Player and developer interaction in EVE Online

by James Egan on Aug 9th 2008 5:30PM

Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion

MMOs are constantly evolving games, from their earliest days as they're conceptualized to their final days when the servers shut down, forever. They evolve throughout their lifespan because they must. Players naturally pick up on ways to use the ever-changing game mechanics to best suit them, prompting the devs to either brand these tactics as an exploit or targeting them for rebalancing in a future patch. A case in point is the impending speed nerf in EVE Online, which is one of the biggest issues currently debated by EVE pilots.

But do players have the right to be this angry when the developers change the game? Jim Rossignol argues this point in "EVE Online and the Big Nerf": "EVE is basically a ongoing symbiotic process... perhaps this means the developer has to make some unpopular decisions for the good of the process as a whole. The relationship between player and developer is not one of equals, nor is it always at its best when it is entirely amiable." Do you agree with Rossignol on this -- and does paying that $15 a month entitle MMO players to pressure devs to change the game to fit their playstyle, or should MMO developers keep the game balanced as they see fit?

Source

Tags: balance, ccp, ccp-games, dev, developer, eve, eve-online, game-mechanics, jim-rossignol, nerf, opinion, pvp, rockpapershotgun, sci-fi, speed, speed-nerf, sub, subscription

Reader Comments (2)

This is nothing new, the speed issue has roots back to eves second year, i have posts about it back that far discussing it.
Simply said, the devs have known about this from day one and watched it get out of hand.

Now with changes coming some do not like it, no big surprise there. As for players complaining about devs making adjustments to their mmo the players have only to leave to let the devs know how they feel, as i did a couple years and change back, though for different reasons.

The devs made the mmo, they can do ANYTHING they so choose, its the player leaving that will send the message as to how far the devs can go in any instance, simply a fact of life. of course if you are addicted and cant walk away from your toon regardless of time invested, thats your fault, and if so, you will need to learn to adjust as the devs make changes, and just smile, and be happy.

"does paying that $15 a month entitle MMO players to pressure devs to change the game to fit their playstyle, or should MMO developers keep the game balanced as they see fit?"

I don't care what some may say, but paying $15/month does *not* entitle you to think a game should be tailored to fit your desires.

It's their design, their work, their vision. If you don't like it, vote with your wallet and stop paying for it.