BB60 - They're CCP, They March on Fearlessly.

Welcome to the continuing monthly EVE Blog Banters and our 60th edition! For more details about what the blog banters are visit the Blog Banter page.

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Jakob Anedalle of Jakob's Eve Checklist blog asks:

With Phoebe about to land, CSM Minutes now out, and more of CCP Seagull's vision from Eve Vegas it appears CCP has a bold roadmap, is making big changes, and is willing to take a hit in the short term to see it through. What do you see as the measurable signs that will tell us that they've succeeded? What outcome will we see as players? Is it concurrent player count or something else?

-o0o-

The title of my post is obviously taken from the song HTFU. This is apt I feel given that, despite howls of doom and gloom from the player-base, CCP have pressed on with the long-distance travel changes. Of course the "player-base" here being the very vocal forum users. 

However, is CCP taking the chance of a short-term hit in implementing these changes?

I'm going to say... Yes.

I would think that many super-capital and cyno alt accounts will go dormant as the Phoebe-era takes hold. Super capitals are more likely to be used in defense rather than attack. Players may stop their sub and only re-sub when their sov is threatened. This could lead to a reduction in alt accounts with super capitals and cynos mothballed.

Entities like PL will not be be affected same degree as the larger sov-holding alliances. However there may be less of a need of multiple cyno alts for people like PL.

So yes, CCP is likely to have less subs in the short term as a result of these changes.

However, CCP is gambling on the long term and more alliances taking space in null-sec. Get more players interacting and claiming their 'home patch'. They want more long-term players, a more dynamic null sec.

The question asked is what will be the measure of success. Peak concurrent player count? Its not the best, but as I see it, it is a good measure of the health of the game. It was highlighted on Twitter earlier today that yesterday, Sunday the 2nd, the count was up 3000 on the previous week. Personally I think the reason for this is the last chance to move before Phoebe hits. That was pretty much confirmed by my CFC colleague here in the office. The temporary blue status that many of the blocs have with each other runs out at downtown tomorrow. So yesterday was the last weekend day before these temporary standings are reset and travelling in a carrier becomes much more of a ball-ache. My mate here was helping one of his corp mates move regions as the CFC has abandoned Delve and the southwest as a whole, meaning those CFC's pilots based there need to be moved before tomorrow.

"It was mad. On one station in our chain of four jumps you had four cynos lit at the same time by four different entities all usually red to each other. Nobody was shooting, nobody was firing, nobody was bumping. I saw 15 jump freighters and probably the same in carriers in a matter of minutes. It was surreal. No aggression just dozens of players moving."

The real measure will be in a few weeks when the dust settles. Will CCP's gamble pay off? Will compressing the alliances into smaller pockets of space and making long distance travel a PITA lead to more subs in the long run or less as people don't need the extra alts?

For me there will be two measures.

Peak concurrent player count must always be one of the indicators. Whilst its not accurate, I myself usually have one toon on but I could have up to four, it is the best benchmark of the state of the game.

However for me personally, flying around Black Rise, the volume of "StS" is king.

What is StS? Well, that is "Ships To Shoot" obviously!