During the “EVE Vegas” event, Funcom stated that about 50 percent of the wars in the space MMO are initiated by just five groups, who harass other small groups. This poses a problem for the online game EVE Online.
For years, the system of how wars with massive battles work in EVE Online has been exploited by about five corporations. The wars mainly affect new and weaker player groups, which is why the developers want to intervene. They fear that the five “bullies” are scaring away their new players.
EVE has a troll problem
What happened? More and more new and small player groups are being attacked by the same five overpowering corporations.
This leads, according to Bergur “CCP Burger” Finnbogason, to a balancing issue that the developers need to address, as explained at the “EVE Vegas” event.
Why is this a problem? This type of attack presents several issues:
- On one hand, new players are discouraged because they become immediate targets of the overpowering attackers
- Younger corporations receive no chance to establish and grow
- For every ship that the “Rowdy” corporations lose, they destroy 105 opposing spacecraft
- Only about 4 percent of defenders have ever managed to eliminate one of the attackers
The balance of power in EVE Online is therefore not correct. Some “trolls” take pleasure in exercising their power over weaker players. And this continues repeatedly, leading to frustration and scaring away new players.
CCP Games needs to intervene
How does CCP Games plan to address this? Starting in December, it will be introduced that not just any corporation can declare war on another and then hunt players.
This will only be possible if the attacked group has a starbase. Because CCP Games found that corporations that own a citadel fight about 48 percent more effectively.
In 2019, the developers want to fundamentally revise and change the system by which players declare war. This should eliminate or at least significantly curb the trolling by overpowering players against the weaker ones.
How are players reacting to this? The community is somewhat divided.
- Some find these changes necessary
- Others believe that CCP Games is interfering too much in the game, which is generally not well received by the community.
Anja Moore writes on PCGamer: “I stopped playing EVE Online years ago precisely because of this problem. Small groups tried to raise this issue with CCP Games. So why are they acting like it’s something new now?”
Josh Shacklock says: “Wait, no more war declarations if the defenders do not own a citadel? That’s the death blow for wars between smaller corporations.”
