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EVE's combat elite sets aside differences to teach PvP
Among the PvP-centric massively multiplayer online games on the market, EVE Online stands out as a game where players struggle for supremacy against one another on multiple levels, either on an individual or collective basis. Given how heated alliance warfare is -- one needs only read a few posts in CAOD to get a feel for this -- it's notable when players firmly entrenched in EVE's politics take some time out to show newer players the ropes. That's the case with Seppuku Warriors, a PvP training corp which draws top notch instructors from Band of Brothers (including SirMolle), Morsus Mihi, and Southern Cross Alliance, with apparently more to come. What's most interesting is that they've put aside their political differences (some of the instructors come from or lead opposing alliances) to teach less experienced players what they know.
EVE Community Spotlight: SirMolle
Alliance warfare in EVE Online is a defining aspect of the game. EVE's setting of New Eden is a sprawling galaxy of over 5000 solar systems, where players are free to build empires, establish vast enterprises, and do whatever is necessary to maintain dominance over their competitors -- be it financial, political, or military. All of that freedom to do what you choose eventually leads players, collectively, into one another's sphere of influence, triggering bitter and protracted warfare. That's the nature of EVE -- the setting provides potential, but it's largely the players who drive the game. In what has been aptly described as "the largest virtual conflict ever waged", the Band of Brothers Alliance (BoB) has stood at the forefront of that struggle for dominance in EVE Online for years. As an alliance, their strength is undeniable. But the power they've gained has sparked a fiery resentment from the much larger non-BoB playerbase in EVE, polarizing the community into those who either love or hate them. In many cases, it's been the latter. After all, for some time, Band of Brothers' goal was to control all space in New Eden, beginning in the lawless frontier of 0.0, where most alliance warfare rages, and eventually consolidating control over Empire space and its commerce. Band of Brothers set a goal for territorial control that's simply not possible in the game, however. The times have changed, and now the old paradigm of territorial grabs characteristic of the epic conflict with The RedSwarm Federation has been replaced with the MAX campaign, and a different nemesis -- the Northern Coalition. As vendetta-turned-alliance policy, MAX is intended to be a wave of destruction that cuts through the hulls and holdings of their opposition. The man behind the MAX campaign, and the Band of Brothers alliance, is SirMolle. Massively recently spoke with SirMolle about the pressures of leadership, the impact Band of Brothers has had on the game, and the endgame of control over New Eden.
Band of Brothers announces 'MAX' strategy in The New York Times
Mainstream media seems to pick up on this odd, new 'MMO-thing' occasionally, but now and again they turn up something interesting. A piece from The New York Times does just that, in an article about one of EVE Online's most powerful alliances -- Band of Brothers (BoB). The alliance holds a player gathering each year, the most recent of which was a weeklong get-together in Copenhagen for over 150 members of BoB. The alliance's leader, SirMolle (real name: Pär Molén), announced a new direction that Band of Brothers will take in EVE in the coming months, which he calls 'MAX' -- as in 'maximum damage.' MAX, if SirMolle is able to make good on his pledge, will be a different direction for Band of Brothers. Rather than establishing sovereignty over as much of EVE's galaxy as possible, BoB will attempt to lay waste to the vessels, holdings, and power structures of their numerous enemies in New Eden.
