Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever

The immensely popular "The Code Is Forever" series has been running for a long time now. With so many episodes being released over such a length of time, there have been countless opportunities for constructive criticism of the series. And yet, the only criticism I've yet seen: People want more of it.

The New Order Gamis Affiliates aim to please.

As always, there's plenty of bumping...

...and ganking.

YouTube: The Code Is Forever #27

You can see more from the New Order Gamis Affiliates and all of our other artists and videographers on our Links page.

Over One Trillion Forty Billion in Shares Sold

I'd like to briefly mention two different qualities which are primarily associated with the New Order, as opposed to other organizations.

The first one is loyalty. No further explanation necessary.

The second, persistence, is also a distinctly New Order trait. Myevil Gankalt pursued her dream of being awarded a Supreme Protector's Tip of the Hat™. She never gave up. This week, her purchase of 100 additional shares resulted in our passing the 1 trillion 40 billion isk milestone. Myevil Gankalt hereby receives a Supreme Protector's Tip of the Hat™. It was her time. It's really that simple.

A Nice Talk About the Code

It is perhaps the case that no one else in all of EVE receives more personal correspondence than I do. Hey, I'm the Saviour of Highsec--it goes with the job. Also, relevance!

A not-insignificant portion of that mail concerns the Code. There are basically three kinds of EVEmails that I get about the Code. The good, the bad, and...

Ah, yes. The weird kind.

Nearly a year ago, Mesaron Missilemaster sent me a lengthy EVEmail with several questions about the nature of the Code. Whenever conveniently practical, I answer such questions. It looks like Mr. Missilemaster has concluded the preamble to his message, so let's get to work!

So far, so good. No questions have been asked yet, but quoting the Code and responding "it's true" is a good way to start.

This is where things begin to fall apart. Mesaron Missilemaster expects miners to behave like spoiled children. As apt as the comparison may be, we require more from our miners. They're playing a spaceship-shooting game and have no right to misbehave simply because their spaceship was shot. Players type "gg" immediately after a round of an FPS game ends. We don't expect them to rant and rave like madmen if they're on the losing team. We don't expect them to take a day or two to cool off before they can say "gg".

I fundamentally disagree with those who, like Mr. Missilemaster, urge patience. We can't wait for generations of slow, gradual change. Highsec has already waited far too long. The fierce urgency of now dictates that the time for Code compliance is already upon us.

It's a myth that highsec mining is a necessary evil. All the ore we need can be acquired from miners operating outside of highsec. We can also draw upon materials from NPC drops and the wrecks of the countless player-owned ships that have already been built.

Just mining in highsec. I've never met a nullsec miner who begs CCP for nerfs to highsec PvP.

Miner ganking teaches miners important lessons that go beyond learning about miner gankers. It teaches miners about the essence of EVE itself. For example, the adage, "Don't fly what you can't afford to lose." This is as applicable--or more so--to those engaged in lowsec combat. I could go on in this vein, but I think you get the idea.

I'll add that the whole concept of "If gankers didn't gank..." approaches things from the wrong direction. Gankers have more right to gank than miners have to mine. EVE is a PvP game; without PvP, there would be no content and no purpose for the game to exist.

Actually, as we've seen, highsec miners are unnecessary. As such, they aren't comparable to the builders, weavers, farmers, etc. However, highsec miners do serve a function (only) insofar as they provide an opportunity for PvP'ers to generate content by attacking them. Ironically, the carebears beg CCP to stop the very people who make their existence worthwhile. This is why they are called Goofuses.

Mesaron Missilemaster, I sincerely hope today's post answered your questions and enriched your understanding of the Code. I know it was worth the wait. If you're still playing EVE, I hope you'll write again.

A Fateful Encounter in Poinen

The battle for hearts and minds rages in highsec. And nowhere is the battle hotter than in the local channels of random highsec systems. Once virtually silent outside of the trade hubs, highsec local channels are now a place where players' fates and destinies can be decided forever--all in a matter of minutes.

Agents of the New Order feature prominently in local chat. This is only fitting, since it is the Agents who breathed life into highsec local channels for the first time in EVE history. But carebears also lurk there.

After winning an argument against carebear Tawny Fraeyr, Agent Lament von Gankenheim continued to go about his business in the Poinen system. Then a random player wandered into the system and typed a greeting in local. What sort of player was this? Lament was ready for anything.

Senior Coconut was a clueless newbie. His character had been rolled less than an hour earlier. All he knew how to do was go to a system and type in local. He was completely at the mercy of whatever players might happen to see his message.

Thank goodness an Agent of the New Order was there.

Senior Coconut was somewhat taken aback by Lament, who challenged every preconceived notion the newbie had about EVE.

Senior Coconut had been well on his way to a disastrous and unsatisfying EVE experience. He seemed destined for an early account cancellation. Then Lament von Gankenheim walked into his life.

Nothing could be taken for granted; this newbie was a blank slate. Lament took it upon himself to write a new destiny for Senior Coconut.

Slowly but surely, our Agent guided the new player away from the abyss.

A close call: The anti-Code carebear from earlier popped her head into local. Imagine if it had been she, and not our Agent, who had made first contact with Senior Coconut?

Tawny wanted to poison the newbie's mind. Agents Lament and Ralliana fought back. They would not allow Senior Coconut to be carried away like a lamb led to the slaughter.

If Tawny had gotten to Senior Coconut first, he might've become a highsec miner. Now he had a fighting chance.

The newbie could only watch the argument unfold. He still needed help. Who would be the one to offer it to him? The Agent or the carebear? Hint: It wouldn't be the carebear. Tawny was too busy nursing her grudge against CODE. to give any thought to aiding Senior Coconut.

Lament wrapped up things up by winning the argument against Tawny and her philosophy of bot-aspirancy. Now he was free to throw a lifeline to the newbie.

Our Agent helped Senior Coconut dodge another bullet by warning him away from random "newbie friendly" highsec corps. Lament showed him that there was another way.

And so it was that a new player joined faction warfare instead of resigning himself to a life of bot-aspirant drudgery. Senior Coconut's entire future changed in an instant, his dismal fate replaced by brilliant possibilities. This, too, is the power of the Code.

An Agent's Life for Me

The bots and bot-aspirants try to glide through EVE and make as little impact on other players as possible. The Agents of the New Order, on the other hand, know that an EVE career's worth is not to be measured in isk. It's to be measured by the number of people's lives it has enriched.

Agent Aaaarrgg has delivered content to so many. This week, he reached a milestone: 15,000 kills.

For his fifteen thousandth kill, Aaaarrgg destroyed one of the most pitiful of mining vessels: an anti-tanked Covetor.

The owner of the freshly salted wreck was Moocowa Mo. She'd been given content by Agents before--including Aaaarrgg himself.

As he was celebrating his 15,000th kill, Aaaarrgg was feeling especially generous. He even tossed the miner some isk.

Then came the true generosity. He introduced Moocowa to the Saviour of Highsec and the Code.

Despite having been ganked by CODE. before, Moocowa didn't yet fully understand the implications of its existence. This is why we don't give up on a miner after the first gank. Everyone learns at his or her own pace. But fast or slow, in the end they must all learn the same thing.

The miner, too, was in a festive mood. She'd lost a mining barge, but Aaaarrgg's enthusiasm was particularly infectious on this day. Moocowa left local chat and initiated a private convo with Aaaarrgg so she could learn how to buy a permit.

Now she had something of her own to celebrate.

The Agent retained another EVE player. Who knows how much subscription revenue CCP owes directly to Aaaarrgg?

But while Aaaarrgg was conversing with Moocowa in private, the miners in local were getting restless. After selling a mining permit to Moocowa, our Agent returned to deal with them.

Ah, highsec. 15,000 kills, but so much work left to be done.

Miners are frequently demoralized to learn that CCP's vision of EVE has a lot more in common with the New Order's than with their own. (At least when it comes to CCP's marketing department.)

Carebear apologist Paul Hauls conceded the New Order's legitimacy under the EULA, the game mechanics, and CCP's philosophy. He appealed instead to the Agent's own conscience. What kind of man did Aaaarrgg want to be?

The choice was easy. His was the life of a New Order Agent.

The Gamis Family

What does it take to become a celebrity in highsec?

Hard work, and the Code. Agent Kalorned is known for his close, almost fatherly involvement in the lives of the miners under his care. And, of course, his actions personify all the good qualities of the Code.

The @NewOrderGamis Twitter feed helps keep everyone in the Gamis area up to date on what's happening there. It's a busy place!

Even after four years of the Code, many miners still believe miner bumping is against the rules. Is there another version of the EULA they're all reading? Maybe you can find it published on the same website where they get a version of the Code that requires Agents to check for AFK status before ganking an unlicensed miner.

It's amazing that a miner would put his faith in some flimsy support ticket rather than the Code.

Highsec miners are famous for their hypocrisy. We're accused of being too chicken to PvP--by the same people who file petitions and whine to CCP for more safety from PvP.

When CCP fails to protect the carebears, some fight back. I suppose, to be fair, they mostly only threaten to fight back.

Agent Kalorned faces down his enemies with total fearlessness.

...Or fearlessness mixed with amusement.

There's no telling what alliance Juvial Solstice enlisted to his cause. The New Order remains on a war footing.

When mystery friends from nullsec fail to deliver, the carebears resort to negotiation and complaints about the Code. Next time, tell your wife that you need to dock your mining ship before you can help her transport her cargo.

Others have more selfish reasons for going AFK. For reference, the New Order Loo Protocol.

Supposedly EVE has trouble attracting new players these days, but the number of people who whine about being a new player has increased tenfold.

"Bumping? That won't do anything." becomes "You're making the game collapse." My, how we've grown.

The New Order "ruins" the game for bots and bot-aspirants. This makes us villains, according to the critics. But doesn't CCP also "ruin" the game for bots by banning them?

At the end of each day's patrol, Kalorned has the satisfaction of knowing he's made a difference--and that when he next returns to Gamis, the family of local miners will greet him by name.