Changing My Mind

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For the longest time I used to take full responsibility for moving my own assets around New Eden. It came about from a desire to make the experience of playing Eve as "real" as I could. It is the same thing that keeps me from using drugs, or insane implants, or other tactics. Creating our own limitations is a common inhibitor used by filmmakers, story-tellers, and other creative people. Moving my own shit around New Eden was one of those. I make up my own rules to challenge myself. Otherwise I'm just playing the same way every one else is playing.

I bring this up because I got really good at moving things around New Eden. And it helped me learn important lessons about the game. And when I think about High Sec especially, my opinion is clouded by that experience. In ten years of playing Eve I've lost a total of two Transports in HS. That kind of record has a tendency to cloud our judgement. And I'm starting to come around when it comes to HS and what it should be.

I stopped moving my own assets a year ago. After hearing rumors that HS had changed and that it had become even more dangerous to move assets thru it, I went ahead and did it anyway. I was on my Alt, I was traveling in Super HS, along well-trod lanes, and avoiding hot spots - my usual tactics. I was being stupid and I had more than my own limit in cargo, but that is my own lack of patience at work. Long story short, I got ganked for the first time. 6.3b lost. My only other HS transport loss was an empty ship and pod to a smartbomber on gate. 

Since then I've been using our JF service.

I'm starting to feel myself agreeing with those that have been saying HS is broken. War Decs are broken. Ganking mechanics are broken. The penalties do not match the rewards. And HS has rapidly become a true mess without purpose. It should make sense and it doesn't.

Look, I'm an admitted Low Sec Pirate. I've been -10 for a very long time now. My experience of HS is on a transport alt. I buy things and then run home. I recently took Rixx six jumps into HS in a Leopard to buy 14b in skill injectors. That was probably the first time he was in HS in years. Point being, I'm no expert when it comes to HS.

But I see the numbers dwindling. I hear the people saying that we need a safer place to learn the game. And I also remember what HS used to be like when I started playing Eve. It wasn't like it is today. It wasn't as chaotic.

I'm sure if I took the time to dig around in my archive I'd find posts about this, but I'm feeling lazy today. I'm starting to wonder if HS wouldn't be better if 1.0 systems were totally, 100% safe. And if the sec status drop didn't allow for increasingly less safe space until you find yourself in LS or Null. What exactly would we be losing?

More players?

It feels like it is time for CCP to take a risk and try to turn Eve on it's head. And maybe turning HS into actual Empire space is the way to start. Isn't it supposed to be safe there anyway? Isn't that why it is 1.0? 

Something needs to change.