The Ties That Bind 0.0 - Monetization of Fear

For those who don't know me I'm not a polished writer, I use to mercilessly troll CFC pilots, and from year to year I drop a Null Sec (0.0) focused blog poast so I'm cutting it close here. My poasts are usually a mixed bag of observations, questions, and discussion points designed mostly to help the English speaking 0.0 pilots (new and old) navigate the cesspool they "love" playing in. My poasts are usually a rough ride so you might need to re-read a few parts to piece my point together so I apologize in advance. All I ask is you leave your jaded in game 0.0 identity at the door and simply read this article as an EVE subscriber who spends your priceless free time "playing EVE", in one form or another, out in 0.0.

Historically EVE is known around the world for attracting smart, deceitful, aggressive, passionate, and creative people. I believe those players still exist in 0.0 but for "reasons", like salad dressing, has separated into its basic ingredients due to limited use.

With that said I'm going to set the table with a few common 0.0 quotes, along with their meaning, which could accurately describe todays 0.0 line pilots view of things:

• "EVE is more fun to talk about, than to play" (Because insert political reason here)

• "You win EVE by not logging in" (Aka fed up with the bull shit meta popularity pageant being more important than in game content)

• "Make playing EVE so miserable that they don't log in" (But that's just my in game roll-playing persona?)

• "We're not here to ruin the game, just your game" (You guys are dicks for not supporting a propaganda book about rubbing your face in shit)

• "I would cut of my nose to spite my face" (At this point I would rather let EVE die than let them take my stuff) took liberties with this one cuz it fits so well.

And my favorite - "The individual is smart but the mob is dumb"...., lazy, gullible, simple, and a heard of Kool-Aid drinking lemmings.........or are they???

For this game being known for attracting such smart players, why do the above statements seem to accurately describe many of todays 0.0 line pilots view of things and in many cases, CFC pilots? Why do so many CFC line pilots seem to accept these statements as the way 0.0 is and will be? Is it because TheMittani put limitless effort into jamming a "it's us against them" vitriolic narrative down their throats in order to create, and keep, a hate narrative running high among the line pilot player base yet does nothing to ever ease the tension and divide this creates. Instead the line pilot see their leader partying, twitching, and podcasting with the "enemies" while the line pilot is kept on a digi tight leash wondering what amount of in or out of game interactions with "our enemies" will cost them everything they've worked so hard to accomplish in game.

As much as none of us would want to admit it, the ties that bind us all is fear. Fear of crossing a arbitrary line and losing everything we have in, and possibly out, of this game.

• It's the fear that the socially awkward players have of losing the specific corp friends they've made around the world, who they may never meet in RL, but they have more of a connection on comms than many people they know out of game.

• It's the fear that the disabled (physically, mentally, etc.) players have of losing the support network that now resides within the walls of their own residence. Help is now a com click away where they get to laugh, joke, toast, enjoy movies, shows, and football games with their friends.

• It's the fear that the hard working "9to5" players have of losing pixel assets they've spent years of their free time behind a computer screen accruing, 9to5 money buying, or a combination of the two.

• It's the fear that the "EVE famous" players have of losing what makes them feel relevant in real life. For most of them they've reached the "cool kid" status we knew back in high school and this identity has become the soft foundation on which they have moved their RL self worth on to. These are the ones who fear TheMittani the most, need the status quo to remain, and will be the most aggressive to stop any change they don't control.

There are probably a few more categories but I think you get my point, can probably relate to one, and at the end of the day fear was at the root of the shit show which exploded across forums, podcasts, blogs, twitter, and websites this past week. The rage over someone monetizing players fears while holding them hostage has been building for years now but could not be clearly seen until the right combination of trolling unleash the beast.

This combination culminated with literally hundreds of EVE players fighting it out on Reddit in what I think ended up being a more important war than the Halloween or Fountain wars combined. First act was TheMittans propaganda book shitting its pants, next was Endies planned leak with Xander to get the ball rolling, then someone pushes Sion on stage to say something stupid, an internal PL fart goes off over money & coding, Mittanis long term extortion plan of the player base with Viceroys gets thrown on stage like a rubber chicken, and finally the show ends with the old TMC chief editor and new TMC chief editor having a purse fight between two threads. Meanwhile in game...... nothing of note for years now.

So troll or no troll what are EVE subscribers so bull shit about? Being led into another RMT circle jerk? Maybe some but I couldn't help but think their rage was about something else, something they were having a hard time articulating. For me the pieces of the forum rage wreckage weren't in the right order until I stepped back a bit and looked at it from another angle.......that of fear....and it started to take shape.

It starts with a head on collision with the fact that TheMittani makes a living in real life off the EVE player base in general. Whiplash occurs about the time you realize that the continued monetization of the entire 0.0 player base relies on the political status quo remaining stable and unchanged. As you recover you're then blindsided by the fact that the growth and continued success of this approach requires there be little to no risk ever taken, a overwhelming military response to negative change always at the ready, and a fabricated tribal vision of a "us against them" threat always said to be looming. Add one of the fears listed above and, again, the thing that's pissing the EVE community off is the tie TheMittani uses to bind us is our fear and he's been monetizing our fears for many years now. It's not "just a game"...it's an out of game business for TheMittani.

To elaborate on a legitimate fear of some EVE subscribers with characters in the CFC I would like to say to anyone who hasn't been evicted from null sec, its a fuck show you never to want to repeat. Lost assets, wasted time, as it takes a toll on your real life trying to hit alarm clock evac windows so you can get your shit out. In short its what historically killed Alliances, dissolved Corps, caused FCs to leave the game, and many pilots to never log in again. With that said many of the Alliance/Corp leaders who make up the CFC coalition have experienced this and the current status quo (because of this fear) ends up being the safest place for them to hole up in. Any who show signs of dissent know what will be coming.....

"Purge Dissent Quietly: Alliances are essentially dictatorial military organizations; those that are not tend to get crushed and eliminated by those who are. Organizations which allow completely open dissent invite disaster, as EVE is a game with a vibrant espionage metagame and sowing agent provocateurs to agitate against alliance leadership is a common tactic. Perhaps more dangerous than a hostile agent is the risk of former players who have become disenchanted with the game itself actively proselytizing about how your active players should quit EVE. In either case, dissent must be handled carefully; overt censorship or oppression invites further and louder opposition. It is wiser to simply eliminate the source of dissent - a ban or a kick - without any overt public demonstration or acknowledgement. Disappear them" - http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/88

For those not in the CFC coalition you have at one time probably been tossed out of 0.0, don't want to deal with the cock sucking it takes these days to hold 0.0 SOV, but are now presented with a seemingly impenetrable wall over which "big content" now hides beyond reach. This is a frustrating position to be in when you're logging into a video game in which wars are the very foundation of which its been advertised, written about, and promoted for over 10 years now. It's bazar to think that the majority of the English speaking 0.0 player base you use to fight epic battles against are now saying they are "content" to simply not fight and make fun of you for wanting to.


So with all that said - If TheMittani was to be "disappeared" by the EVE 0.0 community what would change for the better? What would get worse?


This game use to be known for its player base being the most ruthless community of bastards ever to play an MMO but as we gained more friends and wealth we became more fearful of losing what we had inside and out of the game. This fear has been monetized and will continue to print money as long as you let it. CCP is giving 0.0 an enema with all new game changing features such as Citadel "Asset Safety Mechanics" so they're doing their job to adjust the fear factor of the game so why don't you folks do yours? Take this opportunity to reclaim your game, be the ruthless bastards, spy masters, or politicians you subscribed to this game to be.

Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness. - Wikipedia


Anywhoo.....I've always thought the situation in 0.0 was strange until this past week so it was nice to finally put an accurate description to it. Thanks to all you Reddit poasters down there and here's me sending all of you a tiny spark of hope and love on angels wings :))

SS

The Null Sec ~Cold War~........Really?

So I was chatting with the crew of the Podside Podcast the other night and after the show I had a few questions that I wanted to throw out to the EVE Null Sec community if you had a moment to respond:

The Set up: The way it’s been explained to me is that the Goon Swarm Federation (GSF) Coalition only exists because of the threat PL and NCDot pose to the GSF. Because of this GSF decided to surrounded themselves with a thick insulating layer of Alliances who have bought into the GSF narrative that PL/NCDot are Null Sec Bogeymen and that all these Alliances need GSF to survive. Meanwhile GSF has been the real threat to their survival by slowly poaching these pet Alliances of their good pilots to keep them weak and reliant on GSF to survive.

Fall out has been half (if not more) of 0.0 is log jammed into a Coalition that’s told by The Mittani where, when, who, and most importantly “why” he is letting them enter into video game combat….

Question 1: If PL/NCDot did not pose a threat to the SOV/income safety of the GSF Coalition pet Alliances, would there be a need for this coalition?

Question 2: If PL/NCDot were to offer a one year NIP to all the pet GSF Coalition Alliances so these Alliances could extract themselves from the GSF “Services” crack pipe, would they accept it?

Question 3: Would it help if PL/NCDot were to agree that during the one year NIP they would apply pressure on GSF space so as to allow the recovering Alliances to shore up their borders, infrastructure, and space?

Question 4: Does GSF have their hooks (services and spies) so deep into all these pet Alliances that there is actually no way out for them?

Question 5: Will the GSF Coalition go down as one of EVE’s biggest and longest running scams?

Question 6: Are GSF Coalition Alliances more afraid of what GSF will do to them if they decide to leave the Coalition or of what GSF claims PL/NCDot will do to them if they leave?

I ask these questions because it sounds to me like PL/NCDot only pose a threat to GSF and not the other Alliances being used by GSF as a shield. That PL/NCDot are content with the space they control and wouldn’t want to expand beyond what they feel comfortable managing. That they would probably be happy spending the summer kicking in the “Fortress Deklein” door while the Alliances, currently held hostage by GSF, sort things out and become what they’ve always wanted to be, self-sufficient null sec Alliances.

The last GSF Alliance propaganda SOTA piece try’s to create this elaborate illusion that there is some sort of “Cold War” going on. The piece is packed full of scary phrases like “Our foes despise us, and grimly work towards avenging their humiliations”, when in reality The Mittani has simply realized that his house of cards is getting too high and he needs this “Cold War” time to make the final preparations for when it falls………..on top of GSF. He has already played the long-con pilot preparations by slowly poaching all of the good pvp talent from the Coalitions pet Alliances and now needs to put what’s left of them (their industrialists) to work building the SC and Titans that GSF pilots will need to fly when the cards come tumbling down.

Anywhooo…….I was going to stand a top my Hound at one of the western null sec gates, boom box over my head, belting out “what’s wrong with you people!!! Don’t you see what’s been going on?!..........but alas, when they came for Li3 no one spoke up, and when they came for Gents no one spoke up………and when they come for you……….

Fly it like you stole it!!

A Message to a Null Sec Newbie: Propaganda 101

For those new players who’ve never heard of me, I like to chat about the propaganda that surrounds null sec as it makes for some good slap fights in the comment sections but from time to time I like to get ~serious~. This message is to the new’ish players that have joined the game due to the B-R battle, other spectacular events you’ve read about over the last 4-5 months, and who are in the process of being whisked away to the glory of Null Sec. This is sort of a condensed Wiki null sec “survivors guide” to propaganda……from my point of view…so brace yourself…


If you’ve made it out to null sec at this point, look around you, are you in a “Coalition”? If you are, one of the first things you’ll notice is line pilots regurgitating misinformation at each other on comms like they’re all “in the know”. This is simply because they’re being speed fed propaganda which is shoved through the ranks to keep something called the “narrative” tight and the “core agendas”, of the few who currently control null sec, protected and hidden from sight. Like in any form of media, those who can spam propaganda the fastest control the “narrative” and EVE null sec is no different. Their ranks are stuffed with forum warriors who are always at the ready to deflect, undermine, shit up, and derail any attempt to besmirch their dear leader because, if they fail to keep the propaganda wall up, it could mean they themselves have been played as a fool……..and for many this would have been for a very long time. Keep this in mind as you listen to your new corp mates tell you “the way things are out here”……as many of them actually don’t know what they are talking about, they’re just blasting you with regurgitated propaganda.


The majority of null sec “Coalition” pilots are puppets in a null sec game of thrones serving the “core agendas” of null sec which make a handful of people RL money. Do most of us care? No. The way I look at it is most of us go to school or have fulltime jobs which end after an 8 hour shift whereas these guys have a 24hr/365day job managing schemes, lies, maps, contracts, spreadsheets, and verbal blow jobs that would make most foaks run screaming from their computers. If they want to spend the time and effort manipulating people in a video game, so they don’t need to work a real job, they can have at it, seems like too much effort and way too risky to me. Is anyone going to grab pitchforks and demand to see bank accounts etc.? Nope, because it’s pretty fascinating to hear about people who make a living by playing video games (Like FPS’ers) or, in The Martini’s case, by telling people who play the game what to do, no?


So what are these “core agenda RL money makers” that are so viciously guarded behind layers of steel banded propaganda, endless diplomacy, and massive coalitions? Well let’s take a swing at a few of the more obvious ones so you can see what I’m talking about.


The most obvious core agenda RL money maker protected by the CFC coalition is the propaganda website created by The Mitanni of the GSF. The typical CFC pilot would take a bullet in RL to protect The Mittani and the money he makes from his website. The website is a powerful propaganda tool which nets him interviews, exposure in the gaming media, and shapes the identity of the CFC pilot as they drink the narrative from it like one would from a fire hose. What’s the narrative they follow? The narrative that protects the core agenda RL money maker is …….“it’s us against them”. Following this narrative in a video game is simple, easy for the line pilot to understand, and can be directed at a target with little effort. Would these CFC line pilots do the same for their CEO or Alliance? Probably not due to the fact that their in game identity is worth more as a CFC pilot (aka mistaken Goon) than it is as just a (insert name here) Alliance pilot.


The narrative is usually supported by terms such as “Elite pvp’ers” followed by statements such as, “they said they were created to destroy us!”…. This one, for example, got some legs as a pretty good propaganda tool which is still used by the CFC today (PGL: “The entire reason N3 as a coalition was formed was in anticipation of this war”.) This narrative creates the walls in which the soft core agenda is cradled, cranking out RL cash and task after task for the CFC pilot to accomplish. The walls of this agenda are constantly being fortified with the bodies of new players, throwing skill books, ships, special positions, propaganda, and guidance at the new player so he/she is carefully crafted into the next line pilot to defend the RL money making agenda. Now don’t get me wrong, if you can get the benefits from this experience take it since you might as well pad your skills and hanger for free as your making RL money for others.


Another Null Sec core agenda RL money maker is protecting Pandemic Legions “position” in the game. PL use to be the only real threat to CFCs core money making agenda but for the last few years PLs been pinned under the weight of the OTEC agreement and recently castrated by the current BoTLRD agreement, so The Mittanis position at the helm of Null Sec should be safe for a very longtime. These agreements are typically crafted so the two entities can engage in large fleet fight style pillow fights which only risk ships and not how these foaks make their money, being the SOV they control. At this time PL is free to walk away from any war, leaving their downed ally’s on the field of battle, and climb comfortably back into their bath tub of rental isk previously owned by the Russians. If CFC were to lose control of PL the result could be PL and other null sec Alliances getting together to put a serious hurt on the CFC but this is very unlikely to happen. The Mittani is very careful not to target PL outright with CFC propaganda yet typically singles out NCDot as the face of the “enemy”. So who gets the RL cash in PL? Probably a few foaks but we’ve all seen the picture of the Mittani and Shadoo having breakfast in Paris together. No harm, maybe the guy spent his OTEC money running around Australia for the last two months. Looked like a great trip to me!


Then we have the RUS Coalition which has been put in place by the CFC. This relationship has been established as an extension of the CFC to support their control over the null sec core agendas, propaganda machine, and the RUS will effectively always owe the space they control to CFC support. This cash register will keep ringing for years to come..


Well as we move into the next segment of “Null Sec’s getting stagnant!” and you 12,000 new players enter the game, I wanted to clean the slate for you. Let you know where things stand, who benefits through your actions, and a few examples of how. You will be told the enemy are “Elitist!”, they treat new players like shit, scam/grief empire noobs by the hundreds, want to control all of 0.0 with their Super Cap fleets, and they’re hiding under your bed at night……….the last one could be true having been on coms but the rest is typically just a mirror image of what your leaders actually want to accomplish. Null Sec Alliances and Coalitions are the very definition of a pyramid scheme so keep that in mind as you’re death cloning to your new homes. Null sec has been whittled down to just a handful of active great PVP Alliances that are pretty good at the game. Hopefully you get to play the game as long as they have and get to see the great wars like they have.


With all of that said, some of people you meet, if you stick with EVE, will most likely be considered very close friends of yours within a year and will ultimately be the reason you continue to log in. It won’t be the space ships, it will be the pilots you fly with and the chats you have between fleets that keep you logging in. Keep this in mind as the Null Sec narrative spins around you, but remember, it’s been spinning for years and at the end of every web is a wad of cash that’s not going into your hand. Enjoy your time online……..don’t get sucked into the hate and feel free to convo or tweet at me if you have any questions.


Fly dangerously – SS :))

“Fixing Null Sec” – Shut’er down!!

So I was going to start by listing what the problems were with SOV/ Null Sec but if you don’t know already then don’t bother reading any further.  I’m not going to build a case for my thoughts, as they’re pretty self-explanatory if you’ve played the game for a while.  I’m going to only hit on three ideas and then drop a few thoughts along the way.  If anyone has ever worked on a piece of heavy equipment that’s not running correctly anymore you’d know the only way to fix it is to shut it down………Null Sec is no different..

TLDR = Future of Null Sec = No “Sovereignty” and “Freeport” all currently anchored 0.0 stations…….key word… “currently”.  This approach will establish a solid foundation from which to rebuild Null Sec mechanics and allow CCP to actually “tweak” them for years to come without a catastrophic implosion….

Many of you know I’ve been promoting this idea for a while via forums, twitter, etc. and I know it’s not a popular option be it that many Null Sec players for the last 10 years have spent hours shooting structures to “claim” their piece of null sec.  Your efforts will not go wasted so bear with me a bit as this wonderful sense of ownership won’t go away….

So let’s think about this for a few minutes.  Null Sec with a clean SOV slate.……   No more grinding structures, ping ponging timers, alarm clocking, and any other horrendous nightmares you can think of from the last 10 years’ experience.  You can change/impact the Null Sec landscape every time you log in and not be subjected to weeks of structures, timers, camps, and blobs…  CCP wouldn’t be faced with trying to fix something that’s always been broken, to make something else that can be “gamed by the few” and gridlocked again like it is now.  They simply turned it off……..SOV all across 0.0 drops…..and the players take control over the new sandbox….

So what are some of the outcomes to doing this…………SOV goes away effectively turning Null Sec back into the “Lawless Space” it’s always been advertised as…………..Station docking doors are flung wide open across all of Null Sec and 10 years of trapped assets are unlocked for thousands of current, and past, pilots to use again.  Pilots are logging in by the thousands and Null Sec springs back to life.

·         Alliances are no longer pinned under the weight of coalitions in order to “keep their space”………..they simply need to live in, and actively defend it for it to be theirs.

·         Local and regional politics would develop with leaders/war lord’s etc. coming out of the wood works to govern with limited power to hold over players’ heads.

·         Back room deals can be made by the lowest level grunt each day which could drastically impact what happens throughout a constellation or region……stronger relationships are born.

·         Contracts mechanics are developed to support regional trade and local deals.

·         Ninja living in Null Sec could be done by anyone who wanted to take the risk alone, in Corps, Alliances by choice while others hunted them.

·         Grass roots market HUBs and industry in Null Sec would grow to amazing size and use all over null sec….Jita size HUBs policed by Mercs etc………. Mos Isley Space Station etc…

·         And so many other opportunities for player driven content would come to life all around 0.0 as players were free to move where they wanted if they were willing to take the risk and develop the relationships..

So no SOV………all the stations are free ported……….now what?  Where can I plant my Alliance flag?  What will it be?........my thought an “Alliance Capital Station”……destructible……

Alliance Capital Station - Each Alliance can launch one “Capital Station” (Per Region?) which is destructible.  Mechanics of how it’s destructible, timers, and what drops is something CCP/Players can toy with.

Thoughts/options that make it “special”:

·         “Capital Stations” allow for Super Carriers to dock

·         Docking rights can be set in Capital Stations unlike the local free ported stations

·         Super Carrier Construction Upgrade Slots to be added to the Capital Station

·         Anchorable mods on the station, large guns, webs, etc. so gunners can use them and station can defend itself like a POS.

·         Industry upgrades can be added, taxes collected, etc.

·         It takes an Alliance to up keep it……….they take fuel, food, dancers, janitors, cows, booze, drugs, etc to operate/maintain………..or it goes off line..

·         Walking in station upgrades, Licenses granted for such things as Casinos, bars, shops etc…….only available at Alliance Capital Stations………the more come the more isk you make

·         DUST Upgrades to be added later, whatever those are.

Embassy’s – (Its already going on so why not make it official) An Alliance holding a Region with a Capital Station, can secure an “Embassy” in a Free-Ported station in each of the Constellations within the Region held.  The benefits of such an Embassy can be decided as this mechanics are hammered out.  Maybe some sort of benefits to anyone using the station for trade, industry, or whatever which in turn allows the Alliance to tax the goings on in that station etc.

So what about Jump Bridges, Cyno Gens, Jammers, CSAAs, and all the other SOV driven items?  Without getting to fucking complicated, I’m pretty sure most of you guys can figure out how to tie those back into the system without turning 0.0 into the same mess it’s in now. 

Let’s face it, CCP is nowhere near figuring out how to “fix” current Null Sec “SOV” mechanics because there is no way to fix it……….shut it down, put in place mechanics that already exist (stations) and with a few tweaks we could be up and running with a new and fresh Null Sec which will thrive for years to come…

Anyways………..It’s an idea. Build off it or adjust as you think will work better but the simpler the idea more apt it’s going to get implemented by CCP quicker.  You folks that keep coming up with these complicated and intricate ways to “fix” it just stagnate the process and to be honest, I think that’s why you do it…..you don’t want it to change because you’d then actually have to put in “effort” to maintain what you want each day…..

My First "Hot Mess"....

So……what to write…….

My introduction will simply be to listen to a PodCast I did recently and you will know enough about me to navigate the rambling below:

http://www.voicesfromthevoid.net/2012/10/23/vandv-podcast-episode-56/

To be honest I’ve never been one to sit down and crank out a lengthy article about anything since CAOD’s has been my home for so many years now and I’ve gotten use to the “one shot, one kill” poasting requirement.  Lately it’s turned into a “Sheep Shoot” as waves of new poasters stampede towards me baahh’ing the same tired null sec propaganda that keep noobies galloping toward the gates of null sec to be pawns in the 0.0 game of thrones.

To keep this blog simple for me, and you, I’m leaning towards cherry picking posts/comments/propaganda that peaks my interest and commenting on them.  Most of my poasts may be a shit show of random thoughts flitting this way and that so be careful not to hurt yourself and please note that I give no fucks about proper grammar, spelling, or punctuation so proceed with caution..

Today’s hot mess is one which started to coagulate this week when a few comments on the EO forums collided in just the right way where I could not help but ponder the following random thoughts:

Are todays Null Sec Coalition “Alliance Leaders” eunuchs being controlled by Goons, if they live in the North, or PL if they live in the South?

It’s interesting that the player base has settled for the “good old days” being gone where Alliance leaders had a say in what their Alliances did back then. Is it a product of bitter vet burn out? Where the last of the truly “bitter vets”, with big grudges, can’t let go of the control?

I know the propaganda handed out in the Coalition steak and lobster lines is “don’t become a bitter vet” or “Coalitions are the way of the future”…………but is that simply driven by the “remaining bitter vets” not wanting to put the “effort” in like they use to, but not willing to pass on control  / efame to “new leaders”?

Are “bitter vets” coaxing themselves into believing that Alliance warfare is all the thing of the past because most, still playing, have a family and real job at this point and don’t have time to put in the effort like they use to. Because of this they pass along this excuse to the youngsters entering the game since it would be them the new players would be looking toward to put in the effort they once did to keep this game fluid and moving at a fast pace?

Now I know things aren’t going to change but you have to admit it’s interesting to watch it happen and dissect why. Most of the new poasters in CAOD need to defend the “bitter vet” statements and any other “reason” they’ve been given since they have nothing else to compare it to and are always being told Alliance warfare is a thing of the past. If they admit that the Null Sec “End Game” buffet was not as satisfying as they thought, or told, it would be…….they might be admitting to themselves that their time/money has been wasted?

To be honest if I were a new player I might want the quick steak and lobster line also. Back “then” null sec was a place where only the strong survived and you had to carve out a living etc. Now it’s the reverse where Empire is more dangerous since when you lose an asset it means something because you actually worked for it. Null sec these days is risk free sea of blues, cost little to nothing to enter, and if you lose anything its handed back to you with a pat on the head…

The vets these days don’t want to put in the effort but still want to play the game at the top. “Coalitions are the way the game is heading”……….because fighting as Alliances are too dynamic and take too much time to politic and manage which the remaining null sec vet players, holding all the cards these days, don’t have time for.  As time has gone by the “bitter vets” have been grouping up to kill each other off driving each other out of the game and consolidating power.  As this happens the control ring needs to be tightened and therefore the birth of “Coalitions” to be lorded over by the remaining small group of “bitter vets”.

For instance does PL have driven more “bitter vets” from the game than any other Alliance.  Their MO has always been to hide behind a shield of pet Alliances where they can thrust their spear through the ranks for killing blows at will.   At this time they are on what I’m calling their second “King Making” cycle.  They have grabbed another “Out-of-Game Community” and have using them like a shield to control the game without having to put in the effort.  It’s the same approach they use to with another “Out-of-Game Community” (Goons) back 2-3 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice of them to do but don’t pretend it was the “inevitable” way the game was going when it’s simply that there aren’t as many “bitter vets” left and this approach is just easier to control the Null Sec.

Problem I see is that PL has already created one pet “monster” in Goonies which grew up and expanded on the same model insulating themselves with pet Alliances.  Now PL is doing the same thing again with another “Out-of-Game Community” in TEST. Problem I see is they're creating another pet “monster”, friendly to Goons, and Null Sec is too small for two of them which is stagnating.

Typical response from PL is “Another Coalition needs to be cultivated using all the noobies coming in, you need to be friendly and nurturing”. Really? It can't be done unless someone can pull another “Out-of-Game Community” out of their ass to start with, which doesn’t exist in EVE.  Its SA or Reddit, that’s it.  So acting like it’s something that can just be whipped up in a couple months or a year is cute but we all know it’s not going to happen.  So now what?  Wait for the pillow fights to break out?  Someone to shoot the wrong ship so a fake war can break out? DUST514 to start and a “third Coalition” to suddenly spawn?

Anywhoo…….just some thoughts that had been rolling around on my Hounds dash board that I wanted to get on paper today…..