Emergent Future

Six months have passed. The largest force in the galaxy, an alliance known as the Band of Brothers, no longer holds the dominion that they once did. My alliances former allies - and former enemies - had shattered their hold. Yet, now this alliance had turned against my own and a brutal war had erupted between them. My own corporation was all but deserted and were no longer part of my old alliance. I found myself alone, trapped in the middle of hostile space that was once filled with those I called friends and allies. The balance of power in the outer reaches of the galaxy had shifted, and even greater conflicts were rising once again.

Sometimes things change.

As I found myself venturing back into CCP/White Wolf's EVE Online, I was surprised to see just how much had changed over my six month break. I have gone back to games before and they usually are quite different - guilds vanish, players leave, new players come in, new areas and quests are added, etc... But, I've never returned to a game that felt so vastly different before.

Politics changed. Power changed hands. Alliances that once existed broke apart and turned on each other. People that I once fought against would be plenty trigger happy whenever they saw me - and I was in the middle of their own, player controlled space. That wasn't the best of positions. It also lead to a fairly tense and exciting escape back into NPC controlled, Empire space.

That is something I had never experienced when going back into an online game before. Sure, content and people change, but that was something more. It was something that can only change in a game that offers the possibilities of such an open world that EVE offers. Even returning to Dark Age of Camelot, a game ripe with PvP, did not see such a profound difference in my experience in the game.

That was really what it was: my experience had changed. I was almost playing a different game. I wasn't flying with a large force, holding onto our space and fighting back against our enemies. Now, I was a refugee fleeing hostile space, hoping to make a new life for myself.

Is this good or bad though? Well, that is probably a somewhat difficult question. Sure, in a way, it was a pain having my game experience altered without me having any say in it - I didn't choose to play another aspect of the game, I was basically forced into it. That said, I didn't exactly mind this change at all. The very fact that my experience changed because of player input, in such a profound way, was extremely exciting. It also truly changed how I saw the game and made it feel fresh. It also made the universe feel much more alive.

Is this something that can work in every online game? Oh no. Not at all. Its neat, its great for EVE, and its even great for prolonging the enjoyment of a game - since it can alter so much without developer input - but it also is harsh and will certainly turn off plenty of people. EVE is a niche game, always has been a niche game, and always will be a niche game.

... But it was still cool. It certainly makes me want to see more niche games out there. Please?