Home is where the Clone is.

How is CCP's angle on Nullsec Alliance blobs effecting its players? We investigate.


CCP disapproves of enormous conglomerate Alliances existing together in multi-regional power-blocks. And to some degree I can see their logic. The held belief that conquerable Nullsec is, for the most part, a handful of super-inflated entities is what prevents smaller Alliances from attempting to strike out and build their own future in 0.0 space. This ties together with held perceptions that I mentioned in 'The Nullsec Deception' that many Highsec players hold with regard to Nullsec. How can smaller Corporations or Alliances break into Nullsec and begin to make their own way? Well, unfortunately right now it involves a great deal of boot-licking and the ceding of Corporate or Alliance goals to make room for peace-meal offerings to the power-block that you either have to pander to or get crushed by.

I witnessed this brutal truth personally. Returning to the game after almost a year of inactivity, I joined a small Alliance that was attempting to secure a small home for themselves in Geminate after the Technetium improvements. Many a day was spent cowering in the corner of our single solar system, camping the only entrance/exit for 24 hours solid in an attempt to hold down the small home we were carving out for ourselves. It didn't take long before a superior force backed by a much larger Alliance swept us out of the region entirely and sent us back to Highsec with our tails tucked firmly between our legs.

The Dominion sovereignty system saw a change in variables at the core of sovereignty mechanics. The introduction of Sovereignty Blockade Units, Territorial Control Units and extensions too or the addition of reinforcement timers changed the swing of sovereignty warfare to heavily favor the defender. This, CCP thought, would allow smaller Alliances to take ground much easier, as well as make it easier to defend. There would be no need for the power-blocks because the perception was that the power-blocks were only necessary to help hold large regions of space.

The only real change was the systematic destruction of Goonswarm due to their now former CEO Karttoon mismanaging the Alliance wallet ever-so-slightly. The result being that several key systems in Delve dropped sovereignty and the current residents of Delve - IT Alliance - capitalized on the blunder and pushed Goonswarm out. Little has changed since then in terms of regional control at the hands of larger Alliances.

I'd attribute the primary blunder to CCP's inability to consider the simple fact that many of the larger power-blocks are comfortable being large power-blocks. Long-lasting friendships and trusted Alliances between these mighty empires have been solidified. And in truth, the changes to the sovereignty system have allowed them to hold their space with even less effort than before.

Ultimately, EVE Online's 'end game' is about being a part of a large Alliance. Making certain core systems almost as safe as Highsec save for the wandering small gangs of bandits who's only impact is taking potshots at the drake ratting backbone. If CCP plans on making more space available for smaller Alliances to take a foothold, then they may in fact literally need to make more space available by increasing system count and adding new regions.

~ WT