What I want to see in a CSM candidate

Posted on 2009-10-04 by Ecliptic Rift

CCP announced a call for candidates for the Fourth Council on Stellar Management recently. I don’t have any intention of running at this time, but I have thought about what I’d like to see in a candidate. I’ve heard that parties, or at least shared platforms, may have started to develop among players. In lieu of that (at least for now), two areas concern me principally.

Immersion

I care about the “Prime Fiction,” EVE canon lore and background. I care a great deal about feeling that we inhabit this fictional universe. Note that this doesn’t always require roleplay, though that certainly can contribute. CCP has already noted that they will fix the “corrupt” astronomical data, which provides a great example of what I mean by this. So I want to see candidates that care about immersion.

In particular, I want CSM candidates who will champion player participation in the storyline. We may not have the outsize influence that Tibus Heth does, but we want to feel that what we do matters. The STPRO defeat of the FDU and subsequent moving of Caldari megacorps into Gallente low-sec has started to light the way, and hopefully we will see that increase. In fact, factional warfare could use a good dose of immersion, because the problems with plexes (speed-tanking Vigils, anyone?) really disrupt this feeling.

I also want to see the CSM continue to address faction standings recovery so that players can align with the so-called “pirate factions” even after having run missions for some time. Note that I don’t think that CCP should make it easy, just possible.

And of course the CSM needs to keep an open dialogue with CCP on Incarna (ambulation / “walking in stations”). We’ve started to hear that it should come in a 2010 release, but we need to understand this vastly increased scope, what it will mean, and how it will grow the player base and allow us to inhabit New Eden more fully.

Mechanics

Of course, I love the game itself of EVE Online, too. In addition to the FW mechanics I mentioned, we need further low-sec upgrades, perhaps a scaled-down version of  the nullsec changes coming in Dominion or more. Moving level 4 agent missions to low-sec might play a part in this, but the fixes to low-sec should encompass much more. I don’t have all the answers, but I want CSM members who understand the issues and believe in the value that low-sec space can bring to EVE.

In general, I want CSM members who believe in boosting over nerfing. For example, rather than nerfing ECM and jamming, let’s see target painting get upgrades. As players come forward with reasonable arguments about what doesn’t work, fix those things rather than bring down the competition. We want to feel awesome, not mundane.

I’d like to see the CSM push for more ship types, both factional and T2. Factional battlecruisers, another class of T2 destroyers, and something based on the tier 3 battleships  (a glaring hole). EVE has tremendous variety in the sandbox, but I want to see more.

So who will stand?

Image credits Bruno Postle, arnaud bertrande, and tim_d via Flickr

Related posts:

  1. CSM 3 Meeting Minutes
  2. CSM May 2011 analysis
  3. CSM Emergency Summit Wrap-up
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  • http://johnamenta.blogspot.com/ jamenta

    Love that first PIC. Like a fish bowl meeting table. Nice.

  • http://johnamenta.blogspot.com/ jamenta

    Love that first PIC. Like a fish bowl meeting table. Nice.

  • http://podlogs.com/mikeazariah/ mikeazariah

    I think you did well on a few points of the wishlist but I do disagree with one of them. Asking for more info on the Incarna is asking CCP to make promises before they are sure that they can deliver on them. Any CSM candidate who promises to get that sort of thing is either blowing smoke up your ass or has a very distorted view of what the CSM powers/duties are.

    I firmly am on your side when it comes to having player actions forming shifts within the structure of the game. But if one side won the faction wars would you have them then able to turn and eye another faction then another until one race ruled all of Empire?

    I am running for the CSM (if the application goes through properly) and I am trying to keep the balance. We want new things, yes. But NOT to the point of breaking the game we are already playing.

    I don’t like seeing ships nerfed anymore than anybody else does. I prefer to see ships like the Destroyers revisted and revised to become valuable assets once again.

    As for the Faction shifts. Personally I think for the Factions like Pirates the phrase “money talks” would be applicable. But some new types of faction quests would be a welcome change. CCP has already started that with the repeatable epic quests and I would like to encourage them to do more of these, ones that have paths leading into low and nullsec with commensurate rewards.

    To sum up. I agree and hope that CSM candidates win who want a better game, but not at the cost of balance. Ones who are trying to help make a game that continues to grow and prosper.

    Not ones for whom this is an exercise in vanity or a chance to show off how much pull their corp/alliance has.

    mike

  • http://podlogs.com/mikeazariah/ mikeazariah

    I think you did well on a few points of the wishlist but I do disagree with one of them. Asking for more info on the Incarna is asking CCP to make promises before they are sure that they can deliver on them. Any CSM candidate who promises to get that sort of thing is either blowing smoke up your ass or has a very distorted view of what the CSM powers/duties are.

    I firmly am on your side when it comes to having player actions forming shifts within the structure of the game. But if one side won the faction wars would you have them then able to turn and eye another faction then another until one race ruled all of Empire?

    I am running for the CSM (if the application goes through properly) and I am trying to keep the balance. We want new things, yes. But NOT to the point of breaking the game we are already playing.

    I don’t like seeing ships nerfed anymore than anybody else does. I prefer to see ships like the Destroyers revisted and revised to become valuable assets once again.

    As for the Faction shifts. Personally I think for the Factions like Pirates the phrase “money talks” would be applicable. But some new types of faction quests would be a welcome change. CCP has already started that with the repeatable epic quests and I would like to encourage them to do more of these, ones that have paths leading into low and nullsec with commensurate rewards.

    To sum up. I agree and hope that CSM candidates win who want a better game, but not at the cost of balance. Ones who are trying to help make a game that continues to grow and prosper.

    Not ones for whom this is an exercise in vanity or a chance to show off how much pull their corp/alliance has.

    mike