Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Then this wouldn't be EVE anymore.

Regardless, it still wouldn't be Eve; the ability for someone to ruin your day is a cornerstone of Eve, your suggestion is chipping away at that cornerstone.

In short, no.

How does having an area of the game that is mechanically immune from interference, especially of the kind that ruins peoples day, not undermining that cornerstone?

If you want to organise alliance style tournaments with balanced teams go right ahead and do it, there's nothing preventing you from doing so; however it is up to the organisers to enforce the rules and provide the security to enable it to go ahead. If enforcing rules and organising security isn't to your liking you can use the test server to do it, nobody will interfere there.

Doesn't matter, instances have no place in Eve, if CCP had wanted to have instances they would have implemented them at the start, just as pretty much every other MMO did, instead they set up a persistent single universe where your actions can affect the entire universe; what you're suggesting is the very antithesis of the concept of the game.

You pretty much have that choice now, it's called the test server.

Basically you want fair fights in a game where finding yourself in a fair fight means one of a couple of things; either you or your opponent screwed up, or it's a prearranged fight.

The mechanics are already available to do most of what you suggest, it's been done multiple times in the past by other players; they enforced their own rules and organised their own security details to mitigate interference and underhandedness, or used the test server.

Why can't you?

Technically you are not.

Functionally you are.


Allow me illustrate:

You are getting PvP urges and now have a choice. You can...

- go around hunting other players in an open environment where other players can outmaneuver, outnumber, and outgun you... and there is no set way to fit a ship that will help you in all of those situations.

- go to one of these instanced areas where you know someone will be there, you know they will be alone, and you know that there are only so many ship fits that are truly effective in a 1v1 "arena match."


Guess what... people are going to choose the latter because it is the safest and most convenient option. This means there will be less targets out and about in the "open" environment looking for fights.


Also... controlled environments like arenas or dungeons have this nasty tendency to become "less than newbie" (or "poor player") friendly.

The reason for this is that in an environment with controls (the same controls that keep the combatants safe from others) there are only a few variables that actually matter in a straight 1v1 fight... which results in people min/maxing those variables with the best skills and equipment they can possibly get their hands on.... thus "raising the bar" and competitively "locking out" younger, poorer player.

"Open environments" are more forgiving in that they open up many more variables in combat. So many, in fact, that it is impossible to be prepared for all of them.

This is how you have situations where a small swarm of 1 month old rookies in Frigates can potentially melt a 5 year old veteran in his blingy frigate.
Individually, the rookies don't stand a chance. As an "unfair" and "uncontrolled" mass of variables, they are potentially lethal.


-1 to your idea. It goes against the core ideals of EVE and opens a Pandora's Box of bad gameplay.



This is nothing new. EVE was made and touted as a "niche game" from the start.

And you know what? That is what brought people here in the first place!

Lately, we have been getting more and more people like you who are trying to push it more towards "mass audience" appeal.
"Think of the newbies, they must be protected at all costs"
"I don't feel safe anywhere in the game and I want to be able to ignore others."
"We need more ways to make the game predictable!"

And the active numbers have still been going down.
Frankly... even if you make EVE into "another MMO" it will continue to suffer.
CCP isn't a big company. And they historically have not been good at generating "pure PvE" style gameplay that is common in other MMOs. They simply can't pump out World of Warcraft style expansions that some of these players want them to. At least... they can't pump it out without it being completely mastered in 3 months.


If anything... they should go back to their roots and start tearing up restrictions and mechanics to make the game as a whole "less safe," more "chaotic," and easier for players to interact and interfere with each other.
Expansions that introduced more mayhem like that for the entire game typically bumped up the subscriber counts far better than any PvE or SOV style expansion.

ShahFluffers, you have just made my point.

"people are going to choose the latter".

I am proposing an idea that I think will be better for the game in general, to get more subscribers.

While you are looking at this from the perspective of what you personally want.

Just because something is going to be popular... it does not mean it is a good or healthy idea for the game overall.

I outlined why in my post above. As a "safer choice," it will kill effectively "kill" the other.

I knew the sarcasm will eventually start at some point by the cult followers....

No, what I'm proposing is not a mechanic that separates yourself, because the instanced PvP will be connected within Tranquility.
When you lose a ship in instanced PvP, you lose a ship on Tranquility. When you kill someone in instanced PvP, you kill someone on Tranquility. Tranquility stores your progress.

Not everything have to be "black or white", either one extreme or the other. The instanced PvP can function fully well within Tranquility.

Here's the difference - when you lose or kill a ship on Singularity, it does not happen on Tranquility. And the Singularity server gets wiped every now and then because its used for testing. Singularity does not store your progress.

What I'm proposing is designated pvp matches based on the Players' free will. They can do it when they want, based on their schedule.

Where you have people fighting to the death just for entertainment. Just like how the alliance tournaments are set up. Players have the option of joining the alliance tournament, but they don't have to. The consequences and losses from the alliance tournament have real impact on Eve economy and players. (also the alliance tournament does not offer players the freedom to PvP on their schedule).

Does the alliance tournament affect the Eve Online universe? Yes, it injects these so called "AT Ships" into the economy, and also rewards ISK to winners. The losses are permanent.

If you want this to be "lore" based, they can be designated safe areas within Empire Space, kind of like "The Hunger Games", or Gladiator Arena in ancient Rome. The Eve Online lore is already pretty Dystopian as it is.

The reward for participating in instanced PvP matches can be whatever they think is best...either just the e-peen for having a good PvP record, or financial incentives.

In real life, do games and competition affect real people and economy? Yes they do. They are also arranged and separated from interference. For example the college sports and professional sports, as well as the MMA Fighting competition. Even staged wrestling entertainment like WWE affect the economy and people in real life. I understand you have to qualify to participate in these events, so if they insist, they can even add qualification restrictions, or matchmaking for PvP instances. Like how boxers and wrestlers compete against their own weight.

The Instanced PvP can be held in Empire Space backyard...and it can also be impenetratable without the Empire's permission.


I am not proposing to remove the Alliance Tournament, the AT will still be important. It is equivalent to the Playoffs for the NBA.
The Instanced PvP is more like regular season games, or Exhibition games for fun. Also, any change that's made to the game is CCP's decision, not just the Alliance Tournament.


Then what about CCP's Backyard that you just mentioned in your first point? If there is no safe space in Eve, then CCP's back yard should be vulnerable to player access and interference, even during Alliance Tournament competition.

So what I am proposing, is for the Instanced PvP to take place in one of the Empire Faction's back yard that's invulnerable from player interference, just like "CCP's Backyard" used in the alliance tournament.

I think I just made a very valid point right here.