I can only take so much stupidity before I start to do crazy things. I really shouldn't listen to ShadowandLight defend input broadcasting. I want to support CCP's new policy, but ShadowandLight makes such a great case for why the policy does not go far enough. Well, that and the arrogance. Drives me up the wall.
So what did I do this weekend? I played just enough EVE to finish my latest faction grind and get the loyalty points for two high-end implants and spent the rest of the time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. That's right, I'm playing an EA game. I told you I start doing crazy things.
I haven't seriously played TOR since the game went free-to-play. Well, F2P violates truth in advertising since the game now seems designed to nickle-and-dime players until their wallets bleed so much they subscribe. I'm fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your point of view) that I purchased the collector's edition shortly after launch. Still, I wound up spending $10 on a package to get my third crew skill, 10 inventory slots, a pilot's license so I can use the speeder I received with the collector's edition at level 10, and a couple of other perks. But after that sour experience, I really don't want to pay any more. Really, paying for action bars?
I should mention something pretty shady. EA/Bioware offers an authentication service. Only one problem. I can't place an authenticator on my account because I'm not a subscriber. Okay, EA. I've heard of Pay-To-Win, but never Pay-To-Secure.
But with all the problems, once I got everything situated, I enjoyed the game. I'm playing the Imperial Agent and chose the female option because I love listening to Jo Wyatt. Besides, I tried playing a male IA a long time ago and Jo's portrayal just sounds better. Plus, less sex. Maybe one day I'll go back through and play a male, if I can find a male look that doesn't remind me of the 70s, but for now I like the cold, professional operative. Besides, I wanted to role a healer, and nothing tells geeks you've rolled a healer like making your character female.
Pro-tip for people coming into EVE from other games. Don't assume that women EVE players have the same mentality. Do so only if you want a quick trip to your medical clone.
I managed to get to level 13 by the end of Sunday night. I think I'm doing content a little above my level, which means I need to do a little grinding if I want to continue. I don't blame that on my lack of subscription status, because I experienced the same on the Smuggler I rolled up at launch.
Will I continue playing? I think so. One thing about TOR is that the stories are good, so playing the game is pretty much like reading a book. Well, maybe a magazine, since I've never seen a book that contains the constant barrage of ads as TOR. Still, the challenge of getting through the rest of the story without paying any more money is tempting to take.
Going back to the whole input broadcasting issue in EVE, I just want to conclude with a question Dirk asked on the GRN Show yesterday. He asked those who oppose input broadcasting if CCP came out and stated everything about the current version of ISBoxer did not break the EULA, would we leave EVE. My answer is, I might grumble if CCP did not balance EVE around the software. But as this weekend shows, I might play other games just to get away from their yapping.
If CCP came out and stated nothing about isboxer is illegal I'd probably buy isboxer myself and then unsubscribe a few months later when I got bored of eve. Or perhaps isboxer would increase my quality of life and I'd finally be able to rent and pay for my own system botting dozens of miners.
ReplyDelete1-50 will be ok. Esp. for a new player. Me? I unsubscribed two hours after the expansion hit and about 6 hours after I had completed all (non-FP / OPs) content on my toon.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, my question was meant to ask: If CCP ruled it entirely legal, would those who have wanted a clearly-defined EULA support that decision so long as it was clearly defined and then enforced? It's pretty easy to support CCP's decision if you already agree with it. And I think that is what we have so many doing here. We have a vocal contingent of players so caught up in the ruling going their way that they overlook how we got here in the first place. ISBoxers didn't make this a multi-year issue, CCP did.
ReplyDeleteFor me this has never been about ISBoxer (used generically). It's been about CCP clearly defining what is not allowed and then enforcing that set of rules in a standardized way. Instead, they want ambiguity and wiggle room and "flexibility" and the masses nod their head that flexibility is required to respond to evolving means. Nope. Murder is bad. I don't care if its with a gun, an axe or sharks with fricken laser beams on their heads. Sometimes flexibility is good, especially when you aren't sure what you're trying to do. But if they know they don't want players doing something specific, they don't need flexibility. ISBoxer isn't harassment. They don't need the same level of wiggle-room in dealing with it as they do with harassment. Worse, flexibility combined with ambiguous enforcement isn't good for any of us, even if today we happen to agree with which direction the pendulum has swung.
agreed. But in many ways its like any other "thing" we like or don't like about the game. If it gets to be too much, we make a decision about the game. In the end, I just want the rules we all play by to be clear enough to not cause major greay areas, and for those rules to be enforced in a way that doesn't cause needless space lawyering every time something happens. Video games shouldn't require the space version of the ACLU
ReplyDeleteHaving finally had the time to listen to your appearance on the Hail Bob! podcast, I am confused as to what you mean with liking CCP to clarify things. Can you give an example of what you'd like to see in the EULA/TOS? Especially since your analogy to 'murder' is not helpful: Webster defines murder as "the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought" - which leaves open the question: what is malice?
ReplyDeleteIf somebody is looking for a clarification along the lines of "no more than 2 server commands within 0.7812 seconds", then they are sadly misguided.
I can give you suggestions for your other two questions though.
Why now? Because they made up their mind, and feel that they have the technology to catch input-replicators.
Why? Because they don't want input-replicators as customers.
I'm guessing, of course.