Saturday, November 1, 2014

The Passion of the Bacon

Earlier this week, the CSM minutes disclosed CCP's plan to remove all awoxing/safaris from highsec. I wrote a blog post about the change and included relevant exchanges between CSM members and CCP employees. As you can see from the minutes, the person most opposed to the nerf was DJ FunkyBacon, the CSM member I endorsed for CSM9.


FunkyBacon has been playing EVE for more than a decade and has been a well-known DJ for Eve Radio since 2006. His show on Eve Radio runs on the Friday evening/Saturday morning timeslot. As you might imagine, he had a lot to say this week when he took to the airwaves. The EVE community is abuzz about FunkyBacon's impassioned--sometimes very loud--rant about the removal of awoxing/safaris.

In an impromptu "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" moment, FunkyBacon spoke for a half-hour about the state of EVE and the direction CCP has been taking the game. As a CSM member, FunkyBacon has a level of access to CCP that the rest of us do not, so it's worth paying attention. You'll find that his observations closely mirror the things I have been saying for a few years now.

To listen to a recorded stream of FunkyBacon's show, you can go to the Eve-Radio Rewind page and scroll down to the FunkyBacon show marked Saturday 00:00 1st of November 2014. Or you may load the stream by inputting the http://rewind.gamingradio.net/playlist/ERP_FunkyBacon_2014-10-31-2359.m3u referral into a media player such as VLC.

FunkyBacon's co-hosts kicked off the show; the man himself doesn't appear until roughly the 17-minute mark, which is when the discussion of awoxing begins. (As this is a stream, you may not be able to jump or fast forward directly to that point in the recording. As an alternative, you can increase the playback speed and slow it back down when you reach 17 minutes.)

It's always a pleasure to hear from people who care more about the quality of the game than the amount of money CCP is making from it.

UPDATE: FunkyBacon wrote his thoughts on this subject on his blog. It's worth a read.

48 comments:

  1. I just hope I played a part in getting some gankers banned for good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. because EVE is a safe little my little pony paradise right......seriously? Seriously?

      Delete
    2. False, No, irrelevant, nonsense, idiot.

      Im Veers Belvar, heroic figure in Highsec dedicated to preserving "Truth, justice, and the American way."

      Delete
  2. I am not a fan of the crap they play on eve radio

    ReplyDelete
  3. There are no other non-consensual PVP space sim MMO's out there.

    Which is why I will dance on Eve's grave when it eventually goes under.

    It will happen eventually. Maybe not for years, but it will happen.

    And then, you will have nowhere else to go, for your actions anywhere else are bannable offenses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that's pretty spiteful bro, people work at ccp

      Delete
    2. Then i hope iceland has a lot of foodstamps ready

      Delete
    3. "And then, you will have nowhere else to go, for your actions anywhere else are bannable offenses."

      This is not true. The assumption is not true, the conclusion is not true, and if the assumption were true, one could not logically derive the conclusion from it. It is a statement devoid of any reason or value.

      Delete
    4. How so?
      "Anonymous November 2, 2014 at 1:21 PM"
      said there are no alternatives to eve.
      Please help your friend out and name alternatives or specify instead just saying "you are wrong"

      Delete
  4. I am curious on why you would want that Anon 4:34? If EVE is the only one that has non-consensual PVP out of all the other MMO's, why would you want to see it gone? If you don't like it, why do you insist on changing it, instead of playing something else? Does EVE have to be like every other MMO out there? Kind of boring don't you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you don't agree with how CCP is going (its direction of course), then why compain about it on a tiny little blog that no one cares about? why not go for a different game and spread your sociopathy there?

      Delete
    2. Because there are no other persistent open world full loot sandbox PvP MMOs. You've got Darkfall, which sadly, sucks and that's it. The fans of EVE are happy with the niche interest the game supports. Why do you have to spread your sociopathic ways here? You have quite literally every other cookie cutter MMO to cater to your interests, leave EVE to those that actually want to play something different.

      Delete
    3. It appears that EvE will not be the game for YOU guys anymore. So you better look for alternatives.

      Delete
    4. Care to name any? Because there don't appear to be.

      Delete
    5. That again is *YOUR* Problem.
      *sardonic smile*

      Delete
    6. Then we'll stay in EVE and try to defend it from those who want to kill it.

      Delete
    7. I am not surprised. However, i love it to hand over your own "medicine".
      still smiling...
      (over code-monkey tears)

      Delete
    8. So why do you hate CCP so much? What's your motivation in finding a unique game and destroying it?

      Genuinely curious.

      Delete
    9. So how come you want to destroy EVE? I don't understand how its mere existence offends you so.

      Delete
  5. Blah blah, lots of rage, lots of cursing, but completely missing the point that the current mechanics encourage lifelong NPC corp membership, which is fundamentally bad for the game. Personally I would just get rid of awoxxing, get rid of wars, get rid of corporate theft, and leave suicide ganking as the nonconsensual PvP in highsec.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You actualy listened to it?
      I was considering it, but ISD Ezwal closed the thread already. If undertand him, everything is said and there is not point in further repetions of the old stuff.
      The old awoxxing will be gone.
      Another "win" for the code.
      xD

      Delete
    2. Actually, FunkyBacon highlights some excellent points. It's well worth a listen.

      Delete
    3. Reading the minutes, following discussions, seriously considering all arguments. (and i mean ALL):
      I do not think, there will be new revelations.
      So: no!

      Delete
  6. No. Why do you insist on removing any semblance of challenge from the game? We don't want success and glory to be handed to us, we want to be able to differentiate ourselves from everyone else. We don't all want to be treated like special little snowflakes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh! btw:
    check out the "Higgs Anchor" it seems its function connects to bumping.
    *evil grin*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's really weird they want to buff bumping. I thought CCP were against it.

      Delete
  8. IMO removing AWOXing is not a particularly big deal, but people people avoiding player corps will still do so because really the only downside to NPC corps are 11% tax and can't own a POS, which are both small prices to pay for wardec immunity. IMO they need to increase NPC corp tax to 20-25%, and make dodging wardecs a little harder or at least costlier.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Actually I'm getting tired of the arguments on both sides... it just turns into name calling and crying anyway. I'm to the point that if they want to turn Hi-sec to super safe zone, go ahead, but reduce the amount of income that can be made there... while buffing income in low/null.

    Don't want ant risks to your game play? Don't want to interact with other players? That's fine, but you should not be able to make the same amount of ISK in your supper safe environment compared to those that except the risk in the other regions.
    Now you make scream and shout "why?" The answer is easy... safety costs ISK. There are no free rides. Period. You want safe, well safety is expensive... pay up.

    Easy fix.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such stupidity. SOV NULL IS A LOT SAFER THAN HIGHSEC. LOOK AT DEKLEIN. By your logic the biggest nerf should be to nullsec income, and highsec should get a major buff to account for suicide gankers and wardeccers. Try to think before you post.

      Delete
    2. @Colonel Falkenberg November 2, 2014 at 5:51 PM
      Yes, this solution makes sense.
      The safer the spot the less the income.

      The discussion over awoxing is done and and the old awoxing will be gone.

      Delete
  10. no, dumb**** you are complaining about highsec being too safe, and calling for income nerfs, but ignoring the fact that sov null is MASSIVELY SAFER. Maybe if you weren't such a ****ing moron you would be able to add 2 and 2 together. According to your brilliant logic we should nerf sov null income into obvlivion, but of course that would hurt your Goonie overlords so I don't see you campaigning for that or complaining about it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The failure of such a statement lies in that the safety of null SOV was earned, not given via mechanics. Yes, it can be safer in deep blue territory (for now, at least), but its not like that environment was provided by CCP. That safety is also maintained 23.5/7. Otherwise, it evaporates in a flash of laz0rs and missile contrails. And there wouldnt be any cries to CCP about how that was unfair.

    I vote for removing the +5% and 10% variants of ore from hi sec belts for starters, and reducing incursion payouts (seeing as I use this for my income stream personally, this isn't a personally beneficial statement). Oh, lets crank up that NPC tax to 25% while we're at it, just for shits-n-giggs.

    Granted, you could remove everything but level 1 missions and all ores but veldspar and that still wouldnt drive many of the bears out of their cozy homes, but it would amplify the differences between the sec levels. Hopefully the coming changes for SOV occupancy do focus on an a bottom-up income dynamic and fix a lot of the issues we have now.

    -EasyKill

    ReplyDelete
  12. And therefore what? So what if players created the safety of nullsec? Players also created the dangers of highsec - suicide ganking/awoxxing/wardeccing/suspect baiting.

    The fact is that if you focus on actual danger highsec is much more dangerous than sov null, and per your logic should have much higher rewards. Whether that danger is CCP created or player created, the fact remains that sov null is much, much safer, and that is all the line PvE player cares about.

    Maybe the best bet would be to just remove all mining and ratting and sov null to account for the excessive safety.

    ReplyDelete
  13. In other important news given the serious conflicts of interest that would arise were I to be a New Order shareholder, I was forced to ask James 315 to reallocate my share, and thankfully he was willing to do so.

    https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=5172468#post5172468

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Im Veers Belvar after all, James 315 followed my order quickly.

      Delete
  14. Veers, do you not understand the difference between the two? You are going down the "Bumping is effectively a warp scram" route again... Your lack of basic eve mechanics knowledge didn't work for you then and it won't work in your favor now. Stick to supporting the tea party and gun rights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I don't see the "difference." Personally I don't think risk/reward is the right metric to build Eve around (I'd rather focus on making the game more enjoyable for EVERYONE). But, to the extent that you want to make risk/reward the relevant metric, then it is immaterial who created the risks or rewards, all that matters is the net net. And that clearly shows that nullsec has a much lower risk/reward ratio than highsec does.

      Delete
    2. methinks the risk/reward is the right metric.
      I want for all meassures some viable countermeassures and tuned down the opportunities to humiliate others. That is to keep the emotions targeted in game and not in persons.
      Ganking is ok, but code-monkeys are not just ganking. The try to "fuck with the people in front of the monitor".

      Delete
    3. Veers you are a risk adverse highsec bear. Your "everyone" only includes a small circle of incursion runners with blinged out ships.

      Delete
    4. Ehh? I feel pretty darn safe and well off already. What I would like to do is share that wealth and entertainment with the other good guys in Eve - the mission runners, the miners, the haulers, the traders, the manufacturers, and all the other law abiding citizens in highsec. We should do what we can to make this game better for those who follow the law.

      and it's "risk averse" not "risk adverse." At least use proper English when posting your stupid trolls.

      Delete
    5. 'Good' and 'bad' are 100% subjective in this game. Thats why it has survived as long as it has. The sooner you realize that, the better. Player-created narrative, and all that jazz...

      -EasyKill

      Delete
  15. This game is founded upon the principles of the sandbox. Therefore, the difference between player-created safety and mechanical safety means everything. Thats pretty much a founding principle of this game, that many of the 'HI SEC SHOULD BE 100% SAFE BECAUSE WAAAAH!' crowd cant seem to wrap their head around.

    One region being 'safe' (until the roaming HAC fleet comes in and starts kicking shit over) does not immediately mean the others are. And again, that safety must be enforced no matter where it is. But if your blanket statement is true, I'm sure dropping those mining drones and blasting rocks in HED or M-O would be totally safe. It is sov null, after all.

    Hi sec is only dangerous if you're complacent. The omnipresent navies and CONCORD tend to keep it that way with no player interaction whatsoever. The potential danger in sov null is significantly greater than anything possible in hi sec, as I'm sure the members of SOLAR discovered when they lost their space and all their assets were deadzoned in an inaccessible station, a scenario not even remotely possible in hi sec.

    All those hi sec dangers (save for the awox) dont exist in null because, obviously, they arent necessary. And only a danger in hi sec if you arent paying attention or assume the mechanics of the game and your lack of interaction will keep you safe. Many PvE'rs in null actually know which end of the blaster its better to be behind, and dont just shoot red crosses either (hence increasing that player-created safety, which again, can be tenuous at best). But if we're going to use anecdotes, in all the time I spent saving damsels, zapping plagio, or running my orca into Jita I never once was ganked or awoxxed. I cant recall ever losing a mining vessel to a war dec either in almost 6 years of playing. So by my actions alone, hi sec was 100% safe to me when I wanted it to be. Fancy that.

    But please do remove mining from sov null. Seeing the hi sec bear legions cry out at the complete lack of ABC minerals would be rather amusing to me, and would make the hole crowd filthy rich.

    -EasyKill

    ReplyDelete
  16. I honestly enjoyed every single awox story I read, here and on Monk's blog.

    But let's face it guys, legally shooting corpmates is a pretty dumb mechanic. It really makes no sense. Think about it: now you can get shot legally if you're criminal/suspect, by war targets and... by your owncorpmates! How silly is that?

    ReplyDelete
  17. If they keep nerfing highsec, why keep playing?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Legally shooting corp mates allowed for non pvp experienced players to be trained without lose of sec status.

    Losing sec status as a hauler is a bad thing. A terrible thing in fact.

    Eve is dying but not by the hands of the players directly. CCP's make up is changing and unless they change all the game mechanics to allow for more interactive and interesting game play, Eve will actually die, or become so bland in the lack of corporation identity everyone may as well be in the same corporation.

    If people want to play an MMO they shouldn't complain when they have to interact with other people. If you don't want to interact with other people at any level whatsoever play a single player game.

    ReplyDelete

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