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Monday, June 8, 2015

Why Fireworks BPOs?

Even when I don't log in, I try to advance the goals of the alliance. At the Madison meetup I brought up the subject of players getting fireworks BPOs, if only to break Mynxee of her fireworks and snowball buying habits. Asteros are not cheap, and she could buy more if she didn't spend so much buying up stocks of hug ammo from the trade hubs.

Why should CCP start seeding fireworks (and snowball) original blueprints on the market? Mainly, fireworks (and snowballs) help instill a sense of community. CCP originally created snowballs as a one time gift to celebrate a real world holiday. Snowballs proved so popular with the player base that CCP brought back the items and created fireworks as well. Getting together with others, even complete strangers, and celebrating a holiday like New Year's is fun.

EVE is a sandbox, and players hold celebrations for in-game reasons in addition to celebrate real world holidays. For example, when my alliance, EvE-Scout Enclave, reached 300 members, alliance leadership took a Hugs fleet out to visit Titanomachy in B-R5RB, followed by a trip to a trade hub to shoot off fireworks and snowballs. Well, that was the plan, but the fleet took a wrong turn somewhere and ran into Imperium forces who received all of the planned hugs instead. Our side had a blast; I don't know about the SMA or FCON pilots.

The use of fireworks is not just confined to a group of crazed explorers. Did you know that a group of pilots is celebrating Federation Day this Saturday? Federation Day is the day the Gallente celebrate the founding of the Federation. While a lore event, player celebrations of the holiday go back for years. Did I mention that Federation Day is in June and CCP usually only hands out party ammunition in December?

Quite frankly, as important as making some player events more fun is to an MMORPG, I do have another motive. I'd like to see CCP create a new holiday item this year. By making the current party ammo player-made, CCP could then introduce a new party module or item instead. For example, I think a glitter bomb module would bring a nice change of pace to New Eden's scenery. I envision a glitter bomb module to act like a smart bomb, just more colorful and doing 0 (or -1) points of damage. I don't know if Crimewatch would prevent the use of a glitter bomb in high sec, but the thought of a conga line of glitter bombing capitals snaking through a null sec alliance's capital system brings a smile to my face. Perhaps the glitter bomb comes in one standard color and players could buy scripts from the cash shop to change the color of the effect.

I know that some people will say that CCP should limit the amount of party ammunition in the game. Signal Cartel, during our various wars, even ran across players who appear allergic to fun. I guess because internet spaceships is serious business and, as an exploration alliance, we don't tend to take high sec war decs too seriously. But fireworks are fun, and I don't think CCP should place an artificial limit on the amount of fun we can have throughout the year.

6 comments:

  1. Fireworks BPOs are completely unnecessary. CCP gifts enough fireworks each year such that you can always buy them on market, or get them from other players, if you happen to run out. And, if in-game supply does actually run short, CCP can always gift them more frequently... say, for the upcoming US holiday 4th of July, just as an example.

    As for new holiday items, I'm all for that. However, I think I'd rather see something other than yet another particle system effect. Maybe a space pinata launcher, that tosses out a special SC-shaped container, which when destroyed, scatters a bunch of random wrecks, filled with junk, like fireworks charges and other CCP gifts.

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  2. "Fireworks BPOs are completely unnecessary." 'unnecessary' as defined by who?... and, "CCP can always gift them more frequently..." sounds to me like yer one-a-them-there players as what appear allergic to fun... =P

    CCP has stated, far more than once, that the end goal is that everything that can be made by the players should be made by the players... and expanding player control of the assets and market has proven to be nothing but gold in CCP's pockets over the years... that alone is reason enough to give up Firework and Snowball BPOs...

    AS for new Holiday Items... Oh MAN could I do crazy with that one... lets see...

    Glitter bombs... that stick to ships and station etc, and give off glittering trails for a random period of time... and if yer not moving... you light up like a 4th of July sparkler... =]

    Nerf Darts... that also stick to ship hulls with (or without) pennants that trail behind... These could be used for a whole new HUG War... the ship with the most darts loses!

    Oh my oh my... I could have so much fir with that... =]

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  3. "...sounds to me like yer one-a-them-there players as what appear allergic to fun"


    Au contraire. I was among the first people to loudly push for the return of snow in the server room, after the first round of snowballs melted.


    I just don't agree that fireworks and snowballs need to be player-manufactured. I prefer that CCP just give them to us, in abundance, so everyone, from the poorest first-day noobs, can have fun with them, without worrying about availability in particular regions or someone manipulating prices.


    As for CCP's goals for player-manufactured stuff... well... until they fix all T1 modules to make them worthwhile to build as a path for noob industrialists, rather than always focusing only on T2 modules and null manufacturing, I don't think there is really much underlying substance to their stated goals.

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  4. Water pistols would be my hug of choice. With space dirt on ship hulls becoming a thing it could have the secondary effect of cleaning the ship you have chosen to embrace

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  5. Glitter Mines. Deployable AoE Proximity.

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  6. It would be neat to invent T2 fireworks that exploded in fancier color combos or patterns.

    I would love to have a pillow launcher and pillows ammo...pillow fights in space!! Yay!

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