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EVE Evolved: The Council of Stellar Management
If you play EVE Online or follow its news, you've probably heard of the Council of Stellar Management (or CSM for short). They're a democratically elected group of players that volunteer a lot of free time to help the developers improve EVE. The CSM's job is outlined in the official summary document as "to represent society interests to CCP". They act as an intermediary between CCP's development team and the EVE players but what do they actually do and have they made a positive impact on the game? I initially researched the CSM one month after the institution's inception when it was much too early to tell. With three six-month terms completed and a fourth about to start, there's now enough information to take a real conclusive look at how well the system works. Join me as I examine the creation of the CSM, how it works and what it's actually achieved since its inception.
Call for candidates in EVE Online's player-elected Council of Stellar Management
Lost in the blitz of info about the Apocrypha expansion for EVE Online was the fact that CCP Games announced a call for candidates for the 3rd Council of Stellar Management (CSM). The CSM is a council of representatives of the playerbase, elected by the players themselves, who work with CCP Games to ensure that the development pipeline reflects the interests of the subscribers. Being a CSM delegate can be both time-consuming and stressful, as past and present reps Jade Constantine and LaVista Vista have told us. Still, it offers players a chance at helping to shape the game they love, something which few other MMO developers would ever allow. Already on the CSM's radar for the next group of delegates is reworking (lawless) 0.0 space and its entrenched system of sovereignty, which is no small task.
The political machinations of EVE Online
Game journalist and EVE Online player Jim Rossignol has been coming to grips with the idea of conflict in EVE, in a series of articles written for Eurogamer. Rossignol began by looking at "the basic principles of killing people" and progressing to the large scale conflicts between alliances. This week, Rossignol goes a step further by looking at the politics at the heart of much of the large-scale conflict in EVE Online, and how despite all the freedom the developers give players, it was inevitable that power blocs of players would be at each other's throats. "Players plus resources, plus more players, equals conflict. That's the basic mathematics that powers EVE Online. And it's been working for over five years now," Rossignol says.
EVE alliance circumvents factional warfare restrictions
Factional warfare became a part of EVE Online in the Empyrean Age expansion, which ushered in a time of backstory-driven militia conflict for players aligned with one of the four races of New Eden. What promised to be a new avenue for EVE's roleplaying community ended up being inaccessible to roleplaying alliances. CCP stipulated that alliances cannot enlist with factional militias, as their sheer numbers could streamroll their opposition and create overwhelming odds for the disadvantaged side in the conflict. The only recourse EVE's alliances have is to form splinter corporations outside of the alliance, for the sole purpose of allying with a given racial faction. That is, until recently. An article from ISD Magnus Balteus, one of EVE Online's in-game reporters, states the Star Fraction alliance "has openly declared war on corporations that have joined the Caldari milita; the State Protectorate. For over a month, Star Fraction has been selectively targeting the corporations of fleet commanders in the Caldari militia."
EVE Community Spotlight: Jade Constantine
Jade Constantine is a veteran player of EVE Online, long known for having a forceful personality and a flair for writing. As the CEO of Jericho Fraction and the head of The Star Fraction alliance, Jade has become a pioneer in EVE roleplay, upholding ideologies of freedom that run counter to some of the very systems that define the game. Along the way, Jade has made some enemies, but clearly some allies as well, having garnered the most votes in the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) election. As Chairman of the CSM, Jade Constantine is a magnet for controversy, but as an elected delegate, is also in a unique position to deal directly with CCP Games and potentially change EVE. Massively recently spoke with Jade on the state of roleplaying in EVE Online, the challenges that the CSM faces, and what it's like to be under the magnifying glass.
