Pestilen Ratte
Fat Kitty Inc.
79
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Posted - 2017.06.30 23:08:49 -
[1] - Quote
CCP have a conviction that balanced rewards and stability of game play over time are effective ways to make sure nothing gets badly broken with each new update.
It is hard to argue with the logic, especially since they changed from a six month update cycle to six weeks, or whatever it is now. There just isn't time to develop and risk big things between updates.
The problem, unfortunately, is that while things won't get changed enough to break them, nor do they get changed enough to fix them. Everyone who has played Eve for a few years can list a whole bunch of weird, half finished mechanics that were simply abandoned and left in a semi functional state.
Then there is the need to limit rewards so that folks can't play for free. Unfortunately, this means that rewards are shockingly poor value for time invested. If you could earn 1 billion isk (say Plex fees) in two hours, most folks would not be paying to play as omegas. But when you can't earn 1 billion inside 5 hours..... you are working for 2 dollars an hour. Unless you LOVE the style of game play, it is simply far easier to work an extra hour at work and buy plex.
What this means is that, axiomatically by intended design, every part of Eve is initially a long slog for small rewards, which quickly becomes a tedious grind for low rewards, as the "new" mechanic become familiar and boring.
I don't mean to whinge and whine, I have given this some positive thought towards solutions.
I think if CCP wanted to build drama into Eve, and start introducing some significant rewards to retain player interest, they also need to bring in significant risks to balance the promise of significant reward with risk of significant loss.
For example, NPC nul sec systems could be dropping loot worth 1 billion at a time, and it might be possible to find three such drops per hour. But, to balance these rewards, CCP could also introduce seriously powerful and random enemy that can and will destroy player ships from time to time.
I have been playing Eve for nearly 4 years and I have been living in nul sec for about a year, and travelling around null for around two years. I have NEVER seen an officer rat. Never once.
So, what is the point of this game feature? If folks can play for literally years, and yet never once even see this feature, does it even exist? Or is it an ornament to make the game special for staff and the elite few?
See, I can handle getting shops blown up. It is even exciting, so long as it is not everyday. What i can't abide is logging on, scouting systems for 45 minutes, and finding one data site worth 360k risk in total, and some nul sec belt rats that are so weak you can be AFK for ten minutes and not die.
If that happens too often, folks are going to stop logging on. the investment of player time is far too great, given the NPC rewards and the risk.
Sadly, it happens a lot. i don't blame CCP, it is not clear that they can provide new, risky content without breaking the game and losing the loyal fan base.
Eve's only real long term future is to be bought by a serious games company that can leverage the lore, ship design and general combat mechanics to create a vibrant, tournament style MMO.
My two cents. I won't be resubbing, and most of our guys have already quit without making a big deal about it. The rest are ready to leave quietly too. It is just incredibly bad value for money. I'm not paying another 120 bucks to train a jump freighter OR a Carrier. It is ridiculously poor value for money. it is insulting, in fact. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, like some folks in Iceland have their hand in your pocket when you aren't looking. |