Sand boxes have walls (rules), but what you do in between is entirely up to you.

Eve is a sandbox.

-Liang

If the rules change your behaviour changes as well, so no, it's not really entirely up to you.

That statement just shows how dumb you are. In reality, it is actually smart to pay $$ for ISK if you have a well paid job and don't like PvE or trading. I don't expect you to understand why for obvious reasons. I also don't expect you to understand the difference between the current PLEX system and MT/F2P. I guess if EvE ever goes F2P it is just players like you that will be around.

Basically: while 39k seems like its "really low"... its actually not.

This is from PC Gamer, so take it with a grain of salt, but here you go - http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/02/eve-online-has-over-360000-players-63170-simultaneous-users-in-january/

and that makes it more worrying for me, because what happened to all the players? Did the server hamster get hiccups over the month? There aren't many holidays or reasons for people not to be playing in February for crying out loud.

Are you talking about the players online *RIGHT NOW* in the middle of AUS TZ? In that case, all the players went to bed. ;-)

Just a quick note that you can't use number of servers/realms in other games to extrapolate from. You do need insider information.
The population allowed in a realm is not primarily dictated by how much the "server" (cluster really) can handle, but by GAMEPLAY - cram as many people as possible into a server, but not beyond the point where it threatens overpopulation.
Overpopulation is very dependent on the game mechanics in that specific MMO, for example, quest layout, zoning, instancing, ranged or melee combat, etc, all affect how many players you should (note: not *can*) place in a world.

Also, one cannot just look at US and ignore EU when and if these extrapolations are done. There is a very wide overlap of EU and US players with global peak at about 1900CET - this is why we europeans schedule maintenance at work hours and californians have to be up at 3am for the same work.
Now, the really interesting question is what is the churn of the subscriberbase in the different MMOs, i.e. per 100k subscribers, how many of those did you have to acquire each and every month to maintain that level of subs? Does your marketing and PR spend eat up all profits? What point is there to maintain high subs if you're not profitable?

As for Eve, it's not a big game in any way shape or form. But it *is* big enough to have critical mass of players and I have fun in it every single day. That's what counts!

I could go on but you know what I have stated isn't just hyperbole, it is by and large reality. This community is incredibly self-destructive and loathsome. If it isn't in your hands it deserves to be blown up/stolen/griefed/etc. until the person who has it gives up. War decks, can flipping, suicide, gatecamps, theft are all tools to accomplish this goal. In the end you post for the "tears" and could care less how the other person feels or if they leave the game; in-fact most of you will cheer even louder if you cause someone to quit the game.

Obviously these folks have a point.

Why play EVE when you can play a much nicer game where you only murder, assasinate, rob, gank, elimanate NPC's... cause that makes such activities a much friendlier experience.

Or if your bloodlust demands that you victimize another player, that poor fellow should immediately respawn with all of their equipment intact. Only in this way can you have a proper game that is fair to everyone regardless of their personal skills.

That way everyone is a winner, every single player is the best there is... at everything.

What a wonderful game that would be.

[quote=Micheal Dietrich]

That said, you guys are all a little new? The game is 8 years old, nothing has changed. Bad behaviour has always been rewarded in EVE 500% more than honor or integrity. CCp have managed for 8 years without ever implementing a mechanic (not an employee) that allows the game to thrive in civility. The Null Bears and pew Bears have full backing by CCP.

The rest of EVE are seen as usefull idiots.

This is EVE. Adapt or GTFO.

A sand castle is still made of sand. Is the fact that everything in a sandbox is made of sand a damning sign that the sandbox provider is shaping your behavior?

We have imposed rules and game mechanics that, sometimes obviously, other times more subtly, lead players to certain goals and also define "better" ways to reach those goals. This means that many times, the way players react (in game, in forums or in comms) is conditioned by CCP's rules, even if they (players) think is just their internal nature (or human nature) to react like that and do the things they do, the way they do.

Switching to "free" to play won't help Eve increase the size of its player base because I and a lot of other players will quit in disgust.

This ^^ and if EVE ever goes FTP it better bring in an extra couple million players or CCP will have to lay off more of its staff.

Whereas the F2P model has proven to work, I really don't see it as the best solution for everyone.

Depends if you're talking about F2P as completely free except for a shop, or just free of subs which is not actually F2P as you still have to purchase the game and the expansions, plus putting up with a shop.

Sand boxes have walls (rules), but what you do in between is entirely up to you.

Eve is a sandbox.

-Liang

A sand castle is still made of sand. Is the fact that everything in a sandbox is made of sand a damning sign that the sandbox provider is shaping your behavior?

Switching to "free" to play won't help Eve increase the size of its player base because I and a lot of other players will quit in disgust.

I see nothing in the OP but a series of unsubstantiated claims. Eve is a tough universe, you may have come across that tag line on more than a few occasions.

EVE isn't a tough universe, if it was tough it would be tough for everyone, right now the people attacking the OP for his comments on the obvious remind me so much of chavs in my country, they talk so much **** and boast about how awesome they are but the moment you decide to fight back they run off like the pussies they really are.

The only reason that people talk so much **** on the forums is because they know they can get away with it, it's the same thing elsewhere too, the majority of people wouldn't say half these things if they could be punched in the face for it. You aren't 'hardcore' or 'tough' for running around ganking solo players and industrialists, you're just an ******* who's too afraid to pick a fair fight.

I really wish they'd put FPS boarding combat in EVE, nothing would say "**** you and your Tech 2 battleship" more than a well placed shotgun to the face and being able to steal it after would only sweeten the deal.

I see nothing in the OP but a series of unsubstantiated claims. Eve is a tough universe, you may have come across that tag line on more than a few occasions.

I really wish they'd put FPS boarding combat in EVE, nothing would say "**** you and your Tech 2 battleship" more than a well placed shotgun to the face and being able to steal it after would only sweeten the deal.

Hestillmad