Not one of those sarcastic ones

EVE Blog Banter 32. Only, this blog actually has a non-troll non-sarcastic opinion in it.

So, here we are again, my second EVEBB! Yay!
*cough*
Anyway, the topic is basically "should EVE get an opt-out-of-PvP flag?".

I say...no. We don't need that. Other games have it, and it works there, but that's because those games are different. EVE needs the risk.

The aggression system, I will admit, needs some work. I assume. There's a lot of people on the forums talking about it. I don't really have much experience with it, yet. Working on that.

What EVE really needs to deal with players upset about nonconsensual PvP, is a change in player attitude. Two changes, actually.

1) A change in aggressor attitude. Players should find things to do that are fun, other than engaging other pilots just to annoy them ("tear farming"). Yes, there should always be the chance of a gank, but unless there's some kind of disagreement between ganker and gankee, it shouldn't be just for the sole purpose of "harvesting their tears".
And miners shouldn't be insulted, derided and have campaigns launched against them just because they choose to make a living differently to the "leet pee-vee-pee'ers".

2) A change in target attitude. EVE is risky, people need to accept that. You fly a shiny ship with shiny stuff inside, you should recognize and be fine with the likelihood of someone blowing it apart like a space-pinata with their alpha Tempest to get at those shinies. PvE pilots need to accept that there are people out there who play for PvP, and may at some point decide that you (the PvE'er) are their target today.

In conclusion: Some players are dicks who should stop killing people to piss them off (instead of for profit, or the fun of the fight...unless he called your mom a hamster obviously), and some players are PvE fanatics who need to stop bitching. It's a player problem, not a mechanics problem.