The Eye of the Beholder


The poor, sad, pitiful Moa.

My fellow blogger Kirith posted a general rant against the CSM yesterday blaming them for taking time to fix the Vagabond and ignoring the vaunted Moa hull. The comments are especially humorous. Then the blogging team of Indonesian migrant workers that call themselves "Jester" posted a rebuttal listing other ships in the Eve Cannon that are even more ugly than the Moa.

Apparently this is all my fault.

The ugly debate has been raging since I started playing Eve, and most likely it was going on even before then. And every single person that plays Eve has their own opinion about which ship is the ugliest. Moa, Rupture, Bellicose, Osprey, Slasher, Dominix... the list is long and varies from person to person.

First, let me explain myself. I didn't go after CCP in regards to the Stabber/Vaga because it was ugly. I went after them because they unfairly circumcised the ship! The new design shows exactly what can be accomplished when design and legacy and common sense are applied. There was no sane reason to remove the Frill from the Vagabond. And now it is back. Or will be soon.

Another common misconception amongst the general populace is that CCP is re-designing ships based on some evil plan they've hatched. The reasons are far-fetched and also vary from person to person, but these are all wrong-headed conspiracy theories. The truth is that CCP is re-designing ships cause the original designs are GETTING OLD.

The original Moa hull was designed nearly a decade ago. The same holds true for almost every ship that makes anyone's list of the "ugliest" ships in Eve. These are old designs that, while they may have been ground-breaking back in the olden days, are getting a tad long in the tooth by today's standards. And not just by generally accepted design standards either, we are also talking about quantum leaps in rendering, shading and video card display technologies.

The poor, sad, pitiful Moa.

Is it the ugliest ship in Eve? I guess that depends on you. If you happen to believe that, then you also happen to be right. If you think the Megathron is the ugliest ship in Eve, then you are also right. The eye of the beholder sees beauty in what his eye sees. I happen to believe my Wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. The rest of you may have other opinions about that. But it doesn't matter to me. Not one single iota.

But yes, the Moa needs updating. As does the Rupture, the Mega, the Domi, the Osprey, the Slasher, and about half the other ships in the Eve hanger bay. And I hope they get around to it sooner rather than later.

And yes I will be watching. Every single one of those ships, while perhaps ugly to certain eyes, contains elements that make them unique and special. Those elements should be retained while updating the hull to a more modern and current standard.

If they mess up or screw up, you can rest assured that I will be among the first to yell foul and do my best to make them fix it.

Apparently I can be very persuasive.