Appealing Frustration

Fair is a four letter word. It seems so simple but it is oily, insidious, slippery, flexible, and everything in between. When applied to Eve is speaks of game implied restrictions.

No one likes being blobbed (and you're only blobbed when you don't win it seems :P). It is irritating and it is frustrating. Raw numbers tend to win. A well executed plan can burn due to a third party entering into the situation. There is no real safe counter because there is always another, potential counter.

I love that about the game. Some hate it. One reason I advocate a well rounded game is because I often hear the most frustration from those that pick up only one kind of life in Eve. I see it a lot in PvP. Where someone becomes disenchanted because they want a particular type of PvP and the dice may give them another throw.

I've argued against the arena idea for Eve. If people want an arena they can go join in on the e-sports that are so popular. I was thinking about a conversation in which one party methodically told another that he was a pussy for not taking fights he knew that he would lose and for using e-war. When I pressed said party about his poor argument he said that he tries to convince people to fight the way he wants them to fight so that he can get the fights he wants.

Huh. Pop my little argumentative bubble he did. This was during my argumentative week too. At least he was honest.

Not everyone is going to avoid killing the FC to draw out the fight. Cutting the head off of the serpent makes sense Not everyone is going to bring a brawling fleet and brawl you down or politely bow out because of a kiting fleet.

And while Eve is not fair and fair is a word that should never be used, it does crop up. "Not really a fair fight," someone says when backup arrives on grid and they burn. "I don't see what is fair about me vs the three of you," another might mutter as the fleet swarms into their plex. "What's fun about cruisers killing a frigate," some might say... or, "I'm just out looking for an X fight!" when said circumstances hit the randomness that is the game.

All that is rehashed and repeated time and time again. I'm boring myself which is terrible. What would happen if everything in Eve was fair. If we had fair fights and everyone came forward to give honorable brawls in identical fits and that was life in the game. I cannot help but think that people would rapidly get bored of that as well.

Is discontentment happiness? Often games go to cater to their players and they manage to kill the game in the process. I'm not sure we are really asking for the things that we ask for. More, that we are thinking about the things that we want. But without wanting what pleasure do we get from having? Some form of discontent seems important to keep focus and clarity and to create that sought after reward mechanism.

Boredom has many sides. I could become bored of grape and strawberry Skittles. In Eve, boredom can manifest from having to much to do a well as to little to do and having what one wants and being at the top of that game... well... that lack of challenge seems to cause as much detachment as anything else I have seen people wander away from Eve for.

CCP walks a delicate line with their accessibility program. The balance between accessibility and sense, simplicity and complexity is finer then it seems. For all the things that we ask them to do and give to us, how many will make life so much easier, and so much better, that we stop playing?

Press button, receive PvP, bacon, and completed industry jobs. And as delicious as bacon is, eventually... one may tire of it and perhaps quicker then may be expected.