Team Astro Sparkle Logo Contest

CCP Logibro announced a contest to design a logo for the newly-formed Team Astro Sparkle. Is that a great name or what?! The details for submission and other requirements are in this forum post. Deadline is December 22, 2015. The prize is a PLEX.

Since I couldn't resist the opportunity to do something silly and fun, I created the design below and submitted it. It is probably way too pink for anyone else's taste, but it amuses me and I like the childlike whimsy of the design.

Fingers crossed! Go pink!

Random Rambles: Those "Pesky" War Decs

I remember the first time Signal Cartel was war decced. Lots of our members were in a bit of a lather. As new players, war decs freaked them out a little bit. We vets calmed them down, provided strategies for not getting caught, explained our out-of-alliance logistics services, and proceeded to not pay a whole lot of attention to the fact that we even had a war dec.

And so it continues to this day. P I R A T is the most recent to dec us (3rd time!!!) and the usual questions have been raised in Alliance chat by new players.

"Why do they hate us?"

"Who hates us enough to pay them to dec us?"

and even

"Which Signaleer is responsible for this one?"

Oh my darlings. The tinfoil is strong in you. I just had to say it:

"Maybe someone in leadership is paying them to dec us to keep you explorers on your toes and teach you how to fly clever. Now go forth and...explore. Somewhere far, far away from the trade hubs and high sec."

However untrue, I admit the my pirate heart smiled at the thought. There were some uncomfortable laughs in Alliance. Maybe they were checking out my corp history? :P Thing is, maybe someone hates us, maybe they don't. Who cares?

For a corp like ours is, we are already in places where anyone can kill us. Why bother with the cost of a war dec? Come find us and give it your best shot. (Our old pal and EvE-Scout co-founder G8keeper even used to send our deccers mails with words to that effect!) Narrow escapes provide some fun diversion for those of us who sometimes grow weary of hacking our bazillionth relic site. :P Mostly, we fly clever and get away. And for the times when we don't, no worries...enjoy the loot!

I've seen some discussions of proposed changes to war decs. I suppose like any other old mechanic, it's worth looking at to see how it might be refined. I have no opinion either way...I'm off in dangerous space looking for sigs and hoping I don't get caught by some random bubble or gatecamp. War decs are pretty much the furthest thing from my mind.  But I think they are an interesting mechanic and provide some fun opportunities. Like, you know, Hugs Fleets.

At the same time, I get that war decs can present a serious challenge for newbros and inexperienced corp leadership of high sec corps. But there are answers to that challenge...none of which involve logging off for a week or letting war deccers wipe the floor with you. It's just a matter of being smart and clever while you continue to enjoy flying in space. If you happen to be one of those folks who frets about war decs and would like some practical, no-nonsense, no-tears advice, join the EvE-Scout channel in-game and ask for a Signaleer. By now our folks have a pretty good handle on life during wartime and we'll be glad to share our strategies for continuing to have fun while (mostly) denying our war deccers kills.

And remember...fly clever!

Edited to add:

The War Dec Project is an organized discussion of the current war dec mechanics and ideas for how it might evolve. The players involved have put together a comprehensive "live" document summarizing their discussions/ideas. Everyone is invited to contribute ideas and add constructively to the conversation. Learn more about it here.

Jeff Edwards' Conversation with Signal Cartel

Not quite two weeks ago, Jeff Edwards dropped by Signal Cartel comms to talk with us about his Fountain War book project. I have been meaning to write this post up since then but...blame RL for getting in my way. Anyway, several Signal folks and friends joined in for a lively chat...more of a brainstorming session really, since some questions brought up issues Jeff hadn't thought about yet and we got to bounce ideas around with him for how he might address them.

Having met Jeff at EVE Vegas, I already knew he was a friendly, warm guy who is very enthusiastic about this project. That came through even more so as he chatted with us. In fact after he left, we joked gently about him bouncing on the edge of his seat from excitement during our entire session. I will venture to say that his visit inspired enthusiasm on our side as well. Let's see if my semi-senile brain can recall some of the things we covered (thanks to Orion Sa-Solo for the memory jog!).

Breysyth Asythe asked how the novelization would deal with or represent the impact of players' different time zones on in-game events. "Oh, haven't gotten that question before!" said Jeff and then mused off the top of his head about whether it would be plausible to explain nonavailability in-game as the result of ship maintenance/repair delays due to high demand or work schedules affecting worker/facilities availability. 

A few of us asked how New Eden's backstory and lore issues might be woven in, particularly as it related to the Pirate Factions operating in the same area as war prep or engagements. Someone observed that what capsuleers are up to--especially having big wars--would likely be noticed by various NPC factions and very possibly affect their supply lines, agendas, etc. The living work of science fiction that is EVE is after all not *just* about capsuleers but also incorporates the environment and and the societies of which we capsuleers are only a small part despite the potential enormity of our impact.  

Conversation then transitioned to the capsule...how it works, how it might feel to be plugged so intimately into a ship, how limited one's perception might feel when not in interfaced with a capsule, and so forth. The hope was expressed that Jeff would explore the potentially different reactions capsuleers have to being in--or out--of their capsules, how their psyches are affected, and more about the physical, mental, and emotional details of actually being and functioning as a capsuleer. 

My impression was that Jeff had not yet dug much into the lore and backstory of New Eden but we provided him links to the Chronicles, Zendane's reading of them, Hydrostatic Podcast, and the #lore channel on Tweetfleet Slack as a start.

We talked about name substitutions that had been considered and how that would even work, and Jeff said that he was rethinking his position on that one due to player pushback. He mentioned that some names which might involve copyright infringement or refer to celebrities would have to be change to avoid legal problems, but changing names for "politically correct" reasons was being reconsidered. This is just one example he cited where feedback from players has changed his mind about how to approach something in the novel. In fact during his chat with us, several ideas were mentioned that he wrote down to explore more during his writing process. 

Someone wondered whether or how being a demigod affects a capsuleer's emotional landscape. How do we react when our loved ones die? Do we even maintain connections to them after becoming a capsuleer? Do we marry, have children, have "normal" if exceedingly wealthy lives outside our capsules? Do losses of family or ship crew favorites distract us and affect our performance inside our capsules? We wondered if Jeff planned to infuse the personalities of the characters he was writing about with emotional depth. He said he hoped to, as much as was possible and practical. It's pretty clear that while he is writing about a war, he knows that well-developed characters are vital to making a compelling story.

We talked a bit about possibilities if the current Kickstarter doesn't meet its funding goal, since it's clear we players love stories about ourselves and our impact and activities in the game. Ideas were bounced around including short story collections that focus on smaller groups or individuals, maybe contributed by a variety of authors. Or maybe some collaborations between writers and artists. Jeff was very enthusiastic about the prospects however things turned out.

We asked about his writing process. How was he managing all this complexity? Did he realize at the start just how complex it would be to not only weave together the facts of war-related events with fictional elements, facets of the New Eden environment, and the game itself? He said that challenge was becoming increasingly clear and that he hadn't foreseen that it would be quite as complex as it was turning out to be. A great deal of research is involved in fact-checking and follow-up, but he is really enjoying that. He also talked a little bit about the challenge of writing plausible reasons for actions or constraints imposed by game mechanics. He encouraged folks to keep sending their stories, ideas, and process questions related to the Fountain War Book to him at info@navythriller.com. 

Our hour with Jeff flew by; we could easily have spent another couple of hours talking. Hearing his enthusiasm in puzzling out answers to some of the questions we posed was really fun. Hearing him exclaim "Oh, that's a great idea!" or "Whoa, hadn't thought of that angle!" gave us the sense that the conversation was worthwhile for him, as well. As a bonus, his affable demeanor and sincerity won over at least one doubter. My friend Orion Sa-Solo reluctantly attended, bringing with him a pre-conceived notion that this was just a Goons propaganda project. However, Jeff's frankness, willingness to listen to players, and dedication to telling the story of the Fountain War as accurately and as interestingly as he can made Orion change his mind from doubter to supporter. 

Regardless of what the more practiced tinfoilers in our community may claim, you can't come away from a conversation with Jeff Edwards about this project without being convinced that he will do his damnedest to create a story that not just EVE players but lots of sci-fi fans will enjoy. 

Whether he gets the opportunity to do so funded by the current Kickstarter remains to be seen. With just 12 days to go, pledges are at roughly 25% of the funding goal. That is shy of an ideal situation. Still, Kickstarters often see a big surge of pledges in the last few days of their projects. This one would need a huge boost to close the gap between pledges and goal. That seems unlikely unless someone with deep pockets is waiting in the wings. 

Not helping matters is the raging drama and vitriol aimed at this project and its organizer Mittani Media from certain segments of the EVE community. I am appalled at how eagerly people seem to fall into mob mentality and jump on the Goonhate bandwagon instead of taking a moment to rationally assess a creative endeavor on its own merits. I see it on Reddit, on Twitter, I've even seen a whiff of it in my own corp. It is irksomely everywhere. 

When I am feeling cantankerous, I like to call people out on their "Grr Goons" mentality. Some may think this marks me as a Goon supporter. I'm not, particularly. I'm neutral if anything. Or more accurately, indifferent. But here's the thing: I simply can't understand haters who pull out all the stops to smother something potentially good in the cradle rather than look for even a single good reason to help bring it to life. Well-intentioned creative works often end up having a greater positive impact than was ever envisioned by those who launched them. Doesn't Jeff's book, a first-of-its-kind project for our community, deserve that chance? I think it does and I will remain optimistic about it getting funded until the last minute of the Kickstarter--both for Jeff's sake and for the sake of projects that this one's success could inspire down the line. 

Want to hear more from Jeff on this project? We didn't record our session, but TEST recorded theirs and there is also a video with CCP Falcon and Jeff discussing the project. To learn more about Jeff, visit his Web site.

Generosity and Gratitude

We all know that our community is a generous one. Stories of ISK and in-game items being gifted to to players abound. EVE players donate to PLEX for GOOD to aid in various causes, support auctions and raffles at player meets and FanFest to benefit Child's Play or other organizations, and donate money to help buy pizza for all of CCP or assist a fellow player in need. Like many in our community, I have done lots of little things both in game and in real life to help make an EVE comrade's day a little brighter. Given ISK or other in-game items, handmade or purchased gifts, Rixx Javix posters, Signal Cartel swag, books, a collection of (the now defunct) EON magazine, and more over the years. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself and it's just nice to do something special for someone--maybe as a thank you for something they've done for me in-game or in RL or maybe just as a Random Act of Kindness.

And every once in awhile, what goes around comes around. And boy oh boy, has it been coming around lately.

First there was the amazing poster that Johnny Splunk had made for me by a fellow corpmate, Forcha Alendare. This poster was to commemorate Signal Cartel achieving 400 members and arrived around my birthday back in July. I posted about it on Reddit but notice that I never did blog about it as I intended. The amount of effort that went into its creation still astounds me.

It hangs above my desk and makes me smile every time I look at it. It's remarkable that Signal is now almost double the number of members we were back then!

Hint: Click the images to see them larger.

Next came EVE Vegas and all the awesome swag I received, including a pink Neocom polo shirt from Protovarious, lovely handmade earrings from Kira Tsukimoto, a Total EVE t-shirt from Dirk MacGirk and Wiggles, and fat bee pin from Sion Kumitomo, BRAVE patch and penknife from Dunk Dinkle, and much more. But the best of all was a grungy pink Astero 3D model given to me by Johnny Splunk. You know him: a founder of EvE-Scout, partner in Signal Cartel's founding and leadership, and one of the nicest and best persons I've ever had the pleasure of befriending or working with in game or out. I don't mind telling you that my jaw dropped in amazement when I opened the box. Later on when Johnny had the chance to tell me about the process and effort that went into the creation of this 6" long, highly detailed and complicated form--from the struggles to get the forms to 3D-print correctly to the fantastic work on the custom paint job--I was even more amazed. And frankly, humbled that someone thought I was worth of such a gift. Then to top it all off, he also included an SOE trim kit for my Jeep--or at least, that's how I used those awesome decals. 

They say good things come in threes. You may recall that I did a portrait of Jamwara DeCalicoe Ashley not too long ago. We have chatted here and there since then. And then...last week, she direct-messaged me on Twitter. (Aside: I don't know Jam in RL so just go with the character's gender for pronouns.) Seems that when Jam ordered a copy of EVE Universe: The Art of New Eden LIMITED EDITION, she was sent (and billed for) two copies. She held on to the extra copy and recently decided to give it to me "because you've done so much for the community".  MIND BLOWN. The regular edition was already on my wish list, but holy crap, who knew that wish would come true like this?! The book arrived in today's mail, still in its original shrink-wrap. I almost didn't want to open it until I could do so with a couple of hours to just get lost in it. But I had to get pictures for this blog post, right?!

This is a gorgeous book and a splendid addition to my collection of EVE and art books. As an artist, I know I will spend many, many hours studying and enjoying the work and the words it contains that define and describe the art of EVE Online.

Wow. I don't even know what to say in response to being the recipient of the kind of generosity I've described in this post, not to mention the time, effort, and talent that others have invested on behalf of Signal Cartel because they believe in the corp or because I asked for a favor. A simple thank-you hardly seems adequate in comparison to my appreciation for such generous acts. It's not always easy to gracefully accept gifts even when freely given in friendship. But then I remind myself of everything I've done for other EVE players and that makes it easier to accept such generosity as karma or good deeds being paid forward. Regardless, my gratitude is sincere and enormous.

It is truly something special to be a part of the EVE community. It hits me right in the feels every time one of us does something helpful, thoughtful, kind, generous, or amazing for someone--and especially when that someone is me. A heartfelt thank you to everyone.

My EVE Vegas Experience

EVE Vegas 2015 is the first really big player meet I have attended. The tl;dr for this wall-of-text blog post is that it was freaking magical, amazing, fun, and wonderful. The caveat for this blog post is that I will probably forget to mention many people and things that happened. Feel free to call me out on oversights in the comments and I'll update the post accordingly when I get back to civilization (no Internet at my Mom's house; I'm sat at Starbucks posting this).

It is impossible to describe the rush of meeting all the devs who work so hard on our beloved EVE Online, the excitement that comes from hearing what's in the works for the game and being able to ask questions to learn more, and most of all, the buzz of meeting all the players I know from the game and/or #tweetfleet on Twitter, blogs, podcasts, and more. I felt so humbled and utterly delighted at the warm reception I got from ... well ... everyone. It was a bit overwhelming.

My plans for EVE Vegas started after I made my reservations back in April. The Signal Cartel leadership team started talking about swag we might like to take. We decided on a budget and chose to go with two imprinted items that would represent our #freehugs, snowballs and Festival Launchers doctrine: round white stress balls and stickers. I designed the imprint (based on the awesome Signal Cartel logo designed by Signaleer Noene Drops). Items were ordered and at the right time shipped to Planet Hollywood. I also shipped a small box of swag to CCP in Iceland to share the #freehugs love among those who couldn't attend EVE Vegas.

Then I got my crafting on by making personalized gifts for all the devs listed to attend, as well as a few friends. These consisted of small journals stamped with each character's racial symbol (except for CCP Falcon, who got a Guristas symbol of course!) on the front. I carved these stamps, a fun little project that took about 3 hours one evening. Inside each journal, I hand-stamped the recipient's character name using individual letter stamps in a typewriter font. Then I stamped "You are Simply Amazing" and "Heartfelt Thanks" using phrase stamps, and signed each journal. I also stamped black gift tags with racial symbols and the recipient's name written in metallic silver ink. Each gift was wrapped in decorative "EVE-ish" paper from my long-ignored scrapbook paper stash. I tucked a couple of #freehugs stickers under the ribbon of each gift and loaded them all into my carry-on bag. That damn thing was HEAVY!

I arrived in Vegas on Thursday evening and discovered via Twitter that Signaleer Zoe Schereau was arriving at the same time. We met up, then grabbed Makoto Priano of IKAME fame after arriving at the hotel. The three of us had a lovely dinner: these are two delightful people! After dinner, we headed to the Heart Bar because word on Twitter was that that was the happening place. Hint: Twitter is awesome for figuring out who's where and organizing people for activities.

At the Heart Bar, I had my first experience of what the entire weekend was going to be like: being warmly greeted by both CCP folks and other players, so many of whom I've known via Twitter or in-game for years. It was such a treat to meet you all. But OMG, the sheer number of was sometimes overwhelming! I could never list everyone. But I will share some stray thoughts and a few memorable takeaways.

• I spent a lot of time with current, former, or friends of Signaleers Johnny Splunk (@eve_scout), Zoe Schereau (@gabbyhon), Noizy Gamer, Markus Vulpine, Manic Velocity, Makoto Priano, Illustria Madeveda (aka scaredpanda on Twitch but we just call her Panda), and Mark726. It is impossible to overstate how wonderful each of these folks are and how pleasant it was to have such a like-minded core group of folks to x up with for meals, presentations, and more. Plus they helped me distribute the #freehugs swag. I love you all, my dears!
• CCP Rise saved me from having to lug around all those dev gifts by taking me back the devs' staging room where I was able to leave them all on a table. Thank Bob. I felt a little bad that more devs were in attendance than were on the dev attendee list (including Rise). Hopefully they got some of the swag I left lying around if they wanted it.
• My awesome Signal co-leader Johnny Splunk is an even more awesome friend. He gifted me with a 3D printed Astero model that is about 6" long. After a complicated process to get the 3D model just right, he then hand-painted it in that grunge pinkish mauve color I so love and covet on a SKIN for my real Asteros in-game (wrap your mind around that oxymoron, "real in-game"). The thought and care that went into this gift are astounding and so much appreciated. I am truly humbled and amazed to receive it and will treasure it forever. Thank you a million times, Johnny. 
• Didn't get to spend as much time with Sugar Kyle as I wanted but a huge shout-out to her for her tireless CSM work...Sugar, you're amazing, admirable, and so funny in the way you express yourself, lady!  
• The Mittani greeted me with enthusiasm and a giant hug when I introduced myself. This was quite unexpected and delightful. We had the opportunity for a brief but pleasant chat later in the weekend and he gave me an Imperium shot glass. Yay, swag! Now for what will no doubt be an unpopular opinion in some quarters: The young man behind the character is quite personable and charismatic yet fiercely protective of his tribe. You can see why he's a powerful leader. Thing is, I'm usually somewhat in Mom Mode when interacting with players like him who are a couple of decades younger than me. This tends to put those interactions on a more human level. No surprise I found myself quite liking Alex and not really factoring his in-game persona into that. Another thing is that our in-game paths/objectives have little to no overlap. Being in EvE-Scout Enclave with our neutral stance toward everyone also means I don't  let politics color my interaction with others. Thus I come at just about every player with a a positive mindset. It is a pleasant position to take, especially when it comes to interacting with often-maligned groups like the Goons and controversial players. So, ymmv. I keep my own counsel. Let the Imperium/Signal Cartel tinfoiling begin, haha!
• Speaking of Goons, I also met the gracious and charming Sion Kumitomo who kindly added a nifty Bee pin to my swag collection. 
• Wow, was the swag flowing! Besides everything already mentioned, I received a lovely pink Neocom polo shirt from Protovarious, beautiful handmade earrings and TimTams from Kira Tsukimoto, a Total EVE t-shirt from Dirk MacGirk, and a BRAVE patch and pocket knife from Dunk Dinkle. Thanks so much, everyone!
• Proto did not agree to sing the creepy stalker song that he hilariously shared on a prior episode of The Neocom. Much disappoint. :P I'll have to work on his resolve at the next meetup we both attend. Proto, it was an honor to meet you and the adorable Kira Tsukimoto...you guys are both delightful!
• Greygal is a classy lady in-game and out! Was a treat to finally meet the woman who so intimidated me back in the day when she FC'd the Agony Unleashed PvP Basics class I took. 
• The Chateau party was really fun but protip: When you see a dude with a pretty blue drink and the bartender identifies it as "a lot of liquor", only have one. Really--especially after two glasses of wine. I had two and thus made it back to my room only due to excellent scouting by Markus Vulpine and Manic Velocity. Thanks, you guys!
• Matterall (EN24) and Lanctharus (Cap Stable podcast) are super guys, fun to talk with, and have fascinating stories to tell about their EVE experiences and focus. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with both of them. Would've loved more time to talk with them...there's always next year.
• Was great so see my old friend and CEO Alekseyev Karrde who gave a fantastic talk on EVE corp startup success.
• CCP folks did an excellent job organizing and presenting...a special shout-out to all of them for being so engaged and present with players in addition to working and partying hard the whole weekend. The weekend had to be extra exhausting for them yet they were friendly and accommodating the entire time. Devs, you guys are awesome. Special shout-out to CCP Falcon, who I was so happy to meet after all these years since we flew together! 
• The presentations by CCP were inspiring and suggest so much good stuff to come. With all the positive stuff that has happened in game in the last 5 years, my confidence that they will deliver...and deliver well...is so high. Citadels are going to be a very interesting addition to the spacescape of New Eden and I won't lie: we in Signal are quite keen to have one of our own! They won't be anchorable in Thera (I'm fine with that; let Thera be different) so we'll have to figure out where and why we'd have one. Potential lore and PvE developments sound very exciting too...I won't rehash them here...go watch the videos on YouTube.
• It was a pleasure to variously meet, chat, and/or dine with Debes Sparre, Jayne Fillon, Onslaughtor, Druur Monakh, Dirk MacGirk, Erika Mizune, Random McNally, Mangala Solaris (who drinks beer for breakfast, WTF!), Lost in EVE, Phyridean, Ashterothi, Mike Azariah, Wilhelm Arcturis and his lovely wife, my old friend Sard Caid, Chance Ravinne, and Xenuria. There were countless others my poor brain was too overwhelmed to recall as I wrote this post.
• I wanted to play a poker tournament or two but the schedule was so packed that I never managed to fit it in. Lesson learned...next year, I will go a day early so I can devote some quality time to playing. I didn't do any casino gambling either but that's because it just doesn't appeal to me.
• Johnny Splunk, his lovely wife, and I attended the Cirque du Soleil show "KA" on Sunday evening. A fantastic experience...the sets, the costumes, the music, the story...all amazing. Cirque is not to be missed if you can swing the cost of the tickets.

I have managed to write a considerable wall of text already and yet it feels like there is so much else to share. But I'll end this here. Yes, I am a CCP fangirl. Yes, I pretty much like everyone and love being social. Yes, EVE Vegas was awesome. Bottom line: if you can find a way to attend in 2016, make it happen. You'll never regret it. It is an amazing, uplifting experience. I aim to be there to throw more "snowballs" at people so plan to join the fun and let's have a drink together!

Musings on Skill Trading

When CCP's dev blog coasting the idea of players being able to sell/buy skills came out yesterday, I had an instantly negative reaction. I found it difficult to express why. The rationale given in my EVE O reply that it would undermine the investment we feel in our characters and cause mindless character churning and a change in the connection we feel to our own and other characters feels logically weak even if--for me--it is emotionally on-target. Sugar Kyle's blog post yesterday and the subsequent comments express better than I myself can some of what's bothering me about it.

After thinking about the matter all evening and this morning, I realized that a big factor in my negative reaction is the fact that the second half of my CSM5 term (2010) was relentlessly focused on micro-transactions and their impending appearance in the planned Incarna release. We spent a 3-day emergency summit in October that year in frustratingly unresolved discussion with CCP on the matter and the frustrations continued through the end of our term. To say that that experience left a bad taste in my mouth for the New Eden Store is a understatement; I think I've looked at the store twice, spent the free Aurum that was given out on ship skins, and continue to have little interest in the overpriced goods there or the Aurum economy.

A grungy pale pink Astero skin is literally the ONLY thing that would ever entice me to buy Aurum.

But...looking at the proposed change after putting the CSM5 factor aside (which takes remarkable effort), my thought is that yes, it will probably encourage new players who buy SP to stick with the game longer for two reasons: they can do more sooner and will have a bigger financial investment in the game earlier than is currently practical. Both of those are key factors in subscription longevity. In the current marketplace, anything that encourages a player to stay longer is probably a good thing for EVE Online. We do, after all, want our beloved game to persist for another dozen years, right?

Will this change have a negative impact on the big stories of the game, the rise of personalities who become space famous, or the tendency of players to develop their main characters lovingly? Heck if I know. But you know what? It won't affect MY game or how connected I feel to my character. I play a social game focused on exploration and culture building with slight overtones of roleplaying.

So go ahead...let new players buy SPs all day long to shortcut their way to being able to undock in ships they don't know how to fly well. Let them explode and buy PLEX to sell for ISK to replace those ships. Let the plex cartels and the deep-pocketed alliances fund SP packets and SRP for their newbros to field more robust fleets. These things won't affect me in any negative manner. I can even see value in using SP packets as rewards for corp members, e.g., those who do do significant work to benefit their corp/alliance. (EDITED TO ADD: SP packets would no doubt be used by corps/alliances to entice new members join and become as common as SRP ... and yes, alt farming to support that would likely happen.) Meanwhile, CCP could see a welcome positive impact on their bottom line and that can only be a good thing for EVE Online and its sister products in light of looming competition for players' attention and wallets.

Meanwhile, I'm determined to maintain my preferred laissez-faire attitude about EVE Online. I am happy to take the game casually, adapting to the environment as it evolves, with blinkered rose-colored spectacles firmly in place. That allows me to remain positive about EVE Online and not succumb to bittervet syndrome again. It's a lot more enjoyable to feel upbeat and to interact with the devs and the community on that basis. The tedious whine of the "Eve is dying" crowd adds nothing useful to my game experience anyway and upon reflection, is most certainly overblown with regard to selling and buying SP that has already been trained on one character or another.

For an opposing viewpoint, check out luobote kong's initial blog post and a follow-up on the subject.

IC: Mud and Mountaintops

She meanders on a mossy stone path that curves gently to follow the perimeter wall of the combination warehouse and office space. Her fingertips brush a wall of live foliage to her right. Her eyes gaze across pristine mountain vistas displayed on the curving video wall to her left. A small fountain gurgles somewhere behind her. She is lost in thought, meditating on all the matters under her purview. As those matters relate to herself, they are dead simple. Magnified through the lens of 700 pilots, they become much more complex. Somewhere between the two extremes is a manageable balance. If only she can find it.

The door chimes. "Johnny Splunk", informs the room AI. "OK", she says.

Exiting the path, she crosses to a comfortable lounge area where Johnny is already seated and unpacking something that smells delicious.

"Hey, what's all this?!" she asks in surprise.

"Dinner! You have to eat, you know!" he says, smiling. Always smiling, this one, she thinks and can't help but smile herself. He jumps up to give her a friendly hug before sitting back down to continue setting out food on the low table between the sofas. She sits across from him.

"Smells and looks great! Yeah, um...I think I forgot to eat today. Thanks!" she says. Her stomach is rumbling with hunger, she realizes. When did she last eat?

They tuck into creamy fish curry, fruit and cheese, fresh-baked (!) bread, and a crisply sweet Gallente white. "Gallente wine, best wine," she declares after the first sip. "Agreed...and I admit I conned the corp AI a little bit to find out which one you favor at the moment," Johnny says. They both laugh. If anyone could con an AI, it was Johnny Splunk.

"So, want to talk about the wars, the spies, or the wormhole search services thing first?" he asks.

"Oh gods, let's save the war talk for last. Whatcha got for me on the spies?" she says, and so they launch into a wide-ranging discussion on fresh intel, observed activities, reports from members and actions being taken. The discussion moves onto corp program changes, tools to support the ever-increasing number of wormhole search requests, EvE-Scout service coverage, corp financials, member initiatives, staff positions needing filled, personnel matters, recent fleet ops, Helios Anduath's latest update from his brief sojourn planetside, and finally the current wars and how to best help new pilots cope with them.

"I just have to stop getting so mired in the day-to-day worry about the ones who insist on flying in high sec during the wars and lose ships because they don't know what they're doing yet," she admits.

"Right...look at it like this: we provide the information they need, they can choose to use it for their own benefit or not. Either way, they get the experience of learning about war firsthand. Trial by fire for some of them. It's their choice. And if they keep making the same mistakes, they're probably not going to stay anyway. So why worry? It'll sort itself out." Johnny shrugs melodramatically and signs their inside joke #freeshrugs by crossing the first two fingers on each hand across each other. They laugh in recognition that they are both prone to worrying and obsessing overmuch about corp things.

"Ok, lady, one last thing before I go get ready for the Vulfpeck fleet." He narrows his eyes at her. "When's the last time you undocked just for the joy of wandering through space to see the sights?"

"Errr...", she mutters.

"Mynxee, you need to go...and I got you something to take with you to help keep things in perspective!" He grins, handing over a small wrapped package.

"Uh oh," she says as she begins to unwrap it. And then she bursts into laughter seeing what is inside.

"Okay, okay, I get the message. It's all about the fun! I'll get the Astero prepped and head out for a few days," she says, still laughing. "You nut!"

"You know it!" says Johnny and with that, he's out the door. Vulfpeck business is serious business.

Smiling, she sends a prep order to her Hangar Chief, gives the bobblehead a tap, and closes every spreadsheet, every email, every Galnet post, and every comms channel before heading to bed with a good book and one last glass of wine.