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[Casiella]

[mod]While I realize that many (all?) of you are joking, please keep in mind that this is not a laughing matter here.

Rule 3: Respect other users of Backstage.EVE-Inspiracy.com. Do not make attacks, either in the forums or through Private Messages. Challenging ideas is fine, but do not attack individuals or groups. Racist, ageist, sexist, homophobic (including the use of "gay" as a pejorative) and other slurs are prohibited. Ad hominem attacks are prohibited. Challenging ideas is fine, but do not attack individuals or groups.

Let's please focus on the substance of the OP and not on whether EVE has enough "space lesbians".[/mod]

[Ken]

If I could write it all from scratch, I'd make all the factions much more... factional.

Patriot, practical, and liberal blocs in the State; political camps, activist and interest groups, and megacorps in the Federation; tribes, clans, and Amarrian convert groups in the Republic; houses of the heirs in the Empire... they would all be after each other in a shifting, changing, and never quite definable storm of conflicting interests.  Pirate factions would be better defined as rogue states and might even have set up a sort of shadow CONCORD of their own.  Jove wouldn't have an empire in space that anyone knew about and nobody would know what they looked like a la the Vorlon from B5.  Capsuleer sov would be tied to factions (pirates included) in a colonization privateering sort of thing.

Also, capsuleers wouldn't run missions "for real".  They'd be training simulations.  Missions in space would be against much tougher and rather fewer NPCs in target systems much farther away from the agent (5-10 jumps avg).  Enemy factions could assign the same deadspace pocket to their own mission runners, bringing PvP into the mix.  Rewards would be dramatically increased per mission.  That would I wouldn't have to ignore almost everything I do while running missions from an RP perspective.

There would be a lot more low sec.  In fact, high sec islands with a few rare and rather important direct connections between them would be the norm.

[Vieve]

Maybe I should have Mark-All-Read this thread instead of actually reading it.

Ahem.

I'd start with missions.  Since missions are very likely many players' first introduction (and sadly, in some cases only) to PF, I'd want to make sure that they were consistent and credible with regards to established content.

[spoiler]I'd be looking to fix/get explained via chrons or news articles/enhance things like:

Courier Deliveries That Don't Make Any Damn Sense
Examples:

• Amarr/Ammatar/Khanid agents giving out 'deliver genetically modified livestock missions' (or Gallente/Caldari/Minmatar agents having the destination for such things be an Amarr/Ammatar/Khanid station).
• Caldari agents' shipping Kamieras to Core Complexion or RSS stations for medical examinations.

Yes, I know the destination stations are randomly generated.  I believe it could be possible to code an 'exclusion list' based on faction or corporation, though.


Encounters That Don't Make Any Damn Sense/Why Hasn't The Media Found Out By Now?
Example:

• The Gallente mission sequence where capsuleers are told to blow up CONCORD ships and then a slave colony in order to frame the Amarr for the purposes of a documentary.  While this sequence might make a reasonable amount of sense if it was run for a Federation agent in Amarr/Ammatar space -- it also turns up in Federation (and likely State and Republic space, too).  Then, of course, there's the whole blowing up of CONCORD ships thing.  One would think that organization would have noticed by now (or the media would have).
• The Thukker shooting at Federation ships in Republic space.  Still.  Despite the Thukker détente with the Republic.   Nobody's complaining about this?

Encounters That Should Be More/Less Difficult
Example:

• Shouldn't shooting, for example, Federation Navy ships in a Federation system attract the attention of local security forces?
• Shouldn't having a low standing with the local pirate faction get someone more personal attention in their asteroid belts?
• Shouldn't someone -- for another example -- with high Wiyrkomi/WPS standing get offered assistance by any local Wiyrkomi Peace Corps NPCs if that someone was running a mission against pirates or opposed megacorp folks in a system patrolled by WPC?  (Assuming that the mission wasn't issued by a rival megacorp, of course.) Also of course, this would assume that those NPCs were created and sent off patrolling Wiyrkomi territory.

Courier/Encounters That Could Be More Interesting
Example:

• Intra-megacorp conflicts.  FIO surveillance-gone-wrong missions against Material Acquisition?   Ishukone trying to screw with Lai Dai?  Kador going after the local RSS office? There's a wealth of stuff just in the NPC corporation descriptions that could be adapted to make missioning for different corporations more than just 'go kill <insert local pirates or Factional enemy here>'.
• Time/Event/Personal Standing based missions.  Once upon a time, we'd get news stories about how agents in a certain system had limited buy orders up in response to events or disasters.   I also (vaguely) remember getting mails from Federation Customs agents that I had high standing with offering me goods or opportunities.    These things used to suggest to my more naive self that the player-level storyline was in sync with game-level story actions.  I'd like to be that naive again, and I'm almost certain a number of other players would too.
• Proximity Based Missions. See the above example about the WPC offering assistance?  What if one of their patrols in the area of a player with sufficient standing requested the player's assistance with a problem?

On that note, I'd want some chron/corp description text generated to explain why some corporations besides the SOE/Concord/pirate factions have members from different factional races (e.g. Spacelane Patrol's Gallente agents).[/spoiler]

After missions, I'd move on to the next thing that first involves players:  races.  All of the ones mentioned in PF would be described and made playable, or there'd be a reason stated why playing a capsuleer version of one is impossible (e.g. Udorians are indistinguishable from Amarr, Ealurians suffer from the cognitive inability to become capsuleers, CONCORD just can't trust the Starkmanir with capsule technology).  If I managed to survive being tossed into a volcano after that, I'd move on to legitimizing hybrids (a.k.a. Heritage), introducing the concept of Origins (as a superset for the existing "bloodlines") and allowing for some cross-faction flexibility in starting school registrations.

I'll assume I won't be allowed to give the pirate factions schools of their own, or permit the folks in Khanid/Ammatar/Syndicate to have their own either.   Though, you know, I'd really want to.  I'm like that.

[spoiler]I'd allow players at character creation to set themselves as little as 1/4 of any playable race (as long as the other race(s) added up to 100%).  This wouldn't be wholly without penalty: different choices would limit (or prevent) choosing Origin options and/or starting schools.

The default setting (the one automatically assigned to 25% Empire, 25% Caldari, 25% Federation and 25% Republic hybrids) would be Federation Origin with a Mixed Heritage, an Immigrant Bloodline and a choice between Federation schools.    Hey, got to get new Federation RPers somehow, right?

Here's an example of what I'm thinking.  Feel free to run away scared.  I know I probably will once I read it after posting.

INTAKI

100% Intaki ("Intaki Heritage")

- Federation Origin, with existing Diplomat, Artist or Reborn Bloodlines (and Federation Clothing Choices). Starting Schools: any Federation ones.

- State/Syndicate/Mordus Option, with new Mentat, Mercenary or Merchant Bloodlines (and State Clothing Choices). Starting Schools: Bloodline-dependent.  Mentats = SAK, Mercenaries = SWA, Merchants = STI.

75% Intaki ("Intaki Heritage")
Same options as 100%.

50% Intaki
- Federation Origin is still an option, but the Reborn Bloodline gets locked out.  ("Mixed Heritage") 50% of any other race permits access to those Bloodlines (with the exception of "Liberal Holder" from True Amarr and "Unionist" from a revised Khanid Origin side of things: an idea which I won't torture you with right now).  Starting schools are any Federation ones.

- At least 25% of another Caldari Factional Race ("Caltaki Heritage") keeps the State/Syndicate/Mordus Origin and two of its associated Bloodlines/schools open.  The Mentat Bloodline/SAK option gets locked out.

-At least 50% Republic Factional Race (not including Nefantar) opens a Republic Origin option, and Republic starting schools. ("Mataki Heritage") It also permits picking from the Bloodlines of the Republic Factional Race contributor if it's also 50%.  For example, a Sebiestor/Intaki could be a Tinkerer just like his or her Sebiestor parent.  An 50% Intaki/25% Sebiestor/25% Brutor will just have to be happy with being a funny looking Artist (or Diplomat, but not Reborn), or a 50% Intaki/25% Deteis/25% Sebiestor will just have to put up with being a stunning Mercenary (or Merchant, but not Mentat) ... provided they're in the State instead of the Federation.

25% Intaki
-Becomes a flavor for another race.  None of the bloodlines unique to it are unlocked during character creation. While the Federation's always an option for these poor souls, other places might not be -- it depends on what the other 75% of the character's made of.[/spoiler]

And while everyone sitting in the storyline meeting was staring open-mouthed at the presentation and thinking 'there's no way to code this shit!' (while feeling grateful that I didn't bring up corporate storefronts), I'd be busily tying up some loose storyline ends.   Say, oh ... what's Haatakan Oiritsuu up to?  And does the Republic actually have a Parliament these days, or has it gone wholly tribal?  If so, who's footing the bill for the intra-tribal organizations like the Navy and the RSS?  Anyone?  The Angels?  And why are the Sansha making repeat visits to constellations (or at least it looks like it from here)?  Is CONCORD actually working with Sansha or a Sansha-proxy so as to keep the Empires from getting funny ideas that it's weak?   Why haven't we heard from any of the Heirs except for Ardishapur lately?   Is Ardishapur on the verge of pulling a Khanid with Ammatar?  Should "pulling a Khanid" be put into Evelopedia?

[Silas Vitalia]

I've got a lot of things to add here's my first salvo:

Game-Play Wise:

"Declaring Allegiance" mechanic.  

Each capsuleer upon character creation or at a later point much like signing up for Faction Warfare, would be able to declare allegiance to various factions/sub facitons. There would always be an option for 'no allegiance.' Would diversify the player-base and get us a bit out of this 4 groups only nonsense.

For example an Amarr supporter would have the option to declare support for any of the 5 houses, a Caldari could declare support for any of the Megacorps, or Heth, etc.

This would NOT grant a permanent state of war, or be similar to faction warfare, rather as the story line progresses each 'allegiance' group would -occasionally- call for it's pilots to

1. perform a task
2 attend an event
3. participate in TEMPORARY wardecs with limited objectives vs other factions.

in order to advance the 'plot' and provide dynamic content.

So for example when Kador invaded Gallente Space, you could have players gunning for both Kador and the Federal Navy for a few days, and let the players determine the outcome.

Or perhaps some clandestine Megacorp conflicts suddenly go 'hot' for a week and their capsuleer supporters are required to secure a trade route or eliminate competition, etc.

You could use most of the FW code for aggression but limit the 'combat zones' or locations to a few systems for the duration of the events.  

So, dynamic hotspots in specific locations for pilots to participate in and determine storyline progression.  

[Ken]

Should "pulling a Khanid" be put into Evelopedia?

Totally.

[Ammentio Oinkelmar]

If I could write it all from scratch, I'd make all the factions much more... factional.

Patriot, practical, and liberal blocs in the State; political camps, activist and interest groups, and megacorps in the Federation; tribes, clans, and Amarrian convert groups in the Republic; houses of the heirs in the Empire... they would all be after each other in a shifting, changing, and never quite definable storm of conflicting interests.  Pirate factions would be better defined as rogue states and might even have set up a sort of shadow CONCORD of their own.  Jove wouldn't have an empire in space that anyone knew about and nobody would know what they looked like a la the Vorlon from B5.  Capsuleer sov would be tied to factions (pirates included) in a colonization privateering sort of thing.

It's hard to say it better than this. And a bit like Silas Vitalia suggested, there should be loyalist mechanics. Sanshas, drones, serps are all experiencing injustice because the game assumes that all the players must be against these groups. There should me more ways to support your favourite kind of evil.

Also, capsuleers wouldn't run missions "for real".  They'd be training simulations.  Missions in space would be against much tougher and rather fewer NPCs in target systems much farther away from the agent (5-10 jumps avg).  Enemy factions could assign the same deadspace pocket to their own mission runners, bringing PvP into the mix.  Rewards would be dramatically increased per mission.  That would I wouldn't have to ignore almost everything I do while running missions from an RP perspective.

I wouldn't mind seeing major changes in mission system. There's no causality and only the standings and the details of the mission briefings are really useful. There could be more choices, randomness, sharing options and escalations, some PvP could be mixed in and generally the missions should better reflect the current state of affairs in New Eden. Maybe, if people chose to do a lot of certain kind of missions, this could have some influence on the game world, along the lines of FW?

There would be a lot more low sec.  In fact, high sec islands with a few rare and rather important direct connections between them would be the norm.

I know that low sec combatants need more targets, but I just wonder what might be the effect on high-sec based industry and mining? Would players be ready to change their habits, or would they simply quite the game and find something that better fits their play style?

It could be interesting to have more pilots in the remaining high-sec systems, but then also more roid belts + industry and research slots should be added. If these activities were to move to low-sec, then there might be a need to make changes to the map, stabbing mechanics, jump gates, insurance system and properties of the transport ships, to keep the game experience of the former high-sec dwellers on the same level as before.

[Vieve]

Should "pulling a Khanid" be put into Evelopedia?

Totally.

I gave it 5 stars.   

[Ken]

It could be interesting to have more pilots in the remaining high-sec systems, but then also more roid belts + industry and research slots should be added. If these activities were to move to low-sec, then there might be a need to make changes to the map, stabbing mechanics, jump gates, insurance system and properties of the transport ships, to keep the game experience of the high-sec dwellers on the same level as before.

I think it would require people to work together more and would lead to the creation of more "strong" lowsec blocs like the one that exists in and around Viriette, for example, with the ILF and I-RED.

In general I would significantly increase risk and reward for all actions across the board.  Sure, you have to go to lowsec to get at any belts that are worth your time, but they'd be much more worth your time.

[Amann Karris]

I wouldn't change anything, actually.  I would however like to see one thing implemented:

An EVE Tabletop RPG.

What would it be about?
1.  "Normal" people.  No Capsuleers, no DUST soldiers.  I wouldn't even call it "EVE".
2.  Fleshing out day-to-day realities of EVE.
3.  ALL bloodlines.  Yes, even the ones ignored by CCP.

Inspiration?
1.  Chronicles:  Mercenaries 1-4, Kameiras and...
2.  AURORA.  A wonderful place to start, and a good narrator group for an RPG line taking place in the EVE IP.

Finally, as head of the Storyline department for a day, as my last duty as storyline lead I'd hire myself on to produce said RPG.     I have tons of ideas and stories that could easily be told regardless of what happens in EVE or DUST.  I also have a pretty set vision for what I would accomplish with an EVE tabletop RPG line.

Sadly, I'll never get the chance to make this a reality.  I'm terribly depressed now. 

[Saikoyu]

I would probably spend most of my time inventing ways of allowing player driven content to be better designed. Artificial mission creators (where the players have to input the isk for everything, thus making it a type of isk sink), etc.

Edit: This is presuming the head of story can actually get game mechanic support or not.

Slightly edited quote but this, this, one thousand times this.  Player says, I want to support endevor X (anything from any faction, set up an Amarrian base in Minmatar space, hire pirates to raid Caldari areas, etc.)  Player dumps in enough isk to buy a few NPC battleships and stuffs.  Mission gets entered into the mission cue for the chosen area.  Another player comes along and shoots up the misssion, and gets the isk that the first player put into the mission as bounties.  Or, if the mission isn't defeated in a certain amount of time, first player gets back the origional isk plus a small profit, like return on investment.  And if one player kept giving out missions against a particular faction, their standign with that faction would eventually drop enough that they would be KOS in that area. 

Oh, and make faction standing equal sec status in the empires, so if you are -10 to Amarr, anyone in Amarr space can blow you away and get "thanked" by the Amarrian government. 

That and more player run events like with the Sansha invasions.  Next time someone invades someplace, temporary set the system to 0.0 and declare it a free for all or let people sign up for a side like Silas's declaring alliance mechanic.

Actually, everything in this thread.  Including the lesbians.

[hellgremlin]

I'd speed the bloody thing along. This game's story unfolds over what feels like geologic ages - and lately it seems to have been forgotten altogether. Goddamnit, hurry the Enheduanni up, I could have committed a dozen genocides in the time they've been building up suspense!

[Ammentio Oinkelmar]

I think it would require people to work together more and would lead to the creation of more "strong" lowsec blocs like the one that exists in and around Viriette, for example, with the ILF and I-RED.

Exactly. This is where greatest barrier is. It's extremely difficult to find the right people and build up a good team. IPI, I-RED and Moira have been around for some time, and I can't even try to guess how many similar projects have failed during the same period. There are social reasons, why it works this way and it is hard to change by any game mechanics.

From the EVE quarterly economic report,
~*~*~
Type | Population Q3 2010 Population Q4 2010 Q3 % of Total Q4 % of Total Change
High Sec | 553502 611732 79.56% 79.61% 0.05%
Low sec | 48346 51342 6.95% 6.68% -0.27%
Null sec | 76999 86487 11.07% 11.26% 0.19%
Wormhole Space | 16846 18812 2.42% 2.45% 0.03%
~*~*~
Although one can talk about the biases in this kind of estimates, the GM's should be very careful when there's a risk that they can upset 80% of the player base. A large scale dissatisfaction in this sector would be very likely to have effects on the other sectors as well.

[scagga]

Vaari

(Edit: I'm serious)

[Chowda]

I would make the state of the Gallente-Caldari conflict at the start of TEA more like Europe vs China than US vs North Korea. 

The megacorps should have been "cheating" in the Gallentes' eyes by dumping cheaper goods on the market, making secret deals to stifle competition, and poisioning Gallente corp heads to get an unfair advantage, slowly bleeding the Gallente economy and affecting their lifestyle.  When the President is is inspecting the teraforming, he shouldn't have been thinking "that was easy, lets do a thousand more next month".  He should have been lamenting the fact they couldn't afford anymore such projects and there was a refugee placement problem on the horizon. 

The stuff with Heth could have still have gone down, the lower classes swelling so megacorps can keep on winning in the marketplace...  It's not how I would have wrote it, but it was the setting that I found most appalling about TEA.  Besides, having the empires on near equal footing makes a lot more sense when its based on a game that tries to balance the empires out.   

[Boma Airaken]

Moar COSMOS PF, moar third bloodline PF.