Isis Dea wrote:Before beginning, a quick little recap on my personal views for EVE, its cold atmosphere and rough learning curve:
EVE teaches more than it caters at times, reminding everyone that space is cold and that there are people you cannot trust at a glance. With wars going on in the background, giant conflicts, and people scourging to make an extra buck, this nature is entirely warranted and rather than baby people from it, EVE builds onto it.
While I'm sure any victim of a scam/hostile-takeover/spy act hates the initial experience, those who actually brave the experience emerge far more vigilant in more fields than those simply related to it. And while many might throw up a white flag and join the venture in becoming a fellow scammer, that is a market like Jita local that eventually will earn you more block lists then clients in time.
There is a reason EVE's playerbase is more mature compared to other MMO crowds, attractive of the higher age groups, and catering to the cunning and intelligent while hunting the gullible.
In a sense, EVE grows you up. Quickly too, if you aim to survive.
A fool and his money is soon parted. Should he learn that in Jita local, dueling in a one's prized Navy Raven, or taking a dreadnought to lowsec for the first time.
A corporation that relies on a corporate hanger to survive, made up of untrustable members with no backup plans for spies/infiltrators, will also suffer the same fate.
The question you, CCP/CSM, SHOULD be asking is do you try to change this nature, or do you build onto it? For EVE is our escape, a VR platform with emphasis on the R(eality), even if it is the cold truth.
There's plenty of other MMOs out there where you can find your escape in more defended means yet as a player for 9 years ongoing, I leave those MMOs after a month to three months because their player base is fully of the cute & cuddly, the kids and the gullible, and I come back to the cold world of EVE breathing the fine brisk air and remembering what a good unshackled game feels like.
/ENDRANT
WHAT IMHO SHOULD HAPPEN: (the goodies)
- Modifying the wiki should be a bannable offense. (Nobody touches the sacred lore tiddlybits!)
- Impersonating a CCP/GM/ISD member should be a bannable offense. (I think we all can agree here.)
- Impersonating a figure of CONCORD should be a bannable offense. (The Jove would not tolerate that shrubbery, and if there's someone who would assassinate players it would be CONCORD in defense of their name and place in the grand assembly.)
- ToS should not include anything else for impersonations.
- In the tutorial OR on the website, one of the ventures presented within the advertised professions should be SCAMMER, even providing examples and a link to (contributable) wiki page of known scams, so as to expose more people to the nature of the game.
- Posts in HIGHSEC local channels should have more cooldown between posts based on number of people present in system. (For purposes of cutting down spammers and encouraging ingame mails for random offers, to which one can use CSPA to regulate that. [There already is a post in the Assembly Hall about this.])
- If there's a Block List limit, increase it.
... this will solve issues of scammers and local spammers, or simply make players aware of them.
- Making a corporation spawns a tutorial session which can be easily closed offering only recommendations for players looking to set up their corporation. Corporate infiltrators AND spies would be primarily featured, as new CEOs tend to dive into recruitment channels and spam ads then cry when they get infiltrated.
... this will solve infiltrators, all while preserving the present spirit of the game, or simply make players aware of it.
- CCP reserves the right to reach out and change a player name if deemed inappropriate or if requiring its use for CCP purposes. If requiring its use, CCP will strive to work with you to help pick a new name but only if you work with them. Failure to do so will result in your name being added numbers to the end of it and CCP reacquiring the name.
... this will solve players locking down characters within CCP's lore (for in-character interactions and ingame lore events), as well as any time CCP needs a name or needs to reserve one.
- Another video, similar to EVE: Casualty, promoting awareness and opportunity within the scamming/infiltration mechanics, yet also the price.
... sure, alts can provide shelter for your scamming/infiltrating ventures, but just because you have tons of ISK doesn't mean your problems are solved; life goes on and you've made so many enemies in the process. Is it worth it?
Let's define what has been the nature of this amazing universe and lets build onto it.
(Also trying to save the extra hours GMs would have to put in solving petitions resulting from these ToS changes. As more people become aware of what rights they have (this event will certainly enlighten them), events like what happened with BoB will be called more into question. And such events proved balance to the game enough for CCP to endorse it. History is sure to repeat itself, do you want to allow such balancing actions or condemn them in the future?)
EDIT: Tacked on the CONCORD bit.