EVE Online changes everything about capital-class ship travel

Possibly one of the largest game changes ever seen. Eve has started to suffer from stagnation in its null-security space operations and politics. After the large $300k+ battle of B-RVRB, many of the large alliances and coalitions settled in to rebuild their massive capital ships. Many of them brokered deals to not attack each other and this has been going on for quite some time. Without high-end targets to go after, those operating large capital fleets get bored and find ways to PvP on lesser well-equipped players with their Titans and supercarriers. This type of PvP has been around for a long time of course, but now it is to the extent that CCP Games has announced highly drastic changes to the way that capital ships and others travel via jump mechanics (teleportation), bridging structures and gate travel. All jump ranges by most capital ships, usually in the 11-15 light year range, will be reset to a 5 light year range in the upcoming Phoebe expansion in early November. This, along with the introduction of fatigue timers, will drastically alter the travel map for very large ships in that old routes between regions will no longer exist for most areas of the galaxy. The player base has been split between being overly-exhilarated and highly-wronged. But all agree, the in-game universe size has been re-writ enormously.

or see this article about the “democracy”

4 years earlier, CCP had commissioned a study into the political state of New Eden, hoping to understand how they could better manage this vast virtual society. The study’s authors argued that the game needed a player-run political body. Eve’s society had evolved past tribal structures into complex social hierarchies. In response, CCP established the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), an invention unique to Eve, the only example of a game-based democratic organisation designed to represent a virtual society. Each year scores of candidates stand for election in 1 of the 14 places on the council. In 2015 there were 75 candidates, drawn from across different areas of space. Just as in real life, candidates come with platforms, create propaganda and muster both in the game and out for votes. 2x a year, CCP flies the successful candidates to their headquarters in Reykjavik for a few days of intensive debate – an audience with the gods, if you will. During that time, the council meets with CCP’s staff and hears about the new features planned for the galaxy’s future. The meetings can be heated and, on more contentious issues, there can be in-fighting between council members. But the council performs a crucial role in bridging the gap between the game’s makers and players. Indeed, after the 2011 riots, CCP called an emergency summit in Iceland for the council. Pétursson admits that the CSM’s advice directly influenced his mea culpa.

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