I’ve seen a number of people suggest that ‘PvE Only’ options be available in Eve…alongside PvP. I’m totally against the idea…but I do think that if it ever were to exist, a number of things would have to be essential…
If a person wishes to play ‘PvE Only’, this should be a setting for an entire account ( all 3 characters ). It should be decided on account creation and not ever be changeable. You make your choice…you stick with it.
I would want to see some method established of preventing lowsec or null PvP players using highsec ‘PvE Only’ accounts to farm for ISK. This is the hard bit…in fact I am not sure it is even possible. The only thing I can think of is to have some form of currency that only ‘PvE Only’ users can use…tokens of some sort…not tradeable with ISK. In other words the ‘PvE Only’ economy would be entirely self-contained.
‘PvE Only’ would only be possible in highsec. And there would have to be some sort of flag or marker to delineate such people in Local and visually in space. Nobody would be able to PvP such players, but likewise they would not be able to PvP back. Neither would they be capable of any functions such as bumping.
Personally I think it would all be a disaster…so I’ve raised the above as ideas as to whether it is even possible and certain essentials for it. Feel free to wade in.
There is no way to do that and have everyone on the same server. There would have to be two separate severs. One for strictly PVE, and the server we have now.
A server where ganking or PVP is not allowed would be a botfest, 100% guaranteed…
The way I have suggested before is that CCP adds several new systems or a region to high sec where there is no ganking or PVP allowed, but any ISK, ships, or modules obtained there can never leave that “safe space”, and no ISK, ships, or modules can be imported into that “safe space”. So any ISK earned there couldn’t be transferred to another player outside of it, and no ships or items could be contracted out of it. Basically negate any way for the “safe space” to affect the economy outside of it.
Or like you said, make a different type of in-game currency that can only be used in that space.
This could not even be called an economy. No destruction means nothing has value as people finish factioning out their weapons and blinging out their ships and no one else really want to buy faction mods because “the minerals I mine are free”.
Just save the engineers the time and effort and put those people onto Sisi. That server already has a stand alone currency not tradable with TQ ISK.
I agree that ‘PvE-only’, IMO, doesn’t really fit within the gameplay design of EVE.
That said, ideas similar to Quakegod’s proposal have been raised in the past. Sort of like training wheels for EVE. Where you start out in a tutorial area that is entirely self-contained and has the resources for most EVE mechanics. It could also have skill level caps so only certain levels of functionality would be available.
So new players could start out in an area where safety is limited to green/yellow, mine, manufacture, explore the limited region etc. And when they’re done with that they basically jump-clone out into a regular starter system and leave anything there behind.
I’ve suggested a similar “PvP training/mentoring” approach where again, new players interested in PvP could jump-clone to a similar enclosed environment with cheap T1 frigs and destroyers provided by NPCs, and some missions and regions designed to let them practice PvP and FW.
Again, once done, they would jump out to the regular game.
While it might help to ease some types of new player into the game, and encourage some people to try out PvP, it’s hard to see CCP putting the resources into developing this. These are, after all, the same devs who’ve been talking about “crafting the NPE” for over a decade and almost a dozen iterations without actually coming up with anything solid.
As for account-locked PvE, or separate PvE server, or even PvE-only sections of highsec (unless very limited in activities), I would see these as the true ‘beginning of the end’ for EVE.
That’s the difficult bit. One would have to prevent contracts, or people transferring ISK via selling some really cheap item for a huge price. And apply that to skills points too…and even sale of characters. The trouble is that one would end up with something so self-contained that it might just as well be a different game on a different server…like Eve Echoes.
I’m entirely in favour of a self-contained noob area that noobs can leave any time within the first 30 days, but cannot then re-enter.
I think the single biggest problem is that noobs are not even aware currently that they are in a ‘starter system’…or that there is safety in agent systems that are often close by. When I was a noob I knew lower security was less safe, but I had no idea at all about ‘safe’ starter and agent systems.
A self-contained starter system that only noobs were allowed in would be a much better idea. But I don’t think it would resolve the issue of those who only ever want to PvE.
I would tend to argue that PvE that feeds into the PvP mechanics effectively is itself PvP. For example one could make a good argument that mining is PvP. One is, after all, competing for resources with other miners. Same for industry in station. I am competing with other players to sell items. And so on.
If I go rat a combat anomally and I make ISK and loot items that I then use for PvP…it only serves to show how you cannot really separate PvE and PvP.
Same, this is going along the lines of Elite Dangerous here. An “MMO” that has a multiplayer mode… and a single player mode… Things I am seeing worry me atm.
It’s not an issue that needs resolving. Plenty of games get by just fine without PvE. Of course, plenty of games get by just fine without PvP, also.
EVE doesn’t need to appeal to everyone. It just needs to pick a big enough group to attract to keep it in business. (Assuming “EVE staying in business” is actually Hilmar’s goal - which has been brought into question more than once, devblog spin-doctoring aside.)
CCP has spent a decade removing various playstyles and opportunities from the game, and adding very little in the way of new horizons. Established players are desperate for something to do that isn’t the same-old same-old with 10-year-old guides showing how to maximize it. (Once you’ve played for more than a couple years you’ll likely start feeling the same.)
Trig invasion was new, stimulated a lot of interest, but in the end was a foregone conclusion and a single new region. At least it led to some new options that are still being explored today.
Just look at the players grasping at the tiniest threads of hope that CCP is actually doing something worthwhile for a change. The “FW update”, “QoL changes” and “Rebalance” threads are filled with people looking for any excuse to believe CCP is moving in the direction of “a better EVE”.
(Personally I’ve seen CCP toss out these desperation fixes too many times to believe it indicates any new direction in the way they interact with the playerbase or EVE development.)
It would be nice to give new players a better starting setup. It would be nice to introduce miners and other “mostly-PvErs” to the dangers around them with a set of 6 or 7 “So you want to be a miner?” missions.
Things like that will help, but they aren’t the primary issue causing the downturn in EVE. That’s entirely due to a lack of vision, communication, and interesting game development on CCP’s part.
If you give them safe systems to fly in, then there is no way to stop griefing in any meaningful way. The grieffers will figure out how to continue. Bumping just to start. That just concentrates targets and paints a target on the back of anyone pve’ing in that sys.
I can see a Goon bot fleet going in with fast crystals just to burn through anything minable.
Giving them sisi would work for a while before that flatlines when they realize they can’t make real isk or is boring. (maybe)
But that is the entire problem with Eve today…though not for the reasons you state. Everyone is waiting for someone else to do something, or blaming someone else, and most of these people have forgotten that the primary content of Eve is the players themselves. It is something all the most influential people in the game have grasped. In a PvE/PvP sandbox, it is largely down to the players to make stuff happen. The trend towards more PvE is largely a result of players not having the gumption to create their own story or blaze their own path.
You guys are really overthinking it. All CCP needs to do is set up permanent NPC buy orders for some manufactured goods and maybe PI stuff. Then people can grind grind grind all day and night. CCP will have to make sure that they payouts are always just short of the cost of PLEXing accounts. Maybe bring back the Triglavian gankers to add a little bit of color. Done.
