Welcome to the continuing monthly EVE Blog Banters and our 48th edition! For more details about what the blog banters are visit the Blog Banter page.
This month’s topic is a request from CCP Sisyphus who wants to know how important is Lore in EVE Online?
“How important is ‘fluff’ in Eve online? Would eve online be the same if it were purely numbers and mechanics, or are the fictional elements important to the enjoyment of the game? Would a pure text, no reference to sci-fi or fancy names, still be an engaging game? Should CCP put more or less emphasis on immersion?”
Ah Sisyphus, my beloved friend! The hours spent together lost on this very topic of which we are very much in alignment on! My dear and faithful readers who have read this far already know the rant I could conceivably engage in towards this topic. Instead, I am poised to disappoint by simply providing a link to a recent post I made on this very subject.
In a nutshell, EVE Online is one of two things:
- a PVP game
- an MMO RPG
While the first can negate the need for the second, the second does not negate the need for the first, hence the division lines on this topic are ignorant and short-sighted. CCP needs to determine as a company what they want the game to be and focus their efforts accordingly.
Dynamic content comes not only from that which is player driven. Intelligent design can create a true and self-sustaining ecosystem that will only serve to enhance the player driven narrative.
I will stop now as this is one of the most serious and passionate topics to my heart. Engage in the Sandbox comment thread, or here. Either way, I will be vocal to responses and pray to the gods of our ancestors that CCP listens and takes action.
ROC'S RAMBLINGS 
I do not RP inside of EVE. I am not “in character” in chat (not that I am very chatty). I do believe in consistency. I do think (lightly) in terms of RP, what makes sense for my characters to do, not just what is fun or profitable (the two are not mutually exclusive).
In this same vein, I’m all for the accessibility changes over the last 2 years and more. Ship balancing, item names that are easier to grok, and the upcoming skill tree revamp. But there is something lost when there isn’t an overlap between the changes and the lore.
EVE has a deep and rich lore. Chronicles, books, fanfic, and in-game events (Jita Monument!!) both CCP- and fan-driven. I think the game is well served when Chronicles and other RP “highlights” are given behind the changes (yes, it is retcon, since the change comes before the RP reason, doesn’t make it any less valid). Recent example: the story about Concord nerfing the Hurricane, and the Fleet Hurricane being put forward by the Minmatar to compensate.
Keeping the lore in line with the in-game reality is what makes EVE “real”. Yes, events like The Battle for Caldari Prime are exciting (and probably too infrequent, and EU TZ focused), and draw large number of players. But they give more character to the game than Alliance Tournament Commentator Fleet, or other, less RP-driven events.