Life in Eve: Local is Fine, and Here's How to Fix It.

First, a brief background, for the non-EvE players:

Like most MMOs, Eve has a number of text-based chat channels built into its user interface. The ones likely to see the most use are whatever corporation and/or alliance you're part of, any player-made channels created for specific purposes or interests...

And Local.

Now, to the outsider, the concept of a "local channel" doesn't seem that big a deal: most games I've played have some version of this: a channel that can only be seen by the people currently visiting a particular city are common, for example (though there's usually some question about whether or not anyone pays attention to it).

In Eve, that Channel is called "Local." It's always on, always there, and always includes whomever is currently in the same solar system as you.

The reason this matters (for the purposes of this post), is that all the channels in Eve have a Member List displayed alongside the chat window.

Like so.


In some less-common situations, the member list only shows people who have actually spoken in that channel since you logged on, but in most cases, including Local in all of known space, the member list automatically updates to show everyone who's currently in the same solar system.

This means that, in Eve, within known space (wormholes work differently), the very second that anyone enters the same solar system you're in, you know, thanks to Local.

As a result, Local -- specifically, Local's member list -- is more often used as an intelligence gathering tool than it is a means to chat with the unwashed masses of whatever backwater shithole you happen to be flying through at the moment.

I actually shrink the window so that the member list is the only thing I see.


Not everyone likes this.

There have been great fiery debates about whether or not Local's member list should remain immediate (like it is now) or delayed (the way it works in Wormholes and some private channels, where no one knows you're there unless you say something).

Which led to this conversation today:

"Man," Em said. "I really wish we didn't have automatic local out in the war zone. It's so lame to have that much intel at your fingertips. It'd be so cool to see guys on directional scan in a complex and have NO idea of they were friendly or hostile -- no Local list to compare it to and say 'Well, I see three ships, and there are only two hostiles here and three friendlies, so it's probably friendlies.'"

"Sure," I replied. "Though it would suck for us as well if they changed it."

"We'd cope," Em said. "Hell, we already deal with that every day up in the wormhole."

"Definitely, but that's the wormhole. Things should work differently up there. I mean..." I pondered. "We're in low security space, but it's still Empire space, you know? The infrastructure is kind of messed up, but it's still functional."

"Empire?" Em replied. "Why would the Amarr or Minmatar or... hell, anybody provide intel about their own troop movements to anyone and everyone who can see the Local member list?"

"Well... they wouldn't," I said. "But I don't think it's really up to them -- that's just part of the deal with the technology. I don't think they control it." I shrugged. "Maybe CONCORD controls it." I frowned. "Actually, I think it's tied to the stargates somehow -- like they're relays or something -- which is why the member list breaks out by star system, and why there's other channels like one just for the local constellation of systems you're in, and why it works the same way in High sec and Low sec and Null sec -- all the same stargate technology." Finally, I added, "That'd be why it doesn't work that way in wormhole space -- no stargates."

Bringing people together in more ways than one.


There was a pause in the conversation. I turned back to the ship fitting I'd been assembling.

"You know what would be cool?" Em said, voice almost dreamy.

"I --"

"What would be cool," he continued, "is if Local didn't add you to the member list until you either used the channel... or used a Gate."

I stopped, turning that idea over, then offered my analysis. "Huh."

"I mean..." it didn't even seem as though he heard me. "If it's all attached to the stargate tech, and you didn't use a stargate to get there, then..." He shook his head. "MAN that would be cool."

"Wormholes," I said, picking up on the idea. "You could -- I mean, when you dropped out of a wormhole into a system in known space..."

"No one would know you were there," Em completed the thought. "It'd make all those shitty class two systems with exits to Null sec SO much more fun."

There's a hole in your sky...


"It'd be like having a black-ops drop capability for people who can't fly black-ops ships yet." I blinked. "Actually..."

"... black-ops jump bridges bypass gates." Em finished.

Widow likes the idea. (It's smiling - trust me.)


"Regular Titan bridges too," I said. "I mean --"

"-- you'd see the beacon go up, but--"

"-- you wouldn't know who came in, or how many, without more recon. You'd just know a jump bridge happened."

"Who left the door open?"


We were quiet for a while.

"Wow," I said.

"Not like wormholes," Em said, "still it's own thing, and for most people flying around, it's basically like nothing really changed, because as soon as you use a gate to jump into system, you're loaded into Local, but... better than it is now."

"Yeah," I agreed. I shook my head, blinking. "You know what?"

"You're going to write about it." Em sounded amused.

"We need to tell people about this," I replied. "This is a good idea."

---

TL;DR: Wouldn't it be cool if, in known space, you stayed off the Local member list if you could manage to bypass the stargate when you entered the system? As soon as you use a gate (or talk in Local), you show up, but until then...

Not quite how it works now. Neither is it the way it works in wormholes. Provides a really neat way to work around the current system, in-character.

Dunno about you, but I like it.