Rubicon: The Bitter Vet view...

Interesting name for an Eve expansion. Has absolutely nothing to do with the current Eve lore that I can figure out but one that they went with regardless. I wonder if the CSM gave the green light for that also :-P Anyways, I figures I would give you my corps view on the 20th free expansion of Eve online. These are the current top 6 things

1. Control Hi-Sec Customs Offices
   This is just going to be a HUGE ISK sink that Dr. EOG has been looking for. How do I know this? Well the good Dr and I spoke about 2 things while I was at fanfest. One was PLEX, which is a whole different story and PoCo's which I am covering now.
   
   Here is a quick spreadsheet for you and no I am not in favor of this. This is just making NULL sec mechanics on Sovereignty control through a new mechanic. MORE forced Pew Pew and needless griefing.
   
   Thanks CCP Soundwaffle.
   
   

   Empire Sovereignty Listing	# of planets
   Amarr Empire
   Aridia	80
   The Bleak Lands	35
   Devoid	52
   Domain	192
   Genesis	103
   Kador	85
   Kor-Azor	61
   Tash-Murkon	103
   Ammatar Mandate
   Derelik	118
   Caldari State
   The Citadel	86
   The Forge	93
   Lonetrek	98
   Black Rise	49
   Gallente Federation
   Essence	67
   Everyshore	54
   Placid	71
   Sinq Laison	109
   Solitude	43
   Verge Vendor	44
   Khanid Kingdom
   Khanid	84
   Minmatar Republic
   Heimatar	83
   Metropolis	159
   Molden Heath	38
   Total Empire Planets (includes high sec and low sec planets)	1907

   
   
   Estimated value is $190,700,000,000 which I based off the 100 million ISK figure I came up with for the Gantry and upgrades. Is is exact? No. Will it do for this illustration? Yes.
2. Deploy Mobile Structures
   To early to tell on these. To me this seems like the new version of player controlled modular POS's that were spoken of before with several of the mods. I think I am right on this and God only knows why they are putting this "spin" on them. Either way I think they are a good idea in theory but we will see how it shakes out in game.
   
   
3. Sisters of EVE Faction Ships
   All I can say about this is JOYGASM!
   
   
4. Ship Re-balancing
   More of the "Same old, same old" ship tierside. I am one of the few I believe that thinks that this was NEEDLESS work. Eve was fine for the first decade with everything the way it was. There was lore to support the ships they way they were and I was fine with that. Changing things for the sake of changing them is pointless.
   
   
5. Guerilla-style Warfare Support
   Some of the ship speed changes and additions are things that SHOULD of been in the game from day one. This should have been added to a POINT release much earlier then this and not in a major release.
   
   
6. Interbus Ship Identification System
   This is how the certificate system SHOULD of been introduced to us. This is a very good step in the right direction for new players. Who ever got this into the game finally is a DEV that CCP should thank over and over again. THESE are the kind of changes that give the new player experience the life that it needs.
   
   Now for us bitter vets I don't see it really doing a damn thing but then again it is not all about me now is it?
   

How to tell when the CSM is overstepping their bounds...

Hello fellow Eve online Lurkers...

Here is a topic that really gets me on my soapbox and wants to fire up my ranting to whole new levels. Let me quote the latest one from Jesters Trek that has inspired today's blog.

• So I quietly watched the F&I thread about the links and mind-links and waited for it to explode into a threadnaught, which didn't really happen.  CCP Fozzie dev-blogged about it, still no threadnaught.  Here's a little secret: the CSM's influence is cut by about half to two-thirds when there's no player revolution behind it.  I nudged forward the industrial rebalancing because I helped create, guide, and shape player reactions to the first pass of those rebalances.  But if there was going to be a revolution on this topic, I wasn't gonna be the one leading it.

 Are you kidding me?!? This is the latest in about a dozen blogs from Jester about how he has help "CREATE, GUIDE and SHAPE PLAYER REACTIONS to what he thinks his vision of Eve should be. Not the majority of Eve players but his alone.

This was even more obvious when he was talking to us about how all of the Reasonable Things was being viewed by CCP and left out all of the industrial information. That information was later taken up by Unforgiven Storm as he championed what Jester intentionally left out.

Now this is a topic that has been covered since CSM1. So you have 8 different groups of people that has lists of what the players want to see fixed in game. Why is it that year after year, CSM after CSM that there are items on these lists that are just not taken to CCP for them to address?

You can find current information for this year found here:]

 Eve Online: CSM Guest Blog “Reasonable Things” Crowdsourcing

and past information here:
August 2010 Prioritization Crowdsourcing (CSM)

You can go back further and further if your so inclined :-)

I believe that I am starting to regret voting for Jester and some of the other CSM members. Jester was my first choice and that is turning out to be a mistake. I did NOT vote for Unforgiven Storm and I am now thinking I should of. Eve is a very hard game both inside and out. It is both why I play it and also why it is giving me a huge headache like right now

Things ROCK MELTER is not happy with:

1. CSM8
2. Odyssey expansion (all point repelases)
3. Ship Tierside
4. Loss of Lore
5. Removal of Beta features
6. Lack of Beta promises
7. Current CCP Devs taking credit for past Devs ideas and works.

Your guys have any insight for me?