EVE: Taking risk to the next level

CCP has decided to move into a new arena in MMO rules, the potential to loose real world money for being attacked. In a recent EVE Dev Blog CCP has decided to unlock restrictions originally placed on PLEX. PLEX or Pilot License Extension is an item converted from a EVE Time Card that adds 30 days of game time to your EVE Online account. So, if you bought say a 60 day time card you can convert it into two thirty day PLEX blocks. Players can buy PLEX with the in-game currency (ISK) from other players, though its only sold in NPC stations and cannot be moved to other stations.

So what are the changes? Well lets let CCP explain, from the blog:

"What does that mean specifically

• We will remove the restriction on undocking from a station with a PLEX in your cargo hold

• We will remove the restriction that PLEX cannot be put into courier contracts

• We will remove the restriction that items (including PLEX) can only be redeemed into NPC stations

• We will remove the restriction that items (including PLEX) can only be reverse-redeemed from NPC stations

• We will remove the restriction that ETC can only be converted into PLEX while inside an NPC station


If you blow up a ship that happens to be carrying PLEX, it may drop the PLEX as loot or it may be destroyed in the conflagration (much like any other item in a ship's cargo hold). The refund policies for PLEX will not be any different from any other item."


This, in a word is..... AWESOME.

EVE is now saying, based on your actions in game have a potential to loose subscription time . Think about that, to put that kind of risk into the game brings out so many options and potential scenarios. Smugglers now have extremely lucrative and deadly market to smuggle PLEX in and out of areas, pirates have more reason to attack, merc's hired to protect more convoys and people, business can use PLEX as a currency, etc. The possibilities are endless.

This kind of innovative shows to me that CCP is serious about sticking to its roots. It is an unforgiving world environment that you can become incredibly rich or dirt poor in the matter of a few mouse clicks. Alliances can become king of the hill one day and fall to its knees the next. There simply is no other game out there that puts everything into the players hands like this.

It will be intriguing to watch the outcome of this decision. EVE is known for its grandiose drama but what will the story be like when that first player looses months of subscription time because they were ganked at a jump gate or were double crossed in a deal?

EVE just raised the bar on risk taking in MMO's to a whole new level and I applaud them for it.