A Work in Progress - The Year Passed to the Year Ahead

This blog has been a work in progress. After a year and a half, I still feel it's finding its voice.

The first six months, 2011, I spent most of it running EVE University through the mud. A lot of sperg and hyperbole, but also I feel a lot of truth about the failures of the organization at the time.

I think I helped open the eyes of a number of EVE University's directors; those that actually play the game (i.e., not Kelduum, who spends all his time just managing the corporate interface, and heading up "meetings".) The directors that mattered, the ones most in touch with their members and the game, they began to realize that the University could be doing a better job of delivering players into the wider game, players who actually recognize the value of EVE Online and conflict, rather than just churning out fearful super-carebears.

EVE University definitely became a better organization in 2012. Most of their really dumb rules were dropped, or turned into guidelines. Kelduum stopped obsessing over ISK ratios on their killboard. Players were allowed to do dumb things, because players learn by making mistakes. The University was not going to create better players by treating all their members as drooling buffoons. Through much time, effort and patience, those directors that matter were able to convince Kelduum that change was needed. Change was needed because they were once again going to become part of the game, whether he liked it or not.

So when Inferno was released, and the old broken wardec system was replaced with a slightly less broken system, EVE University was forced back into the game. And my need to talk about the University, more or less, vanished.

I'm the type of guy who does love to bitch about things, and there was still a lot to bitch about in 2012. Game mechanics. The direction CCP might be taking the game. The seventh CSM.

Aside from the ranting, I had more to talk about personally. My experiences with the game. As EVE University got back into the game, so did I. I stopped trying to do things solo, and sought out groups of people to engage with. Faction warfare eventually became my home. First, with Autocannons Anonymous, and then with Fweddit. I felt I found a real home within the game with the YOLO Coalition (Fweddit, iLaw, Moar Tears.)

Since September, the posts I'm most proud of are the Fweddit-related posts. The mix of personal experience, some mild ranting, and the out-and-out propaganda, it's all been fun and easy to write. Those posts are a fun mix of styles. Some posts, some topics, I struggle with (such as the tutorials), but writing the Fweddit posts are never a chore. I think my joy writing those posts mirrors my experiences with Fweddit.

Certain posts of mine need to disappear entirely. Such as any post about game mechanics that I don't fully understand. When I get some idea stuck in my head about some area of the game that fascinates me (such as technetium or the role of capital ships), I need keep those suggestions to myself. I've been throwing those ideas out into the wind, not really caring if they mirror any sort of reality with the game. I use them mostly as tools for learning more. I know damned well they're going to upset people, and upset people tend to reply. So through that level of antagonism I find I do far more learning about areas of the game I have limited experience with, than I could if I picked the brain of a single player. That's not a particularly healthy way to learn about the game.

So, for 2013, I'm going to resolve to approach nullsec posts differently. Hell, I'm going to approach posts about any area of the game I don't have much experience with much differently. I'm not quite sure yet how to do that, but being more inquisitive than confrontational might help. I'm not going to write "Hey, someone tell me about blahblahblah," because that would be a boring ass post, and I wouldn't expect anyone to spend the time of day answering me. Perhaps more along the lines of "Hey, I was thinking about bloddyblah, and was wondering if this idea I have stuck in my head, would it be viable in any shape or form? How does this particular mechanic currently work?" Rather than just reel off some untested, not well-thought-through idea, instead create a conversation out of it. Anyhow, we'll see how that works out when the time comes.

I'll, of course, still stick with being adamant and opinionated about game mechanics I do understand. I'll still take to task any persons or organizations I feel are being detrimental to the game. I'll still call out those who I think are doing great work. Although, that last one, I don't do nearly enough. It is easier to be negative than it is to be positive. I'll try to point out the positives more often than I have in the past.

2013 should be interesting. And I'll continue striving to make this blog a better forum for the game as a whole.