AJ Falconi
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Posted - 2011.07.02 22:30:00 -
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A New Player's Perspective
I had ony just discovered EVE and subscribed about 4 weeks ago, after playing only 3 days of a 14-day trial. It was exactly the game style I've been looking for, and I was having a great time.
Then Incarna released, and this controversy and the protest movement erupted.
It is unfortunate that neither CCP nor the players (in general) were able to speak reasonably and civilly through the blog and forum formats. The CCP blogs & forum posts alternated between insulting and irrelevant, and many of the players behaved like spoiled two-year-olds, but with a lot more bad language.
It was funny at first, but quickly got a bit worrying. It made me ask myself whether I should continue subscribing if EVE's future was really so uncertain. So I'm glad that CCP now seems to be listening to the players, but it makes me sad that it required a summit in Iceland and days of difficult negotiations.
I have my own opinions about the various issues being raised:
1) Play-To-Win
I applaud CCP's committment never to sell non-vanity items in the NeX. This was the only real deal-breaker for me. I can't see myself playing a even a free game where I'm at a disadvantage if I don't spend real money for in-game items. I certainly would never pay subscription fees for such a game.
(I can live with PLEX as an alternative to black-market ISK sales. What I can't stand is the idea that buying and selling characters is allowed. How is this not a EULA violation? If I had to start a new character with no skills, so should everyone else.)
2) Docking
I like the concept of being able to walk around in-station and interact with other pilots outside my ship. But right now, there's no point in loading CQ because it's nothing more than a prison cell.
I also strongly agree with all the players who are saying that the player experience ought to be Space <-> Hangar <-> Walking. I don't understand why CCP is so resistant to this. It's what the players want, it's easy to do, and would be a big PR win. It doesn't have to be hanger *or* CQ" when it can be hangar *and* CQ. Until this happens, I'll be leaving CQ turned off, because most of the time I'm docking only for a very short time.
So, my message to CCP is simple: Make the CQ great, so that players will *want* to disembark. But don't force them into a prison cell every time they dock.
3) Performance
I don't have any performance issues with my hardware. It's not top-of-the-line, but it's not ancient either. I especially appreciate being able to span multiple monitors with the UI.
Also, I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who are trying to run multiple clients on low-end PCs. Frankly, the idea of running multiple simultaneous accounts strikes me as a bit "play-to-win" already. I don't see how to prevent it, but asking the UI to be low-end enough to support multiple instances on one low-end PC is asking too much.
Finally, I also have one issue of my own to raise.
As a new player, while I am enjoying the game for now, I do worry about my ability to compete with players who have many more years of skill-points invested, and who may have advantages that I can never get. For example, I hate the idea that there are high-end blueprints that I can never have simply because a limited supply was distributed by lottery long before I started playing. A new character should have every opportunity to succeed that a player who began when EVE first released (8 years ago?).
So, CCP, thanks for taking player concerns seriously. I realize you have a business to run, but unless you're building the game that the players want, you're won't succeed.
And CSM members, thanks for being strong and vigorous representatives of player concerns. Don't let either CCP or mindless player rage keep you from doing everything you can to make EVE a great game for everyone.
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