An Adjustment of Metrics?

It is interesting reading the conversations in my chatrooms. Most of the people I speak with are fellow low sec residents. I am pleased to have a smattering of other play styles willing to visit and chat with me. It is easy for me to forget that low sec is not a highly populated part of the game. After all, the people I talk to live there too?

Siuil was kind enough to direct me to a piece of the 10th anniversary celebration that CCP is doing. The anniversary date is the 6th. People are excited. We get stuff. Eve is also ten. We also get stuff. They are doing lots of little side things as well. There is a major pull to drag the players into this. To not just celebrate the fact that they made it 10 years but to celebrate the fact that they made it 10 years and feel that the player base is the reason for it. It is a lot of good feelings and interesting things. Its spawned arguments and opinions both good and bad.

The thread that Siuil pointed me to is one that drew an interesting mix of reactions from my fellow low sec denizens.  From CCP Eterne:

As part of EVE Online's continuing 10th anniversary celebrations, we are offering players the opportunity to win a very special prize by making things explode. 

From downtime on May 5th to downtime on May 6th, we will tally the ISK value of all kills which occur in low security space. The alliance whose members kill the most ISK value during this time will have their alliance logo printed on a flag and flown over CCP HQ in Reykjavik, Iceland for an entire month!
The rules:

• Whoever receives the final blow will be credited with the value of kill.

• The ISK value will be equivalent to that on the kill report.

• Only kills made in low security space (0.1 to 0.4 systems) will count.

• Only kills made after the server comes up on May 5th and before it goes down on May 6th will count.

• All kills which adhere to these guidelines will count, regardless of the circumstances surrounding them.

• The in-game logo of the winning alliance will be used.

• In the event the winning alliance does NOT have an in-game logo, we will figure something out.

The first thing I thought was that the chances of it being a low sec corporation that wins this prize is almost non-existent. Siuil's first comment was, "isn't this easily exploitable?" I could only agree. 3D did point out that it was nice that they were trying to do something for low sec. Or, I pointed out, at least in low sec. I'm not sure if this qualifies as for low sec.

The Inferno trailer was my favorite trailer until the Origins one. The guy's voice is amazing. But, he also says a few very, valid things. In the most delicious manner, the narrator says:

"Out here, progress is numbers. Millimeters, kilometers, head counts, death tolls, this is progress."

It is very true. Incredibly true. Progress is numbers. Numbers matter in Eve. Eve is a social game of social gameplay where the very basic concepts are wrapped around having multiple people having to work together to achieve anything. Numbers matter. Bring friends. A blob is anyone with one more person then I have or so I have been told. But numbers, and large numbers, are kryptonite to a small gang.

CCP has fine with people blowing up their own items. It is more a celebration of destruction than a celebration of PvP in low sec. Low sec, I guess, opens up a few more possibilities due to gateguns and no bubbles. But, when looking at an event like this, does anyone think that it will not go to a major group with ISK to burn?

I will assume that level of naivety is burned out of most players in their first few days.

It is a bit closed minded of me to think of low sec as small gangs and solo pilots. It is not a closed section of space after all. There are no restrictions on who can be where in what. In fact, that is a point often commented upon int he case of super carriers and Titans. CCP, having made the mechanics of the game, is obviously aware of this. It can only lead me to think that they picked Low Sec to make it more accessible to... someone... I assume the large null sec corporations that will not have to tread into each others space.

And they will get a flag for playing in low sec for a day while we watch them burn massive amounts of ISK that we, due to lack of numbers cannot match. It seems to be a 'why try?' and 'is a flag worth the ISK?' type of situation. It would be interesting to know what the hopeful goal for the competition was beyond sinking ISK and minerals.

The truly bitter commented that the low sec PvP metrics will look oh so nice and shiny.