Hello everyone, I’m Itaer and I’m running for CSM 20. I’ve been playing Eve since 2007, through many different play styles in many different areas of space. My main interest has always been small gang PvP. I have spent an extensive amount of time in lowsec space, mainly in the caldari-gallente warzone. Currently, I live in wormhole space and am very interested in the PvP interface between kspace and wormhole space. In real life, I am a scientist (ask me about comets!) with significant experience in data science, and I hope to bring that perspective to my discussions with CCP.
There are four main things that I would like to focus on as one of your CSM representatives:
Small gang PvP: I think that small gang PvP occupies a unique niche in Eve. Bringing high skill expression PvP content to players who don’t normally see it shows them what is possible in the game and gives them something to aspire to. Because small gang pilots have to work to find their content, they interact with many parts of the game, and are often experts across these spaces. This is something which should be appreciated and protected. Unfortunately, the small gang community is just that — small. We have seen many changes, like the nerf to skyhooks, which disproportionately impact small gang PvP. Having representation of our style of gameplay on the CSM is important for both the players and for CCP to have visibility on this playstyle and its importance.
Communication: Since I ran for CSM 19 last year, I feel that CCP has improved their communication with the community dramatically. CCP has opened a number of new community engagement channels, like the new podcast-style dev chats, CCP Okami giving frequent updates and discussion on discord, and more in depth justification for changes as seen in the Legion major update patch notes. This is a super positive direction, and I have heard from many CSM members that CCP has been very responsive to the CSM this year, and that a lot of these changes came about in cooperation with the CSM. This kind of communication is very important to me. My own personal conversations with CCP k1p1 and several CSM members, both at fanfest and online, led directly to the skyhook raiding changes earlier this year, as mentioned in Drake Iddon for CSM20 - Inflict me upon the devs for another year. I want to help CCP continue in this direction by supporting their communication with the community.
TL;DR CCP has been doing a much better job of communicating this year. We need a CSM that encourages that to continue. I have talked to CCP quite a bit this year, and I want to continue that relationship.
Iteration: As a long time Eve player, the lack of consistent iteration has long been the most frustrating part of CCP’s development style. There is an old player joke that “the ‘I’ in CCP stands for iteration”, and for good reason. Eve is a graveyard of half-finished ideas. Tiericide, proving grounds, incursions, the Drifter storyline, and many more. If there is any one thing that I would actually like to *change* as a CSM member, this is it. Even the most exciting new feature needs attention as the game ages.
While CCP has improved on this as well, I think that far more work needs to be done here. There is a massive amount of untapped potential in the game. Players are already very familiar with existing systems; improving them is highly appreciated. It is impossible for any team of developers to match the creativity and insight of the entire Eve community. Once a change is made or a feature added to the game, it is nearly guaranteed that the community will spot things that CCP did not - things to be changed, things which could be done better, and things which can be expanded. Once all the work has been done to build, polish, and release a feature, iterating with community feedback is high reward for low effort. It is okay to make changes. In a game like Eve, stagnation is death. Please continue to change things.
TL;DR I’d really like to push for more consistent iteration across older systems, to revisit things which have aged, and for a commitment to continuing iteration for new features.
The little things: CCP Karkur’s little things thread has been one of the most successful community-facing development conversations in the history of Eve. I want to make sure that CCP continues this as an ongoing commitment. CCP needs to hear that spending developer time on these things is important and appreciated. Let’s iterate on bookmark folder limits. Let’s add notes to ships in hangars. Let’s tie ACLs to corp roles. Let’s iterate on the skill extraction UI. Maybe we should consider expanding this effort to include a community polling system - something that may not be suited for balance changes, but could be super impactful when it comes to prioritizing which quality of life changes see dev time. More than anything, let’s hear a commitment to this. Let us hear that this is understood as important.
TL;DR I want to see CCP make a commitment to expanding and continuing the focus on “the little things”, and to improving quality of life.
I appreciated the outpouring of support last year, and I look forward to representing the smallgang community on the CSM this year. Thanks for reading!
Itaer is an extremely skilled pilot in the game but backs it up by having a logical approach to problem solving when under restriction (which is vital for the CSM, who operate under limits to thier own communication due to NDA, time limits due to the nature of the CSM elections, and any limits on dev time and scope that they will find themselves in at various stages of the game’s update cycle)
I sat down with Itaer at fanfest to talk about an area of space that he enjoys, Skyhook raiding, and the issues that stemmed from its very one sided implementation in Equinox, and the (then) ongoing issues that stemmed from the massive overcorrection to its original implementation
He eloquently defined the problem space, its effect on player engagement, considered the potential opposing opinions to his frame of mind, and also suggested potential avenues to address the issues
With this information I was able to discuss this under the NDA directly with senior CCP staff and ultimately many of his suggested ideas got into the game and were recieved well
10/10 very wholesome boi absolutlely deserves a spot on your ballot
Me and Itaer spoke 100 times about things that could’ve been different in EVE and without a doubt Itaer does not just spit things randomly but it is always a well thought through ideas.
Itaer is also a wormholler like me and I would love to see more changes to WH space as I think WH space is least updated at the moment.
I also know Itaer as a friend and he is definitely a reliable human being, I would love him to be on board in CSM as I’m certain that he would at least listen to player feedback and deliver it to CCP.
Anyone that has ever had a discussion with Itaer about EVE can tell you he has a deep understanding of many aspects of the game and palpable passion for seeing the EVE universe grow and improve.
In the time I have known him, we have had multiple hours long discussions on a wide variety of topics ranging from new player retention, to small gang PvP, to the identity of wormhole space and how it could be deepened and crystalized into a thriving region of space. Each time it always stuck with me exactly how much care and attention he had put into each topic, and it was clear he had considered them from many points of view.
I know im not someone that anyone would recognize, but consider mine the voice of an average player in EVE when i say that I really think Itaer would strive to improve the EVE universe for all. Many voted to CSM in the past represent one group or region of space and promote the interests of that bloc, I believe Itaer would a true representative for the health and growth of the game for all.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a bloke that’s as passionate for Eve as Itaer is, and I’ve got no doubt in my mind that he’d be a brilliant advocate for us players on the CSM.
Solid fellow with an understanding of EVE that covers everything from how to break minds transversal matching in pvp to sourcing rare lore items that haven’t been on the market for over a decade.
Can’t think of a better candidate for CSM - missing by such a narrow margin last year further supports that. Got my vote!
Itaer has been an exceptional advocate for small and medium-sized groups across EVE Online. He’s one of the few players who has consistently supported and helped us achieve meaningful goals during CSM 19, even without holding a CSM seat.
Notably, Itaer pushed for two major initiatives that I later included in my own platform: improving communication between CCP and the player base, and implementing skyhook changes that better support small-gang roaming content. His ability to drive change from outside the CSM highlights a rare and valuable skill set, one that makes him an effective and dedicated representative for small and mid-scale communities.
Itaer has my full endorsement, and I look forward to the possibility of working alongside him on the CSM. Best of luck, buddy
Hello Itaer, first of all good luck with your campaign …and may the best will win ofc
(I will great every candidate this way )
Hope you find time to share your thoughts on below topics and game ideas.
1. EVE Vanguard
Have you had an occasion to try it during Operation Nemesis or earlier? What was your impression if any?
What do you think about bidirectional connection planned with EVE Online? Do you see it has a potential to attract more players towards New Eden? And do you think Capsuleers will benefit from it?
2. Information & ISK itemization
How about being able to take a notes from your notepad and put it as an item into container or ship cargo? Same with an amount of ISK? Just like you can do with PLEX.
3. Production Plans
Basically the idea behind this is to bundle all the BPOs (BPCs), required to produce some final product, say, an assembled Drake fully fitted according to some saved fit ready for duty, into a single BPO-like item, and internally arranged into an intricate production workflow. Complete with logistics tasks, if necessary, using delivery corp projects. It could use BPMN diagram editor to arrange.
When installed into industrial job slot it will churn out those Drakes, provided there are required materials in linked containers or pause until they are become available again.
I’ve talked with Itaer about different aspects of the game over the time that I’ve known him and I always come away knowing more about a certain mechanic or system within the game. His longevity in the game gives great perspective about where the game has been to where it is now and what could be approved.
Itaer is also a talented tutor; anytime I have questions or don’t understand something, he takes the time to explain it further and in an approachable way.
I believe that Itaer’s game sense and his ability to explain issues eloquently to the devs will give us, the greater player base, an excellent chance at seeing his issues improved upon.
I watched a lot of candidate interviews this weekend. Itaer is definitely the best candidate that I’ve seen so far. He will be high on my ballots for sure.
Smallgang content is a reason for everyone involved to undock. It brings people out of stations and into space. With the proper incentives, smallgang content becomes medium gang content. Smallgang pvpers can give local residents a challenge, and is also aspirational content - all the way from the small gang that somehow fights your blob, all the way up to the Alliance Tournament.
Can Confirm this is a good person to have representing the small gang community. Someone who has been a leader and understands communication and working with people to a high level. Definitely getting my vote.
…and may the best will win ofc 
)