WCS: Shooting Straight

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Talk about poking a hornet's nest. The last post about Warp Core Stabilizers brought out the armies of commenters in a way we haven't seen in awhile. Which is weird since I've been calling for a WCS BAN for almost two years now. But I thought I'd take another post to address some of the concerns my readers brought to my attention.

Believe it or not I have zippo powers when it comes to changing anything about Eve. So me calling for a total removal of WCS from the game is not going to make that happen. Sadly. What I do have, and what I've worked very hard at achieving, is a soap box from which I preach the truth. The truth as I see it. I try to do this in an entertaining, humorous, thoughtful, and attention-getting manner each and every time I put finger to keyboard. This often generates conversation which echoes throughout the Eve community. And sometimes leads to changes all the way up the ladder.

Do I really want WCS removed from Eve? On the one hand yes. I think if they disappeared this morning that Eve would be a better game because of it. Do I believe this will happen? Not at all. Do I believe this should happen? Not really. WCS are not really the problem, the problem is FW mechanics that allow WCS to be a viable fitting option that achieves a combat goal. That is the core issue. Banning WCS is only a loss-leader idea that garners attention for positive change. I can write all the impassioned and detail oriented posts about FW mechanics I want (and I have btw) and no one will read them.

I can tell you straight up, those FW Mechanic posts get about 1,400 readers. That last post about Boosters on Killmails and Banning WCS got just slightly less than 14,000 readers.

I have news for you, you do not need Warp Core Stabilizers. You think you do. You've gotten lazy using them, but you do not need them. They could disappear tomorrow and you'd be no worse off than you already are. There is not a single play-style that would change drastically because of them being gone. Again, they aren't going anywhere. But if they did, you'd be fine. Trust me.

I am not bitter about WCS. You can check my killboard and you'll find plenty of ships on there that mistakenly fitted one or seven or more WCS on their ships. We (me) explode plenty of targets with WCS on them. Trying to use that argument against me is also lazy, untrue and it makes you seem small. Try a little harder please.

My goal is to start a conversation. To get you thinking. To challenge what you believe. And why you believe it. That has been my goal since I started writing this blog. I have other goals, but that is one of them. 

Faction Warfare. It has the word "warfare" in it. 

Warp Core Stabilizers are anti-warfare. No one can argue that point.

If you are using WCS to escape capture, to move assets, to ensure safety, then more power to you. I have a ship on my Alt account that has WCS fitted, I use that ship to transport extremely valuable faction loot, implants, drugs and other expensive items. It has never been caught. That is a viable use of the module.

One can argue about certain Smart-Bombing fits, or Stealth-Bomber fits, and one can make a legitimate argument about those. That is not the point. The point is that the essential foundation of achieving a combat goal should not be possible in complete safety. And while no number of these modules ensure perfect safety, they certainly do in practice to an extremely high percentage. And they should not.

That is the core issue.

And until such time as that changes I will continue to beat the drum.

Plus it's fun.