Jesuschrist, it’s so DIFFICULT to convey the idea… in a nugget, it would be this:
EVE PvP: random problem, drives to figure constant solutions
EVE PvE: constant problem, allows for random solutions
See, at one point I tried to rescue the damsel with a Punisher. It was slow as hell so I brought my Apo Navy and ended the beast out of its suffering. But I tried and didn’t lose my ship.
Constant problem, random solution.
Bring T2 Frigate. Bring cruiser. Bring BB
Bring missiles, drones, lasers, artillery, blasters
Bring armor, shield, active tank, passive tank
And the solution will work eventually. Then try another. And another. And another. Short of time/money? Do it by the book. Also you will feel rewarded. I lost my first Apo Navy in its maiden trip. PvE is tough, but eventualy you get the grasp of it. It would be perfect if it got a new mission a little more often than once in 7 years.
Allows for experimentation, crativity, setting your own goals, challenging yourself, and oh well doesn’t requires investing 15 hours of mission grinding (or 30 minutes of Rorqual mining) into a officially endorsed fit you might lose in 10 minutes (and do it repeatedly) until you figure how to use your constant solution to the random problem.
If PvErs wanted random problems to which figure constant solutions, they would PvP. They don’t, and that’s why the mroe PvE mimics PvP, the less succesful it is (abyssal sites are run by what? 3% of players, and they all are 5 years or older?)
But someone who’s rescued the damsel 50 times, maybe, just maybe, that person is NOT looking for a random challenge to solve with their swiss knife fit. Or n+1 friends. Or WCS and GTFO.
In a perfect world, EVE PvE would be a grind business for NPC rewards and a kind of endgame exclusive to PvE. A different but valid way to play EVE for those who don’t fit into the 1% who become long term players.
Even in a not so perfect world, CCP could deliver cosmethic rewards to the existing PvE (like ingame housing) so it was a longer term activity (FAI: skins for your space cottage). That would keep highsec lively and busy and would provide a goal different than go null or leave.
CCP has been losing players who don’t fit into the PvP mold, for no gain at all. Maybe they honestly don’t know how to keep PvErs subscribed. But I don’t think so. I think that they just don’t want to develop a PvE grinder on top of their preshious freak PvP social network. Everybody they talk about the matter says they don’t want it. CSM, event goers, social media users, it’s obvious people come to EVE for the nullsec gameplay. Just look at how well has gone the game since Rubicon opened full the nullsec rewards and expanded nullsec structure gameplay to all of New Eden…
PS: we want to drink the same Cola and bring our own different glass -otherwise we would PvP.
PPS: the “problem” can be pinpointed as a risk level. Random risk level, constant risk mitigation. Constant risk level, random risk mitigation. The amount of risk a person takes is constant, so people with lower risk thresholds will gravitate towards constant risk (old PvE) and will experiment there. Since there’s a lot more people with low risk threshold and EVE is a better game at high risk and a terrible one at low risk, EVE is failing to retain the majority of people with lower risk threshold. Expanding the possibilities and enjoyment of lower risk threshold would increase retention and population without changing the high rewarding experience of high risk.