With the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) Elections coming up soon we at EVE NT have contacted all the running candidates who have announced their intentions to run and provided them with a standardised interview template. The goal of this is to give each candidate a set of standard questions for them to respond to with the aim of helping you, the voter, to choose a candidate who best represents you and your play style to CCP. The same questions have been asked of every candidate as to allow easier comparison. The responses posted are unedited and will be published in the run up to the opening of the voting period on February the 29th in the order that they have been received.
Today's candidate is Annexe.
 
1. Please start by giving us a short introduction to who you are and your history within EVE Online. Include how long you have been playing and the groups you have been involved with.
I come from a PC-based gaming background, but before Eve, I didn't play any MMO's. (bah 1 week playing WOW which I don't think really happened) I wanted a sci-fi game, and a friend told me about Eve Online. I started playing in 2010, so I consider myself somewhere between a seasoned vet and a naive noob. I first started running the training missions to get a handle on the game and work out what the hell I was doing. I got recruited by Hard Rock University but I didn't know what was going on so I left. I then joined Terra Firma Explorations Ltd, which was a high-sec mining corp and got to hang out with some cool people who taught me a bit more about the game. That was where I first experienced the ?real player? communication, drinking beers while talking on comms and watching my cargobay 'slowly? fill up. But endlessly sucking rocks in a T1 hauler eventually got numb, and I wanted to shoot things. I found a newly formed pvp corp that advertised itself as an ?aussie timezone? corp, which is what I wanted. After a gruelling interview process, I was brought onboard with I N E X T R E M I S. PVP-ing from day one (although the dieing out-weighed the killing), it was only a few weeks later that we moved into null-sec. Pretty much jumping into the deep-end of the swimming pool, it was here that I really learnt how to play the game with help from our CEO and a number of amazing players. 5 years later, I am still with the corp, a director and head recruiter, putting new recruits through the same interview process I was put through. I play with some amazing people from all over the world, share lots of laughs and have a lot of fun. I manage a small POS network, oversee industry jobs, keep up the morale of the corp and make isk exploring and shooting arrows. I like to think my pvp-ing has gotten a lot better also.
 
2. Who would you consider to be your key constituents? Who you would best represent within the playerbase?
I don't consider myself a representative of any particular player-style, but more of a representative for all players who want to see Eve Online grow. Increasing and maintaining the player-base is the key to the game's survival, and this requires taking ideas from all players, new and old. I don't want to advocate for a specific group, but rather take in everything, sort through it all, find what works and what doesn't, and bring the best forward.
 
3. Please summarise your platform. (Preferably using key bullet points)
-Fresh perspective
-Director and recruiter in an active null-sec pvp corporation
-Creative, Management, Organisation skills
-Engaged with the player-base and communities
-Active PVP-er
 
4. Why have you decided to run for CSM this year?
Over the years I have played Eve, I have seen the game change dramatically. I have seen good and bad ideas come and go. In 2014 I attended my first Eve Down Under and really got to see how strong the community is for Eve. (aussie aussie aussie) With the changes that are coming soon, with citadels etc, I see a huge potential to expand on some new and old ideas. I see an opportunity to give back to the community and help drive the game further.
 
5. Have you run for or been a member of CSM in the past? If so please list each year and if you were elected.
No.
 
6. What makes you a unique representative when you compare yourself to other candidates?
Aussie Aussie Aussie!! I am an active player that logs in everyday, undocks and gets my hands dirty. As a recruiter, I talk a lot with players and get to know them as people rather than their in-game characters. I communicate with and help out a number of players who use english as a second language. Although I know some players cringe at the thought that I am part of the Imperium coalition, I have always kept level headed and put others before me, consider players as real people and insist that real life comes first. I don't care much for politics and I?m simply here to play a computer game and have fun.
 
7. Do you have any out of game experience and skills that make you a good candidate?
I am a Graphic Designer and Musician, so I have a lot of creative, planning and project management skills. In the past I was also a live music promoter, so I did a lot of communication with communities and artists. I admit I?m not much of a chatterbox, but when I have (what I think is) a good idea, it's hard to shut me up.
 
8. What areas of EVE are you weakest at knowledge wise?
Faction Warfare and living in wormholes. These are things I've never done, but I have hunted and killed players in both areas ;)
 
9. If you were offered unlimited development time - what's the biggest change you would lobby for in EVE?
I like to look at a lot of the ?little things? that people ask for. There are a lot of good ideas that get overlooked and swept underneath big changes. such as small UI/UX changes. A number of players have expressed their desire to have Planetary Interaction updated. PI was introduced to the game in the Tyrannis patch in 2010, over 5 years ago, about the time I started playing, and little has changed since then. PI is a huge part of the industry of Eve with materials being used for manufacturing, but even from my own experience, I know how stale and stagnant PI can be. New players to Eve get encouraged to look into PI as a form of passive income, and CCP even provide a PI content starter pack, and although the concept is great, I feel the interface and game-play of PI could really be improved from a clickfest and brought in-line with the new structures that are being released.
 
10. If you could wind back the clock - what feature or change would you remove from EVE?
I would remove the jump ranges changes imposed on ships with jump drives and alter them to reflect their size and role. Currently, all capital ships have a max jump range (max skills) of 5 light years, black ops ships have 8 and jump freighters have 10. To me, setting the jump ranges to reflect the ship seems logical. For example, if a fleet had to move 10 ly, carriers (and FAuX's?) could have a max jump range of 5 ly. With the new changes to capitals and the addition of new capital logistics ships coming soon, it seems logical carriers would move with a sub-cap support fleet meeting them in each system. It would take carriers 2 jumps to reach the destination. Dreadnoughts and super-carriers could have a max jump-range of 6 ly, meaning they also need to jump twice (but can use a different route), and a titan could have 10 ly, so it can jump directly to destination once the fleet is in position. From a non-military background, it seems logical that you would wait till the smaller ships move closer and secure the space before bringing in your bigger, more powerful and more expensive assets. Black ops ships seems to operate on their own accord, so their jump range could be any value, but still reflect their size. Jump freighters and rorquals, you would expect to have long ranges, as they are the logistics and industry behemoths used to move items through space. *Note: I would keep jump fatigue as is, or possibly have the timers also based on ship size. Bigger ship, more fatigue.
 
11. If you could pick one candidate to be elected with you who would they be and why?
I was really impressed with the candidacy post and interview with Sullen Decimus. I feel his approach is fairly similar to mine, choosing to advocate for all players rather than for a specific discipline. He also shares the ?not too old, not quite new? player age and has seen a great deal of game play areas and styles. On top of that, he delivers himself very well, clear spoken and to the point. He presents a level of professionalism that suits the position as a CSM member.
 
12. What is your favourite memory in EVE and why?
Our corporations departure from Circle-Of-Two alliance. So many words got thrown around, so many rumours got spread, so much tension that could be cut with a new DD weapon. But it was one of those moments in a game that you share with friends, that get spread across a whole community and will always be remembered by those who were there. Regardless of what actually happened, those memories will never be forgotten and will be talked about for years to come.
 
13. What platform(s) do you use currently to engage with the wider player base? If someone wanted to contact you what is the best way to do this? (Include Twitter/Emails/Skype/Slack etc.)
I spend a lot of time on the Eve Forums and I hang out in a number of public in-game channels. Currently I find in-game mails the best method of contact, because most of the time people are in the game when they want to talk about the game. I check my in-game mail as regularly as my real-life mail, via in-game, using Eve Gate and with mobile phone apps. If the need was there, I would disclose an email address or skype contact. Or people can even ask to jump on teamspeak!
 
14. If people wanted to find out more about your platform - where is the best place to do so? (Include blogs, forums posts and podcasts)
I am very active on the forums, and usually have my head in a few threads, posting, commenting and giving feedback. I have even started a blog purely for this reason. Un-eve related I co-host a podcast called Mission Control where we talk openly with musicians about life. But the best way to find out more about me, is to contact me via in-game mail and ask.
 
15. In short - what is your closing statement (no more than 500 words please!)
I am here to listen to what the players want. I have always been considered a good listener, confident speaker, friendly and helpful by peers and associates, both in game and in real life. For me, Eve Online combines my passion for gaming with my fascination of space and science fiction. Having played this game for 5 years, I have seen the potential it has and feel with strong direction, that potential can be exceeded. I?m a chilled guy who enjoys sharing a laugh with mates, I always enjoy engaging in conversation with others about all kinds of topics. The strength of the Eve Online community, of which the Australian community I have experienced first-hand, really makes a positive impact that shows that so many people support the work and efforts put into developing a game like Eve. As a director in an active pvp corporation, I have knowledge in a lot of areas of the game, from management to blowing up ships. With a community as large as the Eve Online community, there are so many ideas and requests, as well as frustrations and disapprovals, that get directed towards CCP and the developers. I feel like both my real life and in-game skills and experience make me a good candidate to represent the players of Eve and help to discuss and deliver ideas to CCP and contribute to the longevity of Eve Online.