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EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox

EVE Online is unique among MMOs, and nowhere is this more evident than in the political struggles that take place every day in New Eden. Just this weekend, I spent long hours negotiating the surrender of a friend's wormhole starbase with an Elysian Empire diplomat, only to have his CEO overrule the decision because he wanted to get the killmail for blowing the starbase up. For EVE's more ambitious political machinists, perhaps the greatest challenge of all is to be part of the democratically elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM).

The council functions as an advisory board to CCP and a mechanism through which players can get their views and ideas across to developers. Last year's CSM was instrumental in forcing CCP's hand and making the company refocus development on EVE Online. With this year's ambitious plans to revamp all ships and forms of PvP, and DUST 514 due for a summer release, the stakes for this year's council are even higher. Voting is now underway to select the team of players who will represent the EVE playerbase to CCP for the coming year.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of this year's candidates to help you choose whom to vote for.

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EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the 5th Column and the Council

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

There are certain villains that just resist all logic and refuse to go out of style. Case in point: Nazis. Despite the fact that they were a political party in a war that ended about 70 years ago, somehow it's still satisfying to beat them up. That was the basis behind the initial placement of the 5th Column on the launch of City of Heroes... a position that was later usurped, then reclaimed, and now remains in a sort of back-and-forth limbo.

You can't talk about the 5th Column without talking about the Council because the two groups are almost the same. Of course, one is a lot more reprehensible than the other, which oddly makes them far more interesting. Put simply, it's a tangled web of subterfuge and backstabbing, and the two organizations are still struggling for dominance on the streets of Paragon City. They're like a slightly more accessible version of Nemesis for one another.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the 5th Column and the Council

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the 5th Column and the Council originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Should devs listen to player councils?

Brianna Royce — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, EVE Online, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management started as an idea with good intentions, as a way to bring the players' ideas and wishes to the development staff. But the scandals surrounding EVE's CSM seem to undermine its potential for constructive feedback. Few gamers seem to believe that the Council, dominated as it is by megacorps with their own agendas, truly acts in the best interests of the game or the playerbase. And in spite of CCP Games' declarations of cooperation, few players believe that the CSM is much more than CCP's way of paying lip service to the community.

But perhaps that's as it should be. What say you, Massively readers? Should games bother with councils of players reps? Are players simply too narrow-minded or corrupt to be trusted with such power? And should devs be strong-armed into listening to the mandates of such players?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Should devs listen to player councils? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's sixth CSM election results are in

Brendan Drain — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Endgame

The elections for EVE Online's sixth Council of Stellar Management have come to a close, and earlier today the results were revealed to both excited Fanfest attendees in Iceland and players at home. In previous years, the CSM's role was to collect issues players had with the game and bring them to the attention of developers. This role has morphed over time into a more advisory form, with CCP running ideas by the council and using them to help prioritise the development backlog. This year's elections were heavily influenced by political voting from EVE's nullsec alliances. Organised voting secured spots on the council for several big players in territorial warfare, and a few old faces returned for a further term.

Political voting isn't necessarily a bad thing for the CSM, as players who are heavily involved in EVE are still the types of people we want to see on the council. CCP employees can't also be power players in the game, so they miss out on the perspective that alliance leaders and other heavily involved players will have. Participation was huge this year, with a total of 49,069 votes being cast in a two-week period. This represents 14.25% of the total accounts eligible to vote, an increase over last year's 12.67%.

Read on for a full rundown of the elected members of EVE's sixth Council of Stellar Management.

Continue reading EVE Online's sixth CSM election results are in

EVE Online's sixth CSM election results are in originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's EVE Online CSM 6 candidate roundup

Brendan Drain — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry

Starting life as a humble indie MMO development studio, CCP Games was always noted for its close relationship to the players of its flagship game EVE Online. That relationship diminished a lot over time as both the size of the playerbase and the scale of EVE's development grew to immense proportions. Today CCP relies on players to guide development more than ever, but it needs a lens through which to focus feedback from such a large community of players into a form that the team can use. The democratically elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM) is that lens.

Fifty-seven players submitted their applications to join EVE's elected player council this year, and all this week, players have been voting to decide who will represent them in discussions with CCP. With so many candidates in the running and only four more days to make up your mind, it can be hard to pick one individual from the list. To help you decide, Massively has compiled a full list of every applicant in the running along with a short message about his or her campaign and handy links to available campaign resources.

When you're ready to vote, follow this link to the voting page, log in, and click the vote button to the right of your chosen candidate. Remember to get your vote in before March 23rd when polls close! The results will be published on March 30th, and we'll find out who will be representing the EVE playerbase to CCP for the coming year.

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM 6 candidate roundup

Massively's EVE Online CSM 6 candidate roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ankhesentapemkah removed from EVE's Council of Stellar Management

Brendan Drain — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, News items

EVE Online's democratically elected Council of Stellar Management has been the cause of a great deal of controversy since the programme's inception. The idea that players can bring their concerns on game design issues to a player-elected representative has been popular with forum-posters. Council members work tirelessly to compile lists of issues that are important to the player-base, then present them to CCP in the CSM Summit every six months. While the council has managed to push through some very important issues and work on key features, it's been the focus of several scandals and a great deal of EVE drama.

Controversial council member Eva "Ankhesentapemkah" Jobse was removed from the council today. The official reason given for her dismissal was "a breach of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA)." The exact nature of the breach has not been publicised as the sensitive nature of the data involved renders the issue a private matter between Eva and CCP Games. As usually happens when information isn't available, the forums have exploded with speculation over what exactly Eva did that breached the NDA. Although Eva has yet to comment publicly on the issue, fellow council member Sokratesz was quick to allay suspicions that it was due to information posted in her personal CSM blog.

When reached for comment, Eva had the following to say: "All I can say at the moment is that out of respect for the CSM, the players of EVE, as well as the good people at CCP, I cannot give any details besides my personal conviction that CCP's statement is not in relation to any of my recent publications, and that I do not share CCP's conclusion that there has in fact been an NDA breach. I am currently engaged in following up this situation with CCP." Eva plans to keep her followers updated on her situation via her CSM blog as the situation develops.

Ankhesentapemkah removed from EVE's Council of Stellar Management originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit

Brendan Drain — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry

In recent years, CCP Games have made significant efforts to get players involved in EVE Online's game design efforts. In addition to pre-releasing features on a test server to collect feedback, CCP have involved players more effectively in the development process through their innovative Council of Stellar Management. The council members are voted for by players, with the highest-voted member securing the chair position for the year. Players bring important EVE-related issues to their council representatives, who meet with CCP developers in Iceland twice per year for a week-long council summit.

During the summit, all the most important issues backed by the council are posed to developers and discussed. Previous council sessions have made a significant impact on the game, getting features like the skill queue implemented and providing key feedback on expansions. This year's council had a record voter turnout, with confidence in the team at an all-time high. At the conclusion of their first council summit meeting with CCP, however, two key delegates have begun to voice concerns at the dismissive attitude with which they were met.

Skip past the cut to find out why two council members are annoyed with CCP's approach to this year's summit, and why it's not all bad news and negativity.

Continue reading EVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit

EVE CSM delegates voice disapproval of CCP's attitude to council summit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's fifth CSM election results are in

Brendan Drain — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items

Voting season is over in EVE Online's fifth CSM elections and the results are in! The Council of Stellar Management is EVE's democratically elected liaison council between CCP Games and the game's player-base. It's their job to collect a list of some of the best ideas and game design proposals suggested and voted on by players in the council forum. Once every six months, the council will meet with CCP for a week of rigorous meetings in Iceland to put forward those ideas and discuss their feasibility with EVE's development staff. There's no doubt that the CSM has had a legitimate impact on EVE's development and with this fifth term, they're even being given the ability to assign some development resources as they see fit.

Skip past the cut for a breakdown of this year's voting statistics and to meet the new members of EVE's CSM.

Continue reading EVE Online's fifth CSM election results are in

EVE Online's fifth CSM election results are in originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup

Brendan Drain — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry

This week is voting week for EVE Online players as the fifth edition of the democratically elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM) gets underway. 49 approved candidates are in the running for just nine seats on the council, with an extra five alternate candidates agreeing to step in should any members of the council be forced to leave during their term. The council's job is to act as a go-between to help EVE players communicate major gameplay issues to the development team. In the two years the council has operated, they've become an essential part of CCP's development methodology.

The CSM plays a vital role in EVE's development and it's important that the right people for the job are elected. For those that don't normally vote in the elections, figuring out what each candidate brings to the table can be a difficult and daunting task. In this absolutely massive three-page feature, we give a run-down of all 49 candidates entered in the current election, from previous CSM members to new active campaigners and the relatively unknown pilots with little to no campaign.

When you're ready to vote, follow this link to the voting page and click the vote button to the right of your chosen candidate. Remember to get your vote in before May 19th when polls close! The results will be published on May 28th, when we see who will be representing the EVE player-base to CCP for the coming year.

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup

Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 2

Brendan Drain — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 2

Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 3

Brendan Drain — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Continue reading Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 3

Massively's EVE Online CSM candidate roundup, page 3 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: It's election time in EVE online

Brendan Drain — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Opinion, EVE Evolved

The month of May is election time for EVE Online as players vote for members of the game's democratically constructed Council of Stellar Management. Voting opened on May 5th for all players with an account older than 30 days and continues until May 19th. Once assembled, the council is tasked with bringing the concerns of players and ideas for game improvements directly to CCP. Players propose issues on the official EVE forums and the rest of the player-base can give the thread a thumbs up to show their support. Issues that get enough support from the general EVE community are elevated to the regular CSM meetings, in which the issue is discussed and voted on by the council members. If the council deems the issue important enough in a meeting, they'll add it to the list of items they plan to discuss with CCP.

In this week's politically charged EVE Evolved, I look at the role of the CSM, how it's changing with this fifth term and the impact the council has had on EVE's development.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: It's election time in EVE online

EVE Evolved: It's election time in EVE online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games video interview on the Council of Stellar Management

James Egan — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Economy, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, News items

MMORPG.com's video scoop from the Leipzig Games Convention wasn't limited to info on EVE Online's upcoming expansions. They also got some face time with Lead Economist Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson of CCP Games, who discusses some of CCP's projects and initiatives, namely the Council of Stellar Management (CSM).

Dr. Eyjólfur shares his point of view on the process of having players interact with the developers on affecting the development pipeline. He also addresses the poor voter turnout in the CSM election, which was not surprising given the general apathy many people have about real-life elections, he comments. The interview largely focuses on Dr. Eyjólfur's experiences with the CSM, but given his role in the company, he also mentioned the economic impact of factional warfare on the market in EVE. More information on this aspect of EVE should be covered in one of his forthcoming Quarterly Economic Newsletters, he says. Be sure to see the video at MMORPG.com if you're interested in seeing more about the Council of Stellar Management and the economics of EVE Online.

CCP Games video interview on the Council of Stellar Management originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Community Spotlight: Jade Constantine

James Egan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews, Lore, Opinion, Politics, Roleplaying

Jade Constantine is a veteran player of EVE Online, long known for having a forceful personality and a flair for writing. As the CEO of Jericho Fraction and the head of The Star Fraction alliance, Jade has become a pioneer in EVE roleplay, upholding ideologies of freedom that run counter to some of the very systems that define the game.

Along the way, Jade has made some enemies, but clearly some allies as well, having garnered the most votes in the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) election. As Chairman of the CSM, Jade Constantine is a magnet for controversy, but as an elected delegate, is also in a unique position to deal directly with CCP Games and potentially change EVE. Massively recently spoke with Jade on the state of roleplaying in EVE Online, the challenges that the CSM faces, and what it's like to be under the magnifying glass.

Continue reading EVE Community Spotlight: Jade Constantine

EVE Community Spotlight: Jade Constantine originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The CSM speaks, will CCP Games listen?

James Egan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, News items

EVE Online's delegates elected to the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) have made headlines in recent weeks, both in the gaming press and mainstream news. Amidst all the media attention, EVE players have been debating to what extent the CSM will be able to work with CCP Games on changing the game to better accommodate the playstyles of the subscribers.

An article at The Escapist called 'Politics in a Vacuum' explores this interaction between the CSM and CCP Games, focusing on the Council summit in Reykjavik. CSM delegate Alison Wheeler (aka Inanna Zuni in EVE) told The Escapist: "I'm not totally sure yet how much agreement there is between CCP management and CCP development teams. They've opened this can of worms that said, 'These people get elected by other pilots and players, they have the right to say, "We want this to happen; please make it so!" Predictably, this could lead to some problems where the expectations of EVE's players, conveyed through the CSM, are unrealistic in terms of what CCP can deliver on.

Continue reading The CSM speaks, will CCP Games listen?

The CSM speaks, will CCP Games listen? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Empyrean Age factional warfare map included with newest E-ON issue

James Egan — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, News items

EVE Online's latest dev blog comes from Zapatero, one of the staff at E-ON, the quarterly magazine all about EVE. Our own Massively columnist Brendan Drain, aka Nyphur, has been a past contributor to E-ON, which should give you an idea of how in-depth some of the articles are. The magazine is a useful resource for any serious player of the game and the fiction is pretty solid as well, it's just a shame that there's a few-month gap between each issue's release. Maybe it was that wait that pushed him over the edge, but rumor has it one of the Massively writers snapped and bought every back issue of E-ON, but we think that he's unhealthily obsessed anyway.

Zapatero writes that E-ON is about to celebrate its third year in operation with the release of issue 12, which will ship on July 4th. As a bonus to readers, it will include a free poster of the Empyrean Age New Eden star cluster, to aid players who have enlisted in factional warfare. The map was created by Council of Stellar Management (CSM) delegate Serenity Steele, who also brought EVE Strategic Maps (a book of star charts) to fans of the game. The free poster map will include region names and outposts. Faction warfare-enabled regions will be highlighted and the security status of each system will be color-coded. For those who actually have EVE Strategic Maps, the poster is cross-referenced with the book, although Zapatero states that the map will be useful on its own. He outlines what will be in issue 12 in his dev blog; if the content matches up to what the E-ON staff has put out in past issues, it should be worth checking out.

Continue reading Empyrean Age factional warfare map included with newest E-ON issue

Empyrean Age factional warfare map included with newest E-ON issue originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CoX July desktop wallpaper recalls controversial issue

Adrian Bott — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, Rumors

This month's desktop wallpaper for City of Heroes recalls Issue 3, A Council of War. This was one of the most content-packed issues, bringing (among other features) the Striga Isle zone, the Hess Task Force (still a firm favorite) and the Kheldian epic archetypes. New Epic Power Pools were opened up for the regular ATs, and 'zone events' such as the Ghost Ship, the Clockwork Paladin and Lusca, the giant octopus of Independence Port, were added.

There was also a key change made to the game world itself, which excited controversy across the official forums and beyond. The Fifth Column villain group was replaced with the Council, an organisation very similar in powers but conspicuously lacking the Nazi background. As A Council of War coincided with the official European release of City of Heroes, some irate players reached a seemingly obvious conclusion: the Fifth Column had been removed due to 'political correctness'

Continue reading CoX July desktop wallpaper recalls controversial issue

CoX July desktop wallpaper recalls controversial issue originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's CSM summit covered in The New York Times

James Egan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:35:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items

EVE Online has cropped up in The New York Times twice this weekend. Powerhouse alliance Band of Brothers announced their plans for New Eden in one story, while the Council of Stellar Management's (CSM) summit with CCP Games also caught The New York Times' attention. A number of members of the press were in attendance at the CSM summit in Reykjavik, a first for EVE Online and for the MMO industry itself. It's refreshing to see increased mainstream coverage of the niche title that avoids the 'gee golly' tone so prevalent when MMOs are discussed in mass media.

Seth Schiesel from The New York Times reports broadly on the 12 hours of meetings between the players who comprise the CSM and the developers and executives of CCP Games. As with any democratic process, differing viewpoints on how the CSM should operate led to some internal conflicts, Schiesel writes. It's interesting to note that the American CSM delegates favored "full and total disclosure" while their European counterparts on the Council preferred to deliberate privately before going public with recommendations and announcements. Given the controversy and forum outcries surrounding the CSM in recent weeks, it's understandable that this divide in outlooks would persist. But whatever issues the CSM had with one another, they were put aside as the Council performed their elected duties, representing the interests of their constituents face-to-face with CCP. See The New York Times piece for more details on the CSM meeting in Reykjavik, and for a brief profile of some of the delegates next to their alter egos.

EVE Online's CSM summit covered in The New York Times originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WarCry interviews EVE Lead Designer Noah Ward about the CSM

James Egan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items

EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management (CSM) is the title's first attempt at having elected representatives work with CCP Games on improving the game as well as the company's relations with its player base. The initial idea behind the CSM was that it would act as an oversight committee on behalf of the players, in the wake of the 'T20 incident' when a CCP developer unfairly provided a player corporation with certain resources. But this first CSM is largely tasked with improving the transparency of CCP's inner workings, while shaping the game to better fit the play styles of their constituency. The CSM has met online in recent weeks, and with mixed results, but they've now met in-person in Reykjavik, where they also had face-to-face time with the creators of EVE Online.

Jordan Deam from WarCry interviewed EVE Online dev Noah Ward (aka CCP Hammerhead) about what this experiment in 'democratic community management' has yielded thus far, and what it may yet become. The interview focuses heavily on the dynamic between players wanting features added to the game and the undertaking necessary on CCP's part to make these changes a reality. Factional warfare has only just been realized in the game and was four years in the making. Ambulation, or 'Walking in Stations', is slated for a launch in the coming months, after three years of being in the pipeline, Ward said. Have a look at the WarCry interview, and decide for yourself if the CSM is living up to its potential, and if CCP is recapturing the transparency of a small, independent game company as it grows into a much larger entity.

WarCry interviews EVE Lead Designer Noah Ward about the CSM originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Stellar council - one month on

Brendan Drain — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Opinion, Politics, EVE Evolved

Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of EVE Online's democratically elected Council of Stellar Management. The council was created as a way for the players to democratically decide which game issues are important enough to bring to CCP's attention. Since CCP are unable to sift through the forum for important topics, this gives a way for players to put forward their problems in a constructive manner. The council vote on whether each issue is important or not and compile a list to present to CCP. CCP have the final say in what issues from the list they think need to be addressed and will essentially be using the CSM to focus player feedback into a constructive form they can use.

Since its inception, the CSM has been plagued with problems and disputes. From the beginning, it was clear that a surprisingly small proportion of the playerbase were interested in the whole thing. Only 11% of players voted and of those even fewer actively participate in presenting issues to the council. With such a low voting turnout from the general EVE populace, it was argued that organised alliance voting made up the majority of the votes. Disputes escalated to new heights with the conclusion of the third official CSM meeting but recent meetings have seen vast improvements across the board.

At this one month anniversary, I look back on the problems that have plagued the council of stellar management and how they've been handled.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Stellar council - one month on

EVE Evolved: Stellar council - one month on originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paper explains EVE's quasi-democratic council in extreme detail

Samuel Axon — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:14:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items, Politics

If you had any doubt at all that EVE Online is the thinking man's MMO, you won't any longer. CCP has released a 20 page paper in PDF format describing the new Council of Stellar Management, and you know you're in for something good when the paper starts off with the social theories of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

This is one of the times when it's particularly clear just how bizarre and interesting it is to be writing about virtual societies. This is the stuff of cyberpunk novels and Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. CCP has produced something like the first draft of a constitution (with notes) for a representative government, with references to John Locke's social contract theory and everything else you'd expect from such a document. No doubt EVE's scheming political players are already looking through the document for loopholes and potential abuses. It may not be long before EVE players are having debates about campaign finance reform and separation of powers.

Richard Bartle doesn't think this will work. Whether it works or not, though, it'll be damned interesting. At the very least, it will be more fodder for discussion relating to Hardcore Casual's EVE Challenge.

[Via MMORPG]

Paper explains EVE's quasi-democratic council in extreme detail originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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