For the last few years, the most hotly contested issue in EVE Online boils down to one word: PROJECTION.
In this context, it refers to how quickly nullsec blocs can travel to “third-party” on a fight. Low-sec pilots cite this as the primary reason fights don’t happen; if a major engagement kicks off, the nullsec blobs inevitably crash the party, ruining the fight and taking home the killmails.
While I disagree that Ansiblex Jump Gates are the sole cause of this depressing outcome, the mobility they offer needs to be addressed. The issue isn’t that changes can’t be made; it’s that they aren’t being made. Currently, Ansiblex Gates offer both insane long-range projection and easy logistics within owned space. If CCP wishes to fix projection, they have to find a way to limit global power projection while maintaining a localized advantage for holding SOV.
Unfortunately, the CSM has spent too much time placating their alliances rather than serving the line members who propelled them to power—authority they now disgustingly waste on pet projects. If the CSM really cared about fixing projection, they would demand immediate action.
That is why, starting today, I am opening a Change.org petition targeted directly at CCP Games. We are imploring them to nerf the Ansiblex Jump Gate’s ability to project large groups across the map instantly. This change doesn’t need to be perfect day one; it just needs to break the stagnation. We can adjust the fallout later, but we must pull the trigger now.
If we want to fix the stagnation in nullsec, we have to stop rewarding alliances for hiding in the deepest, safest pockets of their space while simultaneously allowing them to project power instantly to the other side of the map. My proposal is simple: introduce a new mechanic called Projection Fatigue (or “Tether Fatigue”).
Here is how it works:
- Every alliance designates a “Staging System” (likely tied to their Alliance Capital or Infrastructure Hub).
- The fatigue generated by taking an Ansiblex gate is no longer a flat rate. Instead, it scales based on the distance (in light years or jumps) from your Staging System.
- If you are an alliance living on the dangerous edge of your space—bravely holding the line—your Ansiblex travel near that front line generates minimal fatigue. You are fighting where you live.
- If you are a bloc living deep in the safety of a rear-guard region, trying to take a gate network to the complete opposite side of your space to third-party a fight, your distance from Staging increases. As that distance grows, the fatigue scales exponentially.
This creates a dynamic “Rubber Band” effect. You can travel out to a location with relative ease to engage a target. However, the further you extend from your home, the tighter that rubber band pulls.
If you are projecting force 40 jumps away from your staging:
- Your fatigue generation spikes.
- While you might get to the fight, getting back becomes a nightmare. You are now stuck with high fatigue, far from home, vulnerable to counter-attacks.
This forces alliances to make a choice: Live where you fight, or suffer the logistical consequences.
It ends the era of the “risk-free commute” for the mega-coalitions. If they want to fight in lowsec or on a border region, they need to move their staging there and put their assets at risk. No more hiding in a fortress while ruining everyone else’s content. It brings strategy back to the map and dignity back to the pilots who actually undock to fight for their space.
EVE Online was never meant to be a safe harbor for risk-averse coalitions. It was designed to be a cold, harsh universe where actions have consequences and geography matters. But right now, we are suffocating under a mechanic that trivializes distance and subsidizes safety.
The current iteration of the Ansiblex Gate has strangled the life out of low-sec and border-region warfare. It has turned the map into a small room where the biggest guy can hit anyone, anywhere, instantly, without ever leaving his comfort zone. My proposal for Projection Fatigue puts the “universe” back in the universe. It rewards the brave alliances that live on the razor’s edge and forces the mega-blocs to actually deploy if they want to project power.
We cannot wait for the CSM to ask for permission to save the game. We cannot wait for a “perfect” solution that pleases everyone. We need to act.
Sign the petition. Share this proposal. Let’s tell CCP that we are done with the stagnation. We want our dangerous, sprawling universe back. We want a reason to own space, and a reason to fight for it.
The solution is on the table. Your move, CCP.