More than enough people will talk about the first and second reasons. I want to talk about the third. I believe a modular POS revamp would drive subscriber numbers through the roof. Why I think this is true is for a far different reason than most people might imagine. Not because of industry or mechanics or because of failings in the current POS system. Nope. A revamp will drive new subscribers because of aesthetics.
That's fucking crazy, most of you are probably thinking. Who gives a shit about aesthetics? A lot of us fly space potatoes, for godssake.
Look at other MMOGs. Think of player housing. Modular POSes would be EVE's version of unique, player-owned, player-designed housing. Sure, you can't step inside a POS, but if it's modular, it's still something that you have built and designed yourself. It's something you can show off.
I envision modular POSes like LEGO™. You can slap one POS module onto another, eventually building out unique configurations.
There is little in the way of personalization in EVE. Sure, you can fit your ship out the way you want, but it's really only visible to the builder, not to anybody else (until you die and you show up on a killmail.) But with POSes, it becomes a building exercise, something inventive. No matter the intial costs and the monthly fuel costs, some people, many people, are going to build monuments to their imaginations. It seems silly, but these types of features, these sorts of mechanics lend themselves to the creative spirit. Creativity is what drives certain types of people to certain types of games.
Sure, you're eventually going to get a giant space penis orbiting some moon somewhere, but that's a small price to pay for building something the players can utilize inventively. Imaginatively. Creatively.
If CCP thinks that a modular POS revamp is not going to drive new subscribers to the game, then they simply aren't thinking outside of the box, outside of the industrial applications, the generic wormhole uses, the mechanics. They aren't thinking about the marketing possibilities. Small cities in space, cities that the players themselves get to build and own. These things that will ultimately reflect a player's personality. How is that not an easy sell?
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Support Two Step at the EVE Online forums. Let CCP know that you care about modular POSes.
this of course, is why you should all help support CSM member Twostep in raising awareness to CCP about the eve community's wishes in regards to a POS revamp.
ReplyDeletehttps://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=194625
you can find the relevant thread here. ^^
I already did. I'm at the top of page 10 of that thread.
DeleteI assumed as much, but I reckoned a post here for others would be helpful too :)
DeleteThey aren't tackling it all at once >.> It is like crimewatch. They have to go through the code fix it up and then they can start modifying it and balancing the new set-up and getting the Art done for it.
DeleteCCP has now stated that Twostep greatly misinterpreted what was stated in these meetings. POS revamps will be done, just not all at once in one huge "POS expansion": https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=2475724#post2475724
DeletePart of my has just though ... maybe this is just an enormous troll by CCP of both the players and CSM, so when they do introduce the new POS system, or a revamp they can just say look at us, we do listen to what the players want.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, full support behind everybody trying to get this sorted!
People are afraid of space penises a bit too much, if you ask me. Second Life is all about creating things that look exactly like you want. Somehow, penises are largely limited to penis shops in there, and the major source of annoyance isn't penises, it's blinking jewellery, clashing colours and other offences against fashion.
ReplyDeleteOh, wait, I forgot, 95% male players. :)
Why is it a problem if my POS looks like a giant cock and balls?
DeleteIt already looks like one if you place the shield hardeners right...
I want to make a giant POS that looks like a Thorax darn it!
The great argument against Player Owned Housing in MMOs is that they would diverge wildly from the theme of the environment and destroy player immersion. Space Penises would appear.
DeleteThe difference in EVE is that you have near infinite space. You could simply make it so they are anchored outside normal traffic routes, deep space POS that need to be scanned down. Nobody who wasn't looking for them would see them.
As if space penises are a new thing. Turn on the brackets for anchored containers and travel through a few trade hubs. Lots of penises.
DeleteAs wormhole citizen, The ability to place Outposts in WH space would remove most of my concerns about POS changes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's a wasted opportunity to provide awesome content to new players.
They need to do the POS thing, and do it well. Make it actually beneficial to base out of a POS rather than out of a station.
ReplyDeleteSure the station is convenient, but if you setup and live out of a POS life is "better". Whatever that might mean. They could do this by making the POS more attractive or by making the station less attractive.
Lots of people will set themselves up with a home POS if it is actually a beneficial thing to do. People will start living in their POS. People leave the NPC corps at last. Anyone can have a place they call home. "Moving" will become an event. Even the highsec solo players will have somewhere they call their base, their home system. Develop some emotional attachment with your patch of space.
If they do this correctly, game play will consist of time spent in your POS shield and time spent in space. Occasional visits to a station when you need to buy or sell something or update your clone.
Obviously, WH people already live out of a (shitty) POS.
What I want to know about is the hats...when do we get hats?
ReplyDeleteThis could be your CSM8 platform. Holy hell, I have a campaign poster to work on. This is perfect.
DeleteI now know who I'll be voting for. Screw POS upgrades, gimme a Fedora.
DeleteThank you for your speedy blog on this.
ReplyDeletePOSs are so in need of repair and fixing them could fix so many other problems.
Nice to see CCP has gone back to being oblivious to player needs.
If they implemented the POS revamp as actual player housing, they could finally fish all those Incarna assets out of the dumpster and use them to allow us to walk around our customized cabin's quarters, and perhaps have other people hang out in there too. That's what most other MMOs offer you when they say "player housing."
ReplyDeleteAgree 100% on aesthetics. In fact, if they devoted a whole expansion to new POS mechanics (pretty + gameplay) and the whole procedural ship damage (complete with shield impacts) they would have a huge surge in subscriptions.
ReplyDeleteI love eve but it both feels and looks dated in many respects, none more so than the POS's. If for no other reason they should update the POS system to give them an excuse to redo some of the last remaining shit artwork in the game.
I honestly agree with you on this topic! I'll be honest enough enough to tell you I never voted for a CSM member though I still read what they do. But I never had a reason to really vote for any as none represented my interest.
ReplyDeleteI'd have a reason to Vote for someone championing getting the POS revamp done and one where CCP does it well soon.
I'd likely vote for my worst enemy if they championed that cause to advocate to CCP to get that done!
The first excuse is actually the only real excuse. The other excuses are window dressing, to cover the fact that CCP has decided to dedicate the majority of its resources to pushing forward with DUST 514. CCP simply doesn't have the additional resources to allocate to any major undertaking in EVE Online, such as revamping the POS system.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has wondered whether CCP would place their bet on DUST or EVE - now we know and we'll see how the dice fall.
I am not sure how CCP came to the conclusion that POS mechanics only effect logistics people. The damned things are literally in all corners of space. They are used by every facet of eve player. I would love to see them fixed.
ReplyDeleteI agree 99%. Aesthetics would be a big selling point but I think quite a few people also like the hoarding aspect. Give us our own place to store all of our loot and people will come in droves.
ReplyDeleteHoarding is actually one of the big reason I love EvE and the Elder Scrolls Series. You can have as much stuff as you want.
Now just let us personalize it....
From page 19:
ReplyDelete"Unifex: Once we have a theme, we can begin to thread the issues you've identified as needing to be prioritized into that theme. POS's, for example, desperately need some improvement. How do we fit that work into our theme? Maybe we don't do all of the modular POS work at once, but we start by making some modules, solving the hangar problem, for instance. But that new hangar module would also exist to support other new activities as part of the themed expansion. "
"Sure, you're eventually going to get a giant space penis orbiting some moon somewhere, but that's a small price to pay for building something the players can utilize inventively. Imaginatively. Creatively."
ReplyDeleteAgreed, lots of people will want their very own Gaylente Space Penis domicile ... until some bears get spai'd, wardecced, and their pretty space codpieces get blown to pieces whilst "ebil griefers" lol their asses off over the QQing in local... followed immediately by:
unsub, unsub, unsub, unsub, unsub, unsub, unsub... unsubunsubunsubunsubUNSSSUUUBBB!!!11!!!!!one!!1!
EVE will never be popular as long as one guy can come along, face-punch someone else, take their stuff, and "lol QQ some moar bear!! hurfblurf!"
Even IF all of EVE was hisec tomorrow (with a handful of low/null "battleground arena" systems), and ganking was labeled an exploit, EVE STILL wouldn't be that popular cause :hard2lrn interface:, and even if THAT were fixed: given the option of looking at space penis stations and space-penis-ships, vs looking some high elf mage chick in a see-thru robe, or human valkyrie in chainmail g-string, well, 99% of guys are gonna opt for the almost naked chicks. Just saying.