CZ Minutes: I Know What You Did Last Summit

The final summit of CSM X is behind us and the minutes came out in record time. They were quite different in style, almost lighthearted at times. Across the board, the attending CSM members appear to be happy and much of the drama that occurred during the past year appears to have been mended. Of course there are the usual juicy tidbits and things to be read between the lines. What is your take on the final CSM X minutes and the summit’s aftermath. Is it a good sign for the times to come? Was there something of particular interest for you in the minutes? Is that still the honeymoon period with new CSM managers? Why is Gorski still on the CSM? Which outrageous oneliner will JEFFRAIDER come up with?

JEFFRAIDER: From these minutes I think a few things are immediately clear. First, that both CCP and CSM have a deep love of the game and despite their differences are truly working towards a better future. Second, I really think the game is headed in a good direction and I like that CCP Seagull just flat out said she thinks the ecosystem is not healthy at the moment. Third, it’s becoming more and more obvious that that cunt Niden did 9/11.

Apoth: Dramiel fuel melts steel beams. The meeting minutes seem very positive, even though current and ex-CSMs have warned us that positive summits don’t necessarily translate to positive long-term outcomes. That said, I’m super optimistic for what remains of the CSMX term and the incoming CSMXI.

Dectoris: First off, there were an incredible amount of topics discussed and several instances where CCP asked for the CSM’s opinions and recommendation. It seemed clear that all persons involved were truly invested and looking toward a healthier game. There are certainly big changes on the horizon and it seems that both the CSM and CCP are taking these changes seriously and trying not to rush the process. It appears deliberate and thought out, much better than hastily applied half measures. Though, they forgot to delete the Svipul from Tranquility.

Gorski car: I really like the changes to ██████ and the fact that █████ Is getting nerfed. But what I really wonder is in ████████ █████ ██████ Links. █████████ █████ Svipul ███████ Frigate Menace ██████. I love how ███ just ███████ ███████████.com

Dysphonia: Overall I think the general direction that CCP discussed in the minutes looks super positive. Its nice to see that they at least appear receptive to complaints about phoebe sov, with several CSM members having made very good points about how fun (or not) it can be. I’m looking forward to the capital changes, although I’m not going to get too excited until numbers are finalised and on TQ; the general design process seems good, however. Also there’s some quality car metaphors in there towards the end. EVE as a DeLorean.

Chance Ravinne: The summary is very accurate. Going into the Summit, I have to admit I was not in high spirits. CSM has been rough since after EVE Vegas, both due to leaks, shakeups on CCP’s side, and finally the Sion protest. Kicking off the Summit immediately with more leak drama, even if unsubstantiated, wasn’t the best feeling.

“…the sessions went very, very well, and it was clear from the get-go that every dev was giving it their full attention and enthusiasm.”

However, the sessions went very, very well, and it was clear from the get-go that every dev was giving it their full attention and enthusiasm. The branding session in particular was great, but hey that’s my field so I was in my element.

If anything I was more disappointed with how disconnected some of the CSM were, either dragging out pointless topics (“I didn’t get to see 1 minute of something due to remote access security risks” and “branding is stupid I refuse to play this game” stand out), or outright spending entire days at the summit surfing Reddit and Failheap Challenge instead of paying attention to our benefactors.

Ultimately, I think we got a LOT of important items covered, especially regarding Citadels, community, and ship balance. And having the chance to sit down with the UI team for 2 hours with Jayne and walk them through everything the new camera needs fixed was a great experience. I almost regret not running again now.

Tarek: The minutes have a noticeably different style and read quite fluently (despite a few typos). There are a few points that stood out to me. The first was the thing where Seagull said she thinks the ecosystem of the game is not very healthy. I would love to know her specific thoughts on that. What does she see as the problem and how would she propose to solve it? The parts where they talk about the NPE and branding contain a few mentions of interesting subjects. The age of the playerbase and the difficulty of replenishing it with new people comes in. Also the way how CCP Denebola mentions which players she thinks EVE is for: people who like to solve complex systems.

Those subjects are in dire need of serious work from the side of CCP, and it would be great to have people on this year’s CSM who are more connected to the “younger generation” of players. I see an issue with too many entrenched and established positions among EVE players, and with that I don’t only mean big old alliances.

A thing that stood out for me in the NPE discussion was the idea that new players could potentially get the opportunity to become “Empire Capsuleers”. That sounds like a highsec version of Faction Warfare and could be a great way to introduce new and more meaningful PVE as well as interesting PVP potential. Just imagine the possibility of players supporting the faction navies and gaining the opportunity to engage every capsuleer with negative faction standings, regardless of their security status.  

I could complain now how the plans for lowsec and Faction Warfare have all been shelved, but I understand that there were bigger fish to fry now and it would really be bad to leave things dangling at this point with Citadels and capitals. I am still not looking forward to the T3 rebalance. I have the feeling that this will be a difficult job and they might either whack them out of balance and have to re-iterate on them five times, or they will mess them up. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic here though. Oh, yes, one other thing I noticed. Sort Dragon is pretty whiny. Already on the first page he is noted as complaining that there isn’t enough work on sov. Really?

Also, Gorski is not leaking enough. Not voting for him again this time.

Diana Olympos : I’m gonna agree with Tarek here. The minutes read fluently but there were not a lot of point standing out. A couple things stand out. Our nullsec representatives are stuck in another time and missed the whole evolution we saw this year. Not really surprising, they were elected before the changes. Interesting nonetheless. But the most interesting part for me are the parts with CCP Denebola. I was lacking informations about how she thinks and what her mission was going to be in CCP. I’m now a fan. I’m looking forward to what Denebola and Seagull can create by working together. CCP Denebola used all the magical words i like. We had a rather calm year in 2015, with few action from CCP on the media and advertising side. I think this is going to change.

All in all, the minutes are not packed with information. A few things about the NPE and the PvE side, but it seems it was mainly aimed at doing an after action report of 2015 and presenting the personality that are going to work on the next step. The EVE ecosystem is on a hiatus right now, in a limbo. The actions and change of 2015 were the Drifters push in high sec and the new sovereignty mechanisms. We should have have the new Citadels by that time, and this Summit would have been about the follow up of the roadmap. Instead we got an in between, waiting for the Citadels to come. The first Summit of CSM XI, planned for May or June, will probably bring us far more information about the vision Seagull and Denebola have for the future of EVE.

Oh Takashawa: I tried to read the minutes last night so I would have something to contribute to this discussion, but I fell asleep partway through. I think that sums up pretty well how I feel about the CSM at this point.

Sanders Schmittlaub: I won’t beat a dead horse again and say how well the minutes read, and how well the summit went. Reading them did give me a sense that EVE was headed in a good direction, which was something that I had found lacking in the community in the weeks leading up to the summit.

I was particularly thrilled about one line in particular in the minutes: “The CSM then asked about an increase to the number of bookmarks.” To quote the great Apothne, I immediately shouted “YES GOD YES OH MY FUCK YES” which really made the people around me in the library uncomfortable for some reason. Of course, the response from CCP was a firm ‘maybe’, but as CEO of a wormhole corporation I firmly support increasing it, as a modestly sized wormhole entity goes through about 500 bookmarks a day. I’d love to see it kicked up to at least 2,000 per corporation.

The only thing I wish had been discussed (which wasn’t so far as I’m aware) was EVE merchandizing. Its been a longtime thorn in the side of the community that there simply isn’t any affordable (official) EVE merchandise available year round. I want T-Shirts, keychains, T2 Stickers, and Dominix Socks, dagnabbit!

Tarek: I hear you man. Luobote Kong wrote an article on his private blog showcasing yet again how much more innovative and on-the-ball Tiancity are compared to CCP. I would have liked to see some good news in the minutes about the revival of the EVE store, but instead we will just have to make do with vague announcements.

Niden: I don’t really have that much to add, but I’m hearing good things about the summit and the vibe there. Someone, I think it was Marc Scarus, said “Addition through subtraction,” I’ll leave that to the reader’s interpretation, but I think it was pretty clear what he meant. Whatever the case, the fact that there was enthusiasm from CCP as well as some CSM members is good to hear in these times of uncertainty with regards to the CSM. We’ll see if the Summer Summit yields the same, but I’m seeing some dark clouds on the horizon. Hopefully they’ll fuck off.

I would be remiss not to mention the non-existent changes to Factional Warfare that Tarek mentioned. Some of these changes have been talked about by CCP for years now, and have been put aside because other things have gotten priority, and so it is again. I just want to use smartbombs while being in a militia, is that too much to ask? Not to mention the promised revamp of missions (which I don’t really care about personally, but a lot of people do) and the ever toted 4-way war which never seems to come. Yes, CCP have bigger fish to fry, but it’s been years.

I can neither confirm or deny any involvement in 9/11. Also, Jeff sux.