Candidate: Pokey Dravon

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Campaign statement

As a closed beta veteran and CEO of OSG Planetary Operations, I've experienced Dust from some of the very earliest stages. The game has come a very long way since those very humble roots and while it is far from perfect, I'm honored to have been around to see it so far, and hope that I can take a deeper role in helping it progress from here on in.

I'm a jack of all trades player, with ample time spent in Pubs, Faction Warfare, as well as Planetary conquest, and I have made it a point to play as many different roles as possible to get lots of hands on experience in each. I don't like to voice my opinion on a particular topic unless I have firsthand experience. For me the most important part as a player and as a CPM candidate is being able to see every side of each issue, so that when there is an issue, I can see it from your perspective.

I won't admit to being an expert in any one field, but I do know enough to have a meaningful conversation with anyone on just about any topic. Not only does this allow me to take feedback from players and actually understand what they're talking about, but it also allows me to discern what is accurate and good feedback from what is not. One must be able to see the big picture by understanding every angle of the game how they interact.

This is the primary function of the CPM and that is why I'm extremely capable and qualified to fill that role.

Experience in Dust

I originally started playing Dust during the week of E3 back in June 2012 and specced into Scouts and Vehicles initially. I was intrigued by the idea of Logistics and Heavies working together so I specced into both of those, and ultimately rounded it out with Assaults when I was testing Light AV weapons. Before long I was heavily specced into every roll and unable to really pick my favorite.

I continued the role of “Omni Soldier” testing and playing all roles throughout the entire Beta. When Uprising came, my corporation launched headfirst into PC and I specced completely into vehicles to fill my corp's need for pilots. In the bloody first few months of PC I was in hundreds of battles and was deeply enjoying the highly competitive battles.

After completely maxing out vehicles, I started putting SP into all of the roles I tested in closed beta, and continued to test and try out as much as possible as game mechanics and balance evolved over time. It was my drive to understand all roles as much as possible that led to much theorycrafting, and my eventual decision to run for CPM so that I could help the game and players on an even deeper level.

Real life experience

I'm an Engineer by trade and as such spend my time a large amount of time with my head in a spreadsheet. While this isn't a rare skill for those in New Eden, it means that I'm used to working with a lot of numbers, crunching and calculating large amounts of data.

In my free time, I spend a lot of time working with 3D art, both for a hobby and for commission. I have a solid understanding of the development of 3D assets and have had particular focus on textures and shaders.

I have also worked under NDAs for non-gaming projects.

Questions

What are the top three issues currently facing Dust 514 and why?

//New Player Experience//

The New Player Experience has been so horrific in Dust that many players still don't fully understand core mechanics such as damage types. This is largely due to the fact that so much critical information is not available anywhere in the game, and players have to go to 3rd party sites just to get information many of us take for granted. Getting thing information into the game should simply be a matter of changing a text document, and it would do wonders in arming players with the information hey need.

In addition, while a complete overhaul of the Academy is likely outside the scope of Dust's development, changes such as removing the WP graduation cap and making it entirely based off of SP will help immensely in giving new players a safer haven in which to learn the game. I would be particularly pleased if tiers of the Academy could be introduced, but that is of course a matter of how much control can be don’t server-side.

Dust's current development cycle does limit what can be don’t for the NPE, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to do. Ideas such as the ones above as well as many others can help ease new players into the game and help sustain the player population.


//Making Irrelevant Roles Relevant//

While some suits and the roles they fill have recently become very defined and useful, other roles have fallen behind in their effectiveness. This has led to some suits being considered largely useless and are rarely used by player due to their ineffectiveness compared to other suits.

Logistics, Assaults, and Frame suits are particularly underpowered and a clear defining of their role as well as a rework of their slots and bonuses are needed in order to make them as competitive as the Scouts and Sentinels. I also believe this holds true for some weapons and equipment variants. No suit, weapon, or piece of equipment should ever be "useless" or "not worth using".


//Future Vision//

Hotfix Alpha and Bravo have accomplished a lot so far, some it good tweaks to existing balance, and some of it was emergency changes to fix some game-breaking mechanics. Many of the players are not 100% happy with all of these changes, and while it is understandable that some crude changes needed to be made quickly, further refinement is needed to get things to where they need to be.

But where do things need to be? We need to decide as a community what direction we want the game to go, so that the small changes we make lead to that final destination. CCP had previously lost sight of their future vision, causing them to design a game and build a system that was incapable of reaching their end goal. We cannot afford to make that same mistake, so understanding what needs to happen in order to make the proper small incremental changes is absolutely crucial.

Why will you be an effective CPM member?

An effective CPM is more than just a conduit of the community, they must also have a deeper understanding of their role in the development of Dust. They must understand that problems are never solved with a silver bullet, and that death by a thousand cuts is the only balanced way to resolve issues. Every change affects the game in countless other ways, and fully understanding those interactions is the key to understanding the development process. Taking the suggestions from the community is the first step, but knowing how they should be implemented is what separates an effective CPM from the rest.

I've seen Dust grow from its most humble roots in the early days of closed beta. I've seen moments of brilliance and moments of complete failure for the past two years, and I've seen what works and what doesn't. I've done a lot of analysis of gameplay, crunching the numbers and helping others better understand the game. However I also understand that simply looking at changes on paper isn't enough, and I never form an opinion about a change until I've experienced it firsthand.

The CPM needs people who can offer balanced, well formulated analysis, but also offer experienced and practical advice and suggestions from the perspective of the players. I have the experience and knowledge necessary to fulfill these roles and that is why I am not only a Good CPM, but an Effective one as well.

I am open to any questions you might have and I look forward to having a great discussion with all of you. The decision to run has been a long in the making and I'm excited to move forward and show everyone what I'm capable of!

In what way do you think the CPM can be improved?

//Communication with the Playerbase//

While the NDA strictly restricts the information about current development that CPM can share with the playerbase, it is still important that the CPM is communicating with the players. Openly asking for feedback and ideas, as well as offering up new ideas for players to comment on, should be a daily activity for all members of the CPM. This lack of active communication and feedback is what led to such negative opinion CPM0 and the work they did with CCP.

CPM1 needs to be openly talking about what they are capable of doing and sharing as much information as they are allowed. They must actively show the community that CPM1 is there for them and listening to what they have to say.

If a player wants to get in touch with you, the best way to contact you is:

//Email//
pokey.dravon@gmail.com
//Dust514//
Pokey Dravon
//EVE Online//
Rayne Dravon

What is your opinion on Project Legion?

//Dust514//

Dust514 started as a visionary game that sought to bring about a new type of gaming experience by tying it in with EVE Online. Many of us shared in this vision and feverishly supported the development of the game from very early on. Unfortunately, limitations of the hardware as well as choices made by upper management of the development team and at CCP, Dust was taking in a direction which clearly not the right path to reach that vision we shared. Even so, we continue playing because it is still a game we love and we deserve its continued support.


//Project Legion//

Project Legion is attempt to restart on the path to that vision we first shared back in 2009, Being developed on PC and hopefully PS4, the hardware is there to realize that vision. It is my hope that the new management of the Dev team has a stronger grasp on what steps need to be taken to reach the destination, and I fervently hope that they realized that Project Legion cannot simply be Dust514 version 2. This needs to be a revision, a restart from most core concepts and systems, to make sure that Project Legion has the capability to go where Dust could not.

That being said, while the Legion announcement was handle poorly and it was a sharp blow to all of us, I believe it is a good thing that CCP is aware of their past mistakes and attempting to correct them with Project Legion. However, I will only support this project if Dust players and their characters are truly brought along when a transition occurs. Many of us have spent year and countless dollars and hours on Dust because we believed in the vision Dust tried to reach. Project Legion is the next attempt to obtain that same goal, and the legacy that players created in Dust is for that same goal. To let that time and hard work go to waste would be completely unacceptable. If CCP and the CPM1 can manage that, then Project Legion will have my full support.