Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The Council of Stellar Management]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/04/eve-evolved-the-council-of-stellar-management/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/04/eve-evolved-the-council-of-stellar-management/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/04/eve-evolved-the-council-of-stellar-management/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

If you play EVE Online or follow its news, you've probably heard of the Council of Stellar Management (or CSM for short). They're a democratically elected group of players that volunteer a lot of free time to help the developers improve EVE. The CSM's job is outlined in the official summary document as "to represent society interests to CCP". They act as an intermediary between CCP's development team and the EVE players but what do they actually do and have they made a positive impact on the game? I initially researched the CSM one month after the institution's inception when it was much too early to tell. With three six-month terms completed and a fourth about to start, there's now enough information to take a real conclusive look at how well the system works.

Join me as I examine the creation of the CSM, how it works and what it's actually achieved since its inception.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The Council of Stellar Management

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The Council of Stellar Management originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdeveloperseveeve-onlinefeaturedjade-constantinenyphurT20Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The great divide between EVE's players and developers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/the-great-divide-between-eves-players-and-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/the-great-divide-between-eves-players-and-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/the-great-divide-between-eves-players-and-developers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Once upon a time, there was a game about internet spaceships set in a vast galaxy, just waiting to be explored and conquered. It wasn't a huge game in terms of subscribers, in fact it was quite niche, but its small following was devoted. The size of the community allowed the developers to really interact with them and refine the game. The devs were approachable, open, and direct. In many respects, the players and developers were friends. All seemed well in the internet spaceships game, until the player base's numbers grew, and so did the collective din of their voices. The developers soon found they had to be careful about what they said to the players, in case they'd be accused of going back on their word somewhere down the line. At the same time, the game company grew to handle all of these new faces. As with most internet communities, the ever-growing numbers of players became more and more hostile, and the developers grew more and more silent...

Then, a developer -- let's call him "t20" -- used his knowledge of the game to cheat a little. Some players received an unfair advantage over others because of this lapse of judgment, and it was revealed publicly. The players became enraged. The developers were embarrassed and apologetic. Many players left the game, or at least loudly professed that they would. Many perceived that the developers, seen as a whole, were untrustworthy. Given how bad this situation was, and seeing no real way to change these perceptions, the game's creators had to accept that this was how things were. The people who built up the game from nothing saw little recourse but to withdraw even further from the very community which was so vital to their success. Does our story end there?

Continue reading The great divide between EVE's players and developers

MassivelyThe great divide between EVE's players and developers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescheatcheatingcommunitycouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdevdevelopersdevselectionseveeve-onlineforumsprpublic-relationst20trustwarp-drive-activewinterblinkMon, 01 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Expressing concerns for EVE Online's player-elected council]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/07/expressing-concerns-for-eve-onlines-player-elected-council/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/07/expressing-concerns-for-eve-onlines-player-elected-council/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/07/expressing-concerns-for-eve-onlines-player-elected-council/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As a game developer, CCP has always been the type to do things in a rather unconventional way -- especially when it comes to how they choose to interact with their community. So it's safe to say their approach to dealing with public relations disasters -- such as the now-infamous T20 incident involving a CCP dev -- was going to be interesting. Their decision ended up being the formation of a player-elected council that would serve as a sort of advisory group to the CCP team.

Well, Bitter Old Noob was kind enough to give a rundown on this new-fangled idea of putting a bit of democracy into our massively games. The whole post reads as decidedly concerned for what could essentially turn into a popularity contest with the wrong people getting elected and the possibility for CCP to stop listening to non-council players -- it's a valid concern. We'll just have to wait and see, though.

Voting apparently begins in May, which gives players interested in earning one of the nine spots on the council time to start campaiging. We'll be keeping tabs on how this all ends up, because this the most extreme case of a developer trying to listen to the voice of their player-base.

MassivelyExpressing concerns for EVE Online's player-elected council originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bitter-old-noobccpcouncil-of-stellar-managementeve-onlineplayer-elected-councilt20t20-incidentFri, 07 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST