Do we capsuleers have dreams? Do we dream about eve, do we fantasize about how we envision EVE? I am sure we all do, and maybe I should make a series about it. But as of this writing, I can only pick my own brain. And yes I do dream about EVE Online. I admit that my in my dreams and fantasies about eve I am nostalgic about the past. But I do dream about the future as well.
When I am dreaming about this game, I tend to dream about balance or shiny ship hulls. But recently my dreams have gone towards player growth and player retention. Those thoughts carried me to lore. In most MMO’s lore plays an integral role in gameplay. This game, however, is a sandbox where it relies more on player initiative for content than on PvE and lore interaction.
But this does not mean lore has no function in eve. EVE Online actually has a huge treasure trove of lore, which CCP regularly abandons or stops iterating upon. Stop me if this sounds familiar.
With the recent successful addition of the triglavian ship line, it made me wonder. Now that high-security space has seen a security increase. How can we make high-security space more attractive to its inhabitants?
My thoughts immediately went to lore an underutilized resource. Most of us have heard of the Jove. Everyone has heard of the Drifters and Sleepers. But who out here remember the Talocan the Takmahl or the Yan Jung?
Some will remember the Talocan but the latter two virtually no one besides the few lore hunters round will remember.
Lore can be utilized by CCP to create immersive elements for more solo oriented players throughout the game. Especially in highsec where new players start, it could be an ideal place for them to interact with lore. Once a new player gets invested into something it is harder to let go. But if you want to use lore in such a manner you need to iterate upon it. And CCP is well known to abandon ideas and never iterate upon them.
A semi-successful endeavor with lore based gameplay was created with Abyssal space. But an unsuccessful one, for instance, is the Forward operating bases and the faction sotiyo’s where development seems to have seized entirely for now. But highsec can be a place where CCP creates short gameplay elements where people can discover the secrets of New Eden to get players far more invested. The chances of spotting a legendary member of the Jove race. Or the chance of finding one of the original titans. And I am sure CCP has employees who can come up with fun ways to integrate lore better into the daily lives of capsuleers. So when I come to think of it, I dream about a game that is not only player driven but is actively trying to integrate you in its history from a PVE perspective. Of course, there is a huge treasure trove of lore already in the game. And groups like the Aratake research consortium are masters at finding it and trying to decipher it. But players need to learn about groups like that from mouth to mouth. If players are immersed in more lore like events they are more likely to participate in such activities.
In the past, CCP, of course, did organize live events where hundreds of players participated. But live events have become a rare occurrence especially when it comes to lore. They did create the agency tab and have been doing these so-called “events”. These events could be used to more deeply ingrain certain aspects of lore into newer players for instance.
So I think CCP has the tools. But I dream those tools will get utilized more to help keep people vested into this game. And like the big elephant at CCP headquarters that if they start doing such a thing. They don’t abandon it and stop iterating on it.
Fly dangerous
