The Business Case for Having a Chinese Client on Tranquility

[Panzerkom]

Greetings, Earthlings… I mean most esteemed CCP devs

I am writing to present a business case for having a Chinese-language client on Tranquility. Before you say “over my dead body”, please, take a minute, or 3, to hear me out.

Now, we all know that there is Serenity for the mainland Chinese market, for historic reasons. But the indisputable fact is that Serenity is dying, very fast, due to the rampant botting problem there. Since the local operator in China is unable or unwilling to control botting, many players from mainland China have fled to Tranquility. This is evident by the dramatic increase in the number of Chinese players on the server. Goonswarms Federation / Imperium have recently seen 4 Chinese player corps join.

Having more players is a good thing for Tranquility. Having more paying customers is a good thing for CCP. Having a Chinese client on Tranquility is a good way to draw in more Chinese players.

Now, to be brutally honest, obviously, there will be ISK farmers among the new Chinese players. However, there will be a significant number of paying customers as well. The typical Chinese gamer in 2017 is VERY different from the typical Chinese gold farmer on WOW in 2005.

According to this 2012 Forbes report, 64% of Chinese online gamers pay for gaming content:
Forbes Report – The Majority Of Chinese Gamers Now Pay For Online Gaming Content Every Month

Also, according to this 2011 Daily Mail report, a Chinese man spent US$16,000 on a single in-game item:
More money than sense: Chinese man spends $16,000 on sword for virtual martial arts game

Heck, I will also use myself as an example. Born in China, grow up in the US, had this account since 2008, took a break from 2011 to 2 months ago. I’m more comfortable with an English client than a Chinese one, so this really ain’t for me, but for those honest, bot-hating new Chinese players on Tranquility.

And how much did I spent on EVE?

Yeah… I got yelled at by my wife, but who cares?! For the Mittens!

Of course, there is no guarantee that once CCP rolls out a Chinese client on Tranquility, some Chinese dude will pay $16,000 for the special edition CCP Fleet Issue Bling Bling Mach-a-Snake-Gorn. But hey, that possibility is always there and I’m willing to beat the paying vs isk-farming Chinese players will at least break even. Plus, even if the Chinese isk-farmers end up being the majority, it would be more contents for everyone, right?

Finally, there is the language in local issue. We all remember how some wars got started when Russian players typed too much cyrillic in local. Here in PLA, we have a simple rule: do NOT spam Chinese in local. A few lines is understandable. But if it’s a long conversation, take it to the Corp channel or corp voice comm, so that you’re not obnoxious. So, yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem either.

Yours humbly,

Panzerkom

[Faylee_Freir]

More people to shoot at is always a good thing.

[Arcanith_Lionheart]

If they want to spend money, it’s their thing, everyone is nuts about something.

You got people that collect swords, collect cars, all sorts of crazy things too, and these people spend a crap ton of money for anything in good condition that is old or valuable just to have it sit there looking pretty.

So if they got the dolla, they spend it how they want.

And as for the Isk farmers, well, if they enjoy farming it… Eh, leave them do it as long as they don’t bot. We do it to a certain degree too but it is certain that we cannot do it with the same determination as any Asian player.

[Ami_Tso]

People living in PRC are not the only people who use chinese in daily life.
Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of China and Indonesia also use chinese as their official language. With the growing player number, I believe a EVE client with chinese version is a serious issues need to be discussed.

[Buoytender_Bob]

Worth a long and serious look at the numbers; financial gain for CCP MIGHT mean a better EVE.

The problem I have now is the rampant botting currently going on in EVE. Whether it is Russian Rattlesnake bots in the Drone Lands, automated mining fleets of all sorts and sizes nearly everywhere, or programs running throughout EVE’s market, the possibility of introducing conditions that may/could increase the number of botting has me worried. I understand that many of the current chinese speaking players may not have the same reputation in regards to botting as in the past, but to simply ignore the past history seems foolish. I will always welcome new players to EVE, regardless of language,country,etc; but I would also want CCP to step up and firmly establish a uniform and EFFECTIVE rule enforcement ability. It has been clear over the last 3+ years that CCP has fallen behind/been less aggressive in combating those who automate/RMT for game advantage. All I’m asking for is a solid indication that CCP has been proactive and upped their capability to insure a level playing field for all EVE players BEFORE you introduce the potential for even more problems. You have admitted that the EVE Chinese server is dying mainly because of botting activity, let’s make sure that Tranquility has its safeguards and rule enforcement tools enhanced prior to encouraging a large inflow of new players who are from a different school of thought/play. If you play by the rules, then you should always be welcome in EVE; but additional resources for rule enforcement need to be fully developed,highly effective, and completely implemented prior to offering what you want. Your request is reasonable; my precautions are,too.

[Panzerkom]

You speak the truth, good sir/ ma’am.

[Panzerkom]

True. I am all for efforts to counter botting / RMT as well.