Blog Banter 40: Interstellar Blood Sports
"There is no finer spectacle in the universe of EVE Online than the explosive dance of weapon-laden spaceships in combat. The yearly Alliance Tournament is the jewel in EVE Online's eSports crown and the upcoming New Eden Open should deliver the same gladiatorial entertainment showcase.
Given the scope of the sandbox, what part should eSports play in EVE Online and what other formats could provide internet spaceship entertainment for spectators and participants alike? "
"There is no finer spectacle in the universe of EVE Online than the explosive dance of weapon-laden spaceships in combat. The yearly Alliance Tournament is the jewel in EVE Online's eSports crown and the upcoming New Eden Open should deliver the same gladiatorial entertainment showcase.
Given the scope of the sandbox, what part should eSports play in EVE Online and what other formats could provide internet spaceship entertainment for spectators and participants alike? "
You git Matt! I've partaken in every Blog Banter since I started blogging and I have limited time before I fly away on holiday for the week. I've also got posts scheduled up so I'm going to have to move the lovely Sindel to November so I can get this to post on Sunday! Oh and the taxi will be here soon! Do I rush a post, or do I miss this one out? Bad timing Matt! ;)
Right, back on topic Drackarn. eSports!
I love the Alliance Tournament. I loved taking part in the PvP tournament at Fanfest this year. I would love to see this expanded in Eve Online. But how would it work? And I'm not talking simple mechanics here. I'm talking about fitting in with the back story and lore of New Eden.
Basically we could have PvP arenas with spectators. A reverse PoS shield, rather than being unable to get in, you cannot get out. Maybe 150km diameter? Arenas in Eve Online have always been a touchy subject. I think we have had blog banters on them in the past and generally they are seen as "un-sandboxy". How can we make them fit in? There are competitive combat sports in New Eden already. Think Mind-Clash, so capsuleer gladiatorial combat isn't much of a step up. Blame the Caldari megacorps for setting it up!
There would be benefits to this. I've had countless solo roams where I have failed to find any fights at all. Sometimes I do wish for a World of Tanks "Battle" button in Eve. Just push and receive PvP. But that sort of instant PvP really doesn't fit in to Eve. We'd need some sort of NPC organisation to produce a Thunderdome type arena Two capsuleers enter, one capsuleer leaves.
May be there would need to be several of these around. They'd need to be in low-sec so the security status challenged could use them. That would also make those systems popular for gate camping. Getting to the arena might be a challenge on its own!
We'd also need a level playing field. Fleet boosters would have to be screened out, and what about implants A high-grade implant set and 5% skill hardwirings make a big difference in PvP, especially 1v1's. Would we need a system to pair equal pilots?
Yes, to have a simple and accessible "Thunderdome" in New Eden would not be simple!
Then we'd need some spectators. This would be an obvious Incarna feature for the bars. The ability to control a camera and place bets on the next fight. However, will we ever get Incarna bars? If the arena was a "reverse PoS shield" people could sit outside and look at the ships inside fighting. But if you cannot lock them, then you have no idea who is winning, whether it is a close fight or one sided. Oh and how many people will turn up to gank the spectators. No, spectators would have to be in station. Some terminal in the CQ that lets you browse battles? A view similar to the AT format where you can select the ship to look at and control the camera?
Bets! Now that opens up a new avenue with match fixing and cheating. But if anything, surely that is in the spirit of New Eden.
So I'll keep this one short. Yes, I would like to see some sort of PvP arena that I could take part in, watch fights in or bet on. But it would have to fit into the back-story and the lore. I don't want to be in Nisuwa station and have a big button marked "PvP".
I got to say I like the idea of "Thunderdomes" though, let's say there would be an NPC corporation "Gladiator Entertainment" that has several of these arenas with a couple of standard sentry guns around them to prevent people from doing funny things. Players could get in (let's say there's a waiting bubble on either side of the arena) and warp somewhere inside once both waiting bubbles are filled. A timer ticks down and after x minutes both pilots are ejected, or within a minute after one loses his ship. Within the bubble it should be pretty much null sec, no sec penalties etc, and as it's tied to an NPC corp perhaps the winner would get some LP? I'd say this idea has a lot of potential :)
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