Donnerstag, 25. Oktober 2012

Blogbanter 40: Interstellar Blood Sports

CCP Phantom has suggested a banter focus on competitive tournaments:

There is no finer spectacle in the universe of EVE Online than the explosive dance of weapon-laden spaceships in combat. The yearly Alliance Tournament is the jewel in EVE Online's eSports crown and the upcoming New Eden Open should deliver the same gladiatorial entertainment showcase.

Given the scope of the sandbox, what part should eSports play in EVE Online and what other formats could provide internet spaceship entertainment for spectators and participants alike?

My opinion on that is very simple:
eSports does not fit into the "normal" operation of our Sandbox at all. Tournaments can be done, they are fun to watch too. Maybe some lore can be written that even gives tournaments a background, so they are not so detached from every day life in Eve. Something around the lines of gladiator fights. Or an actual selection process for being allowed to switch from a mere mortal being to a capsuleer.
But even if this is done, tournaments are clearly not something everyone can participate in. There are huge barriers and one K.O. criteria that ends every aspiring young gladiators hopes at once and for all: Skills. As in training queue. You won't be able to compete, unless you wait several years to build up your skills. Or you buy a character in the character bazar. Both not really an option for everyone.

Conclusion: if eSports and tournaments shall be established, they don't fit into our sandbox. It should be on a separate server, where everyone has the same skillset. And competing should not require ISK.
Everything else would only be "for the select few". Which are exactly that: few. And thus there would be no real competition.

9 Kommentare:

  1. Thank you. And also thank you for being my very first commenter :)

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  2. Ahah u are welcome m8, anyway i have add your blog to my own, hoping be capsule friends ;).

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  3. I disagree.

    I have an alt that is about half a year old. I have it for some "stuff", where my main would be a little too obvious / dangerous looking with his age of five years.

    But this alt isn't really less dangerous in the ship that I use than my main. He can fly Gallente frigates (no, not for fw farming) nearly as good as my main with the tenth part of the training time. No value is more than 10% worse than the main's skills. This small difference can easily be mitigated with fittings and tactics.

    The reasons are simple:
    - There is a dimishing return in improvement over training time, since the time needed per level increased exponentially. Easy to get to level 4, loooong time for that last 2% on level 5.
    - There is only a limited number of skills that influence the performance of a single ship.
    - There are only 5 levels of each skills. At some point you are done training.

    The difference between my main and my alt is that my main shows the same proficiency skillwise in his Abaddon, Vagabond or Orca. The alt is pretty much a one trick pony with good basic skills and starts now to spread out to other ship types.

    I'm pretty sure that I would get my ass handed to me by players with far less skill points, if I find time to attend the Tusker Frigate FFA, cause there will be quite a few younger players with more and fresher combat experience than me.

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    1. Thanks for the detailed answer. Of course you have a valid point there.
      When focussing on frigates, a new player can soon be competitive in that shiptype. If he focusses, what really new players very often don't do. At least I did not on my first account :)

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    2. And we are still talking about half a year, which is still a lot in modern eSports.

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  4. Jokus a sandbox will never be fair enought for a pro tournament.
    Where there is items, money, skill/levels you always have ad advantage or not.
    The very fair tournament is like QUAKE, all the same player, armor, weapons etc...only skill.

    Want make it on EVE?
    - server tournament only
    - all characters with maximum skills and ships/items free

    easy, you pay tournament fee, you make your team and show us your skill (setup and playstyle).

    that's all :)

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