As an EVE player it occasionally becomes apparent that you are playing two games.
One is couched in the nuts and bolts of the EVE client interface. ItGÇÖs a game of tactical skill, hard won personal experience, and laboriously researched knowledge. ItGÇÖs seen in spread sheets of investments, killboards, and opportunity cost calculations. ItGÇÖs a precisely balanced game of numbers; optimal ranges, transversal velocity, marginal returns, isk.
The other game is much more ephemeral. Often times its not accessed through the EVE client. ItGÇÖs played on skype, on jabber, on comment sections and forums across the internet. The Metagame, is notorious; stories about it have touched the pages of newspapers well outside the sphere of the typical gaming press. ItGÇÖs a game of politics, of subterfuge and morale. ItGÇÖs a capricious, emotional, intensely human experience; and, to the right type of person, there is no other game as rewarding on the market.
DUST 514 needs to become another facet of interaction with the New Eden metagame. A different, but no less legitimate, client through which people can shape the same economy, the same balance of political power, and the same dynamic player driven narratives of the Sandbox.
Almost as importantly the roadmap and philosophical direction behind this design must be clearly and continuously communicated to the playerbase if goodwill is to be preserved for the extended amount of time this will surely take.
Introductions are probably in order. I am the Chief of Operations for the corporation Goonfeet
[FEET.] a founding director of the alliance Special Planetary Emergence Response Group
[SPERG], and former COO for the defunct corp Immobile Infantry. All in all IGÇÖve been directly responsible for shepherding 500+ autists, try-hards, bads, griefers, scammers, and all around great guys whilst trying to create enough content and structure that none of them should ever have to die alone. Along with our allies and friends in Top Men.
[CHRIO] we also represent the dust arm of the CFC an eve coalition of some note.
With the upcoming CPM elections IGÇÖve been holding a number of conversations about the future direction of dust. Where we see it going, itGÇÖs growing pains, itGÇÖs successes. I believe a recent conversation with Kane Spero best reflects the heart of the matter:
Quote:
[10:39:48] Samahiel : We're really worried on our side about Dust.
[10:40:57] Kane Spero: Our side being the Eve side?
[10:41:06] Samahiel : SPERG
[10:41:40] Samahiel : We're worried that a large portion of our remaining active players are motivated by the hope that all of this will one day mean something, and that if CCP doesn't communicate clear public plans at fan fest we'll drop below the critical mass of active players necessary to make playing this game bearable.
[10:42:14] Kane Spero: I hear that.
[...]
[10:42:44] Samahiel : The EVE side is pretty much convinced this game is done design wise, and will never be anything else.
[10:43:15] Kane Spero: Dust is far from being done in terms of its interaction with Eve.
[10:43:22] Samahiel : And that's the one's who aren't outright hostile and feel any integration would be dangerous to EVE.
[10:43:47] Samahiel : If I say that they'll say, "Prove It"
[10:43:52] Samahiel : and they wouldn't be wrong to ask.
[10:44:30] Kane Spero: Well, I unfortunately am not at liberty to "prove it"
[10:44:46] Kane Spero: One of the downsides to being a CPM
[...]
[10:45:47] Kane Spero: A clear and obtainable plan is something I've been professing to CCP that they need
[10:46:22] Kane Spero: Not pie-in-the-sky stuff designed to instill hope and not much more
[10:47:07] Samahiel : It's just galling that Para and I are sitting on top of what should be one of the largest most motivated blocks of players. People who bought merc packs, and aurum boosters, who wanted to believe in CCPs advertising. And all that has been squandered.
[10:48:11] Kane Spero: CCP realizes that they have ****** up I can say that much.
[10:48:58] Kane Spero: I do think that CCP Rogue is passionate and ambitious enough to take Dust into a good direction though
[GǪ]
[10:54:46] Kane Spero: I think one of the biggest issues is that a lot of the examinations have been what can Dust make for Eve so that Eve will care. It really needs to be what can Dust DO for Eve that would make Eve care.
[10:55:24] Samahiel : I think the biggest issue is dust doesn't make or do anything, and we've seen no plans that weren't markers on a whiteboard.
[10:56:21] Kane Spero: People keep thinking if PC made Eve resources that a lot of the issues would be solved, but what really needs to happen is to have Dusters themselves be a resource that Eve uses to accomplish a task.
[10:56:58] Kane Spero: A tool in the toolbox of Eve corporations if you will.
[10:56:59] Samahiel : which is fine, but low level design like this should have been theory crafter, nailed down, iterated on, published for comment, and implemented at launch.
[10:57:17] Kane Spero: Pretty much.
[10:57:18] Samahiel : and if they expect us to wait around for it, they need to make it clear they're moving in a direction.
[...]
[10:59:56] Samahiel : Anyway, If you could pass on our concerns I'd appreciate it.
[11:00:07] Kane Spero: Of course.
[11:03:59] Samahiel : once again, sorry to dump this on you.
[11:10:32] Kane Spero: No reason to apologize. This is one of the reasons I'm here: to hear the concerns of community members and convey them to CCP and incorporate those concerns into my own feedback and advice I give CCP