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Massively interviews E-ON editor Zapatero
EVE Online is a deep and complex game, and even those who've played EVE for years find there are still facets of gameplay they've never mastered. This is compounded by the game's unique nature as a massive galaxy primed for exploration and domination by its players, whose actions and machinations affect one another in a single setting that's never quite the same from one day to the next.EVE is always evolving, both in terms of the dynamics between players and the game itself, seen as a whole. But unlike most MMOs, EVE Online has an official magazine, called E-ON, which has kept pace with how the game and its player efforts have changed over the years. To flip through the E-ON back issues is to see the documented evolution of EVE Online. In fact, E-ON manages to stay ahead of the curve due in part to its access to CCP Games, but mostly through the efforts of the players themselves whose writing talents make up the entirety of E-ON. The man behind E-ON is Richie Shoemaker, aka "Zapatero." He's the one who's been guiding the publication along since day one, and ensuring its content digs beneath the surface of the game. He's interviewed EVE's players and developers alike, but it occurred to us... Zapatero has an excellent perspective on the game yet is rarely interviewed, himself. Massively recently caught up with Zapatero in between his continent hopping, and got him to tell us a bit about his approach to covering EVE and what the player community is capable of creating.
Can MMOs have political ideologies?
The Terra Nova blog is known for its in-depth views on virtual worlds and MMOs, with an academic bent. Contributor Nate Combs has provided insightful commentary on EVE Online for Terra Nova in the past, and recently continued on that track by stating, "I wonder whether an MMORPG can have a political ideology, either by design or by accident." There are few massively multiplayer games that such a question could truly apply to -- EVE Online is the most prominent example, largely due to the game's depth. Combs also wonders if such PvP-centric games and settings encourage militaristic world views, and whether PvE-centric titles (where players don't fight one another, rather are simply rationed loot) are comparable to a Scandinavian welfare model.
Terra Nova discusses the 'culture of mistrust' in EVE Online
At the academic blog Terra Nova, commentator Nate Combs has a lengthy look at the inherent 'culture of mistrust' that exists in EVE Online. Due to the game's somewhat harsh environment (compared with most MMOGs), it's in the best interests of a given player to distrust others ... and yet most of the news out of the game is discussion of the well-organized groups acting in concert towards a common end. Combs explores why the hostile nature of the game combines with game mechanics (like alt characters) to create a 'common path' for the EVE Player.Some professional PvPers may start out as foot soldiers in an alliance but along the way acquire a second hat. For example, some may develop an arrangement with their organization where they still work on its behalf but may also engage in activities for their own (and associate) profit and interest. Thus they may start to attack enemy shipping - or shipping of friends of enemies - far removed from their alliance areas of concern. They may do it for a cocktail of reasons: a desire for a lifestyle of "pew pew", for profit and distinction for uberness within their group under the guise of economic warfare. Unfortunately, there are cases where such far afield dalliances have lead to political trouble for the parent alliances. Birds do come home to roost.This article is just the latest in a series, with others covering EVE's 'information game', the consequences of rare materials, and the 'problem' of neutral parties in-game.
Unbalanced PvP in EVE Online
Nate Combs over at Terra Nova has another piece up in his PvP series, this time about EVE Online and the "asymmetry of PvP." In a game like World of Warcraft, the devs have said that they're aiming to keep players as equal-- if you take on another player at your level with your level of gear, you've each got a pretty good chance of winning, and the game is designed to set it up so that you can both show up on a level playing field. But in a game like EVE Online, that plan goes out the window-- players can attack each other anywhere and anytime. There are consequences and advantages to attacking at certain times, and it's up to players to decide when and where PvP works for them-- it's an asymmetric system that leaves it up to players to find balance.I've just recently starting playing EVE Online, and I can tell you that the system has its drawbacks-- yesterday I had to log off because I had a wartarget camping my station, and if I left, I would have gotten blasted to pieces. Later in the day, I was mining and had another enemy warp in on my location with a much more powerful ship than mine-- I had to hightail it out of there, losing my ore completely. But on the other hand, a complex system like this leaves a lot of options open, too-- if I wanted to, I could buy my own powerful ship, and go and hunt that guy down when he least expected it.
