Because they already make a profit (which is largely spent on Promos, donations, sponsorship)?

I only want one thing from CCP

...

tree fiddy

So then all unique ships in the game, prizes for tournaments and stuff are all wrong too? What's the difference?

X gets a multi billion ISK ship for winning the alliance tournament.

Y gets a multi billion ISK ship for running a popular lottery which requires a LOT of man hours to operate.

Everyone likes to pretend that SOMER is an automated service and the guys behind it are just raking in the cash. In reality there's a whole load of people manually processing the transactions. It's a lot more work than spending a few hours winning an alliance tournament.

So how is that amount of work not equally deserving of a community reward? Because they already make a profit (which is largely spent on Promos, donations, sponsorship)? Would everyone feel better if these ships were not allowed to be sold and thus had no monetary value? Wouldn't that go against your precious sandbox? The same sandbox that determines the value of these ships? Because CCP certainly didn't give them the claimed billions. CCP just gave them ships. Other players are willing to pay billions for those ships. That's not CCP's fault.

I know what's going on.

This is jealousy, pure and simple.

Everyone likes to pretend that SOMER is an automated service and the guys behind it are just raking in the cash. In reality there's a whole load of people manually processing the transactions. It's a lot more work than spending a few hours winning an alliance tournament.

This is essentially the real issue in a nutshell, well put. Honestly I couldn't give a fig about what happens on TQ since I quit it for Sisi after Odyssey, but I can see why this would get peoples' blood boiling. Even if they 'only' sell for 5-10b each, that's a lot of PLEX (and in turn, real money) that is gifted to specific players by CCP that gives them an in-game advantage over others. How couldn't this be interpreted as a form of favouritism or in-game manipulation?

Personally I think it's much more likely just a poorly thought-out PR stunt, but the conspiracy theories are understandable.

please share more of what you know about somer's financials as you're apparently privy to that information

You've once again only shown that you are absolutely clueless about what's going on, as do your dismissals of the actual reason why people are upset.

Simple info really. SOMER takes about 20% on each blink. But they don't take anything on the promos they run. Each time they run a promo that money comes directly out of their profit. Running the site and paying the employees comes out of the profit. Sponsorships are done without any monetary gain. Each time they give bonus credit to a player who then cashes out the credit comes out of their bottom line.

Down at the bottom line I don't think SOMER is making as much net profit as everyone seems to think they do. I'm sure they still make a number that is very impressive.



Please, inform me what the problem is if I'm so clearly wrong? I only see two problems. CCP gave shiny stuff to people in secret. And that shiny stuff happens to be worth a lot of ISK which makes people go whhhaaaa because they want a lot of ISK too.

SOMER isn't even really the issue here so don't pretend that they are.

Please, inform me what the problem is if I'm so clearly wrong?

Please, inform me what the problem is if I'm so clearly wrong?

Simple info really. SOMER takes about 20% on each blink. But they don't take anything on the promos they run. Each time they run a promo that money comes directly out of their profit. Running the site and paying the employees comes out of the profit. Sponsorships are done without any monetary gain. Each time they give bonus credit to a player who then cashes out the credit comes out of their bottom line.

Down at the bottom line I don't think SOMER is making as much net profit as everyone seems to think they do. I'm sure they still make a number that is very impressive.

I nominate James 315 to be given a tech 2 BPO in a secret giveaway. Perhaps ten Light Neutron Blaster II BPOs would be suitable for him.

He can keep a secret, and runs an EVE blog that has got four thousand views per day for the last year, and has been instrumental in getting a number of players to make second accounts and to get their RL friends playing the game.

Such a giveaway should be an open celebration for all of highsec to rejoice. I would suggest a special edition NO catalyst BPO as well.

Upon reflection, something occurred to me. Somer got rewarded TWICE. Once with the scorps, once with the drawing. That's a whole lot of rewardin' goin' on.

Between free accounts for fansites and giant piles of ISK, CCP has expertly managed to undermine EVE-related journalism (if it can be called that). Bloggers and site operators now have an incentive to engage in self-censorship and cheerleading. After all, who wants to cheat themselves out of assloads of ISK? It's all the more concerning because a significant portion of the CSM have sites or are closely affiliated with one. I'm not making a straight up accusation, but this is precisely why professional news organizations have such strict ethics guidelines. It's the reason that Amazon, Yelp, and other internet sites fight so hard against fake reviews and the like. Giving and receiving gifts or money fundamentally undermines confidence in the product and the sites themselves.

If the basic argument that many of the CSM are making is "CCP can do whatever they want, it's their game," my question is where is the line? If there is none, then we start getting into old school tinfoil hattery, but this time, it will have an actual basis in fact. And once the theorizing begins, it will never end. Will they begin justifying other actions on the basis of player retention or new player recruitment? How will we be able to tell? If anyone thinks CCP's eventual list of rules for this stuff will clear it all up, you obviously haven't been playing EVE for long.

There really isn't any point in continuing this thread. The die is cast *cough*. Your only real decision is whether to log on or log off. If you choose to log on, you can STFU already, because you're simply validating their decisions.

At the end of the day you're all making a fuss over a game. A very complex and deep game that some people have serious commitments to, but a game non the less.

Real world rules need not apply here. Real world ethics certainly don't.

If people were this passionate about stuff that actually mattered the US government wouldn't be spying on the whole world. Could this be a couple of unimportant persons seeing this as their chance to 'stick it to the man' because they can't stick it to the actual man? If so, you're terribly failing. Everyone is complaining and bitching and screaming how they are going to stop playing. But at the end of the day everyone will log on. Everyone will play and no-one will have the spine to stand up for what they believe in. Just like in real life.

Spend your time useful for crying out loud. It's internet spaceships. Someone has more virtual stuff than you. Boo-*******-hoo.

How did I let myself get sucked into this drama... I'm out!

Someone has more virtual stuff than you. Boo-*******-hoo.

Real world rules need not apply here. Real world ethics certainly don't.

Could this be a couple of unimportant persons seeing this as their chance to 'stick it to the man' because they can't stick it to the actual man? If so, you're terribly failing.

Post indicating you didn't read or comprehend

Upon reflection, something occurred to me. Somer got rewarded TWICE. Once with the scorps, once with the drawing. That's a whole lot of rewardin' goin' on.

Between free accounts for fansites and giant piles of ISK, CCP has expertly managed to undermine EVE-related journalism (if it can be called that). Bloggers and site operators now have an incentive to engage in self-censorship and cheerleading. After all, who wants to cheat themselves out of assloads of ISK? It's all the more concerning because a significant portion of the CSM have sites or are closely affiliated with one. I'm not making a straight up accusation, but this is precisely why professional news organizations have such strict ethics guidelines. It's the reason that Amazon, Yelp, and other internet sites fight so hard against fake reviews and the like. Giving and receiving gifts or money fundamentally undermines confidence in the product and the sites themselves.

If the basic argument that many of the CSM are making is "CCP can do whatever they want, it's their game," my question is where is the line? If there is none, then we start getting into old school tinfoil hattery, but this time, it will have an actual basis in fact. And once the theorizing begins, it will never end. Will they begin justifying other actions on the basis of player retention or new player recruitment? How will we be able to tell? If anyone thinks CCP's eventual list of rules for this stuff will clear it all up, you obviously haven't been playing EVE for long.

There really isn't any point in continuing this thread. The die is cast *cough*. Your only real decision is whether to log on or log off. If you choose to log on, you can STFU already, because you're simply validating their decisions.

Asteroid camouflage I guess?

Or a complete new model, an asteroid with guns. You laser dem roids? Dem roids shoot back!

OK, I'm going to spell this out for the retards....

1. CCP gave Somer Ish Scorps on the sly (for whatever reason).
2.Somer says to employees - keep it quiet. When you sell them, do it as to not raise suspicion.

Why doesn't Somer want to raise suspicion?
Is it because they knew that they are worth a lot less now than their current market price, because there are actually 40% more available than the rest of the community were led to believe.

Why were they allowed to sell these items into a market that had no idea of their true worth at the time? I can answer that one - because CCP sanctioned it. CCP and Somer knew there were 40% more Ish Scorps seeded...nobody else did.

Somer said herself this was a unique thing CCP was doing for them

It doesn't matter if it was an Ish Scorp...it's the principle.

Upon reflection, something occurred to me. Somer got rewarded TWICE. Once with the scorps, once with the drawing. That's a whole lot of rewardin' goin' on.