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EVE Evolved: Building stronger communities
When I first started playing EVE Online at the start of 2004, only 40,000 players inhabited the game's 5,000 assorted solar systems. Despite having a peak concurrent user record of under 10,000 players, the game somehow didn't feel empty and desolate. Players built communities all across the map, and the purpose of the game became all about interacting with other players. I've played a lot of MMOs since then, but none has drawn me into its community as deeply as EVE has. I think that's because most MMOs today are aimed more at casual and solo play, and most guilds are glorified chat channels with shared bank space. There's plenty of room for solo players in EVE, but most of the gameplay is aimed at groups with purpose and ambitions larger than any individual can reasonably accomplish on his own. Holding territory and building supercapitals are jobs for large alliances, PvP is rarely a solo affair, and even grinding ISK is more fun in a group. This focus on group activities is usually seen as the driving force behind EVE's cohesive communities, but I think there's more to it. In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look at what drives EVE to create stronger in-game communities than you typically find in other MMOs.
The Escapist explains how your guild can avoid a "failure cascade"
So you're the leader of a guild in your game of choice. All is well at first; everybody's having fun. Then, one or two people get upset about something someone said, or the schedule for a raid, or someone's failure to pay the guild hall maintenance fee. You try to contain it, but all hell breaks loose. Each player's departure leads to another's. Three weeks later, just you and two people from your office are still in the guild.The Escapist calls this a "failure cascade" in a new article. The author of the article uses EVE Online as an example as he explains what a failure cascade is, where the term came from, and what kinds of guilds can be immune. The article is particularly interesting because it illustrates how EVE Online's open PvP combat can exacerbate the problem and lead to mass departures from the game.
