The game of SOV warfare has always been a tedious one for EVE players. Even the ones that enjoy it see it as a mostly boring affair with little action, or fun. "peace time", as it can be described in EVE is simply the lack of a serious threat to one's SOV. And it would seem that BRAVE, having now been temporarily relieved of constant Pandemic Legion assaults, has once again fallen into the cyclical nature of SOV
As BRAVE/HERO work to retake their lost systems from PL just days after the redeployment, there are already players calling for war or crying about BRAVE changing. I'm going to address both of these points now.
As far as war goes, it's a bad idea for HERO to return to war so quickly. Even as one of the most numerous groups in EVE, they constantly face problems with inactive/alt players choking up the ranks. And I would be shocked if the organization is not constantly losing unsustainable amounts of ISK from defending the SOV they have. The members need time to improve their skills, and the group needs time to rebuild it's assets.
Even as HERO nearly lost it's most important system of HED-GP, due to lack of both numbers and sufficient force projection, there are still idiots clamoring for a renewed war with Providence Bloc. Even if in past engagements HERO did score victories against Provi, they cannot afford to engage with Provi or any enemy outside of Catch. The logistics nightmare of moving pilots and materials through an active region like Catch would be a strain for HERO, especially under war with Provi. And that's not to mention the inevitable dog piling of other groups that would occur to try and exploit the divided attention of HERO in that scenario.
Even during the HERO/PL conflict, there was goading for HERO to engage Provi. And some have become rather suspicious of the outcome of such fights. Given that Provi has a history of not seeming to care about even their own efforts and assets, it may be a huge waste of time for HERO.
The second point claiming HERO has changed is just absurd. They started as a rookie friendly organization and continue to be just that. The problems of activity and organization are an inexorable consequence of that. The idea that HERO can maintain the friendly small group atmosphere while being so numerous is also flawed. Expecting every member to be friends is just not realistic. If you're looking for that small group feel, find a group within HERO you enjoy, and play with them. You still get to be involved in SOV, and you get the atmosphere you want. After all, this game is all about making fun in ones own way.
It would seem that the players saying that BRAVE/HERO has changed don't understand what change in EVE means.
No organization in EVE is immune to change, be the groups small or large. The game itself changes, and players adapt and find new ways to bugger about with the changes for their own enjoyment. This is part of the beauty of EVE, that the meaningful change happens as the players adapt, not when they stagnate. The nature of change in EVE has almost always been this way.
There still remains the ultimate goal of having fun. And HERO can still do that. It's just a question of how. The pursuit of fun means something different to every player. And it's nigh on impossible to guess what BRAVE/HERO will do. Aside from the obvious strategic choices they need to make in the short term, everything else is an unknown to anyone outside the leadership.
HERO isn't going to change the peace time feeling and style of EVE SOV on their own. So expecting them to break the cycle by making boneheaded decisions is just getting high on your own hype.
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