On Tuesday May 14th, 6pm PST (Wednesday May 15th, 01:00 EVE) I will be streaming an AMA, “Ask Manic Anything”, to talk about my CSM run and whatever else you guys want.
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AMA stream is about to go live! Taking your questions in Twitch chat, or join me on comms in Discord.
Well, it’s nice to hear you’re pushing for more communication and transparency with CCP. That should be the #1 priority with all CSM members.
When you say you want what’s best for the community, just exactly what type of player group are you referring to?
There’s very diverse groups within this community, from New Players to Veterans, from PvP to PvE players, etc. The career choices available in this game are also very diverse, ranging from Trade to Combat, from Citizen to Criminal, etc.
What experience do you have that qualifies you to represent my interests and the type of gameplay I engage in?
I’ve been a very active member of the Eve community for over 10 years. I mainly fly solo but at times have also done fleet ops. I’m a PvE player in NPC starter corp but I’m not risk adverse. Even though I tend to spend most of my time in High Sec space, as an explorer / mission runner I still conduct my career choice in all sectors of space.
What is your viewpoint on Faction Standings pertaining to anchoring structures in High Security space?
The removal of player Corporations needing positive Empire standings has caused excessive proliferation of structures all offering the same services. The goal is to make ISK with them but due to the current amount of structures and the ease of anchoring them, that goal is very difficult for small Corps to accomplish.
What is your viewpoint on adding more content to the mission pool for solo PvE players?
Over the past couple of years CCP has put a lot of effort into creating group PvE content which has been mostly unsuccessful. I think that content would be accessed a lot more if it was scaled down and added to the mission pool for solo PvE players.
If elected to CSM, will you actively hold Q&A sessions with players via Forum threads?
Over the years there’s been very few CSM members that have interacted with the playerbase here in the Forums. Granted the CSM can’t actually direct CCP to work on specific things but they can relay the concerns of the playerbase directly to CCP, ultimately creating better relations between CCP and the playerbase.
That’s it for now, I’ll probably have some other questions later. In closing I’d like to wish you lot’s of luck and much success in being elected to CSM.
DMC
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When I say I want what’s best for the community, I’m not thinking about any singular type of player. EVE attracts a particular type of person, whether they are a solo PVE’er, or a hardcore PVP’er, or anything in between. There are multiple niches in EVE, but all those niches tend to roll up into what attracts players to EVE.
The fact that the game doesn’t hold your hand. The inter-dependance upon other players. The sense of being a small cog in a much larger machine. An EVE player enjoys being part of something bigger than themselves.
I’ve been playing EVE for ten years. I primarily do exploration and solo hunting, but I’ve lived in all areas of space and have at least some experience in several play styles. I’ve listened to many sides of the EVE community to get a good understanding of the “vibe”, and how people react to change.
I would love to hold regular townhall discussions with players if I am elected. Despite my outward personality on Twitch and social media, I’m actually a very introverted person. I love listening to people. If I am elected, I plan to livestream townhall discussions with players.
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A few details on what type of game you think EVE is, what types of personalities play, what that means to EVE (and to CCP in determining development direction) would be helpful in deciding if you get on my voting chain.
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Hello Manic Velocity,
So, I get the overral picture that you love Eve. What else will you be bringing to the table if I vote for you at this year’s csm campaign?
What is your preferred gameplay? Is there any area of the game you wish to improve, or areas you endorse?
Thank you for your feedback.
Natocha
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No it does not.
Actually, I find it currently quite exploitative and sadistic to say the least, but that’s another story.
How exactly do you plan on addressing these issues that many rookies and older players feel towards the game that relies so heavily on griefing and a bad rewards vs player time input system?
Awaiting your reply.
Daisy.
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EVE is a unique beast in the MMO genre. Any conversation surrounding MMO’s as a concept tends to veer into the distinction between “sandboxes” and “themeparks”. A sandbox is only as interesting as the people who sit inside it and how they choose to manipulate the sand. And when you get 300k people playing in the world’s largest digital sandbox with almost no rules, things get really interesting.
This is in contrast to themeparks which offer pre-fab experiences to be run on a loop. Both design philosophies have their own merits. But I personally believe that the experiences had in sandboxes are much more personal, because they stem from the user’s own imagination and ingenuity with the tools they are given. The caveat is that sandboxes tend to require the player to put in extra work to actualize their ideas.
I think EVE players recognize this, and it’s a major factor in why many of us have stuck around for several years. Because the experiences we have in EVE are simply not something that can be duplicated in most other games. We’re willing to put the work in because the payoff is so unique and personal. Those that aren’t willing to put the work in don’t tend to stick around for very long, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing in the bigger picture. The fact that EVE doesn’t appeal to the masses is to its credit.
But I feel like this core tenant of EVE has been slowly watered down. So much of EVE’s promotion in the last two years has centered around Abyssal space and seasonal PVE events. Smaller scale, “jump-in-jump-out” themepark content to appeal to a wider customer base. Players aren’t being expected to put the work in to create content. Instead the work is being done for us, leading to a less personal experience and detracting from what makes EVE, EVE.
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EVE doesn’t appeal to everyone, and I think that’s a good thing. It’s what has secured EVE’s unique position in the gaming space.
I don’t like MOBAs. But if I download League of Legends or Dota 2, I shouldn’t expect either of them to appeal to my gameplay preferences and get disgruntled when they don’t. New players who come to EVE looking for a casual space sim would be better off playing Elite Dangerous.
I like that EVE is exploitative and sadistic and think it should stay that way. If EVE has taught me anything, it’s how to appropriately deal with assholes.
Griefing, however, is a very different topic. Making repeated efforts to deter people from playing the game or encouraging them to quit altogether, is against the EULA, as far as I’m aware. If someone is targeting you with the express intent of preventing you from playing the game, you can and should report them.
An obvious example is CODE. Are they dicks? Yes. But are they dicks within the gameplay boundaries set by the EULA? Yes. I don’t think they should be punished for how they choose to play, so long as they are abiding by the same rules as everyone else.
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Exploration is my primary playstyle, but I also enjoy small-to-medium gang PVP and solo hunting.
If I had to pinpoint a section of the game that I wish to improve, it would actually be the user interface. The fact that CCP doesn’t have a dedicated UI team baffles me, and it has lead to some really frustrating design choices.
I don’t get into the nitty-gritty details of ship or module balance, so unfortunately I can’t speak to that.
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Where do you draw the line between griefing vs playing within the games boundaries though?
It’s perfectly possible for me to camp you for 6 weeks and kill you 100 times over isn’t it? What’s wrong with that? Doesn’t the game allow it?
No problem. I appreciate your feedback 
Thank you for agreeing to come and do an interview with me Manic!
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I consider griefing to be actively and specifically targeting an individual or group, leaving them with little or no recourse to actually playing the game. From what I’ve seen and heard of CODE, they tend to ride that line, but they are not impossible to avoid.
There’s nothing wrong with that in terms of gameplay rules. I personally see this kind of thing as a fundamental aspect of EVE that should be preserved. I’ve been on the receiving end of in-game harassment a few times, and it forced me to adapt and come up with ways of avoiding it. I counted it as a win because I came up with the solutions that prevented me from being a victim.
And frankly, I love seeing ships blow up, regardless of the side I’m on. Destruction is just as valuable to the sandbox as creation.
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I will be honest, I was on the fence about your candidacy following Jin’taan’s interview. However - and whilst I am biased, obviously - this thread has helped sway me in your favour. I appreciate any candidate who will advocate for a playstyle even if they aren’t the biggest fan of it. It is important that emergent gameplay is stood-up for despite it being against the original intent of CCP.
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Thanks for the kind words.
Out of curiosity, why do you feel emergent gameplay goes against CCP’s intent of the game?
You got my vote o7
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All I meant was that it was something that wasn’t programmed or intended by CCP but that players developed which is the definition of emergent gameplay.
For instance, suicide ganking wasn’t meant to be a playstyle nor were wormholes designed to be lived in. Both of these were emergent gameplay (although I guess now that as wormholers have been catered for by the devs it isn’t quite so much) but something like sov null was always intended to be an empire building exercise.
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CSM14 candidate here and I voted for myself and Manic (and others). Your vote isn’t wasted here
love your content - we need more torpedo delivery vids - please…
(ummm - i dont need any torps - i have plenty - just sayin’…) 