Eve Mag Interview

Hi

What follows is the interview for Ikki Pheonix on behalf of Eve Mag.

You can download the updated special edition of Eve Mag by following the related link at the bottom.

If you would like to comment or ask me any questions, feel free to do so here.

1.Please introduce your eve character.

My name is Max Torps. I started playing Eve Online in 2006. After roughly a
month of playing it got a bit boring and lonely not being in a player run corp so I started to look around for a likely corporation to join.

There was a Great War on at the time and the Eve forums were awash with stories about it. It looked exciting but as a new player I realised I couldn't join one of the elite corporations just yet. Some time later, I saw many adverts posted for Research Associates (RESA) which was a feeder corporation for AWECO, part of Ascendant Frontier. After time I then became the Lead Recruitment Officer for Progenitor Corporation and was also asked to be Joint Chief, which I declined.

Then the Dev accusations started and I left the game as it just put me off
playing. I was then later persuaded to play again several months later.

I applied and soon joined eXceed Inc as a standard member. At that time, eXceed was in the Invictus Alliance which was resident in the Drone regions. eXceed had previously been a member of ASCN (Ascendant Frontier) so this settled well with me as I wanted to remain on the coalition side of the fence and that's where I am now.

2.Please introduce your "true" self(real life).

I'm 42 years old, male, married, live in Derby and work in Technical Support for the National Health Service.

I have ran game servers and community forums for Starfleet Command, ran a guild in Everquest1 and 2 called Dawnwatchers over several years, I've ran a licensed internet radio station called CyberSpaceUK serving gamers and have also reopened StarfleetComms.com as an Eve Online blog/community site.

I've visited the PVP pre-Tourney meet in Fulham last year and also attended FanFest 2007.

3.Why are you interested in serving in the Council of Stellar Management?

Because I like to get involved in the community aspect of games ever since the days of Starfleet Command 2 where I ran community forums and game servers. It's what I enjoy and I've always looked after my reputation by being fair and impartial.

4.What qualifications do you have to serve in the Council of Stellar
Management?Please include in those qualifications any gaming experiences. If you have previously worked for gaming companies, please explain how has that shaped your player experience.

You don't need qualifications to apply for this role. You need to be popular and that's about it- something I need to test! lol. However! If I were to say what qualities were required I'd say that the ability to be objective and reason would apply.

Pretty much all I have done is summed up above with the exception of running a guild called Dawnwatchers that ran through Everquest 1 into EverQuest 2. So patience played a large part.

I also worked in a volunteer program for a game company but cannot say more than that due to NDA. I will say however that it helped me understand the wider range of issues affecting players of that game.

5.Throughout Eve's existence, the common word used to describe Eve has been complex and that has sometimes pushed potential new players way. Would you please explain what steps(if any), you would recommend to CCP in order to grow the player base and attract more new players?

I think that CCP have already started to identify the issues and are making
steps in the right direction however if successful I would actively seek ideas
from the player base regarding this. My personal opinion is that aggro, gang,
pirate and anti-pirate mechanics and low sec should make more sense.

6.In the recent past, there has been a few scandals involving CCP employees and CCP has seen players confidence diminish. What steps would you advise for CCP to take, in order to restore the community's trust?

The CSM is one area that I think is not only the initial first step toward
restoring trust but an integral part of it.

The CSM is not the same as was
promised after the T20 issue and if the CSM is not the right vehicle for this
then one needs to be identified. The absolute worst thing that CCP can do is
launch the CSM and not listen to it. I think that would be disastrous. So I
would say that the CSM needs to be transparent and it needs to be seen to be listened to.

7.One of the major issues in Eve is isk farmers/buyers/sellers. As a member of the CSM, what steps would you take to try and resolve this major issue?

I would seek players opinions, discuss with other members of the CSM and present agreed options to CCP. That is the role of the CSM.

A large proportion of the playerbase want them banned yet there is no supply without demand.

Continued removal of illegal isk as well as identifying and banning isk sellers is happening. Perhaps an additional approach regarding those farmers in action may be in order.

8.Eve is divided into 3 parts: high sec,low sec and 0.0 .As you have probably read on the official forums, many high sec pilots are worried that the CSM members will work on balancing the game toward low sec and 0.0 .Could you please elaborate on your position regarding Empire and low sec/0.0 .What would you like to say to Empire pilots to reassure them?

Everyone is entitled to vote. Those that are voting for a pvp orientated
candidate that states clearly that's what he/she is will get what they vote for. I claim to be objective and fair with a good dose of reason. That is what you will get if you vote for me.

9.In your opinion, what is the most important issue facing Eve Online?How do you propose to fix or try to fix that issue?

The most important issue to the game I see at present is the lag and
disconnects. CCP, despite claiming there is no lag, know it exists and are
already working on it.

I do think that from a software engineering point of view that change and release management need to be tightened up, perhaps using ITIL methodology to improve patch experience for users.

Gameplay wise, I think that we need new blood to stay I do not think the game should be dumbed down at all, that would be horrifying.

What I would like to see though is a more logical approach to ganging options and low sec take place. We also need to retain the old timers so for longevity I think that we need to know what further iterations are planned for POS warfare are and also highlight workable alternatives that do not destroy current accomplishments. That's a tough call.