First CSM term close to ending, warming up for the second one!

The first CSM was elected into place in May and began its term late that month. The following weeks thereafter were hectic for the elected members due to a very narrow window of opportunity to gather a list of topics to bring to the meeting with the CCP council in Iceland. That feat should not be underestimated. Sure, the council resolved their differences through deliberations in a very impressive manner with next to no outside assistance.

Meeting the CSM delegates in Iceland was an unforgettable experience - and showed that they are indeed remarkable people. They were subjected to a heavy meeting schedule where each item, of the total 30, was assigned a 20 minute slot. The chairperson we hired to conduct the meetings was very skeptical that we would be able to keep the schedule through the hard word from everyone involved - convincingly the meetings went smoothly and the consensus among all participants was that the meetings were a success.

Did the meetings have any effect?

The short answer is yes. A slightly longer answer is that already we have been shown that we have a slightly different take on certain aspects of EVE than the players do; on other aspects we were on the same page as players. The alternative view provided by the CSM did change how we think about a lot of things while convincing us that we were heading in the right direction in other areas.

What has happened since then?

One of the criticism leveled at CCP, and sometimes the CSM, is that the show of progress or any sort of actual change is lacking. This is expected in the sense that visibly not much has happened. On the other hand, like the CSM has pointed out, the second CSM or even the third CSM might get credit for something the first CSM initiated. Developing software on the scale that EVE has become takes time, and by time I mean six to eight months might pass from when a new design or a change in design is first proposed until it actually hits Tranquility. That is assuming that a production slot was reserved for it in the first place. Adding something in to the pipes might mean that a whole year might pass before anything becomes apparent. For an example it took a year from when the CSM project was first set in motion until the actual elections in May 2008. Another example could be Factional Warfare that took three years in development.

We decided against enumerating the CSM's accomplishments - this is not a pissing contest. We know they made a difference and we are confident that the council will continue to make a difference. The fact is that the pipeline for the summer and early autumn were full so the fruits of our discussions will start to become visible in the winter expansion and other future expansions. But it doesn't stop there as the CSM has gotten ‘into our heads' and believe me when I say (in a positive manner) that they are not easily forgettable.

Going forward...

We feel that the first CSM was a success and have every reason to believe that the following CSMs will be successful - and that is to a large extent due to the hard work of the first CSM's that makes it possible. Soon it will be the time to elect the second council and having the first CSM as pave the road can only ensure success.

There have been made changes to the CSM function as such, in the spirit of iterative development process. The changes are that it has been made clear that the chairman is eligible for chair-position again should he decide to step down as such and have the CSM vote a new one; 25% of actual voters are required to force a topic up to the CSM; the biggest change is the 21 year age limit to be a valid candidate.

However, due to feedback in regards to the implementation of the 21 year old rule, it has been decided to delay its implementation until the candidacy run for the third CSM – meaning that no age limit will be enforced during the current candidacy run and subsequent elections.

This does mean that should a person, younger than 21 years old, run for the second CSM and get elected, that person will not be eligible for the third CSM.

Furthermore, we have decided to add one week to the candidacy run due to this change, the updated dates are thus here below.

• September, 26th. Opening for candidacy runs for the second CSM.
• October, 17th. Closing of the candidacy run for the second CSM.
• November, 7th. The voting process for the second CSM is started and is open for 2 weeks.
• November, 21st. The voting process for the second CSM is finished.
• November, 24th. A permanent announcement made about the results of the second CSM elections. Six months to the date since the first CSM met online for the first time.
• November, 29th. Saturday. The second CSM meets online for the first time.