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Column: Crouching Industrialist Hidden Badger

Published on 07. Nov, 2008 ... written by Zerg Rushkeke.

by Zerg Rushkeke … After months of skill training for my Covert Ops stuff and being out of the country I am back. I apologize for the long absence and when I heard that cloaking badgers were on the way I had to hurry back (well not really but cool none the less). The next update will open up some doors for industrialists and will make it easier to move stuff while also being just plan cool. While gate camps and blobs will still be a problem this update defiantly doesn’t hurt.

I am actually surprised that they didn’t do this earlier. I mean come on blockade running reminds me of smuggling in Star Wars. You know…Harrison Ford (back when he was a good actor) and the ultimate co-pilot Chewbacca evading the baddies in asteroid belts … well just add in cloaking and the like. Moving stuff around 0.0, low-sec and empire will be easier now with the addition of cloaking. While I don’t know the specifics it definitely sounds awesome. They are adding another industrial capital ship (or whatever it is) which I know nothing about … nor do I care but hey doesn’t hurt.

So what should they put in the next update? Or does everyone else know except for me? Ambulation should be on its way and may well be the future but it better be good. They should add more ship classes and frigates for the heck of it. I remember hearing this on the eve forums and if anyone wants to elaborate go ahead. Maybe like a corvette class or something. It would be stuck between the frigate and cruiser classes but could be a cheap and effective solution. You could get five or six of them and rip up a cruiser or two and then warp away. It would be slower than most frigates but faster than a cruiser with some pretty good firepower to where it could hold its own against cruisers. How about a cheap blockade runner? Supped (spelling?) up Probe meant for gate running and getting to point b with some important cargo. It wouldn’t be as durable as a runner or have the cargo space but it would be a cheap cost effective solution. I can’t think of any more at the moment but I am sure someone has. Well time to go sneak around in 0.0 with my new Buzzard and sit back with some food. Ciao.

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Column: The Other Side of EVE Online

Published on 25. Sep, 2008 ... written by Zerg Rushkeke.

by Zerg Rushkeke … You can visit the EVE Online forums and within just seconds you can find something about Macro mining, piracy, ISK laundering and basically everything that you can imagine. While these do have negative side effects and are definitely problems EVE is supposed to be a giant sandbox, a universe, for you to play in and as with everything there is a dark side.

While CCP doesn’t have the usual futuristic science fiction crime types such as smuggling, slaving (the history of EVE is full of slavery especially the Amarr and Minmatar) and general black market activities why wouldn’t Macro mining, piracy, ISK laundering / selling and extortion be considered game mechanics? This may heavily offend someone but this is just a theory. If CCP really wanted to destroy the MM business they could since they invented the game and well they have the capability. No matter how many people bitch and complain they still won’t do anything major because it provides an antagonist. Everything needs a protagonist and in order to be a protagonist you need an antagonist.

EVE needs to have a dark side for many reasons. First to separate it from other MMO’s, two to provide an antagonist, and three to make it more interesting. With Ambulation on the horizon I can’t personally wait to open up a club full of exotic dancers that I have smuggled in and do business with shady people in corners of giant space stations. Maybe it won’t be as cool but it certainly won’t be dull. Another question dawned on me while flying down a hill on my Cervelo P3C TT bike in full Lampre kit at around 45 MPH. Why doesn’t CCP expand the black market and make it a viable game mechanic? Think about it. It’s the future. It’s in space. Concord can only do so much. In the modern world we have syndicates such as the Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta and more traditional organized crime families such as the perennial Cosa Nostra (never use La in front of Cosa), Yakuza, Triad and even the Drug Cartels doing dirty business. EVE should have a thriving black market like it says it has in the fiction. Wouldn’t that be interesting? Picture this: Ambulation has been out for sometime now and you enter the station.

You see thousands of other pod pilots walking around unaware of what you are doing. You have smuggled lets say…neural boosters or some high grade narcotics onboard and a “client” is waiting for you. You never know who they are. The client could be working for a powerful syndicate, he might be undercover, or heck he may even be a goon. You can make some serious ISK off of this deal and its better than mining for hours at a time. Even though sitting back with some Baglio di Pianetto (a great Sicilian wine for you non-Italians) and music passes the time it gets boring looking at the same asteroids over and over again. I would much rather be working the slave trade or selling undercut arms to corporations then collecting rocks for hours at time while drunkenly watching the pathetic lasers from a pirate frigate bounce off the hull of my giant sexy Badger II at 3:00 on a Monday morning. Some will argue about “ethics”. This is a game people. This is a way for you to live out your dark fantasies without having to worry about Officer Friendly getting extra friendly with you.

People have been fascinated with the darker side of life and it’s the same with games. Maybe if CCP implemented the black market and slavery mechanics then the whole MM and ISK Laundering business would falter? It certainly wouldn’t hurt the game it would make it more interesting and probably get more people to play it. For now though we have to settle for the old farming and griefing arguments but maybe in the future it will be different.

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