Insert Rage Here

Last night was pretty quiet in game.  I think the server being flaky all day caused a major disruption to the red patterns as we couldn't find any of them and none visited us.

Went to bed relatively early for a change.

In the morning I woke to this news:

Starting this summer you will be able to charge people for usage of your applications, websites and services for EVE Online.

This new system was introduced at the Dev Track and discussed at the Fanfest round tables. We got a lot of good feedback at Fanfest and would like to get more before finalizing the service.

Highlights

• Simple process - Sign up on a webpage, get started straight away
• Inexpensive - $99 per year, no other fees
• Developer-friendly - Very few restrictions
• Open-ended - You can charge subscription fees, receive donations, sell your app in an app-store and more
• Non-commercial websites and apps will now require a (free) license

Link is here.

Last I checked the comments section was 18 pages of hate and climbing.

In theory, if I understand CCP's text correctly, for this very modest blog, if I asked for donations in real world money or ISK, I would then be a "commercial" site, I would then "have" to pay CCP $99 per year (I assume US currency, so about $94 AUS for me) for the right to continue existing.

In the early days of this blog I decided to not bother with options like Google ads as the visual pollution they produce compared to the four fifths of fuck all money they provide was not worth the trouble.

So as the site stands I believe the free license for a non-commercial web site would apply.

However I use the web services of Chribba, Battleclinic, Eve Kill, JB Route, DOTLAN, and others, as an essential part of existing in the Eve Online universe.  

What will this do to the game if they were to disappear?

I assume CCP will block the access to the API which is required by those sites, if they don't cough up the money.

If this happens it will damage Eve Online, not strengthen it. 

I can see a valid point for smart phone apps like Capsuleer for example.  The reason Capsuleer was discontinued was due to the fact the developers could not source a legal agreement from CCP about payments for the product.  It would appear this is a knee jerk reaction from that situation.

Though a quite arthritic and doped up one due to the massive passage of time since the demise of Capsuleer and now.

They have the potential to create some profit, though in reality I don't believe much profit due to the small Eve Online user base and the dilution caused by similar apps, both paid and free.

So what is going to happen now?

Well I expect some back pedaling from CCP, if you wish to wade through the comments section this has started to happen, and perhaps a complete retraction.  Their timing couldn't have been worse as it came during the effects of the Lulz DDOS attack.  

To finalise and quote a passage "We got a lot of good feedback at Fanfest"

Anybody that told you this was a good thing at Fanfest was high.