CSM Campaigns

I was under the impression it isn't just a matter of skills though, but of the initial investment in interaction equipment, access to POCOs, transport ships (which in NPC null, at least Syndicate, have huge targets painted on them), access to planets, etc. However I'm willing to concede the point since I've never really looked into it in great detail, nor talked to the folks in corp necessary to get involved in PI, and our discussion is becoming somewhat tangential to the campaign thread.

This is so true. C4 and C5 wormholes have been basically destroyed by the presence of highsec incursions. Why put a 15-20b capital escalation fleet at risk in a C5, or a pair of 3b Marauders at risk in a C4, when you can make 70-90% of the ISK per hour with much lesser logistical concerns in highsec?

The more of Vic's posts I read, the more I endorse what he stands for (even though we do not have 100% agreement), and I have no loyalty to his alliance.

I agree with Vic Jefferson on just about all his points, especially the ideas about keeping new content in low / npc nullsec.

Kudos to Vic Jefferson...this is one of the better candidate threads that i've read. I enjoy the measured and practical tone to your proposals and that you address both macro topics and "small things" like actual ship balance.

Few questions:
1) Any recommendations on how to make missile systems (particularly anything larger than LMs) more competitive in PVP?

2) Your thoughts on the recent balance activity with Recon Ships (i.e. does this actually help all the Recons?) and the major nerf of Fighter & Fighter-Bombers?

3) What are primary ways you'll want to engage the community if elected, particularly those outside your specific alliance? Do you think it's helpful or necessary to open your aperture up beyond your alliance for feedback?

4) What separates you from the other large bloc Nul candidates out there?

Good luck with the election.

Thanks for the responses, Vic.

Again, good luck in the election and I hope you do well.

Sometimes it is the ratio of carrot to stick that makes all the difference. The classic prisoner's dilemma is such an iconic conundrum because people are so naturally inclined to hedge their bets. Generally I do not know much about WH space (that's where the scary people live!), but everything I hear about buffing lower class WHs such that they are more profitable seems like an excellent idea. More carrots where they belong.

Most of my theoretical changes to NPC null are ISK neutral or close to; missions remove ISK via LP and tags would add value, not ISK. Anomalies don't generate that much of the income in NPC null as they are quite limited and dangerous. I would much rather add desirable items to NPC null and keep it very differentiated from Sov Null. When I first started the game, scoring a vindicator BPC could keep you stocked on ships for a while; now not so much. I would be happier keeping the liquid ISK faucet in Sov Space, and just adding commodities to NPC null to give them something unique, without homogenizing them with Sov Null - every security band ideally has its own unique ways to contribute to the overall economy. Unique spawns or unique sites, basically anything in space that produces an item that someone wants.

Anomalies, though incredibly dry, do produce emergent content. The group play here is intel and defense fleets. That's not saying they are fine as is, or do not need adjustments, but I'm not sure what those would be. The ESS in its current incarnation has an issue with being guarded by rats, but I don't think this is the real issue with them. Rather the issue is that ratting is so sprawled across so many systems. Each system can only support a few ratters before it becomes overcrowded, thus you never really have a critical mass of people that want to actively defend it, and avoidance or not anchoring it becomes the dominant, boring strategy. Perhaps if they were constellation wide or had some more mechanics to actually get both interested parties on the same grid like FW does, or we had fewer systems that each in turn could support more ratters, they would be more useful. Ships are blowing up in and around anomalies, so at least they have that going for them over L4s.

I do hear most of your concerns about null anomalies. Your points one and four apply to equally to missioning as much as they do anomalies, so those are more an issue with most forms of PvE rather than anomaly specific. The ESS tries to make the rewards more commodity based, but doesn't quite do the job. Hundreds, probably thousands of man hours have probably been spent thinking about how to fix null-sec's bottom up income - I don't have an answer either. When you have people wtih alts in Hi Sec to make money for their low and null-sec fun having, you do realize there is a bit of a problem though.

So I have a couple points to touch on in responding to your post.

No matter what I say, some will not be convinced of my intentions simply due to my associations. There is literally nothing I can do to win these votes. Some though, will actually judge a candidate's merits or lack theroff, on her or his platform. I would ask that people consider my platform and not immediately jump to 'grr goons'. Does the candidates line of reasoning rhyme with your own, is this someone you could trust to empower your voice and concerns? For example there are several candidates focused on Hi Sec - are they just wanting to improve their private panda hunting reserve and ensure the rules are tilted in their favor, as one would guess from labels and associations, or do they actually want to make it a more interesting place? This is something that you, the voter, get to decide, and use your vote accordingly. Do I just stand for Sov Null Stuff?

I have spent perhaps the majority of my time in this game in NPC null and or Low. Conflicts here are more engaging and personal to me. I will continue to spend the majority of my time in these areas as I find them the most fun. No security band or playstyle should have the monopoly on content. To that end, I want to empower players that make the choice to revel in the chaos and danger that NPC Null/Low provide, compared to the relative safety of Sov Null.

I don't want to turn any sov area into a one-stop content shop. The more different entities you can get into one area, the more interesting interactions can happen, and you aren't going to get that many entities, especially hostile ones, in the same sov space, at least under the current rules. In short, I want to see Low and NPC null buffed specifically because you will get more people, more unique groups, in areas where they can actually colonize and interact, rather than populating the relative sterility of the partitioned Sov blocks.

I disagree. Compare and contrast these two scenarios, though I'll admit they may be idyllically painted due to fond memories of days in Barleguet.

A)Steve Stegosaurus decides to play EvE online, after hearing so much about it. One of the first things he realizes is that he needs ISK to do anything, but being so new, he can't afford to really risk much, and begins grinding missions and isk, maybe even mining. The game of intriguing stories and heated battles seems so foreign, but he grinds in good faith that one day, you know, that one day in the future when he has enough ISK and LP, he will venture into dangerous areas. Chances are, that day will never come, or he will be ganked or wardecced into extinction, and never really have a good opportunity to learn the game, or enjoy it, unless he really just likes missions. This is currently what the income and risk structure of the game encourages.

B)Abbie Anaconda decides to start playing the game with a few friends, or maybe she was fortunate enough to be recruited by an adventurous veteran who wants to see how far he can get managing a new corp. Life seems rough out in low or NPC null compared to Steve. There aren't many ways to get ISK, and predatory players make surviving a challenge. Through patience, planning, and persistence, she learns how to stay safe while hunting Clone soldiers in groups of frigates. In fact, she has far more fun with a group of friends hunting for clone soldiers than Steve had grinding level 1 and 2 missions alone. Predatory players have taken notice of these gangs and begin bullying them. Eventually Abbie's gang assert their dominance and score a few nice kills using only cheap, combined arms frigates against bigger, TII ships; Steve is entirely empty handed when it comes to adventure and stories like this. Characters and happenings like this ARE what EvE is; I'm sure we all remember 'that one guy' that was the local bully, and treasured the times we came out on top.

...maybe that was a little hokey, but the idea is sound. More stuff in space that can generate content would be warmly welcomed, in both Low and NPC null. New players can contribute a lot, and its the best time to learn teamwork.

This is an earnest and thoughtful man and the CSM would be well served by having him on board. Has my top vote.

GRRR GOONS GRRR GOONS You are adopted and nobody loves you......... sorry had to say something negative before i can give him a positive as much as it pains me to say this ill vote for you..... i think generating content for systems other then high sec will bring lots of fun into the game. I also agree that the systems we base out of for the risk don't generate as much isk as they should. We have brawls with these boys all the time and i don't think he is pushing for things that only benefit his alliance. More content is a win in my book!