Occasus Vim
Minmatar
Freelance Unincorporated
Ushra'Khan
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Posted - 2007.05.14 10:36:00 -
[1]
I think this is my first post in this forum, mostly because a few people I have a lot of respect for usually say "Avoid CAOD, it's usually just a ****ing contest, and not worth your time." I see how that's true, but there's also some good stuff here too.
IMO, propaganda is for the IC boards. OOC conflicts between players on opposing sides strikes me as sad as, say, when professional athletes harbor contempt instead of respect for other athletes in their field. One thing my commanders told me (OOC) when I first joined U'K was that our long standing conflict with CVA was riddled with class, that they had good relationships with our 'enemies' OOC. I really liked that, and I am always heartened when people like Garreck or Gaven post, sometimes even on our own boards. I feel like we're playing the game together at those times, instead feeling like it's 13yr. old boys beating on each other for a self-esteem boost (over the internet, no less).
Both sides have individuals who take it a little too seriously. It's inevitable I think, when you consider the kind of commitment and tactics are needed to succeed in this game, especially in terms of "sovreignty" success. This game is politically intense, because you can't access a lot of the games features without a team. So, you have to impress people, whether you are roleplaying or not. This conflict would not be very interesting without allies (and would probably consist of U'K getting absolutely pasted). CVA have played a political game (which necessarily disregards "RP" boundaries) which has worked wonders for them. They found something that worked, and excelled with it. U'K on the other hand is still learning some of the political ropes in 0.0. Because success out in nullsec space means playing the OOC game as well as you can, the dimensions of our conflict necessarily expand.
The difference is, I am not fighting CVA, PIE, VV, AM, etc. because I want to wipe them off the map and win EVE. If it ever comes to something like that for me, I think I will quit the game (just a personal preference, it is a legitimate motivation for others, just not myself). No, I am fighting them based on an IC context that each side digs as a pretext for healthy competition between folks all over the world. In the end, nothing is really lost, but its fun as hell.
The recent turn in tides pleases me not just because we are doing well (relative to some moments in the past), but because it makes everything more interesting, which supports my reasons for playing the game. If either side just rolled over the other, it would be boring, and in our search for a real challenge, the less likely we would be to find opponents who play "our style" of game, by which I mean people who are on the same frequency, motivation wise. In other words, I never want the Amarrian loyalists to be completely smashed and disband. If such an thing happened, I would probably pirate or something for a few months, get bored, and then move on from EVE. What I do want is what I understand has been happening for a long while now: The wheel always turns, sometimes up, sometimes down, and we continue to grow and challenge each other. Any friends I make in the heat of battle is only because I have enemies making friends on the other side.
The wheel will always keep turning. I think if U'K ever experienced total crushing defeat, we would adapt, stick together, and rise in a new incarnation. However, if our counterparts wouldn't want us to reincarnate, to carry on the story with them, I would say we are either fighting the wrong people, or we have ourselves completely lost perspective on the game we are choosing to play together.
The enjoyment here for me is in the teamwork, in achieving objectives with alliance mates. My enemies, you provide a framework, a reason for that teamwork, so I thank you. I hope that we can respond by making your game challenging enough that meeting those challenges improves enjoyment of the game for you and yours.
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