Well put. I totally agree on that sentiment. In fact I have been trying to come up with things that I personally would like to see in a sequel and apart from some superficial things I gotta say current EVE already fulfills a lot of the stuff that players of the genre "crave". I always found EVE impressive and very intimidating because unlike many other games it absolutely
pummels you with its potential and mindblowing scope the further you get into it. Because as you say the "game" itself is just one layer among many. The community is its biggest asset and responsible for its success. CCP merely provided the tools at the time.
Sadly the community also is in part responsible for its limited size. I remember very well how I came late to the party (first log-in 2014) not because I never heard of the game before but because I heard so many stories about player interactions which were epic but also frightening. Even after I started playing I never got "into" the game fully because its reputation and peoples ruthlessness kept me at bay. I realize that this is in part my own responsibility and I dont blame EVE, after all its just a tool for people to use.
EVE aims to simulate real life economics and relationships and same as various industries in our world you dont simply barge into any of it and claim your stake. On top of a successful idea or concept you are absolutely required to have contacts, cultivate relationships to key people and are able to tap into a financial backbone, be it your own money or credit. Becoming successful in todays landscape requires
work and a whole lot of luck (maybe "opportunity" is a better term). And while everybody probably
dreams of being a leader and alpha dog the brutal reality is that most people simply are not...I am one of them.
I dont know about you but personally I cannot say that I
love my work. I do what I do because it allows me to do what I
want to do in my life. It doesnt make me a millionaire but then people tend to blend out all the things actual millionaires have to do or have done in order to become one.
EVE is very much like real life in this regard. You wont become notorious or influencial or important by trying hard. These things, like real life, require certain qualities on your part in addition to opportunity that many people have not. Often aiming for something in life will fundamentally
change you if you dont give up and are willing to do what needs to be done. Personally I refuse to spend my precious free time by buckling under other peoples oppression or letting other people decide how I play or generally let a game have this kind of power over me. Building and maintaining a network of contacts is something I already hate in real life but its one of the things I do because I "have to". I am not going to log into a game to continue doing the things I flee from by logging into games /confusion
Most new players coming to the game are afraid of being killed or exploited without the power to do anything about it. Advice like "the first thing you need to learn is that you WILL die, its just a matter of time" doesnt help and if you dont blatantly lie being frank and truthful will more likely keep new people at bay rather then draw them into the game. Staying alive basically is a proccess. Learning how to do certain things effectively and how to stay out of trouble or how to become "good" at what you do. Pretty much like real life EVE Online is hard work at first and can be very overwhelming to newcomers. Protection comes at the cost of relying on others and most people dont do stuff for free or without reason so you either bribe or kiss buttocks. If you are too proud to do either or have the conviction that you "can make it on your own" (btw...its an illusion, you will always rely on others to succeed at the game) you are going to need a thick hide or a vast tolerance for punishment. Many break or give up before they cut out a piece for themselves. PvP in EVE comes down to domination. Be it over space, resources or simply to vent your frustration and none of these reasons result in any form of fair fight. But real life doesnt care about fairness either. It provides reasons for conflict and so does the game.
So I understand that EVE rewards you more the more you invest and I m not saying I deserve more or are entitled to any form of success. But its the reason why....even tho I still absolutely love the games concept and scope....do not play it actively anymore and probably only scratched the surface when I did. Regular life is filled with enough duties and responsibilities as it is....I dont want these kind of things in my games when all I am looking for is some relaxation. And I am also at an age at which I feel I dont have to prove anything to anybody anymore.
I got a little sidetracked there sorry for the rambling....its what I do
In short I dont see how EVE has become "stale" or "old" requiring a new game because its design makes it up-to-date based on the people who play it. EVE 2 would need to be something completely different in order to surpass its predecessor or make it obsolete. While "Better graphics" are always possible that alone would not justify the development cost nor the purchases (at least not for me) and its hard to imagine a game that offers even more complexity than the current game does.
The news report that CCP was
bought. This is not a partnership at least not one in which CCP is left with any sway or power otherwise it would ve been labled differently. I certainly dont know the details of the contract but if they were bought that means that they have given up many of their rights for money. Be that creative freedom or being able to decide on the course of the game. I am sure the people working at CCP will stay the same but the captain at the rudder has changed. At least thats how I see it. Its hard to say if CCP agreed to this for greed or financial need but personally I took the news with a feeling of dread. After all we are not talking about family or a personal relationship. Its a business transaction and after working for more then 25 years I have learned that companies especially the big ones hold no loyalty ând dont value friendship. Its all about the money and if you let money dictate what you do things usually go downhill. I am willing to be proven differently but these news alone make me think that IF there will ever be a sequel to EVE online it will be a shadow of its former self at best.
