Backstage - OOC Forums
EVE-Online RP Discussion and Resources => EVE OOC Summit => Topic started by: Visian Mu'artarkan on 16 Nov 2014, 03:12
-
RP culture has been about player generated content from the beginning. However, I began playing EVE before it even released for retail. No, I wasn’t a lucky beta player, but I was a forum warrior on the original EVE forums. It was there I would decide to become a Brutor extremist when the game released. I went by the name Mr Vapor.
When I got the retail version, I jumped feet first into the RP side of it. I was totally on the Minmatar rebels side and saw the birth of U’K, worked with Camar of the Stormriders as a Minmatar terrorist to the extreme, and saw Unity Station come into being.
And then the pull of riches in the game took players to the more practical side. The Minimatar vs. Amarr battle that had raged for almost 4 years and was dominant amongst the games population kind of died down. I lost interest, my character basically went crazy, and then I sold him (legally) and got a new one. I still paid attention to the RP side, but I no longer participated for the most part.
I stopped playing EVE for a bit, but now I’m back and I’m very interested in reviving the feel of the RP culture I remember and get to something that will make the game more than just a grind again. Something that promises good fights, epic speeches, and political intrigue. Something that brings capsuleer’s into a prominent place in the 4 Empires again and their Faction War.
I’ve seen that the CVA is still alive and strong. They’ve always held true to their roots and they were awesome to fight back in the day. I hear the U’K is getting big again as well. I’m sad to see that E-M no longer exists, but Gradient is still hammering away. It looks like more random faction loyalists are taking roles much like Veto and Verone did back in the day. I’d also like to see some old timers like Jericho Fraction get involved because I can promise that if you’ve never RPed with Jade Constantine, you have no idea what you’ve missed.
So, what am I thinking and how could I possibly imagine all these disparate entities and new one’s work together? Well, it’s for the sake of a lot of things:
:!:Propaganda. Not everyone plays this game to shoot people. Some like the meta game aspects. From bloggers, to banner makers, to forum warriors -- this was the aspect of the game that always appealed to us most. It was also fun for the big personalities to weigh in and created a hell of an immersion factor.
:idea:Good Fights. Yes, real good fights. Not pre-determined, but somewhat scheduled and never just one massive blob fleet. It wasn’t necessarily about winning so much as it was about moving the story forward. You brought all your good ships yes, but we rarely fought an superior fleet. It wasn’t about the killboards really. It was about demonstrating your skill as a team. It wasn’t a brawl. It was a ballet of explosions.
:arrow:Political intrigue. Yes -- spies, thieves, double agents -- they all had a part whether people knew it or not. This all added to the spice of it. It was huge fun to try to figure out who was lying and who wasn’t. You also had the in-fighting within coalitions. Great stuff.
This is the original flavor, but with a new edge.
I would like to organize with these big players to come to some sort of agreement to work together to deliver some exciting player driven RP content this coming year that will add to the flavor of New Eden and run right alongside the CCP produced events. Blogs, political rallying, alliances, coalitions, weapons manufacturing, piracy, secret agents -- all of it IC (in-character for the uninitiated).
The only thing that will be scripted are the beats and only the major players will know what those beats are. They will be helping to construct the storyline that will play out. Agreements amongst the major players and leaders will determine key elements and shape the story for the other players to enjoy and participate in. Battle won’t be scripted, but it will be fought, stories will be told, new names will become famous, old names will shine bright again.
I came up with this notion when I returned to school for Creative Writing. The focus on it is working in the entertainment industry. A lot is made of transmedia storytelling and EVE is the absolute perfect environment to carry that out. My intent isn’t to determine an ultimate victor, but to engage the players in a way that hasn’t been seen in EVE in a long time.
Basically, it would start early next year if I can get the bigger names interested. I’d serve simply as a guide and mediator and give suggestions to the development of the storyline. The leadership that is involved would make key decisions (without giving the house away) that will allow the members of their respective corps and alliances engage in a war unlike anything that’s been fought before. At the end of 2015, we have something akin to Armageddon day where all sides come at each other in a no holds barred, winner take all ending.
I’m really willing to put some time into this if there are interested parties. I think it could be something that will make CCP notice and get a lot of players, old and new, together and make some EVE history.
Would I be a character in the storyline? Yeah, but a very small part. Nothing like the new leader of the free people's Ammatar or anything. I'd probably go back to my Minnie roots and be some sort of bit player propagandist at most.
Is everything scripted? No, like I said, I want to use beats like in a season of television. Take the classical three part story structure, build and crash the story over the year. All the content is going to be player driven, guided by the leadership of these different entities to provide their memberships with a fun experience.
Are there going to be rules? Yes, but I'd say they were just temporary limitations to expose people to a wider variety of ship fights and tactics. I can't predict tactics and I can't predict winners. Together we can get people to experience the awesomeness of small roaming gangs, cruiser fleets, Sub Cap fleets, and even the big Cap fights. They'll get something that's guided so they can get the maximum experience.
Am I going to be writing everything and determining the way things play out? No, absolutely not. I only want to come up with a skeleton that we can all use as a guide, and then hand it over to the players to determine the ups and downs of the individual stories. I would only be stepping in to help people massage the story and perhaps give OOC intel to all sides if, and only if, it could lead to an intriguing twist. No, I'm not going to divulge fleet makeup or anything like that. If it's something that could cause people to go WTF though, information will get in the right hands to make it happen. It will never be anything that could cause the demise of a corporation or alliance. It's about the story, not permanently screwing each other over.
Does the idea have any merit with any of you? Would you be willing to do something like this so you actually have something historical in the RP community to refer to other than PF stuff? I'd really like your opinion. I know it'd be a huge undertaking and I'd need to enlist the help of those that know their stuff canonically to make it good enough to participate in.
Okay, now rip it to shreds please. :lol:
-
Sounds good to me, so long as there is not too much scripting. A little bit of direction is good, but it should really just be a 'push' that drives people to interact and build the story instead of something that holds their hands the whole way.
I can see it being very hard to get a lot of people onboard with something like this, though, considering the way EVE roleplayers tend to be. I would say that, where possible, most of it should ideally be handled through IC interactions rather than OOC plotting.
-
Sounds like you want to be a DM. I'm with sam, go for it. There are a lot of roleplayers that can be involved. Anyanka's roleplayer contact list is already over six hundred. I suggest, first, ghost writing for some major rp corps to form the skeleton plot your thinking of. Good luck!
-
Might be interesting. Going to have to see more details before I can yay or nay this.
-
major rp corps
Because these are still a thing.
-
major rp corps
Because these are still a thing.
Pyre seems to be the it corp at the moment. Scope Works is also up there. Pie corps, sfrim. Gradient of course. There are no huge rp corps as far as I can tell. Were there ever?
-
Make a mailing list and I will join it and force Pyre to participate.
-
Sounds good to me, so long as there is not too much scripting. A little bit of direction is good, but it should really just be a 'push' that drives people to interact and build the story instead of something that holds their hands the whole way.
I can see it being very hard to get a lot of people onboard with something like this, though, considering the way EVE roleplayers tend to be. I would say that, where possible, most of it should ideally be handled through IC interactions rather than OOC plotting.
Yes, I'm definitely against pre-determined outcomes. That would ruin the fun of it for the players in the know and the players waiting to see what would happen next. I was thinking more of a loose storyline that's adaptive and interactive with a few trigger points to spur people on. Kind of like one of the Epic Arc mission, but without all the tedium.
Sounds like you want to be a DM. I'm with sam, go for it. There are a lot of roleplayers that can be involved. Anyanka's roleplayer contact list is already over six hundred. I suggest, first, ghost writing for some major rp corps to form the skeleton plot your thinking of. Good luck!
In a sense, yes. I wouldn't want to be a major player in it all because that smacks of "godmoding" to me. I'd want it to focus on the personalities that have built their story in-game over a long time and maybe give newer people a chance to make a name for themselves. I hadn't thought about the ghost writing idea. That's an excellent idea. Thank you!
Might be interesting. Going to have to see more details before I can yay or nay this.
I agree. This isn't something that would just be jumped into with no thought given to it. I basically envision it as a year long (or close to it) event that plays out kind of like a season of television. I've got the basic idea, but I'd really need input from the people involved to make it something everyone wants to participate in and enjoy. It's an MMO after all.
major rp corps
Because these are still a thing.
Pyre seems to be the it corp at the moment. Scope Works is also up there. Pie corps, sfrim. Gradient of course. There are no huge rp corps as far as I can tell. Were there ever?
Hence the resurgence part. At one time, probably 2003-05, RP corps were pretty big. Nothing that rival Goon numbers or anything, but it was pretty impressive. There were regular skirmishes and war that were a lot of fun to be a part of and participate in. That's what players want really. Something that can engage them.
Make a mailing list and I will join it and force Pyre to participate.
Sure thing. I'll get one made and let you all know.
Thanks for the feedback and support. I've been out of the RP scene for a while, like I said, but I'm going to do my research and get a feel for where it's at today. Hopefully I can talk some of the old-timers back into it that may have left that sort of thing. Consider it a work in progress as of now. I'll update in this thread if I can get it on track.
-
I'd be interested in this, though I wouldn't really want any major part since aside explaining what I've been doing for the last year +, my rp has kinda been limited thus having a specific thing would take some time to craft...
-
I would be up for this.
Every story needs its antagonists :twisted:
-
I think something needs to be done to spark an RP resurgence.
One of the things I was thinking of would be, a Minmatar messiah. This doesn't have to be an actual player, or someone whose name is known, but the rumors are of one Minmatar that would bring the various tribes and nations together as friends and brothers.
Also, it seems as though Amarr could be seeing a civil war soon. At least one Amarr roleplayer in Khanid space is now considered a Heretic. She is claiming to be a holder, thus wielding a lot of power. Many Amarrians are upset about their cloned flesh Empress. The Blood Raiders are also heretics of course.
I suppose the difficulty with RP is that most of the other EVE players don't take you seriously. "Oh, so you are the Duke of Devoid region? Really?" RP generally only affects yourself. Also, it is self-inflicted or self chosen. If someone gets into an RP knife fight and loses an eye, it's up to the other character whether they lose that eye, or get it regenerated or whatever.
I was reading a blog about roleplay the other day. The blog said that the two things that roleplay needs are a bar/ pub and an Inn/ Hotel. EVE never really mentions these. I suppose the captain's quarters are our 'hotel', and there are probably nightclubs and so on in the chat channels. There is no one place for everyone to meet. Of course, if we did all meet we would only end up killing each other.
I was also thinking about medieval Monasteries, Crusades, Orders, and Hospitaleers. The Hospitaleers were the ones who were the servants of the fighting Knights. The ones who ran the stores, repaired what was broken, ran the Hospitals, and so on. In other words, the people that made life seem more comfortable and bearable on the front.
Unless these people are part of the janitors and dockworkers that man our crews, we don't see much of the 'human' side of EVE. There are apparently no bars in the stations, and no night clubs or red light districts.
Modern Military Naval ships, and ground units as well, will always make sure entertainment needs are attended to. There are no Ball rooms in battleships, but the sailors get shore leave and so on. In real life, 9 to 5 is boring and spaceship combat is fun. If EVE were real life, spaceship combat would be their job, and whatever our characters did in the stations would be their fun.
If you subscribe the Joseph Campbell's idea of the monomyth, every story starts the same...with 'a call to adventure'. This is apparently what the Agent missions are about. Your character is docked safely in station, but then an agent says (s)he needs the capsuleer's help. Before the mission, your character is docked up safely and....doing what? This seems to be a missed opportunity to develop one's character and/or plot. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
-
Well, one of the main things we'd have to do is avoid conflicting with things that are PF driven. It has to be a completely insular, capsuleer driven plot so it doesn't go against any storylines CCP would do. We can't do anything that will really "change the face of Eve" other than for ourselves. If CCP recognizes it and starts adding to it (highly doubtful), then maybe it'll become bigger. Basically, we can't do things that would warp the story of Eve.
I think it just needs to build on everything the RP community has done before and tie our clique together again, having fun and shooting each others face off.
Does anyone have any good links or anything on good storylines that have happened before? I'd like to pore them over and come up with a convincing plot and background. It has to make sense after all.
-
Maybe not what you're looking for but PIE's EVElopedia page (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Praetoria_Imperialis_Excubitoris#PIE_in_the_News) includes links to the news articles for some of the old PIE/CVA/UK/EM interactions and such. You can also look at the Modern Era of the Amarr Empire article (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Modern_Era_of_the_Amarr_Empire) as, while unfortunately focused only on Amarr stuff, it's to my knowledge the largest accounting of empire history for the last decade.
-
Color me at least mildly interested. There are going to be a lot of rough bumps and questions that will have to be asked (and answered) if this is to run successfully, but I'll give it a chance.
-
I have some interest in this. Feel free to contact me.
-
I'm interested. Feel free to shoot me a private message here or in-game. I'd like to send you some information and a few questions, as well.
-
Well, when I worked for a roleplaying game company in Toronto, one of the categories I was writing for was 'People, places, things'. The publisher considered these as the essential elements of any story.
In EVE, we might consider 'livestock/ passengers', plus 'commodity item', plus 'location', equals 'problem' as the essential elements of a story.
For example:
A scientist plus hydrogen batteries, and the location is Sobaseki.
The person, object, and thing are plot devices. Now to further the plot, we need some conflict. Let's say he has to deliver these batteries to Jita, during the 'burn Jita' event. That is a problem.
According to Cory Doctorow ('Down and out in the Magic Kingdom'), these are the five essential elements of a plot.
1. A person, in a place, has a problem. (exposition)
2. The person tries to solve this problem intelligently, but fails. (rising action)
3. The failure to solve this problem causes an event or series of events to happen. (Climax).
4. The person (friends, society) struggles to deal with the resulting consequences of their failure. (Falling action).
5. The person and situation are both somehow changed as a result of the consequences (Resolution).
Optionally, adding in 'more stuff' to the original three, such as more commodity items (strippers, marines, DNA, etc.) would be a 'plot coupon' to help further the story along.
1. The person (scientist), in a place (Sobaseki) has a problem (hydrogen batteries).
2. The scientist tries to deliver the batteries through a courier contract, but no one is interested in hauling such a low value item. He decides that hauling a badger full of batteries is too high risk. He tries to fly the blueprints to Jita himself in a shuttle, and buy the minerals and make the batteries right inside Jita, (Intelligent solution) but he gets ganked. (Failure)
3. The scientist can't understand why his shuttle full of hydrogen battery blueprints was ganked, until he finds out they were a special prototype worth half a billion ISK. His CEO is furious. He fires the scientist, and hires mercenaries to track down the gankers and retrieve the prototype batteries. The unemployed scientist falls into a state of depression.
4. The Mercenaries discover that the batteries were ganked by Gallente pirates, who are now intending to reverse engineer and use them as the power source for a new, improved POS shield. The Mercenaries also tell the Caldari state what happened. The corporation is investigated, and a look at the corporate wallet shows transactions were made between the corporation and well known Gallente faction war corporations. The scientist and his CEO are now considered as possibly cooperating with the gankers. They are arrested and incarcerated, where they are now facing charges of treason against the state.
5. The scientist and CEO explain to the Caldari Navy how the battery works, and how it can be deactivated. They hand over the blueprint to the Caldari Navy. The Navy can now use that information against the Gallente pirates. The CEO explains that 'money is money', and the scientist and the CEO are both officially cleared of charges.
-So the way to 'play' this game would be to contract these roleplaying props to someone else on the OOC mailing list. These things should be able to be put into a contract, so contraband would be have to be excluded (slaves, drugs, etc.)
-It is possible to have a story written by a committee in a sort of relay method.
a) One person receives the plot devices (stripper, khumaak, Kor-Azor Prime). Then, they come up with the problem (The stripper is in possession of a sacred artifact which is forbidden in the Kor-Azor region). Then, they contract these things to the next person.
b) The next person has to come up with how the person (stripper) tried to solve the problem (intelligently), but somehow still failed.
c) Then, onto the next person. 'What were the results of the stripper's failure?'
d) Then the next person. 'How were the stripper and his/ her friends affected as a consequence of the failure? How did they cope? What happened to them?'
e) Then, passed onto the next person. 'How were all the loose ends of the story tied up?'
1. Ideally, the location should probably be at a local trade hub, so if any hauling is involved from one location to another at least it's not a chore, there is at least an opportunity to make some profit.
2. However, hauling is not an essential part of the story's development. The objects can stay safely in your hangar, be destroyed, sold, re-contracted etc. The person, object and location that were assigned to you are merely related to your character in some minor way. The who, what, and where are already provided for you. Now it is up to you to figure out why these things are related to your character, and how you will deal with it.
3. Once you have decided the relationship between the scientist, the hydrogen batteries, and Sobaseki, submit that information onto an OOC mailing list. Make it into flash fiction. Explain your character's relationship with these things, if any, and how you contribute to the plot problem.
4. Contract it to someone else if you want, perhaps even a newbie who is still flying his industrial around in high sec running courier missions.
I would suggest contracting these things to newer players. Not only do newbies need the money, but they are eager to make new friends in EVE, help out and learn more about the game. I am a little concerned with how EVE drops it's new members into the cold dark void and tells them to start swimming with sharks. There has to be some other alternative to mining in high sec, only to get your mining barge ganked by griefers, while veterans laugh and CCP simply shrugs their shoulders.
I know when I was a newbie myself, I was flying my industrial around high sec shipping commodities like hydrogen batteries and soil from one station to another for piddly profits. I probably would have made more money and had more fun ratting in high sec, but nobody told me this.
Courier contracts are awful. The courier contracts ask for an exorbitant deposit, and in exchange offer a paltry reward. High sec shipping should be a viable career choice for a newbie to jump into, but unless they skill up in arbitrage trading it's just another low paying grind. With the introduction of jump fatigue however, we are bound to see an increase in the use of tech 1 industrials in high sec. A juicy (e.g. ten million isk) 'roleplay' contract delivery might even pay the newbie enough to make them consider shipping and hauling as an exciting and profitable career choice in EVE.
Also, it's pretty helpful for the veteran player / character to cultivate and maintain good relations with 'protege' haulers. Many of us have lots of junk everywhere, and carting it around is tedious work. Many of the people that role-play are bored Freighter pilots. Also, logistics is king in EVE.
I suppose you could think of these roleplay courier contracts as a 'mini-mission'.
Mission running is probably the best exposure many EVE players ever get to roleplay or the lore. Adding something on top of that, such as a 'roleplay' courier delivery from a mission hub back to a major (or minor) trade hub, provides content and incentive. No hauler wants to make a trip unless they have a full cargo hold both ways. Joining the mailing list means they can participate in the roleplay fun as well.
I think my friend that ran a 48 hour science fiction film contest in my home town had a similar means of randomly generating plot. The contest was to see who could come up with the best Science fiction themed film in a 48 hour period. In order to make sure no one used a preconceived film script idea, he chose a noun, a verb, and a line of dialogue, all three of which had to be in the film.
-
major rp corps
Because these are still a thing.
Ludicrous as it may sound, but one of the biggest RP entities currently active, is in fact, the CODE people, who are all RPing in their own way.
-
major rp corps
Because these are still a thing.
Ludicrous as it may sound, but one of the biggest RP entities currently active, is in fact, the CODE people, who are all RPing in their own way.
Yes I have heard that. "All hail James 315, the savior of high sec!"
I wonder why the Amarrian loyalist roleplayers haven't chimed in on this? Aren't God and the Empress the true saviors of high sec? Amarr does control about half of high sec.
Is it because CODE isn't enough to take seriously? Is it because there is no sovereignty to be lost or gained?
-
Oh, wow, that would be really great!
I have been trying to provoke faction conflict in RP for quite long time.
I would like to participate as well! Poke me in "Out of character" channel in game, im almost always sit there with one or two my alts ;)
-
Is it because CODE isn't enough to take seriously? Is it because there is no sovereignty to be lost or gained?
It's because CODE is not an RP corp. James is bored and wants free ISK, other people are bored and want to join a troll corp. End of story. Anyone that claims they are an RP corp are full of shit or delusional.
-
To reconstruct the quite helpful TL;DR that was modded away for reasons I really don't get:
-OOC Roleplay mailing list.
-Members of the list receive or identify two commodity items, a person and a thing, and a place.
-You are challenged to make a story from the combination of the person, thing and place.
1. The items would be chosen for you by someone else, possibly given to you through a contract.
2. There should be an option to pass your turn, or choose/ substitute with your own items. Giving a slave with a Slaver hound in Amarr to a Minmatar low sec pirate would probably just be trolling them. The optional substitution items might be things that you have acquired yourself, although it is possible to 'cheat' and buy or just look at/ refer to the items in a Station.
3. 'Secret Santa' is a good idea. I'm not sure how it would work in EVE. You could do it through an alt I suppose. Do contracts list their senders?
4. Will the list of people be public? Well, I doubt it. It's a mailing list. I think your name would be on it if you sent or replied to another person on the list. Then again, we would have to know who we were sending the 'MacGuffins' out to, so we would have to know the names of everyone on the list.
-
Well, I've come to realize that I'm going to have to interject myself in this somehow to get it rolling. I don't want it to be just a series of mission like objectives. I want it to build organically, involving people as they're pulled into a web of lies, deceit, and war. So, Visian is contacting people and is definitely up to something as a plot and plan builds in his head. He's got some bones to pick with some people, and you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Basically, any interaction with him in-game is likely to draw you into the beginning stages. I was in a bit of a rush to do this in my excitement for the idea, but I think going the organic route will likely increase the immersion of RPers and get them involved. It is definitely going to be a developing thing.
-
Organic is definitely the way to go! Much more fun that way. :)
Looking forward to see how it develops.
-
Count me interested.
-
you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Hurr hurr :oops:
-
you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Hurr hurr :oops:
Yeah...I'm not really sure anyone else actually said that besides myself.
-
Well, at the moment, I'm pretty much it in the Minmatar Terrorist department. The only other one decided to quit, heh.
-
you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Hurr hurr :oops:
Yeah...I'm not really sure anyone else actually said that besides myself.
I'm actually referencing the fact I just joined Amarr militia xD All these names I know and hate but can't shoot q.q
-
Well, at the moment, I'm pretty much it in the Minmatar Terrorist department. The only other one decided to quit, heh.
Ah! Well, you never know when you may run across an old timer looking to jump the stakes once more.
you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Hurr hurr :oops:
Yeah...I'm not really sure anyone else actually said that besides myself.
I'm actually referencing the fact I just joined Amarr militia xD All these names I know and hate but can't shoot q.q
Hmmmm...he might have a use for someone like that too. ;)
-
Well, at the moment, I'm pretty much it in the Minmatar Terrorist department. The only other one decided to quit, heh.
Ah! Well, you never know when you may run across an old timer looking to jump the stakes once more.
you know what they say...once a Minmatar terrorist, always a Minmatar terrorist.
Hurr hurr :oops:
Yeah...I'm not really sure anyone else actually said that besides myself.
I'm actually referencing the fact I just joined Amarr militia xD All these names I know and hate but can't shoot q.q
Hmmmm...he might have a use for someone like that too. ;)
Feel free to send me a mail ^^ Ingame name is the same as forum.
-
Ohhhh yess.
This is relevant to my interests. Sign me up. You can find me IG as "Rhiannon Dellacorte" (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=4482.0)
-
Right now I'm making it around meeting people. I'm trying to keep much of it in-character, but I will be following leads to get people I need properly manipulated for my plans. Keep in mind that's who Visian/Vapor is...a warm, charismatic, manipulator of people. But those that have expressed interest will most likely be contacted at some point for parts in his game both big and small. He's trying to instigate.
I'm glad a lot of you seem interested. Thanks!
-
Sounds interesting...
Count me interested.
probably more likely to get involved in larger RP arcs with Yuni rather than Rok...
-
So this is interesting, but I'm really not sure how I would get involved in it.
-
Okay, so I've been trying to write this post for a couple days, so here goes an actual shot. You are going to run into two major problems in this idea, which I will try and explain and then solicit suggestions on how to avoid.
1. The viability of conflict-producing decisions: Simplest one: What do you do when there is a decision where one choice might cause interesting conflict, but the other one is the logical, sane choice for a capsuleer in that position to make? Example: You have an story-important item which needs to get from one place to another. You could put it into a hauler, or maybe a plain-PvP ship if it's small enough, and make the trip with escort (risky, but definitely a conflict driver) OR you could put it in a fast-warping, cloaky Covops transport (by far the better choice, but not likely to drive conflict). If you create conflict but die in a stupid way, you look dumb for not making an obvious choice. If you make the trip in the covops, you did the smart thing but don't necessarily generate content.
2. Coordinating PvP 'levels' between sides: When you have a pseudo-organized PvP event coming up, how do you make sure both sides are on the same level regarding what they are expecting the fight to be like? How do you keep one side from bringing an 'unbeatable' setup (accidentally or deliberately) and making it boring? Does any further OOC coordination and setup go to far in IC/OOC mixing? Example: A while back there was some semi-staged PvP between the Amarr/Khanid/I-RED and Sansha/Blooders. The actual fight turned out to be a huge disappointment because the Sansha/Blooders looked at who we were bringing and expected a highly-coordinated, ECM-heavy fleet; they responded by bringing a kiting destroyer force. Problem was, we had thought the fight was to be a fun little rumble with no coordination and brought whatever. The end result was that we had no chance and left after loosing several ships. I do not blame the other side for this - they did the perfectly reasonable thing under what they knew; the question is, how are things like this to be avoided in the future?
-
1. Anything of this nature I would imagine being set-up so that if the goal is to find the ship, the cargo, whatever...then it has to be possible or what's the point otherwise? It just has to be the proper actor in the proper role acting in a proper nature. Maybe it's a new pod pilot for, I don't know, a pirate corp. He/she doesn't yet have the ability to use cloaking technology, but the higher ups in the corp really thinks it'll be a laugh to put them through it. Actual story can be manipulated with no problem. You just have to have willing participants.
2. As far as coordinating battles so close to the vest, I'm totally against it. Maybe for the major battles, yeah sure. I'd never tell people what they could bring though and it's completely up to the leadership of involved corporations to come to a handshake agreement if they want to do that. It's my opinion that if you are a smart FC and you know you're facing a no-win situation, you either fight to inflict monetary damage on the other side knowing full-well you'll likely suffer an ultimate loss or you retreat and regroup.
The whole purpose of this for me is to get the disparate RP entities out there working together, forming strange alliances, political intrigue ensuing, etc. If you can't fight an enemy, perhaps you need to learn to consider to adapt and make the enemy of your enemy your friend, no matter how distasteful it may be. It happens all of the time in the real world and no matter allegiances in Eve or how your character may feel about things, this is likely to happen all the time as well. That aspect may also promote individual RP within the corps giving them more depth as well.
The big thing is that it remains organic and not overly "planned." As people become involved, they need to feel like they're actively a participant and not just following along. That's what keeps it fresh in my opinion.
-
Perhaps a 'Macguffin.'
The Maltese Falcon was a Macguffin. The characters were all willing to kill, lie, steal to get it, but it was never explained why. The reason wasn't important. It was just an object that drove the plot along, linked the characters, and created conflict. The arc of Indiana Jones, the Lochnar of Heavy Metal, the Incal light, it doesn't matter how many different stories, characters, or worlds are involved, the MacGuffin brings them all together.
In the case of EVE, let's suggest a doll. They are easy enough to buy, and you can even find them in mining missions.
Why is one ordinary doll so important that everyone has to get it? Does it belong to someone important? Does it contain something interesting, like a data core? Maybe it is an ancient artifact found at the EVE gate from long forgotten Earth?
I had been conceiving a story where a Gallentian archaeologist working at the EVE gate uncovers some evidence that all four races once originated from one planet. The Amarrian theological council hears about this, and sends out a patrol to have this man killed, his ship destroyed, and all of his artifacts eliminated. The man has an only son, who is six years old. After his ship starts melting in a battle with the Amarrians, the Archaeologist desperately starts stuffing his artifacts into a 'homing drone', a non-weaponized drone similar to a mining drone that can deliver small parcels at sub light speeds.
His son grows up to become a worthless loafer. He is a university drop out who spends his time and Father's inheritance money in the night clubs of Caille. When he is about 26, the homing drone arrives at his home address. It might be a Doll from the planet Earth, or perhaps a datacore, or both. A holographic recording by his father will have explained what happened to him, and the importance of this doll.
The son contacts the Archaeology department at the University, explaining what just arrived at his house. The head of the Archaeology department nearly has a fit, then calms himself. He informs the son that those artifacts belong in a museum, etc. The son is wondering if these artifacts have a cash value. He takes a photo of the doll and uploads it to the net, trying to auction it off. He watches as the price steadily increases into billions of ISK, and so does his bounty. There is the sound of weapons fire, as two Gallente bounty hunters defeat the home security system and start searching the home. The son hides behind one of the sex androids he keeps in his closet.
The son manages to escape his house without detection, however he now sees a video screen with his face on it, and the billions of ISK reward for his capture. As a petty crook and loafer, he realizes that everyone in his own social circle knows where he lives, where he frequents, and will come looking for him to turn him in. He decides he has to leave the planet and live as a fugitive.
The Amarrians refer to the artifact as 'the abomination', and will go to great lengths to obtain and destroy it. They believe that the knowledge and evidence it contains about the 'single planet origin theory' will undermine their entire feudalistic, slave labor based society. The balance of power in EVE will shift towards the Gallenteans, and away from the Amarrians and the Caldari.
This makes the artifact something of a hot potato. The value of it increases exponentially until it is worth more than a Titan. If you could manage to sell it, you would be rich! However, once people find out you are in possession of it, every mercenary in New Eden is out to kill you and take it for themselves.
So, somehow your character comes into contact with this artifact, or 'abomination'. It might just be news, an Amarrian loyalist might not see or be in possession of it (since they would destroy it and/or turn it in), but might wonder why PIE is diverting half it's fleet to search for this object. A Minmatar pirate might think it's payday, then realize that every pirate in low sec will be out to kill them. Some people might not even realize it's financial value, simply picking it up and keeping it with them as some kind of decoration.
I thought that a talking doll might be funny, perhaps even a talking teddy bear. The word 'bear' is a pejorative in EVE, but it is never explained why. There is even a story about an Amarrian torture chamber filled with talking teddy bears with creepy eyes that say "I love you. Do you love me? I love you. Do you love me?" I think it was meant to be funny, but why are there teddy bears in EVE? Weren't they named after the American President Theodore Roosevelt? It might be a torture if talking Teddy bears were the 'abomination' that Amarrians feared, sort of like the cage full of rats they put over Winston Smith's face in 1984.
I think a doll is generic enough so that everyone can make up their own story why everyone is trying to kill them in order to get it. You can pick up and dispose of the doll whenever you want, so long as it is never destroyed or inaccessible to others. Keep the doll with you for a while, make it your little traveling companion, pull the string and listen to it talk. Have some strange nightmares about it.
Getting rid of the doll means that you have passed the 'hot potato' to someone else. Toss it in the garbage or jet can it into space. You don't even need to know the person whom you passed it on to. It would make a fun gift to pass on to someone that you wanted to see killed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb8PxjhwsDE
-
Amazing idea! Only thing that could make this better is if all players were allowed to create one in game item.
-
Amazing idea! Only thing that could make this better is if all players were allowed to create one in game item.
I was thinking this as well. Why can't players make and sell their own commodity items? I suppose with the EVE community though, there are bound to be people that make tasteless and insensitive items like 'the Jew claw'.
-
While the idea has merit, and a macguffin is definitely something to consider, I do have to point something out about that.
Why is one ordinary doll so important that everyone has to get it? Does it belong to someone important? Does it contain something interesting, like a data core? Maybe it is an ancient artifact found at the EVE gate from long forgotten Earth?
I had been conceiving a story where a Gallentian archaeologist working at the EVE gate uncovers some evidence that all four races once originated from one planet. The Amarrian theological council hears about this, and sends out a patrol to have this man killed, his ship destroyed, and all of his artifacts eliminated. The man has an only son, who is six years old. After his ship starts melting in a battle with the Amarrians, the Archaeologist desperately starts stuffing his artifacts into a 'homing drone', a non-weaponized drone similar to a mining drone that can deliver small parcels at sub light speeds.
There's no reason they would do that, when the 'originated from one planet' thing has its basis in the Amarr religion and was common belief by the religion itself until only comparatively recently (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Earth#Common_Origin_Theory). It's why it's called the Reclaiming, afterall. More likely, the Theology Council would be interested in talking to this guy and getting access to study his relics, because it could validate a key part of Scripture ("In the beginning all were as one." (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Scriptures#Book_I)). Remember, this is what they did with the Tetrimonites when they revealed they had claimed to have discovered lost Scripture. The TC didn't assassinate them, they invited the Tetrimonites into Amarr space temporarily so that they could study the passages and determine whether the Tetrimonites's claims were valid.
-
While the idea has merit, and a macguffin is definitely something to consider, I do have to point something out about that.
Why is one ordinary doll so important that everyone has to get it? Does it belong to someone important? Does it contain something interesting, like a data core? Maybe it is an ancient artifact found at the EVE gate from long forgotten Earth?
I had been conceiving a story where a Gallentian archaeologist working at the EVE gate uncovers some evidence that all four races once originated from one planet. The Amarrian theological council hears about this, and sends out a patrol to have this man killed, his ship destroyed, and all of his artifacts eliminated. The man has an only son, who is six years old. After his ship starts melting in a battle with the Amarrians, the Archaeologist desperately starts stuffing his artifacts into a 'homing drone', a non-weaponized drone similar to a mining drone that can deliver small parcels at sub light speeds.
There's no reason they would do that, when the 'originated from one planet' thing has its basis in the Amarr religion and was common belief by the religion itself until only comparatively recently (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Earth#Common_Origin_Theory). It's why it's called the Reclaiming, afterall. More likely, the Theology Council would be interested in talking to this guy and getting access to study his relics, because it could validate a key part of Scripture ("In the beginning all were as one." (https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Scriptures#Book_I)). Remember, this is what they did with the Tetrimonites when they revealed they had claimed to have discovered lost Scripture. The TC didn't assassinate them, they invited the Tetrimonites into Amarr space temporarily so that they could study the passages and determine whether the Tetrimonites's claims were valid.
I'm glad you pointed that out to me. It's something I didn't know. I suppose that's another good reason to make the object a 'MacGuffin'. It's not necessary to explain what it is, or why it is a motivation.
In the story of the Maltese Falcon, we don't even know why the characters want it. We don't know what it is, other than it's some statue of a bird. All we know is that it's valuable enough to make Gangsters want to kill for it. It's the stuff that 'dreams are made of'.
It could be the same with this artifact, which might look like an ancient doll. As you point out, the Amarrians might be willing to pay a lot of money for it, but that doesn't necessarily mean they want to kill the person who has it. There are plenty of people that would though. Theft as well.
So long as the essential elements are kept, I think it would work. A creepy looking doll somehow comes into your possession, or to your attention, and a lot of people are offering a lot of money for it. The Theological Council also seems very interested in it, which would naturally make the Minmatar interested in it as well. Then, somehow the doll falls into someone else's hands.
There was a movie called '$20' that was based on the same idea. It was the life of a $20 bill. It started off being printed, delivered to a bank, and withdrawn by a factory worker. He gave the $20 to a stripper, and she gave it to her boyfriend. Her boyfriend used it to snort cocaine. The bill falls out of his pocket where a homeless man finds it. He spends it at a diner, and so on.
-
Sounds pretty neat to me. :)
And the Maltese Falcon, that sounds familiar. I think they based an episode of Gargoyles off of it. That story is a good inspiration to use.
-
Sounds pretty neat to me. :)
And the Maltese Falcon, that sounds familiar. I think they based an episode of Gargoyles off of it. That story is a good inspiration to use.
The Maltese Falcon is one of those films that are so famous, you don't even have to see it to hear references to it. It stars Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorry. The Vangelis song
'Friends of Mr. Cairo' is about this movie. It's one of the classics of Film Noir, which was an inspiration for the movie 'Blade Runner'. Vangelis also did the sound track for the movie 'Blade Runner'. In turn, Blade Runner became the dark and seedy inspiration for what the world of EVE is supposed to be.
Gloomy, dark and cynical. Urban, morally ambiguous, fatalistic, venal, violent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__eZAuc2f-Q
-
Make a mailing list and I will join it and force Pyre to participate.
Here's the mailing list for all: Club Zer0
-
Amazing idea! Only thing that could make this better is if all players were allowed to create one in game item.
I was thinking this as well. Why can't players make and sell their own commodity items? I suppose with the EVE community though, there are bound to be people that make tasteless and insensitive items like 'the Jew claw'.
Ehh, I think peoples are already past that. I would, though, totally make 'the Gallente claw'.
Speaking about tasteless and insensitive items, I would imagine 'dickbutts' everywhere.
-
Okay, so Visian is trying to get the word out. He needs something stolen. He's offering 1 billion ISK and 2 faction frigs for success. The pilot needs to be able to fly with a tech 1 cloak. Yes, you heard right, tech 1. And they will have to fly to several checkpoints all over space to actually get this item.
The entire time, I'll be offering a reward for any and all capsuleers to kill him. It's a game I call "Vapor Trail." If you make it back, you win. If someone else steals from you, they can bring it to me for a win.
I'm going to need actors in this. I don't have NPC's. Basically, Visian is going to be trying to get back some data that is a piece of memory he still can't get. He want's to know who killed him. This is the first step in the longer story that I hope will get some stuff started.
Visian has basically bought a club, he's promoting his illicit activities as entertainment. He does have a purpose though.
Mods, should this be moved to a different section? This is storyline building, isn't it? Don't want to step on toes.
-
Okay, so Visian is trying to get the word out. He needs something stolen. He's offering 1 billion ISK and 2 faction frigs for success. The pilot needs to be able to fly with a tech 1 cloak. Yes, you heard right, tech 1. And they will have to fly to several checkpoints all over space to actually get this item.
The entire time, I'll be offering a reward for any and all capsuleers to kill him. It's a game I call "Vapor Trail." If you make it back, you win. If someone else steals from you, they can bring it to me for a win.
I'm going to need actors in this. I don't have NPC's. Basically, Visian is going to be trying to get back some data that is a piece of memory he still can't get. He want's to know who killed him. This is the first step in the longer story that I hope will get some stuff started.
Visian has basically bought a club, he's promoting his illicit activities as entertainment. He does have a purpose though.
Mods, should this be moved to a different section? This is storyline building, isn't it? Don't want to step on toes.
This is an interesting quest. 'Down and out in the Magic Kingdom' was about someone with access to clone like technology who was trying to solve their own murder.
I think you can just create a new thread yourself, and make it a strictly in-character thread. Call it 'the Vapor Trail'. Character posts can then be discussed and edited by their authors here if there are grammatical errors or some disagreement regarding the prime fiction (such as me stomping my dinosaur around on the planet Amarr with my laser rifle 'FAW THE EMPRAHHH! RAWR!'). Then, when complete, cut and paste the whole thing into the Intergalactic Summit
[spoiler]FAWH THE EMPRAHH!http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH1E0LG9X2w/TmewRSDuX_I/AAAAAAAABEs/z4S-fh4MJdk/s1600/dinoriders.jpg[/spoiler]
-
I just sent out the first message from Visian himself through the Club Zero mailing list. That one is completely IC. I took a lot of the ideas suggested here for it, so thanks to everyone. I was having a really hard time how to figure out how to get it going.
Visian will take a more central role than I'd planned. However, I'm hoping this leads to new tangents with all of you. Maybe some bad blood will occur. Who knows? Just remember, it's an interactive and adapting storyline. The only thing I'm really going to do will be guiding it if it goes off the rails. What happens next completely depends on the reaction and participation of everyone.
XOXO,
V
-
Only thing that bothers me is the donation system. Basically means the biggest wallet has an immediate advantage. I would prefer a random number lottery type thing. Consider the entry fee to be buying a ticket.
-
Wait, someone has used the title 'Club Zero' ICly? Damnit anyway.
That's an awful lot of backstory, flavor, and graphics to redo for my planned IC venue.
-
Wanna be a partner? :D
-
Ooo, a thing.
-
Only thing that bothers me is the donation system. Basically means the biggest wallet has an immediate advantage. I would prefer a random number lottery type thing. Consider the entry fee to be buying a ticket.
There are a few story writing contests happening with large cash prizes. The prizes are being provided by several donors, such as the Angel project. Since this contest is providing storyline content, perhaps it would also qualify for such a donation? I agree that the chance of winning shouldn't be affected by the size of one's donation. Also, we should perhaps consider ways to make this contest 'newbie friendly'.
-
Well, what I'm doing with it right now is this:
There will be the Roc Wieler concert in Taff on Dec. 21st.
I'm pushing the "Vapor Trail" event at least a month, because I think I jumped into that one too quick.
Basically, Visian wants to make a capsuleer media outlet financed by piracy to cover his quest for his missing time. He wants to know what happened and who is to blame. However, it's not a snowflake thing where I know everything that's going to happen. The story will adapt to the players, not vice versa. The goal is to get a bunch of like minded individuals together in one place to brainstorm events that play out in a storyline, much like episodic television, that involve many characters. Say an event a month, that is publicized as capsuleer entertainment, but can have many storylines coursing through it from many characters and their POV.
I'm using my story as an impetus to start a very cloak and daggery type storyline for myself. For others, it might be the quest for adventure and fame that gets them to participate in the events. For others, it may dredge up ghosts from the past that they feel need to be put to rest. Others still will just want to be involved because we are all important celebrities on our local worlds and this is just business as usual. Some will just want to get involved to promote their love of Eve based media, i.e. PVP vlogs and twitch feeds, etc.
Best part is it will all be organic. Nothing forced. No meta involvement. This will simply be actions and reactions storytelling with a live element. If you want to participate in the storyline side of it, I'll figure out a way to have an easy place to communicate. I might give Wiggio a go (update: go here to see the group (https://wiggio.com/group_open_join.php?groupid=2570890&password=nerdharder&ref=2781550/). PW is nerdharder.), and put a link on the groundzerosum.com site.
I'll also use the site to display fiction involved with the storylines, even offering editing suggestions if you like (I'm a creative writing major and professional tech writer in RL). Any media or propaganda you want posted on site, just let me know and I can make new pages and sections.
If there are no objections, I'd also like to put a site link for the OOC forums here as a landing page as well. It'd do good to get new blood as it arrives interested in Eve and may help boost recruiting. Who knows. I'll have to promote well.
I want to do things that will get noticed, but not necessarily by the players of Eve overall. They play the game their way, we play ours. I'd like to see CCP take interest and start working more closely with us. There used to be a pretty good bond from the RP community to CCP. I'd like to see that happen again. So, good storytelling is a must and I know I'm not a perfect writer, but together we would be.
There's my pitch. :lol:
-
(I'm a creative writing major and professional tech writer in RL).
!
Creative writing majors unite!
o/\o
-
I wonder how someone goes about writing EVE news? This is the sort of thing which certainly deserves to be announced as a news event.
Incidentally, I have wanted to invent some EVE 'news' from the Amarr Certified News network myself.
I was thinking of a low sec planet in the Factional warfare zone that was quarantined due to the plaque, and how the Amarrians are trying to help the Minmatar population by bringing vaccines and medicine. Of course, the Minmatar pirates don't understand this and keep shooting at the Amarrian ships anyways.
-
that was quarantined due to the plaque
"ohgod, the teeth! The horrible teeth!"
(Actually, that sounds rather good :P)
-
I wonder how someone goes about writing EVE news? This is the sort of thing which certainly deserves to be announced as a news event.
Incidentally, I have wanted to invent some EVE 'news' from the Amarr Certified News network myself.
I was thinking of a low sec planet in the Factional warfare zone that was quarantined due to the plaque, and how the Amarrians are trying to help the Minmatar population by bringing vaccines and medicine. Of course, the Minmatar pirates don't understand this and keep shooting at the Amarrian ships anyways.
I believe we called it "forum whoring" back in the day. You just write that stuff out and put it in places like IGS. If it's good, people notice.
I think Visian would be one to fund what essentially amounts to Faux News in Eve. He'd be down for that. LOL!