Interview with Erik Finnegan

Do you have a website and forum thread? If you've got links that would be good.

site: www.eve-takecare.net
thread: http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=1035701


So, how long have you been playing?

Since 2003.

What have you done in Eve during that time?

In the beginning, I have served for Taggart Transdimensional Industries, a major power block in the early days. And I was miner/hauler in null-sec, when we were still using insta-jump bookmarks, before navigation computers were improved for jump-to-zero. After a break due to RL graduation, I was flying missions for a smaller company. Since one year, I'm pulling up my own little venture. With my business process and team building knowledge, we are growing into more than a loose pilot association sharing a chat, but an organization with a shared vision and a sharp profile of each pilot within the organism. We are colonizing w-space.

What real life experiences do you have that will aid you in your elected position?

Please check out my CV on <http://www.eve-takecare.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=13>. From all my professional experience I would give business process consulting and project management as the most important skills. My studies of motivation strategies for Open Source development and virtual sociology (as part of the semiotics subject) will help as well.

What's your favorite thing to do in Eve?

Role play is my favourite aspect of EVE. Followed by the networking features (aka corps, alliances, and the standing system), which are still hugely underdeveloped. Best moment ? Connecting to NeoCom corp chat, it's like coming home to a place where everybody knows your name.

What changes do you believe could be made to make it easier to do that?

As a CSM it is less my personal agenda which is of importance. But it is an open mind, which will allow me to identify with issues, that are raised in areas where might not have much experience in or maybe no particular interest. If we put aside our ego, the team of CSMs is be able to decide on game improvements as a whole. Everything is so intertwined in EVE, through the economy for example, that you cannot push one subject without causing effects on another. Well, alliance logos on ships might be a pretty safe addition.

May I add that CCP expects us to point out to them the larger picture, not the details. Will be able to push CCP to finishing half-ready featuers, which are in game, or do we want them to add totally new content ? The CSM office does not request me to argue for a boost of a particular ship's inertia modifier. Following on your input as players, I am expected to either shape a new feature like ambulation or turn CCP's focus to an FW overhaul.

What do you think of the recent Bob/Goonswarm fiasco?

Alliance politics tends to be more dynamic than the Amarr slavery laws. While I may have a personal opinion, the Council should remain neutral.

Do you have an opinion on the renaming of KenZoku to Bob Reloaded?

Again, it is not my job to pick sides, but CCP taking months to react and then reverting their decision was terribly bad PR.

What do you think of the re balancing of ECM?

I think there is too much whining about such changes.

What do you think of the re balancing of Stealth Bombers?

My voters expect answers on industry incentives in low-sec and 0.0. And we have a vast amount of FW pilots, who are struggling with the cloak exploit, and ridiculous spawing mecahnics of complexes. And I am providing answers in my campaign thread. The Stealth Bomber's new cloaked warp speed is something that every intelligent pilot will be able to learn by heart and adjust his tactics to that.

Does it bother you that Veldspar is more profitable than any low sec minerals?

Yes.

What is the single largest imbalance in game, and how would you fix it?

Missions scale proportional to the amount of players, while other resources do not : every player can always ask for more missions, but with ratting, plexing, and exploration there is only a limited offer. As a result, people do not want to live in lowsec and 0.0. I want to change that, not by nerfing high-sec, but by providing incentives that will drag more people out of there. The mineral yield of asteroid belts and mission loot, as well as moon availability are one part of the equation.

Anything to add?

You have forgotten to ask about the large portion or relatively new players. We need to flatten the entry barrier, and earlier connect their activities to the existing player base. They should not have to talk to an NPC agent for a year and until they have x million skill points, before they participate in the player-driven aspects of the game.