Suggestion: Language Change on one of the Achievement System Certificates
Keywords: Achievement System, mining
Change the language on the mining achievement certificate to something more suitable that avoids colloquial perjorative in-game language that is casually directed towards miners.
I’ve been enjoying the Achievement System and, in particular, the skill point rewards that accompany major milestones. It provides players with a satisfying sense of progression and encourages them to explore different areas of the game.
That said, I do have a concern regarding the wording used on one of the mining certificates. The title awarded for mining 2,500,000 units of ore is “Rockhound”, which seems entirely appropriate. However, the achievement plate itself bears the phrase “Calm Down Miner”.
I’m unsure whether this wording was chosen deliberately or simply without consideration for its wider context within EVE’s player culture, but the phrase carries distinctly negative connotations for many industrial players. “Calm down, miner” is a pejorative expression that is often thrown around in local chat by gankers and anti-mining players after the destruction of a miner’s typically unarmed vessel. As a result, it is not a phrase that most miners would associate with celebration, accomplishment or recognition.
Achievements are, by their very nature, intended to acknowledge and reward players for their dedication and effort. The current wording risks undermining that purpose by invoking a phrase that many in the mining community will recognise primarily as a mocking taunt.
For comparison, one might look at the wording used for PvP achievements. The certificate entitled “Deadliest Game”, for example, presents combat accomplishments in a way that feels suitably thematic and complimentary to the players who have earned it. Mining achievements deserve the same treatment.
How would “Brave PvP against Ventures and haulers” feel to PvP’ers on a certificate I wonder?
Maybe FC should consider replacing “Calm Down Miner” with language that better reflects the significance of the milestone and the contribution that industrial players make to New Eden’s economy (no ore would mean that, sooner of later, the game would run out of ships, modules and ammo).
A more celebratory or aspirational phrase would, in my view, be far more fitting for an achievement intended to recognise such a considerable investment of time and effort.
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