Friday, 6 May 2022

Eve Online....




TLDR: Games company develops game....



When I said recently that I had a feeling Fanfest was going to be a damp squib, I now feel justified in thinking so. There was no big bang moment, no awe inspiring KO blow. 

I took some notes as I watched the keynote. I missed the opening ceremony. I gather the opening was a lot of self-aggrandizing back-slapping with a video... I got that feel.

Anyway I made notes, a waffling ramble of what was going on and my thoughts on it..... Brace for impact...... Brings salty popcorn(spellcheck not included), I'm a hostile witness.





About that keynote:


Eve stats bla bla bla 
Things created and destroyed(destroyed get a clap, surprise surprise home crowd etc)
More stats with big numbers bla bla bla.

New player experience (such a broken record, how many more times can they go on about versions of it).
Eve is easy to grasp, hard to master(No shit, stating the obvious, thanks for coming to fanfest lol).
(CCP only now gets that Eve is long term game ! who'd have thunk it!!  mind blown.... Bucket of salt please.) 

CCP says players find their own niche (pity CCP only sees it as PVP).
Speaks about AIR new player experience.... (good that AIR is good but more bla bla bla to a crowd that does not need to hear it).

- I am and I get from eve, a niche time, why should I pay to play now, when I can wait and get a better game down the line. So much game development and only now they're going to take advantage of it....?

NPE info is so much the same as other fanfests, new player experience and reasoning for it. Stats, more stats and reasoning. Nothing that couldn't just be told in a dev blog or have a more meaning full feedback any other time of the year......(I think I was miffed by this stage).

They don't want to fire and forget game mechanics ..... (but only in the latest new stuff, proof in the pudding, their track record suggest otherwise, drifters anyone).
Long term looking into changing older content(insert sarcastic laugh).
Keep new players(again, again, again..... bla bla bla), keep players busy, what to do chart. how to do the what to do in game. Skills and what to train and when, skill plans were done to simplify that(CCP game tied up in it's own knots tries to simplify self, forest for the trees etc).

This Fanfest presentation is like the skill plans, lowest common denominator and not for veterans.

AIR career programs(waste of time imho), tracks actions and gives rewards(but only what CCP want you to do). Tracking mechanic is for newer pilots(as motivation?) while the Rewards are for older pilots(those rewards better be f n amazballs)
(CCP has no track record of in game activity tracking(they didn't withe the last system, so good luck with it and back compatibility. I have no faith that the end result will be worth it; CCP does not do good will well). It's forced activity pigeon holing, CCP goals, CCP rewards. CCP enabling activities/goal by giving expert skill system(fuck off) so players can participate(yea the rewards are going to be participation rewards! No real value in the gameplay or the rewards, I can tell; CCP does not do good will well). (CCP talks about diversity of goals but then holds your hand and walks you down the garden path because you need it in the sandbox, what the actual fk). 


mention of removal of attributes(bla bla bla, how long has that been said before).....

Talk of skills for new players(stats are skewed, skill points, not mentioning the free points they get now) (unfair, unreasonable to compare 2010 players to today's). 

UI changes.... (quality of life good - but they are speaking to the choir. Change is good but CCP doesn't do new well,,,, always imperfect, always changed like a day one patch and tweaked forever after etc....)nice ideas, will see what actually gets delivered.


Eve anywhere for omega. alphas will now get access where it's currently operational, omega access expanding to more regions.


localisation growing(spanish), grammar, grammar everywhere.
.

Invasions bla bla bla......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
players leaving an indelible mark bla bla bla(great idea, like a cock spray painted on every structure in the universe,  or a new Pochven, *eyeroll*).



This is the keynote?!?! Telling players what happens in their universe. speaking to the choir, not saying anything not already known..... Games company develops game....



zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


players can be unpridictable...... (no f n sh*t)


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


moving away from quadrants.....

game balance moving forward....(whats new) 
setting solid foundation for game(as they always do, shocker, its' called running a healthy product), 

resources and gathering, (reworking everything CCP's done for the last decade and a half.... etc....)





Equitable distribution(yea whatever, I can't wait for a load of null ores in hisec belts, one moment while CCP hoops gets his bullwhip)(so mcuh fk'd up here between CCP expectation and CCP delivery in game I don't know here to start).


Access to data to all. Data direct from Eve into Excel.(cool, look forward to 3rd party tools but not for me to use). Internet spreadsheets is real(how desperate are CCP to get good news that they actually thought this through and then asked for it)(bit late to the party, was there to much ego in their tools and data before?).


CCP new tools for game( like any good dev company withe a long-term product would do!?)


Making mega huge roids in space(again I say good that a dev company devs game, shocker at 11!).


Consistent visuals and audio progressing and always changing(so they are going forward not being set set ways, so they want eve to be unique with its look but don't want it to be the same going forward, I presume that means additions and enhancement rather than radical alterations)
64 bit code/performance bla bla bla
port to mac properly(really speaking to the choir, one or two claps) bla bla bla
eve client architecture allowing for more broader client/systems  bla bla bla
DX12 coming (no reasons to up the sub cost.... I'm still waiting!)  bla bla bla
tone mapper for graphical tones, shaders, reflections in real-time etc.  bla bla bla
Work in progress -   bla bla bla
hi res nebulas.....  bla bla bla
level of detail overhaul..... bla bla bla
performance increase....  bla bla bla
tetures and instancing....  bla bla bla
lit particles.... cool but  bla bla bla
ships with active thruster.... very cool but  bla bla bla


Games company develops game....(concern for KO announcement at max level).


investing in dev tools to make a better game......(imagine!?!)
client specs - higher resolution at lower spec cost....(imagine!?!)
freesync being enabled....(imagine!?!)


Shaping the world.....(imagine!?!)

empire simulation ....(imagine!?!(I did suggest this years ago, search the blog)!)

players gaming with players(in an MMO IMAGINE!!!!!!!?!)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (get on with it)

bla bla bla

dig at rattati FPS history(go fuck yourself burger)

fanfest backslapping, because eve is family but fanfisters are better than every player in the game(I'm paranoid as fk now).


player group think(playing the player, it's what CCP does well, mindfk you, expectation, give them the cash then do what you want).(wind up the BS social simulation(live your truth like it's not a game, I'm going down a dark path now)).


Eve gets achievements systems - rewards logo's on ships/structures. holograms, ship attachments to unlocks. (CCP late to the party again, lets see how badly they implement some fked up version of this).
(Could work but gaudy factor could be OTT)(my lack of faith should not come as a surprise).

interbus credits - only be generated by a player with interaction with players(omega players get boost)(need more info as details were unclear). 

account lunlocked benefits in a system of rapid release, iteration and improvements(I have no faith in CCP)


faction warfare improvements with years of a dedicated team committed(late to the party again).

new allegiance system separate to standings, if they don't like you they won't take you even if you want to be aligned to them(grind is real).

lasting effects, npc goals win loose , effect universe(cos that's always a good idea I don't trust CCP to do it properly).

more meaning to faction warfare systems. frontline systems(CCP late to the party again). 

(more)structure balance.


being docked will be immersive (hate the new ship change animation, disintegrate, reintgrate). Other ships around you....(your other ships). future potential of other players ships.... Looks good.
structure under attack will show internal damage.... WIP(looks cool, should be cool).


World building and immersion.(its only been 19 years).


new game features should have world stories. narrative development, story arcs etc.(I don't have words to convey my disbelief that CCP are only coping onto this stuff now.....(its only been 19 years, so much wasted time, energy, money and they are still blinkered by pure PvP assplosions).


presentation on NPC story narrative video.... (cringe worthy, less bravado please!).

So much time and effort, all sounds good but do CCP not know that players skip cutscenes....  players skip quest text.....CCP are banking on so much immersion that players will love it...  but instead we players will drown in it so yea ESC key on standby(to skip or turn off). 

So much active effort planned when CCP hasn't shown that long term yet. (I'm skeptical, can you guess).

empire faction innovation taking players with them(riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight).

road to 20th anniv. The keynote was a roadmap to 20th anniv. 


For a fanfest crowd, they were quiet enough. That said there were only one or two presentations that only got a handful of claps; And as for the 'show the end trailer again'.... not quiet tumbleweed but it wasn't a massive cheering crowd.

I liked the end trailer because I'm 99% Caldari in game. But it was all over the place and I've no idea what was the relevance; Why have tanks and soldier 'Dust' mercs in it.... Why have CCP Burgar make a dig at CCP Rattati about his FPS time. Little things matter.

This fanfest was a toe the line, base level, keep the status quo. I expected more given this is the first real world gathering again. Plus there was the price rise thing.... More to stay miffed about.

I've said in the past that when CCP has big announcements for the game I'm usually an Eve player that only benefits from fringe quality of life improvements. This year there are a lot, not so fringe, quality of life improvements coming. BUT there was no killer blow. It's all potential, work in progress. CCP didn't want to rock the boat and they didn't blow the doors off the place. I'm unimpressed, I'm displeased there wasn't more immediate incoming, I'm glad there's nothing I wish wasn't there....  I'm a mix of emotions but mostly I'm disappointed.

Why should I pay for this Beta work in progress game when I can keep it on my wish-list and check it out next year.....

Yes I can play Eve for free as an Alpha... Or I can play Star Trek Online for free and get more form it than Eve, even as an Omega....

Why would I persist in Eve with so little positive change for me in the here and now and so much in the work in progress that never ends. 

Why should I keep my gameplay in the statue quo I want only to get fkd over by CCP changing swaths of mechanics, wanting to both change everything and nothing in the future.

I'm peeved off with CCP. All planning and no planning. Hold them to the year long plan they have. I bet once fanfest is over the roadmap goes in the bin. The work in progress alters the work in progress. So while fanfest give expectation the reality is all get changed and you shouldn't have really had any expectations.

Eve is such a bad return on investment. If you play a game with friends, your in the game for them, not because of the game. There are better choices. 

The one thing Eve Online has going for it is that you can be a complete dick to another player and get away with it. CCP revels in that way too much.
I've been coming at the game all wrong. I've been coming to the game as me. Maybe it's time to fk with the system as an Alpha(or three).

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