EVE Evolved: The Council of Stellar Management, part 2
What has the CSM achieved?:
When it started, a lot of players were skeptical that the CSM was anything more than a PR stunt to recover from the T20 scandal. Over a year and a half later and there are still those that feel the entire system is a waste of time and resources. To set the record straight, CCP recently released a devblog highlighting just a few things that the CSM have already helped get into the game. The first two councils laid the groundwork for the exciting sovereignty revamp which will be the focus of December's "Dominion" expansion. It's also thanks to the CSM that faction warfare is finally getting the attention it deserves.
The council is also responsible for fine tuning the new probing system, they helped create the awesome new ship fitting screen and they convinced CCP to finally implement the much-requested skill queue feature. Those are some impressive features that we might not have if not for the CSM. CCP stated that "roughly 60% of all issues brought up by the CSM have either been already added to the game or are on the horizon", a claim which should put to bed the idea that the CSM doesn't make a difference in EVE. Perhaps the biggest achievement of the CSM, however, has been to involve players more directly in the development process. Players can now bring issues to the council, lend their support to important issues, work on proposals together and even run for a spot on the council themselves.
Throwing my hat in the ring:
When the CSM first came about, I was a prime candidate to apply and a few people actively encouraged me to. As an old SomethingAwful forum-goer, some of Goonswarm even offered to support me as if I were their own candidate. As a well-known member of the EVE forum community, I was sure of getting at least some votes. What eventually turned me off the idea wasn't an issue with the concept or even the unproven nature of the council. With university work, I simply didn't have the time. After I graduated, I found myself giving serious consideration to applying. Now that the fourth CSM is starting up, I've got to decide whether or not I want to throw my hat in the ring and submit an application. I believe I could do a lot of good for EVE as part of the CSM and applying is a decision I'll have to make in the coming days.
Summary:
Despite early questions over what the CSM could really achieve, they've proven that they're an invaluable method of gathering player suggestions and delivering them to the developers. The proposal voting system acts as a filter for unpopular ideas and the process of face-to-face meetings gives the opportunity to refine and develop suggestions. The submissions page for applicants isn't yet open but come November you might see my name on the ballot.
Brendan "Nyphur" Drain is an early veteran of EVE Online and writer of the weekly EVE Evolved column here at massively.com. The column covers anything and everything relating to EVE Online, from in-depth guides to speculative opinion pieces. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at brendan.drain AT weblogsinc DOT com.
