I could talk for weeks about the sheer nepotistic corrupt bullshit in the early years, when an Ayn Rand roleplaying group (not kidding, they were called “Taggart Transdimensional”) got unique advantages from the devs that no one else could access all in the name of “roleplaying.” They conjured up fictional characters that gave those advantages (the very first and exclusive t2 mining laser blueprint originals) to their Randroid favorites, and over and over again changed the rules to fit their favorites, year after year.
The dystopian corruption of the setting was coming from inside the development company.
My surface level understanding of the game made it seem like the kind of thing that I would have loved at some point in my life, but the more I learn about it, the more I’m glad I never gave it a shot.
It certainly delivers the corruption and backstabbing hellscape that it promises (including its development company’s meddling in the game), but it’s also a bit exhausting because of it. More fun for me to read about than participate in.