The calendar sweeps forward relentlessly and we find ourselves once again facing elections.

No, not those election.  We’ll get to that real world pending disaster on our own.

Instead I am referring, once again, to the EVE Online elections for the Council of Stellar Management. CCP has put out the first dev blog about the upcoming elections for CSM21.

Council of Stellar Management 21

Those of paying for subscriptions will once again be asked to vote for players to represent us to the company.  And the company will reward our efforts by ignoring anything from the CSM that does not align with their preconceived notions.

Seriously, CSM20 should be the nail in the coffin for the whole “null sec tells CCP/Fenris what to do” scare mongering.  Instead they only listened to the guy going on about the force projection “problem” because the company wants the whole game to be low sec small gang fights

And, as noted in the past, I’d be less salty about that if CCP/Fenris hadn’t decided on the most counter productive plan possible.  It will be a waste of limited dev resources as they chase some fantasy that was spun in their brain about some perfect balance between low sec small gang and null sect empires moderated by some insane self-delusion about how their convoluted Ansiblex plan will work out.

Even if you are in the cult of small gang and believe null sec being able to defend its space is bad, this can’t be what you think the company should be wasting time trying to tune.  Just delete Ansiblex jump bridges and move on.  Anything else is a fool’s journey.

But the company leadership only cares about making the game fit their ideals.  They want the theoretical game they play in their heads, when they think about the game at all.

The certainly seem much more interested in their crap first person shooter and their blockchain scam game, much more so than the one successful video game they have ever made.  And they certainly don’t care about player feedback.

They are even now talking about how they are listening to feedback with their proposed HUD changes when it looks like they’re just listening to people who agree with them.  I know that is basic human nature, to weight agreement more strongly than opposition, but trained professionals know how to manage that sort of thing.

That said, tech in general hates people who can manage that sort of analysis and prefers just to ride forward on vibes and self delusion.  The first person to get laid off is usually the person questioning the current management plan.  I’ve seen that too often in Silicon Valley.  Why would I expect more from CCP/Fenris?

So when it comes to the CSM their literal brag points include the force projection nerf and how they are listening when it comes to HUD updates.  Here is their list:

  • The Catalyst Major Update – With community feedback at its core, this overhaul delivered new tools and insights for factional warfare and beyond.
  • Not-So-Little Things – Ongoing CSM input helped prioritize dozens of high-impact quality-of-life changes.
  • A Major Update coming for Cradle of War on 22 September, reflecting both community feedback and CSM collaboration. One change coming this time involves force projection, highlighted by current and previous CSM members as an important topic.
  • The EVE HUD has been redesigned based on feedback and collaboration with the community and CSM.

If we take that list at face value we have buffs for low sec via faction warfare (which will carry on for two more expansions after having spent two of the last four expansions focused on FW and low sec), fixing shit they should have been able to spot on their own if they played the game, nerfing null sec to favor low sec small gang players, and trying to update the UI without screwing it up… and I have my doubts about them not screwing it up.  The UI update is more likely to simply generate a host of new “Not-So-Little Things” to brag about fixing later because, again, they don’t play the game.

The company likes to say they listen, but the evidence does not support the assertion.  Don’t make me bring up the red dot.  What was it, nine months to get a simple fix?

The reality is that the CSM has no agency and the company ignores it more than it listens.  It is, as I suggested back when an elected body was first announced, the Galactic Student council, with no power at all, an you should point and laugh at any candidate running on a platform of making something happen.

Mostly what the CSM does is try to talk the company off the ledge from their worst ideas.  But when company leadership has their heart set on a really bad plan, they’ll just ignore all dissent and push on regardless.  It is practically a law of physics that you can’t talk CCP/Fenris out of their dumbest ideas… and the reign or Rattati has seen more than its share of epically dumb ideas.

So it goes.

But even if the CSM is a losing battle to try and act as a guardrail, if null sec didn’t get in there we’d probably just get nerfed harder.  So it will be coordination to get out the vote as usual.  As always, players will optimize to deal with the situation.

If YOU want to get on the CSM… well, if you’re deciding that right now, you’re not going to make it.  You need to spend a year or so on the forums and r/eve and making video content to get the attention of enough players to have a snowflake’s chance in hell.  And even then it will be an uphill battle.

Still, you can toss your hat in the ring starting on Thursday.  This is the schedule for the election.

  • Candidate submissions: 17 September – 2 October
  • Candidate announcement: 6 October
  • Campaign period: 6 October – 21 October
  • Voting period: 22 October – 3 November

Once the voting is closed there will be a few days for the company to get the results and somehow make an hour long presentation out of them.

The rules for those wishing to run remain mostly as before:

  • Your account must be older than 60 days at the time candidacy applications close.
  • Characters on both Alpha and Omega accounts are eligible to run.
  • You must have a history of honoring the EULA and the Terms of Service. We will screen every applicant thoroughly, and EULA/TOS violations on your record can result in a rejected application.
  • If you are unsure if you qualify, we strongly encourage you to apply early, as applications are processed in 72 hours.
  • AFTER you receive confirmation that you have been greenlit as a candidate, you must create a campaign thread in the CSM section on EVE Online forums covering the following questions:
    • Your EVE Online story.
    • Your areas of expertise. In which areas of the game do you feel you are the most knowledgeable? What qualities set you apart from other candidates? As part of your answer, please outline any relevant experience and perspectives you have on these topics:
      • Factional Warfare
      • Unstructured PvP
      • Ships, gameplay, and the HUD
      • Industry and markets
      • Sovereignty management and logistics
      • Highsec and the new-player experience
      • The connection between EVE Online and EVE Vanguard [Ed: JFC no!]
    • Why are you applying for the CSM?
    • What can players expect from you?
    • You are free to add more information and manage your campaign thread as you see fit, but the above four questions are the bare minimum required from everyone.
    • NOTE: Campaign threads for candidates that have not been approved might be removed to avoid confusion.
  • Your account must have updated and correct information at the time of your application. This includes your real-life name, correct date of birth, and the same email you use to submit your application. To view and edit this information go to the account management page. If you are unsure, you may file a support ticket along with your CSM application to update your account.
  • Candidates must be at least 18 years of age. If the legal adult age in your home country (the age at which you have the legal capacity to enter into a contract) is higher than 18, that number applies instead.
  • As an applicant, you must consent to provide your personal details to Fenris Creations, including your real name and a copy of your passport or national ID card for those that do not plan to attend the CSM summit in person. Fenris Creations needs to affirm your real-life identity for NDA contract purposes.
  • If you do not currently have a valid passport, we will accept a picture/scan of a valid and approved passport application accompanied by a picture of your national ID card.
  • You must consent to share your country of origin with the EVE community and display it on the EVE Online website. You will not be required to share any other personal information.
  • If you are running as an “alt” and controlling a character with a reputation in the EVE universe, Fenris Creations may require you to run under that identity at its full discretion.

Related:

  • CCP/Fenris – CSM21 Dev Blog
  • CCP/Fenris – The Roles and Duties of a member of the Council of Stellar Management