience than simply making a big ol' system in w-space and hoping no one clamps it down within hours of it going live ;)

Your analogy doesn't fit at all apart from there being PvP involved.

You should retitle your post: The Case against Vol Arm'OOO being allowed to post.

Keep Poitot. It can be it's own region.

WELP, guess I better pack up and help move NRDS to the heart of CFC. That'll work, right?

A valid argument I think. But what you’re forgetting is the balance.

Yes, if Thera is as you say a magnet for the PVPers, and draws them in from surroundings systems (all of the cluster), assuming of coruse that’s what will happen, then ask yourself what will be left.

By your argument what will be left behind is a void wasteland devoid of PVP containing nothing … oh, wait, no, not containing nothing. It’ll contain a vast array of belts previously unmined due to PVP threat, Planetary PI not mined, eve trade not previously fully utilised. THese now get flooded (slowly, while they test the water) by the glut of industrialists contarined within empire. In fact, if your theory plays out, the resources extracted could cause a massive surge into the markets and deflation will kick in as everything becomes far more plentiful (might be countered by the excess resources needed for thera ship kills though).

End of the story you might think? Nope. Once PVP realise there’s actually easy kills out in the wasteland … they’ll wander out there, back into the systems.

It’s fluid. And you forget EVE is not ‘just’ about PVP-Combat, it is just a very vocal, emotive and visual part of the game. This is what makes EVE great, and different to any other game. The sandbox.

Whatever Thera will, or won’t be, I’m all for it. As long as it plays by the same fundamental rules of EVE; “Sandbox”.

Butthurt poasting detected.

Thera will be a system of like minded capsuleers working together to create a w-space utopia for anyone to enjoy without fear of destruction. A place of rest and refuge for harassed gas miner and weary gate camper alike. A place where the elite and not so elite can have open discourse on the direction that they see New Eden heading in.

Or something...

Mr Epeen