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I'm not going to rehash all the changes, the flags, the new icons, the timers, the gate/station gun line of sight on grid weirdness, or the tears from the can-flippers and whatnots. Every player seems to have their own unique combination of activities they are concerned about. And all of that will settle itself over the next few months into a brand new combination of activities. It always does. It is important to remember that this is only one component of even more changes on the horizon, so taking it alone is a bit out of context. But there it is.
Primarily I congratulate those involved in tackling this issue. CW has needed attention for a very long time and the confusing, arbitrary, often random amount of issues it had to deal with over the years was horribly confusing. So any attempt to streamline such a horrid mess is one we should applaud.
Having read the dev blog and the reactions to it over the past day, I'd say that goal has been moderately successful. The new system is easier to understand once you let go of the previous knowledge and experience we all have working within the old system. It seems clear that the new system has clearly defined aggressive action into compartments that are simple to grasp. Or at least better than it was before.
It is difficult to evaluate the entirety of the changes without all the pieces. I suspect that the new Bounty Hunter changes will expand on much of what is contained in CW 2.0. Until then the changes exist without proper context in many respects. It remains unclear the total role that Sec Status will or will not have within the new system. And this is an important omission.
Generally speaking I like the new changes. In particular I think the line that has been drawn between ship to ship combat and ship to pod combat is extremely interesting. And my initial impression that the new system encourages PvP in Low-Sec remains relatively strong. For us low-sec denizens the new system doesn't change much for us on its own, it obviously refines certain things and modifies others, but it doesn't fundamentally change much. Except perhaps to encourage more people to attack us, which is what we've always wanted.
Saying that exposes the missing piece we'll be getting with Bounty Hunting however, so we'll have to wait and see what that brings with it.
I am in no way happy that 15 minute timers still exist. I've always believed that 15m is far too long in Eve for anything to happen, or not happen, as the case may be. 5 minutes is more than enough time for anyone who feels threatened to make a speedy escape, for things to settle down and for evil pirates to be punished. Certainly there are work-arounds within the new system and podding pilots would seem to be destined to become a rare event.
So CW 2.0 allows me more freedom of movement and more choices when it comes to engagement. I can now attack other pilots in a belt and not worry about having to take station or gate guns for doing so. If only there were pilots actually in belts in Eve.
But the announced changes to FW also seem to be encouraging more activity, although at less reward, so we'll also have to wait and see how that impacts activity.
It is early yet. We still have a way to go before Dec 4th and likely some additional changes and announcements will impact what has happened so far. But no matter how you look at it, from ship changes, to FW, to can-flipping, to ejecting, to gate fighting, to new flags and more, Retribution is shaping up to be a major shift in the the way we all do business in New Eden.
Speaking as a Pirate I am extremely happy with the new system. As long as we choose not to pod anyone, we have pretty much free reign to roam and fight even in Frigates. This is good for us and good for Eve.