Blog Banter 32: Non-Consensual Combat Restrictions

This month's Blog Banter comes from Drackarn of Sand, Cider and Spaceships. He has foolishly chosen to poke the hornet's nest that is the non-consensual PvP debate. Whilst you read his question, I'll be finding a safe place to hide.

"A quick view of the Eve Online forums can always find someone complaining about being suicide ganked, whining about some scam they fell for or other such tears. With the Goons' Ice Interdiction claiming a vast amount of mining ships, there were calls for an "opt out of PvP" option. 

Should this happen? Should people be able to opt-out of PvP in Eve Online. Should CONCORD prevent crime rather than just handing out justice after the event? Or do the hi-sec population already have too much protection from the scum and villainy that inhabits the game?"

Oh lord, I'm a dyed in the wool care bear and even I know this would be a "very bad thing".  I will link a post I wrote back in 2009 that I titled Ganked!  In which I tell about the time leaving Jita with a Mammoth full of manufacturing materials for a tech2 research run that I was, well, ganked.  I was a fairly new player and pretty much did everything wrong.  I had made that run a number of times and become complacent, didn't know about Transport ships, quick safes or it seems common sense.

That time being ganked cost me about 1/3 or 1/2 of my on hand cash.  What I didn't do is go to the forums or local and whine and complain about not being safe flying in Empire.  Or open a ticket and ask for my stuff back.  What I did do, was research for a safer (not safe) way to transport stuff to and from Jita.

Now I use Transport ships and quick safes.  It's not foolproof, but it's a hell of a lot safer than what I was doing.

With the adjustment to the insurance to suicide ganking I think non-consensual PvP is just about where it should be.

Blog Banter 32 by Corelin @ Haberdashers Run Amok
EVE Online is Harsh - Live With It by Drackarn @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships