Band of Brothers fields the largest capital ship fleet in the game. Obviously this provides your alliance with an advantage, but how do you respond to what many players feel is a problem of capital ship proliferation? Do you miss the days before capital ships and POS warfare became the norm?
EVE is ever-changing. It has evolved since the early alpha and beta days to early release, to today's EVE. It will never stop changing, and the players have to evolve with it. You can always say "remember the good old days", but, that's just nostalgia. Evolve or die, adapt or be overcome.
I could say I miss ninja-mining, I could say I miss dura-Mallers, I could say I miss splash damage from torpedoes, I could say I miss the days before POS's were in the game. But all in all, EVE is a larger game, a larger world, a more complex world today than when it started. Changes are a part of your EVE-life. Embrace it.
The most important ship in EVE is not a capital ship; it's the battleship.
The pressure of alliance leadership can, and sometimes does, crush people in EVE -- moreso than in most any other game. But you've been doing this continually since the early days of New Eden. How do you balance this time commitment with work and life outside of New Eden, and how do you cope with the stress?
"As for fame... I really don't care about that part, contrary to popular belief. It's something that comes with being with the best players in the game, and I'd much rather see them getting the recognition they deserve than me." |
For me, EVE is my hobby. I spend my spare time on my favourite hobby, and to be able to not let it get to your regular life, you really have to keep some ground rules. For instance, always remember that it's pixels we are dealing with. Many people get sucked in, in bad ways, and get addicted. The day you can't step away from your computer when dinner is on the table, or when the alarm clock rings, is the day you need to turn off your computer for a month.
I have a high profile job as well, and a career, and mixing those two does not work. I never ever do anything EVE-related at work, I do not use my comm channels at work, nor MSN or anything else where people can get a hold of me while I'm working. These are just my own rules, and it works for me. I do have a life outside of EVE, even if some people call me a bot.
I know some people use SMS networks to call on pilots. We have had a few suggestions like that in BoB as well, and I will never ever allow it. If I'm at my computer, I have time. If I'm not, I don't have time. I will not drop whatever I'm doing to go shoot some pixels. It's a hobby, treat it as such. We do play the game seriously, and we want to be the best at what we do, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything else to do it.
The stress is never stress, as long as we are having fun and enjoying what we do. Remember, it's pixels, relaxation, a hobby. I'm old enough to handle whatever pressure is put on me, and I'm a master at delegating. There's hundreds of people who do things for us and me, and I'm just a small part of it even if it is my name that's thrown around.
What mistakes have you made along the way, and how do you think you've improved over time as an alliance leader?
Over time, I think I have learned to be more patient with people, to listen more to what they say and generally being more of a listener than an evil dictator. My biggest mistakes would probably be trying to do everything myself, instead of trusting others to help... I've learned that lesson though.
A great deal of strategic thinking drives any strong alliance or coalition in New Eden, and you've established yourself as the puppet master of what is arguably the most destructive fighting force currently assembled in the game. Is EVE mostly an elaborate behind-the-scenes chess game to you at this point, or can you still find enjoyment in the game simply as a player?
"We are the big bad bully that everyone loves to hate. The nemesis of so many who keep on playing just to try and make us bleed." |
I find enjoyment in all aspects of the game. I do have 15 characters that I use, and very few of those are "public". I do manufacturing on all levels, I do some POS work, I do some trading, some npc-ing and some mining. However, one thing that I have never done is agent whoring.
My biggest love and what I enjoy most though is FC'ing, and sometimes I know I should really leave that part to others and only do strategic things, but, I simply can't... There's something about epic battles that makes all your nerve ends tingle and that epic clash that lasted 4 hours is something you will remember for all your days in EVE. And uhm.... I'm a sucker for mining. (shhhh).
As for me being a puppet master... remember what I said about delegating? There are people out there who are masters at that part, and I will not take any credit at all on their behalf. I may be be the face people see, but the credit isn't mine, the credit belongs to all those people in BoB that make everything happen.
How would you say that BoB has changed EVE Online, and is there anything that stands out as a shining moment -- for you personally -- in terms of Band of Brothers' involvement in the history of EVE?
We jokingly say internally, that we should change our slogan to "BoB - Providing content to EVE since 2004". It may sound pretentious, but we really do provide content. We are the big bad bully that everyone loves to hate. The nemesis of so many who keep on playing just to try and make us bleed.
As for shining moments... there have been many. Too many to really comment on, but we always try to be first with everything. We try to renew ourselves, and renew the game, either with radical strategic decisions or by more direct wars.
We have the GNW, the taking of Delve, the massive EC-P campaign, the slaughter of ASCN, the taking of Fountain, the loss of Feyth/Esoteria, the F-T easter egg, the defense of Delve, the retaking of PB, and more ... some battles stand out as memorable and just for sheer epicness, my personal favourite would be the F-T easter egg.
Lots more will be added to that list before we are done, and we will keep on providing content for years to come.
Thanks for speaking with Massively, SirMolle.
My pleasure.
