A love letter to EVE Online

I have been playing EVE Online on and off since 2003. It filled a need in me to solve a complicated, integrate puzzle:

Each component of EVE is a mechanism in and off itself that requires knowledge and occasionally skills from other parts of the game. I am not interested in everything I can do in EVE. In fact the activity I was the most interested in is now a former shadow of itself thanks to the Odyssey expansion. But then CCP did not promise me an activity that would last forever. They simply said come explore.

Of all the activities a person can experience in EVE there is one overriding constant: Change. Constant change.

For many of you that choose to read this post, time in the New Eden cluster will be shorter than mine. I have the advantage of the long, historical, view. There is nothing wrong with that. You are no less valuable than a longer term player. In fact, brand new players, less than one week old, have invested time and effort into learning and playing the game. Their opinions of the game and the EVE community matter. In other words everyone has an opinion based on the knowledge and understanding they have of the game. Unfortunately not all opinions are reasoned and are influenced by the input of others.

I caution you all, CCP owes you nothing as a free to play player. As a paying customer (of any form) CCP owes you a game experience. CCP as a business can choose anything they want in relation to the activities available within the game experience. As paying and potential paying customers, we get to choose to spend our time, effort and money within the game environment. Beyond providing a game environment, CCP owes us nothing.

EVE Online is billed as a sandbox; a place where you can doing anything within the End User License Agreement (EULA). CCP defines the EULA, not the customers. All play styles and activities are welcome and encouraged. This, this is what drives conflict within the game. Conflicts between players within the game, the official forums ( https://forums.eveonline.com/ ), third party forums and else where are caused by the differing play styles and activities within the sandbox.

Many people claim EVE is this, that, the other thing and more or less. Many of these claims are based on their personal vested interest. Many people claim that CCP means this by that action and that by this inaction. Most if not all of these people are NOT CCP employees and do NOT represent CCP. Be very cautious what YOU choose to believe from those that make these claims. Sometimes, the exercise of a little critical thinking will help you form your own ideas and opinions.

Many people claim that this ACTION by CCP will ruin/kill/harm shutdown the game. Need examples? Just ask anyone. Or Google it. Everyone has there favorite. Of all the changes made by CCP only one, one has ever been 100% reverted. One. The loot spew mechanic in hacking of data and relic sites. It took a year after release to reverse this. The learning skills and death clone requirements came with the original 2003 release of the game. (Please correct me if this was a feature added after release then removed)

As a player you are welcome to complain about your chosen play style. You are welcome to scream into the wind of change. You may even produce well reasoned, rational arguments why this or that is unreasonable. Please remember there is only one constant, CCP changes the game on their timetable. Well reasoned arguments can go a long way to influencing how CCP makes changes but it will never stop them.

I love EVE Online BECAUSE it is always changing; if you are bored or dislike a change, choose a new activity, play style or take a break. I am grateful to CCP for providing this game experience. I do not agree with all their decisions but then, they never asked me for my opinion.

For those of you interested:

“Posted - 2003.07.30 19:45:00

i think people forget that we are paying for a service here.

if you were at a restaurant and they told you your food would be ready in an hour then 15 minutes after the hour they told you it would instead take an additional hour AND THEN they don’t bring your meal out for another two hours without telling you, something would be seriously wrong.

now image that restaurant has 5000 people in it.

we are the customers here. we are paying for a service. we have every right to question what is going on. now granted, isk refunds for missed productivity and asking for some sort of public appology that all the devs signed is just plain silly. however, a dev CAN take 35 seconds out of their busy schedule and make a small post on the devblog letting the paying customers know what is going on.

i think that is all anybody is really asking for.

eve is dying "

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