CCP Games seeking players to commentate EVE Online Alliance PvP Tournament VII
by James Egan 
May 30th 2009 at 10:00AM
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, PvP
One thing many EVE Online players look forward to each year is the Alliance PvP Tournament, where New Eden's pilots battle it out to see which alliance is crowned champion... until the next year when rivals fight to take that title away. Last year's tournament was very entertaining, both in terms of the matches themselves and the commentary from PvP experts selected from the playerbase, namely Crovan and Verone.
This year's EVE Alliance Tournament VII will kick off in September. We don't have any further details on it yet, except that it will follow the same format that CCP used last year -- two weekends of qualifiers and a third weekend for the finals. Last year's finals were broadcast in live video, which is something that CCP Games wants to do again this in Alliance Tournament VII. In fact, they're now seeking PvP experts from among the EVE playerbase since it's worked out so well in the past. The requirements? EVE video producer CCP Charlie writes, "As an Expert you'll be on the set discussing the tournament, tactics, teams and talking with developers about EVE live on air. You'll also take shifts in the commentary booth providing live commentary on the matches themselves. You need to know your PvP and you need to know how to keep on talking!" The first two weeks' commentary will be done from those players' homes (via EVE Voice and internet radio stations), but CCP Games will fly the Experts out to Reykjavik, Iceland for the final rounds, covering both the airfare and accommodation.
Interested in finding out more about how to be a commentator in EVE Alliance Tournament VII? CCP Charlie has written a dev blog with all the details you'll need: "Episode VII: Revenge of the Alliance Tournament". Also, if you didn't get to watch the PvP event last year, all of the Alliance Tournament VI videos can be found on the CCP Games YouTube page.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Myria said on 10:31AM 5-30-2009
Somehow I'm guessing this, like the CSM elections, will come and go with only a tiny percentage of the overall playerbase ever noticing... Or caring.
Not that that's an indictment of the event or anything, there just seems to be an odd disconnect between what the bulk of the Eve playerbase cares about and what CCP wants the playerbase to care about.
Used to see the same sort of thing in GW as well, sometimes it got rather ugly as Anet could be incredibly inept in handling conflicts between various elements within their playerbase. In the case of CCP the communication is far more mono-directional -- there's no equivalent of Gayle Gray, as far as I've been able to find -- and, oddly, that probably mitigates any potential damage some.
I'm starting to think it's a function of any game that starts out primarily PvP focused, inevitably discovers that PvPers are a noisy but small percentage of the overall potential playerbase, and ends up having to add or tweak PvE content to bring in enough subs to keep the servers running -- there's a reason L4s are -- and despite pirate whines begging for easy kills, will stay -- in highsec, just as there was a reason Nightfall had was far more PvE focused. Inevitably this changes the game, but, oddly, developers sometimes seem to be the last to see it.
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Firebreak said on 2:14PM 5-30-2009
I really don't know what you are talking about. In my corp everything grinds to a halt when the alliance tournament is on. Hell it is one of the few things that I look forward too in EVE nowadays. Now that being said I doubt I will ever vote on who will be a contributor/commentator as I could really care less about that. I would rather they were a good commentator that knew a little about EVE then the other way around.
I also don't think that I would call EVE pvpers a small but noisy percentage by classifying all of us together in a single group. Every pvper I know in EVE would love and actively wants the PVE in the game to be both better and more stimulating. So what I am saying is that there are not two camps one of pvpers and one of pvers I think that EVE could only be stronger by having both a good PVE and a good PVP game.
Wensbane said on 12:27PM 5-30-2009
Yeap, Myria has no idea what he/she is talking about. I no longer play EVE, but I remember everyone on my (pretty large) old corp stopping everything, just to listen to the last coverage of the Alliance Tournament.
It's a pretty big deal for a lot of people.
Cander said on 12:54PM 5-30-2009
And let us not forget the players logged in records set when they started asking people to log in during the finals because when Stevie started mentioning for people to log in to break the previous record, lots of people started logging in. Not to mention to huge number of viewers they were reporting on tuning in to the live feed.
The PvP tournament is a big deal even to those folks not in waring alliances. The majority of the player base do care.
Myria said on 3:44PM 5-30-2009
One person admits they won't vote, another says they don't even play anymore, and a third talks about having to ask people in order to get them to log on.
If I didn't know better I'd think you three were trying to make my case for me.
Sobach said on 8:07PM 5-30-2009
What does not wanting to vote has anything to do with your claim? or the fact that Wensbane no longer plays Eve? or the call by a commentator to try to get people on to BREAK a record?
1st, most people don't even vote in real elections that have real impact on their lives.
2nd, you obvious know that Wensbane quit eve because of what you said... oh wait, you don't.
3rd, your spin on the situation is so far off I don't evn know what to say.... the only one with a disconnect with reality here is you. Just about every Eve player with half a brain and isn't a macro alt that has played during one of the tournament periods would know about it, and from my own experience, just about everywhere you go in game during the tournament, it's all people talked about, whether in alliance or corp chat, or the local chats in the populated hubs.
Firebreak said on 11:42AM 5-31-2009
If I am helping you make your point then obviously I misunderstood what your point was. I am sorry for that and I know you will be enjoying the tournament as much as I am going to be enjoying it.
Graill said on 5:47PM 5-30-2009
Yes, let the commentators explain the next exciting round of pvp when something unexpected happens enhancing the situation, creating confusion and actual excitement......
PHILWANTOSPANK: Well it seems HR puffinstuff and her team are holding out, what do you think Alice?
ALICELIKESPANK: incredible defense, both teams are losing losing ship for ship....wait, whats that? OMG! did you see that!............OOOPS, wait, never mind the devs just intervened, ahh well, anyone get that on video? no? ah well, Phil, back to you.
PHILWANTOSPANK: -_- If it's not the devs way, it's no way. Do as we say, not as you want to do.
CCP: You have violated our carefully planned outing, we planned this to go a certain way and we will NOT have randomness in our game spicing things up, and to all those reading this, as the player base you certainly will not handle this situation by yourselves, think of the rampant combat and ACTUAL drama created! Now let us return to our carefully planned and scripted program for your enjoyment.....and by the way PHILWANTOSPANK, your banned for commentary not in keeping with CCP guidelines, that and we just didnt like what you typed.
end transmission.
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Firebreak said on 11:42AM 5-31-2009
I have no idea what this means or what you are trying to say.