Confused yet?
There are so many misconceptions out there about coalitions that I thought it would be best to address them each individually. Someone, somewhere, might want to put an end to the whole ball of wax by making intelligent, long overdue changes to the "way things are done".
Misconception #1: Coalitions lead to Stagnation
This is so bogus I don't even know where to begin. Everyone around you for system after system being friends and pals and best buddies is obviously great for growing and playing Eve. Heck, Eve is a social game after all right? I mean really, it is little more than a 3D engine for Space Facebook!
After all, there is a whole class of players that can only exist in large blobby coalitions. You know the ones that like to spin in the station all day, or shoot asteroids, or talk on teamspeak with those buddies we talked about. Personally I think it's great that these pilots can feel secure deep in their own territory and have plenty of time to talk, cuddle and share baking tips.
Oh sure, every coalition is doomed to eventually collapse under its own weight, but that shouldn't be a negative to actually encouraging them to grow larger. And while this has been proven factual time and time again, we'll just ignore it.
Misconception #2: Blobs are Bad
This one makes me so angry I could spit. How else can you win at PvP? I mean seriously, think about it for just a second and you'll see what I mean. The only way to get those self-same friends together to fight from time to time is to ensure they win. And winning means bringing more ships than your enemy. Much more. We have to be sure right?
Like I said before, Eve is obviously a social 3D engine and large fleets (let's not call them blobs, that is so unfair) are really little more than traveling caravans of love. And who could be against that? Not me that's for sure.
There is no reason to not blob. No one is stopping us. So I must be right.
Misconception #3: Coalition Life is Easier than Non-Coalition Life
Ha! Do you have any idea how difficult it is running a large monolithic coalition of people that generally get along and don't like to rock the boat?! Sheesh. It's tough man. With so many hundreds and hundreds of Care Bears in chat we need dozens of private channels just to have a decent conversation. And small vibrant Alliances can't possibly manage all of the bots we have running those high-grade moons that build our insanely blobby Super Capital fleets! Let's be realistic here. It isn't cheating if no one stops you.
The mere idea of being in a little group fighting against the odds makes me cringe. It sounds so dangerous, and who wants danger and excitement in their Space Facebook? I know I sure don't. And my Excel spreadsheets would only have a dozen or so names on it, instead of the thousand it has now, how would that look?
Give me huge bio-mass inertia any day!
Misconception #4: You Can't Stop Us
Oh wait, this one isn't a misconception. LOL. Lost my head there for a second.
If anyone for even a second thinks this is a slam against my buddy Kirith, then you don't know me very well. I respect Kirith and all the other coalition lovers out there, you guys are entitled to your opinions and your individual play style. Despite the bone-headed comments of a few, I am not out to get you. As far as a playing style goes I hope large coalitions last forever and Care Bears keep gathering in large groups that are easy to find. Please. Without you it would be so much harder to find you.
What I am about however is improving the experience of Eve. Often that means playing Devil's Advocate, mostly because no one else is doing it at the time. I like to think a lot about Eve, it's fun and Eve encourages that because it such a complex and dynamic universe. I never give the universe of Command & Conquer a second thought! I am a pot-stirrer and I've always been one, just ask my Mom. I'm not going to stop and hopefully these posts have, at the very least, given you a chance to think about your position and reflect on it from a different perspective.
I don't want you to change. I would never even presume to ask you to. However, Eveoganda is my personal platform for expressing my personal ideas, concepts, artwork, and sometimes my opinion. It isn't a popularity contest and it isn't always going to be pretty. Entertaining I hope. With purty pictures.