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’m Steve Ronuken, and I’ve been playing since mid 2011. I’m within the game, a highsec industrialist, with side orders of most normal highsec activities (No ganking, wardecs or incursions) Outside of the game, I run fuzzwork.co.uk, a tools site for eve (along with evebloggers.com, and providing conversions of the SDE for other developers)

 

2. Who would you consider to be your key constituents? Who would you best represent within the playerbase?

Three main pillar here. First, Third party development. That’s both the makers of the tools, and the people who use them. Second, Industrialists/resource gatherers. From the moment a mineral is mined, all the way till it comes off the production line as a ship. (I like Traders too ;) ) Third, People who live in highsec. Highsec is where I spend the vast majority of my time.

 

3. Please summarise your platform. (Preferably using key bullet points)

• Representing the third party developers who make all the tools which nearly everyone uses to some degree. And their users. Making sure that CCP knows what is good for the game, and what isn’t.
• Representing the resource gatherers of the game. Mining, PI, Gas harvesting. Relic and Data sites. Drilling platforms will shake this up. Feedback will be needed.
• Representing the industrialists who make nearly everything in the game. While the core is fairly solid, there’s always room for work around the edges, to smooth things out.
• Representing those players who live in Highsec.  It’s not ‘the kiddy pool’ any more than nullsec is ‘the end game’ They depend on each other.

 

4. Why have you decided to run for CSM this year?

I still have useful feedback for CCP, and there are things I’ve started which I really want to see to fruition with CCP.

 

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.

• I ran for CSM 8, and didn’t make it.
• I was elected for CSM 9
• I was elected for CSM 10
• I was elected for CSM 11

 

6. What makes you a unique representative when you compare yourself to other candidates?

While there are a couple of other third party developers running for the CSM this year, I have three years experience in this position. I know the developers, and they know me. I have a reasonable understanding of how the development flows work within CCP and where/when my feedback is most effective

 

7. Do you have any out of game experience and skills that make you a good candidate?

I’m a systems administrator out of game; this means I have to deal both which knowledgeable people on one side, and the stakeholders on the other who might have a less technical understanding. Being able to translate between the two is a job skill I’ve had to hone.

 

8. What areas of EVE are you weakest at knowledge wise?

PvP. I’m not totally clueless, but I have more losses on my PvP alt, than I do kills. I can fit a ship, and I don’t break the guidelines (single tank, single gun type) but I don’t take it out regularly.

 

9. If you were offered unlimited development time - what's the biggest change you would lobby for in EVE?

Gah. I hate this question. I mean, I’d love to see WiS be fully fleshed out, and actually have gameplay. But I don’t see CCP doing anything that way any time soon. To be honest, I’d like to see them finish off structures, bringing the Sov structures into the same kind of unified system. But I’d also like to see more engaging PvE; where you’re not just rescuing the Damsel, or burning down another 10/10. There isn’t a single thing which needs done.

 

10. If you could wind back the clock - what feature or change would you remove from EVE?

Entosis. Not the rest of the sov system, but Entosis. Replace it with something closer to what happens with structures, and I think it’s probably in a pretty good place.

 

11. If you could pick one candidate to be elected with you who would they be and why?

The person who wrote these questions hates me. Mostly because there’s a number of people I want to see get onto the CSM, and choosing between them is hard, because it’s for different reasons. If I had to pick just one, I’d say Jin’taan. He may be a filthy Amarr nullsec pilot, but he’s done sterling work keeping the fortnightly notes going out.

 

12. What is your favorite memory in EVE and why?

My first Ganked roam. First time out with a proper fleet. Admittedly, I didn’t kill much, but that’s not the point. Ganked 100 was also fun. First proper time in a capital. Sure, I lite the cyno at the bottom station rather than the top, but that was an honest mistake.

Unless you’re including out of game experiences, then I’d have to say my first Fanfest.



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 try to remain easily available, which means I try to use pretty much every platform. The ones I spend the most time on are (in no order):

• Twitter @fuzzysteve
• Tweetfleet.slack.com @fuzzysteve
• Evemail Steve Ronuken
• Email steve@fuzzwork.enterprises
• Reddit /u/Fuzzmiester
• The Eve Forums. Steve Ronuken.

 

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)

My forum post is probably the best place to start.

I’ve put thoughts up all over though. And I’m more than willing to discuss things with people, both privately and publicly.

 

15. What is your closing statement (no more than 500 words please!)

I’ve been on the CSM for three years now. There have been problems, but with CSM 11, everything’s smoothed away. This has been a productive year, with other good people on the CSM. I don’t agree with everything they may say, but I’m able to do so without problem.

Please bear in mind that if a candidate says ‘I will make CCP do X thing’, they’re either missing the point of the CSM, or they’re trying to manipulate you. The CSM exists to give feedback to CCP, and to draw their attention to problem areas in the game. I’ve been successful in this, and industry, and third party developers are in a far healthier place than they were when I started. There’s more left to do, and with your support, I can help guide CCP in the right direction.