I wish you the best of luck Soraya Xel!

A few questions
In what ways would you wish to see the Connection between capsuleers and infantry expanded?

How high on your list of priorities is having dust able to perform a constant framrate of say 20 FPS?

Would you wish for the return of Corporation Battles or rather the introduction of Team Deploy for Factional warfare?

I see a future where DUST mercs are rewarded materials in PvE which they can sell to EVE industrials to manufacture DUST gear, which, they can then sell back to DUSTies. I want DUST as part of the supply chain in EVE. Of course, that starts with the player market, and requires monetary transfer between DUST and EVE as well.

I'd also like to see EVE teams implement more recognition of DUST features. DUST stats on character sheets, district status and ownership visible in the EVE star map, and the ability to see how a match is going (kill feed, current MCC health, clones remaining) from orbit. Eventually, I'd like to see Planetary Conquest be a direct component of the sovereignty system in EVE, allowing districts to play a crucial part in major alliances owning territory all across New Eden. They need a reason to hire us, and sovereignty is it.



20 FPS is terrible. A baseline of terrible is not much of an improvement. The thing with game performance, is I feel it's not something you prioritize at the cost of other progress. Game performance improvements needs to be a constant cycle, and CCP needs to ensure they can develop content and new features, while simultaneously improving performance, without compromising either process. Content can't stop flowing in the name of frame rate improvement, but we can't have frame rate continually dropping because of new features, either.



Team deploy would be nice, and I hope CCP gets it worked out soon, but I think the need for corporate battles is separate. There needs to be a system by which a corporation can schedule a match with another corporation outright. Even team deploy on two different factions can't ensure that two corps that want to duke it out can. And that's why I feel we still need a replacement for Corporation Battles in addition to the gameplay modes we already have.

We need a way for corporations to set up custom battles. And sure, they'd have to be no-SP battles, since they'd be easily exploitable. But ideally, we should be able to set a fight at a time, select the game mode, ISK stakes, and the corp we'd like to invite to take us on.

From your OP

"CCP needs to ramp up the EVE/DUST link, particularly by implementing a real economy for DUST 514"


As I indicated on Spartacus Dust's CPM candidacy thread Hilmar has stated that this element is basically on the back burner until general gameplay is competitive with other shooters out there. Your inclusion of the above as your first item suggests this is the more important item to you, which is stregthened by your response in Spectre-M's thread.

Thread Response

The statement by Hilmar was made during the CSM summer summit some months ago however I doubt there is anyone here who would suggest that Dust has become a "kick ass shooter" (Hilmars words) since then.

The above would suggest that concentrating on this issue might not be the most productive use of your time on the CPM, how would you respond to that?

For what its worth I am in complete agreement with you on this however you may need to "work with what you've got"

Bare in mind Bear, that this was before the introduction of the new EP. Plenty of things have changed.

Soraya,

Below are a few questions I engaged one of the other serious CPM1 candidates (Aero Yessavi) with and if you have the time would appreciate your thoughts on them.

Candidate Questions:

1) Other than the forums how do you intend to collect and communicate requests, needs, POV of the community? In particular, those outside your corp / alliance.

I'm almost continually available, except for the few hours of sleep I get. I'm happy to open my email inbox, Skype, Google Hangout, IRC, in-game mail, etc. at pretty much all hours, though you have to hit my EVE char's inbox if I'm going to read it while not by my PS3. I do know CCP is a big fan of Skype. I want to be the one guy you can always get a hold of and get an answer from that your view has been recorded and will be brought to CCP's attention.

2) What level of interaction would you like to establish between the CPM and CSM?

I want to blur the lines of which. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but if the game is going to be integrated, and the environment of each will affect the environment of the other. We're going to have to have deep communication lines between the two councils. Obviously, the CSM are experts and representatives for EVE, and the CPM are experts and representatives for DUST, but we're building one universe, and our partners in the CSM are a valuable part of that.

To give an example, you may note I've talked about needing better support for DUST in EVE. That's a valuable part of making DUST relevant in the universe, and making what we do matter more. However, it's going to require support of the CSM, given that they're the ones that have the ear of the EVE team.

3) What are the top 3 short term (next 2mo's) changes you would encourage CCP to make?

Note that my two month goals are limited to what I think CCP can accomplish in two months. I also don't think it's worth noting things they're already doing right now (racial suits, cloaking) or ongoing balance changes that will probably be different before the election anyhow. I'd like to put the Player Market here, though I'm doubting it would make it in time.

- Basic alliance support in game. Alliance names on Show Info, ability for corporations to join them. The mechanics for this already exist, CCP needs to add the UI for it DUST side.
- Either access to the EVE Gate for DUST mercenaries, or releasing a "DUST Gate" version. This is the ability to see your character's skills and other details, as well as read and send in-game mails from your web browser.
- A more complete rollout of the CREST API. This would allow corporations and alliances to integrate people's DUST accounts directly with the game through PSN signin. It would also enable sites like leaderboards to exist, and allow sites like DUST Charts to no longer be reliant on the crippled and aging EVE legacy API.

4) What are the top 3 mid term (next 6mo's) changes you would encourage CCP to make?

- Player market. Grants not only the ability to sell off things you don't need, but people can trade in rarer items like FacWar rewards, officer rifles, and AUR gear for ISK. This gives players a non-AUR method to acquire AUR-type gear if they need it, by buying it from another player.
- Combat on different planet types. These would have to be rolled out gradually, as they would require some new environment work, a couple new mechanics, and they would expand the number of planets available in Planetary Conquest. Here's some of the kinda concept work I wrote up for how to make this engaging for gameplay: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dHnJW69fNZImNynEQJR7kIQetLpLtOa5xkihcRAp7WY
- Expanded roles for vehicles. The return of logistics-type vehicles, MAVs taking on the current solo tanker role, and HAVs transitioning to team-play (three-player) devices. Fighters for strafing and antiair, since watching two dropships duke it out is kinda sad, and the skybox is too empty. (I'd like to see dropships excel further into being armored troop transports, as fighters roll in as air superiority/combat vehicles.) LAV passenger and dropship passengers should be able to use light weapons that are not AV while aboard.

5) In Spring of 2015, when CPM1's term is up, what would you want people to have said about your tenure as a CPM member?

I want people to say they felt represented like never before. If someone puts in the effort to reach out to a CPM, I'd like at some point for them to get the distinct impression that their idea made it all the way to Shanghai. I'd like people to say that nobody ever had a hard time getting a hold of me. And I'd hope people came out with a feeling that as a group, CPM1 managed to gain more transparency between CCP, the CPM, and the playerbase.

ps...will you be creating a channel for folks to meet and sqd with you during the period before the election?

I'd be more than happy to. I'll get one made in a couple hours. I'm pretty open to squad up during the US evening hours most nights, unless we've got a Planetary Conquest match and my team needs me.

Thanks for the quick response. I appreciate your emphasis on positive communication between numerous parties...I think that and a good attitude and work ethic will go a long way.

Also, I like your snapshot on planet types with effects that reach beyond just the visual moods. I suspect that numerous planet types as per your description is on a CCP white board some where with the caption "some day!". Lot of areas for them to address before that but I really like the idea.

I would have liked to seen how you will interact with us (the community) Will you hide behind Soon TMs and NDA stamps or get creative and figure a way to show us that both you and CCP are working?

How about holding by-weekly player meeting in a chat channel to have us voice our opinions? Things like that. I know what you will do, but what will you do for us?

You have a job and perhaps family that will demand part of your time, you are part of our alliance leadership, you are part of a corporations leadership, I assume you will still devote time to playing the games of EVE and Dust and finally the time demands placed on you by being part of the CPM. How do you envisage balancing these demands and how much time do you believe you will be able to devote to the CPM?

I don't have a lot of family obligations, I have parents and siblings, but I'm single and have no kids. I spend a lot of time on social networks, and I mean, a lot, and I expect to allow the CPM to consume that time. I talk to a lot of people as it is, and I am a prolific multitasker with holding various conversations online. My job has me sitting by the Internet, and I spent a lot of my personal time in front of computers as well. I will be there.

Corp leadership is doing fine, and the alliance is doing great. One of the big differences between now and a year ago, is that a year ago I was doing a very large portion of our alliance's management work. We now have an excellent leadership team, and we're actually working on bringing more people into that team right now. A good leadership team for an alliance can't be reliant on one person's availability, and I think we've more than accomplished that goal.

I can't say I can measure "available hours" persay, because being part of the CPM isn't something you can schedule. It pervades every waking moment on the Internet. So I sleep like 6 hours, so I imagine I'll be handling CPM stuff like 18 hours a day, between everything else I'm doing.

You touch briefly on the PS3 exclusivity in your O.P, saying that it is ok for the short term, do you see this exclusivity becoming an issue during the term of CPM 1?
I ask because I have already noted a drop off in game time in F.I due to the release of the PS4. Obviously there is the "its shiny" aspect that will draw people away from the PS3 for a time, but do you believe Dust even with the most optimistic additions getting into the game has the chops to bring them back after the shine fades from Ghosts or BF4? Or should we perhaps be pushing for at least PS4 compatibility sooner rather than later?