The big problem is that CCP doesn't have boots-on-the-ground experience with their own game on live servers. For instance, CCP devs aren't allowed to play in PC. And I don't think the game engine will let them spectate as of current. So the important part is the CPM can convey what players see and realistically contend with to CCP, who's often basing their decisions on their internal test servers otherwise.

Ideally, the CPM should have some ability to relay back to players and assist with community relations, but that depends on how lose the NDA is. DUST's NDA is held over people a lot more strictly than EVE, I think. We generally have more of an idea what CCP wants to do in the future from a broad sense compared to DUST.

That's not exactly true. We're not allowed to play in PC or FW on our dev accounts. :)

jenza has been great to work with since I've come in, and I have nothing but good things to say for all of the current members of the CPM. They've been putting in more time and effort than you can imagine. :)

I can imagine my life span, by default. I doubt your last sentence is correct.

I have wanted to run for CPM since cpm 0 was announced... not sure I have the clout though.

I would recommend that anyone seriously considering putting their name forward for CPM join the IRC and interact with the current CPM and devs who pass by there to get a more realistic picture of what's happening that the typical "jenza hasn't adequately defended my particular playstyle; impeach! impeach!" mentality.

I'll tack on some thoughts here as well, I suppose.

Firstly, To echo Jenza's sentiment;

If you're expecting any part of this to be fun, you're horribly wrong. If you plan on being a GOOD council bro, you're going to spend a huge portion of the time you used to spend playing the game... just sitting there talking to people, reading stuff, and facepalming instead. You're going to have to deal with facepalm after facepalm, unable to discuss your anguish with anyone but your councilbros. You're going to help CCP avoid travesties, and no one will ever know what you stopped except for your fellow council bros. Meanwhile, the vocal majority of the community will spit on you, despite your efforts.

One of the dark realities of design is that most ideas are usually pretty bad. When people have been brainstorming for a while... pretty much any idea can begin to sound really good, until someone else enters the room and says "That's just freaking terrible.... Your ideas are bad and you should feel bad. - But if you changed them like X, they could be good!" That person entering the room is going to be you as a CPM bro. And the sad truth is.... The people in the room are probably not going to listen to you nearly as often as you think, despite how obvious the flaws in their ideas may seem.

If you're easily frustrated, impatient, and quite frankly not a masochistic optimist.... The CPM is not for you.

You'll be in for a lot of sleepless nights, as you try to have meetings not just with CCP, but your fellow council bros to prepare for meetings with CCP across multiple timezones.

You'll get forum hate of all kinds under whatever veiled reason satisfies those who just want to rage, and the CPM makes a good conduit for that rage.

You'll spend hours talking to dozens of different people who say the exact same stuff, in dozens of different channels/mediums.

To top that all off... You'll find out that the CPM doesn't have nearly as much influence, or find out nearly as many 'secrets' as you might think. Whatever benefits you may think the CPM gets.... I can assure you that for nearly anyone who applies it will not be worth it for them, and the frustration will get the better of them.

But, I would like to differ from Jenza on one key point.

If you ask yourself "Why do I want to do this" and "I just want to make the game better" is your only answer... You're probably full of ****. Keeping that in mind, anyone attempting to be self-serving and push for benefits for their own corp/alliance/friends/self will very, very quickly be called out on it by the rest of the council, and it's a very easy way to get yourself relegated to the 'kids table' while everyone else discusses stuff seriously :P Even if CCP makes some stupid decisions here and there, they are smart enough to know when someone is pushing for something for the wrong reasons and know that those people will pretty much just get a patronizing tap on the head whenever they speak.


In summary :

While I would definitely call being on the CPM illuminating, and a good way to peer behind the veil of the game design industry.... I would consider no part of this position rewarding. No part of it was fun. It takes away from your ability to enjoy the game, plain and simple.

To anyone who is in the process of or has already drafted a generic "This is what is wrong with dust and how I plan to fix it" campaign posting : You're probably going to regret doing so long before your term is up. Fair warning.

Ha, no, not at all.

The NDA is super broad, a boiler plate sheet of paper that probably looks like a thousand others at many other companies. Basically says "dont share trade secrets". There's nothing specific ever named in the document itself.

The CPM doesnt share stuff if CCP asks us not to, plain and simple. It's really nothing to do with the NDA prescribing anything, just more of a professional courtesy.





Also....Its late and I'm tired but I'll happily echo all the thoughts from the above two CPM's, both Jenz and Nova gave a great summary of what incoming candidates should expect.

I'll add one more thing - in my mind, the winning candidates are already a known quantity. Ask yourselves this - "have I already been doing the work of a CPM as much as I can without insider access?" If the answer is no, don't run. I'll be personally trying to murder your campaign if I think you're full of hot air. There's easily more than the needed number of people who have already been forwarding feedback to us and to the devs, and working with the community intimately, and who know what the community wants from CCP.

The winners will be the people that are doing this work -right now-, and over the last several months. Not the ones who promise to, or who begin showing off their awesome usefulness in the next few months, they'll be the ones that have done it all last year and who people already think should run.

So yeah, that's what I'll add to the stack of reasons to scare the weak away from the position. :) You already know if you've proven that you belong on the council. If you're not already helping, put the banners and pins and brownies away and just don't run. Those that belong there are already doing the job and the community knows it. These winning candidates won't be making promises, they'll be the ones pointing at their proven track record

Remember that thing Nova said, paraphrased as "ragers gonna rage"?

See above.

you dissappered for the past 6months?

I imagine a tally scratched into your wall. "Days since jenza last made contact:" and you're weeping as you chalk up another mark.

lolumadbro?

"umadbro" is the last refuge of a weak troll whose argument has so fallen apart that there's no other recourse.

I pity you.

Argument fall apart?

No its still standing, CPM0 abused game mechanics espc when it came to PC, tbh i would have found it hard to give up an advantage like that, make it rich and dont have to worry about ISK anymore

They still havnt done the 1 job they were formed to job

it is rude to insult the cpm for doing their job poorly if that is the case

Fun, too!