The MER show no obvious spike in ganking activity. Almost everything still makes it to it’s destination in highsec. There is no smoke here so let’s stop talking about suicide ganking.
I have also the activity data (player jumps/NPC kills) from DOTLAN and it is even worse than the PCU. Highsec activity is down over 40% from the 2013 era last time I looked at it and there is no reason to assume that has trended upwards in recent months. Highsec is less active that it has been probably since you have started playing, yet mechanically it has never been safer.
The bottom line is that all these buffs to highsec safety haven’t increased player activity. You can argue that maybe CCP just hasn’t found the right one yet, but using “more player activity” as a reason for a buff to safety is pretty weak when they have tried so many times without success.
That said, I am all for changes to wars. Let’s get people out there fighting over things again instead of docking up for a week when challenged. And let’s let them stay in a social group if they don’t want, or can’t participate in wars instead of killing their social bonds along with their corporation. But let’s slay this sacred carebear cow that somehow a lack of safety is holding back Eve’s growth. This game needs more reasons and methods to interact in meaningful and interesting ways, not another lazy nerf to content creators because “think of the children!”
CONCORD response time decreases, removal of insurance for criminals, ‘friendly fire’ switch for highsec corps, increased barge EHP, increased freighter and jump freighter EHP, removal of can-flipping, patching out of hyperdunking, removal of the ‘boomerang’ exploit/tactic.
The list goes on and on. It’s fine, many of those buffs to highsec safety were necessary to keep the game interesting, but none of theses buffs to safety saw an increase in player numbers.
I’m fine with people asking for changes to the game to make Eve more interesting. I just take issue with people promising increased retention if they just make the game safer. History shows that doesn’t happen.
My subs run out on the 10th of next month won’t be resubbing or posting after that im done for a year or two, games shite full of arseholes after 10 year I dont want to be part of this community. Will keep an eye to see what Pearl does with the company, major changes needed. Concord protects the griefing sphincters from players who only want to build, griefers go in with the knowledge that they will explode after the fact. Most players don’t post on the forums or watch reddit just log and go about their busines a lot of them in the misguided knowledge that concord will protect them. Just another griefing scam imo. Its toxic the gaming world is changing either CCP changes with it or the game dies plain and simple imo.
It could have an impact on hauler gankers in that there will be less alts in T1 haulers and more mains in DST’s, then it would depend on fitting skills. If the war decs required a structure in hisec then nullsec alliances would have more people in alliance and then they might start noticing and doing something about the impact on their killboards, though that is a big if…
I don’t really see any of the main alliances doing that, that would be admitting defeat to a load of warbears. I say that not to have a dig at you, but in terms of their attitude.
I think lost in all the rhetoric that is being thrown around by both sides is the simple fact that CCP itself does not want to change the basis of the game, though of course it is how much of that attitude can stand in front of the financial targets of PA. I wonder just how many of the war deckers are actually subbed or get the credit card out as compared to the number that use to be subbed in 2009 to 2013 in hisec. Anyway, it may be that they will assess that.
So let’s just say your numbers show what you suggest, then you should note that the hisec population has reduced and yet ganking stayed the same. Which means increased ganking…
You just reinforced that as a proportion of the hisec player base, ganking has increased. Mechanically the two things you pointed out did not in fact make any difference to safety, War Arkini himself said that ganking had got easier.
Because they were not buffs to safety, ganking has increased in terms of the subject player base, you even get to it in your statement above, 40% reduction in hisec players and the same level of ganking.
People do not want to be easy kill patsies and will walk away, in fact they did walk away.
Oh dear, that is so lame as an ending statement. I only care about game balance to enable people to be able to compete and feel that they can compete.
You have not mentioned any of the buffs to ganking, such as buff to destroyer DPS and no change to mining barge Exhumer tank for two and a half years resulting in an explosion of ganking, the adding of attack BC’s with BS guns, loot scooping via the DST corp hanger, the allowing of hyperdunking when previously it was a declared exploit, but was suddenly declared as not an exploit… The buff to freighter wreck ehp when AG started blowing up the wrecks. The buffs to ganking are far more than the nerfs.
I already did, I was talking about the fact that mains will be running around in DST’s with the cargo as they will no longer be in a war, not lower SP alts in T1 haulers. That will make a difference, how much is debatable, but to say that there will be no impact is a bit incorrect.
You are totally unaware of the number of newer people who move stuff with alts in T1 haulers. OK well no big deal, feel free to waffle off on it as you see fit, I mean doing two replies to this one post is odd to say the least.
It doesnt matter what they move stuff in.
The mechanics to aggress are legal via wardec, or not, via suicide ganking.
Wardec changes do not affect suicide gankers at all, because they dont use wardecs, by default.
A suicide ganker doesnt care what you are flying, whether a T1 hauler, a DST, or a shuttle. All they care about is blowing you up for a profit before CONCORD explodes them.
The December change makes no difference to suicide ganking at all.
New players moving stuff in T1 haulers will be just as vulnerable to Suicide Ganks as before, whether on their mains or alts.
HS Suicide Gankers dont aggress via wardec.
They aggress illegally, without wardec.
They dont care if you are a NPC, Player or Social Corp.
They dont care if you are flying a T1 Hauler, a shuttle or a DST in HS.
No surprise actually. CODE. has always been just one big fat temper tantrum over the ability of players to set their wrecks to blue making them freely lootable. And it was not even a “nerf to baiting” it was an idea long supported and asked for by the Free Wrecks channel.
And yes, these people have always made it their game to drive others from it. It could be pirate ships, or post-apocalyptic cars, or even horses and carriages, it would be the same game to them.
I don’t even expect “sweeping changes”. But I can still expect salt.
This hasn’t been spurred on by CCP’s recent announcements and discussions. I’ve had those 20 cooking for months now on and off. It was Australian and Kusions multiboxing that inspired me to take a swing at it.
It’s only been now that I’ve been actively getting this setup.