Randomly Dynamic Content

Dynamic Content is one of those buzzwords that gets nerds all worked up.  Somebody says "EVE should have Dynamic Content" and there's a big pile on clamoring for CCP to implement it now, now now.

When people talk about Dynamic Content, they often imply that they want the game to react to them - their specific character, or their particular gang to deliver some content straight into their lap.  A common example is:  "if my Fleet camps a gate long enough, bad guys should spawn to fight us."

I think this is potentially a very bad idea, because ... well ... farming.


However, there's a third type of content, one that EVE excels at - Random Content.  The Mordus spawns added recently are a good example.  Things happen randomly in game; people check the nooks and crannies and track them down.  Random content seeds the sandbox because it gets people out doing things, and those people become targets and competition that drives conflict.  That's EVE.

I'm in favor of more PVE options, and I'm in favor of making those PVE options harder in both depth and difficulty (see Manifesto Rule #1).  I'm in favor of surprises and an oh crappity crap factor.  But I'm not on the traditional Dynamic Content bandwagon.  In content-on-demand systems, people eventually figure out the triggers and the limits of the system (i.e. they min/max their isk/LP/whatever per hour).  And then they farm the ever living snot out of it, under best possible preparation/circumstances (i.e. risk free).

Now, I'm all for a "dynamic" event where Gurista thugs spawn randomly and go on a multi-system roaming ball of death rampage until enough players team up to stop them.  Or Serpentis belt rats in a 0.4 that call in a hot drop; you're ratting along and suddenly a couple of Serpentis carriers arrive and attempt to melt your faces off.  Or maybe Kruul decides NOT THIS TIME, and calls in a few favors and a surprise group of Mercs warp in to keep the Distressed Damsel in the pleasure garden for once.

But in order to add that kind of high-powered content to the game and make it un-farmable, it needs to be two things ... Random and Rare.

And by that definition, the game is already full of Dynamic Content (Mordus, Tags4Sec, Escalations, Anoms, Officer rats... etc.).  It's just Randomly Dynamic.