In this Correspondent report, Sam Guss writes this interesting article covering his proposal to take over 0.0 space in CCP's EVE Online.

To conquer 0.0 in Eve is a vast enterprise. Many have tried; most have failed; and very few are even still in the running. Let's get political correctness out of the way here; the primary goal of any group of players in 0.0 is to conquer. Whether it is to conquer other pilots in piracy or warfare; to gain supremacy in an entire region or multiple regions; to simply carve out a system or two for personal gain by either mining or ratting or manufacturing; every group has at its heart, the goal to conquer.

Many believe that in order to conquer, it means to beat everyone else in battle. To take for oneself what someone else also wants as their own. By strength of numbers simply overwhelm those without and take what they want. To a degree, they are absolutely right. Yet, to date no one owns all of 0.0. To date, while there are some major alliances around, there is still empty space to be had. There are still wars being fought, along many lines. For all that it looks like; there is still room for new alliances, new coalitions, and all of them can find a home in 0.0. Just like you and I can.

Check out The Plan to Take 0.0

nice article.

Yes, interesting article!

Although... you did say in the start that there were '11' rules but I clearly see '12'  ;)

Having been involved in high-sec, low-sec, and null-sec corporations in my almost-3 years with EVE, I have to say that this article is very well-written, and I'm looking forward to the followup articles.

Currently I'm between corps, and living in high-sec, fattening up my wallet and trying to decide what corporations to start applying for. But living in 0.0 has been my most enjoyable time with EVE, to-date. If you get into a tight-knit corporation, it will almost feel like a second family.

Fleet engagements, mining ops, patrol duty, roaming gangs, you name it. It was a very good time, and I can't wait to find a new corp to hook up, and get back down to 0.0. :)

Good article, accurate also. I have been in eve since early beta and your 100% on your information here. I look forward to more on this.

Yes, there is 12 rules... it originally started with 11 and one was added on before submission. Apparently both myself and the editor missed it - oops.

Thanks for the feedback from everyone!

While it is very well written, and also thought out, "Zeroism" (my word for your plans, is like most 'isms' in the world... seemingly sensible and straight forward with direct application not only sensible but almost obvious in its logic.

Thats where the problem comes in... we aren't a bunch of Star Trek Vulcans but irrational, emotional, temperamental, and opinionated Humans. Thus pulling this off mostly successfully would be easy. But if that were the case, Tsun Tzu's the Art of War would be easy, Karl Marx's Manifestos would be easy, Machiavelli's The Little Prince would be the forewarning it was meant to be, and Buddhism would be a snap.

As intelligent and well planned out as these articles will be, I suggest that this is going to be an unachievable intellectual ideal that will not be fully achievable in this game or real life.

Maybe you should call it something like "The Art of Zeroism, How to birth an Empire for All Space" or "Zen and The Art of Nation Building, The Tao of Omnipotency".

I have to agree with you - it will be interesting to read this intellectual essay - while the leaders of an empire need to understand the complexities of creating it and making it work, the other people involved do not need this level of understanding (as mentioned already in the article) - they would only need to know the over arching 'vision' of the empire - its purpose for exsisting and the purpose of their own specific role in this vision.........

Anyhow - looking forward to reading these articles......

Cheers

Mossmac

Problem with building an empire in a game such as Eve, everyone is anonymous.  Hence building a cadre is almost impossible, you just can't build the needed trust with such anonymity.

"Many have tried; most have failed; and very few are even still in the running. "

Um, what? You're aware of AAA, BOB, GOONS, NC, etc? Yes, there have been many alliances before; FA, CA, SA, SE, FIX, etc. Eventually they fell, but I would argue that these were merely accelerated 'cycles of power'. Great Britain was the world power for hundreds of years. Then America and Russia and recently China has emerged and potentially India. Does this mean that the Roman Empire 'failed'? Was Alexander the Great a failure?

Exactly how long have you played Eve?

Actually CA, he is refering to taking over ALL of No Sec/0.0 Space. 1 Empire. Probably most of Lo Sec Space too. No one has done that yet although that is on the top 5 of most of the major alliances goal lists.

..........pretty much like real life then.....?!

seriously this is what I love about EVE - a bit of paranoia leads to great political intrigue - and allows for greater sphere of influence -

We would all love to have absoloute control but that is really missing the point of creating an Empire - it poses some many other questions - what role do you want to play in the empire and why? - are you wanting to have total power and control - that will go only so far - and not very far at that.... - this is really to do about my above comment on having a powerful vision that others will be keen to follow - this is why I think Amarr will be very intersting and strong with their religous zeal bonding them together - although that has its own interesting problems and challenges..... 

Cheers

mossmac

interesting article

I weep for the current state of MMO's.

The fact that EVE players can even have an interesting discussion like this about their game, is awe inspiring.  Unfortunately, EVE's ship-based gameplay isn't for me, but I have great respect for CCP for sticking to their guns, and keeping EVE a deep, interesting, difficult niche game. They haven't pandered to the WoW masses, and for that I congratulate them.

I hope I get my game like EVE some day soon.  In the mean time I will remain without an MMO home.

first problem is eve is full of antarcists.

i left eve because it is so hostile to non-pvpers and casual players  and i am not the only one. 

...the primary goal of any group of players in 0.0 is to conquer.

I stopped reading there, this man is either clueless or bob.

As a philosophycal approach to get into low sec I see the article well written and and pointing out which the main problems, structural coherence and attitude the leader must take into account before launching a try to attain his corporation and coallition in that environment. EVE provides such kind of thinking.

EVE is a world in itself. This is the goal of EVE. And it's complicated, not funny if you don't learn a lot of things, so EVE is also a study, and the kind of study developed in this article is of much consistency for what is EVE.

i want to comment; but, i can't.

I think the great problem so many noobs to EVE have to it - myself included - is that you have to have a real vision or goal of what it is you want to achieve in playing the game to make it a success. Entering the game thinking it is going to be just another MMO, but this time in spacships, is a big mistake.

As mentioned before, other MMO's, in fact most/all other games, dictate your goal or final outcome. Both the beauty and the the problem with EVE, especially for new players, is that it doesn't define a clear goal. The game is so vast and you can do so much  that the shear scale of it can, I believe, be the main reason, deep down, why players quit.

Take my love/hate history with the game.

About 3 -4 years ago I came across EVE and was blown away with the graphics and what I thought was the scope, of the game (little did I know how deep the rabbit hole would go!...). 

I started playing and soon became lost in what I was actually supposed to be doing - it didn't help that it was my first MMO and although I understood in theory what that entailed it was still a bit nerve racking getting into it. I stuck with trading at first but soon found it far more immersive than I at the time was prepared to commit to - so I quit - 

two years on  I gave it another go - drawn by the fact of the new ambulation that was being talked about - I also set about reading the background stories properly and looking into the different coorporations - unfortunately a disruptive (but positive) move of Job and Family to the otherside of the world put ithe game once again on hold - so I quit again - but I kept in contact with the boards and the News Items and slowly ideas started forming in my mind of really what EVE was about "FOR ME".

I know some of you are saying 'gee, just get stuck into it my man, do some serious PVP etc....' but that is not my thing, at least not back then,  and the great attraction for me about EVE is that it is an MMO that allows for players who are not into PVP or even PVE all the time.

Anyway back to the present - I have decided to commit to EVE at the start of 2010 (in time for ambulation I hope) - I am putting together, over the course of that time, a super fast gaming rig that will allow me to play anything the gaming world throws at me for the next few years and that is going to be my main (only?) indoor hobby for the next year - I play plenty of sport which won't stop but also a number of involved indoor hobbies and it is these I am going to drop for the time being. I have started planning the character I am going to create, I am getting immersed into his background and I am setting myself various short, medium and longterm visions and goals (we're talking years for the longterm ones here....) 

One of the main shortterm goals I have is to throw myself completly into Corporation play - I expect this will involve PVP and that is OK for me in the short term - I am already researching the corporations I would want to get involved with and what the longterm effects are in joining those groups.

A long term vision I have is to become heavily involved in the politics of the game (hence my interest in this artical). I see the current state of EVE as likened to the dark ages in Europe, where leaders led their armies from the front - but a time will come where the real powers will be those that direct from the comfort of the command room/bunker and that is what I am aiming for..... -

I also see CCP evolving this game, if they have the support of the players and the money, to planet governance and attack as well as first player shooter etc - ambulation is just the start.....I am seeing this as 'years' down the line but they are certainly taking the next logical step......

Now that might be all Pie in the Sky and who knows where I will be in 5/10 years time but for now I am happy to set this as a goal for me.....

Anyway enough of my rambling. In summary if there was one bit of advice I would give people about EVE it would be to say, 'Do your background and then have some clear goals in what you want to achieve playing the game. This might take a couple of trial goes as playing it is the best way to really see what it has to offer.'

And as was earlier said  all credit to CCP at sticking by their guns on what EVE offers - it is something unique and different - and to change the game without a lot of forethought and planning might change that uniqueness...

Cheers

Mossmac

Originally posted by cahenderson

"Many have tried; most have failed; and very few are even still in the running. "

Um, what? You're aware of AAA, BOB, GOONS, NC, etc? Yes, there have been many alliances before; FA, CA, SA, SE, FIX, etc. Eventually they fell, but I would argue that these were merely accelerated 'cycles of power'.

Everyone knows that EVE is just Bob vs AAA.   Other alliances 'exist'  but they are at the behest of either of those major alliances.

in anycase, even if you added up all those alliances in your post, thats still very "few"  The OP's article is still correct and factual on that point.

Originally posted by mossmac

I think the great problem so many noobs to EVE have to it - myself included - is that you have to have a real vision or goal of what it is you want to achieve in playing the game to make it a success. Entering the game thinking it is going to be just another MMO, but this time in spacships, is a big mistake.

No truer word can be said about eve!

So many times ive heard new players saying that they found eve 'boring' as you point out, most mmo's lead you by the hand through their levels, they give you goals and you follow the paths they give you.

But at the same time this is something that causes me problems with eve, I often find myself losing focus and what I want to do, and end up doing nothing.

The certificates is a brilliant step towards this problem, giving new pilots at least something to go for.

Originally posted by sadeyx

Originally posted by mossmac

I think the great problem so many noobs to EVE have to it - myself included - is that you have to have a real vision or goal of what it is you want to achieve in playing the game to make it a success. Entering the game thinking it is going to be just another MMO, but this time in spacships, is a big mistake.

No truer word can be said about eve!

 

So many times ive heard new players saying that they found eve 'boring' as you point out, most mmo's lead you by the hand through their levels, they give you goals and you follow the paths they give you.

But at the same time this is something that causes me problems with eve, I often find myself losing focus and what I want to do, and end up doing nothing.

The certificates is a brilliant step towards this problem, giving new pilots at least something to go for.

That is correct, however, you don't have to have a really long term vision, just a couple of medium long objectives, like get certain certificates, get a jumpclone with republic fleet ( by doing missions ), get a enough LP's to buy a fleet issued stabber, find a corp for FW, etc :p

I know your post was slightly tounge in cheek but there is alot of truth in what you say - players can make lists to complete  to help them through the 'boring times' but what EVE really requires from you is a visionary goal you want to achieve for you to stay the long term - well it does for me anyhow....!?

Cheers

Mossmac 

Originally posted by Spiider

...the primary goal of any group of players in 0.0 is to conquer.

I stopped reading there, this man is either clueless or bob.

I am sorry to read that you decided to stop at that point, since the next few lines illustrates that to conquer isn't neccessarily about combat and gave some examples. Players have goals. Accomplishing goals means to conquer. I could use other words: achieve for example. It just doesn't have the ummph that the word conquer has. ;)

This article is about as vague and written as if by someone who hasn't played EVE beyond a free trial as the "how to tank" one.

I guess now that EVE has risen to 2nd place in some markets to WOW MMORPG feels they need to shovel out some articles every week. 

Advice:  Please get someone who has played the game for more than 2 weeks to write them.  EVE articles here are D- quality compared to those on EVE fan sites.  Consider co-opting some of those guys to write them, such as eve-tribune.com.

EVE is completely different from every other MMORPG out there, which are all largely variants of WOW.  It requires a LOT of time invested and experience to understand it much less to be able to write intelligent articles for others.