One of the principal ways Goonswarm gained such large influence over EVE and even managed to break down the proverbial doors in other games is the fact that they have small group of intelligence officers who gather intel on targets, look for weaknesses and engage in subversive action when required. Speaking from EVE experience they took down Band of Brothers via the GIA ( this group, they call it in EVE The Goonfleet Intelligence Agency ) without ever firing a shot ( this is a confirmed action by both Goons, BoB and the respective turncoat https://truestories.eveonline.com/t...-his-regards-disbanding-band-of-brothers.html ), they weakened and absorbed at least one alliance via GIA black ops ( the alliance in question had serious leadership issues and was thus an easy mark and offered Goons a few extra extremely valuable moons, back then), the fall of TEST can also be partially attributed to GIA sabotage ( personal hunch: the current civil war between dreddit and fweddit is their handiwork as dissention in TEST prior to the war was almost nonexistent by all signs) and at least in Age of Wushu it was also active gathering intel on the game's weaknesses and of potential adversaries.
http://www.shacknews.com/article/48596/eve-online-spy-game
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/games/88121-metagaming-in-eve
So keep an eye out not for people trying to change the game, goons never do that unless they are really at a disadvantage and I rather doubt FD would pop the limiter of instances so fat chance of that, but those trying to sow dissent or mistrust. Even old faces could be up to something and no this level of meta is unfortunately unavoidable since both goons and (d)reddit started practicing it, all you can do is be aware of it and not fall into the those ploys (all this thread is meant to inform as launch approaches and I have noticed oddly familiar tendencies amongst some of the rather outspoken outliers of the community).
PS: GIA lack of effectiveness is why Goons hate taking on groups with a strong collective identity such as groups with strong real world ties (friends or share cultural heritage, Goons proactively avoid areas where Romanians or Hungarians are active in EVE for example) or a long standing base in the respective game ( CVA in EVE ). So yes this is one way to beat their meta: a good list of trustworthy friends.
http://www.shacknews.com/article/48596/eve-online-spy-game
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/games/88121-metagaming-in-eve
So keep an eye out not for people trying to change the game, goons never do that unless they are really at a disadvantage and I rather doubt FD would pop the limiter of instances so fat chance of that, but those trying to sow dissent or mistrust. Even old faces could be up to something and no this level of meta is unfortunately unavoidable since both goons and (d)reddit started practicing it, all you can do is be aware of it and not fall into the those ploys (all this thread is meant to inform as launch approaches and I have noticed oddly familiar tendencies amongst some of the rather outspoken outliers of the community).
PS: GIA lack of effectiveness is why Goons hate taking on groups with a strong collective identity such as groups with strong real world ties (friends or share cultural heritage, Goons proactively avoid areas where Romanians or Hungarians are active in EVE for example) or a long standing base in the respective game ( CVA in EVE ). So yes this is one way to beat their meta: a good list of trustworthy friends.
