Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Hello there.

Today we had a discussion on the topic of eyecandy in EVE during which I thought that one way EVE visuals could be improved is make more diverse "landscape". This requires more designing effort than technology, but it's still enormous work, given EVE size.

However, sandbox has its share of upsides. One of them is the ability to outsource some designing to players. My idea is to give players some tools to place decorative objects within their owned territory.

Sure, there must be some limits. Ability to annoy the hell out of everyone with stacked bright clouds, "decloak can" gates to death with LCOs and the like isn't intended ways to use this mechanics, as well as ability to create cosmic beacons anywhere in the system may have considerable game consequences. But it think with limits to ranges, density and amounts of objects installed, as well as coding them so that they don't interfere a lot with gameplay process (going as far as making the game ignore anything by visuals when it comes to interaction with most of them) might work.

So far people already build memorials when they feel they need them. They use everything they can, mostly deployables. Sometimes assign "guard of honour" to draw symbols using remote assistance modules. With upcoming changes people will be able to express themselves better using billboards, but we can do more.

Now, I'm not sure how to justify most of implements to drop random stuff like junk and clouds in space in lore. Some environmental control hubs? Taking refuge in audacity and outright say that capsuleers drop these wrecks and stuff here to make a statement and because it just looks pretty? Maybe.

Additionally we can create niche market for such decorative items and supplement some activities with ways to acquire them (like exploration, for example).

What do you think?

P.S. And before I get full room aggro for mentioning clouds - yes, some of them need fixing before they are allowed to be placed. And who knows, maybe eventually we can have powerful environments like we used to have before, but there wasn't tech to make them look right.

"Hey, we just managed to get sov... It's PENIS TIME!!!"