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What is EVE? An analysis.
Drokar
Member Posts: 91
<p>What is Eve-Online?
If you are new to the gaming industry or a dedicated veteran that is looking for their next gaming experience, it is hard to have not heard of Eve-Online. Why? Well if you didnt know it has won numerous awards, both here on MMORPG.com and on other popular gaming sites as well, for Best MMO, BEst Graphics, Best PvP, etc.
Now the trouble is, describing the game with as few as words as possible to hold your attention, but attempting to allow you to grasp all that is, EVE. Its not quite that easy. Everyones gaming style is their own and determining if EVE is the game for you is can be tricky.
First, ask yourself, "Do I like science fiction?" EVE is scifi based game set in space in which you are a 'pod pilot' set in a futurist environment in which humans have populated after an accident that destroyed a wormhole that brought mankind to this distant galaxy.
Now if you answer, no, then please move on, because EVE is not WoW, it is a nitch game for those who enjoy scifi and the ability to roleplay within that environment. If you say yes, then EVE might be for you.
First, there are no avatars in EVE, just your ship, and you cant even walk inside yourship, and in this facet the game is fairly limited, but only as far as your own imagination.
Imagine a game where you can honestly for the first time, control your destiny;
Imagine a game where pvp, has no boundaries, where rules can be broken and often are, where you are not your skill points, but the sum of your abilities and bravery;
Imagine a game where a first day player can be effective in a combat scenarios and work 'with' his corpmates [guild] and not in noob zone grinding levels;
Imagine a game where there are no levels, no skill grinding, that in day one you can begin whichever career you wish, but yet still not be imprisoned in that career;
Imagine a game with 25,000 other players controlling a true to life economy of grand scale, where a person with an economics degree in real life can transcend the real life know how in a true capitalistic economy;
Imagine a game where building is more advanced than ANY other game in the history of mmorpgs, where you can be a small merchant or control the economy of entire regions or throughout the EVE universe;
Imagine a game, where you can work with others to conquest and destroy, where alliance are forged and empires fall, all because of you and your vision should you be willing;
This, is EVE, but yet it is soo much more. But it is not as great as i make it out, it is not, perfect, like any mmorpg it has its issues. Customer service is horrid, taking days to weeks to months to get an issue resolved, but at the same time the same company that is honest with you when problems arise, caring about your enjoyment of the game, and truly there to facilitate what the players want and actually listen to the players.
EVE is not right for those who like to power level to 60 and be uber in a month. Eve is a 'STRATEGY BASED GAME', it is what you make it. It is hardcore, such that when you die, you most likely wont get any of your stuff back and could lose hundreds of millions or even billions in the blink of an eye. Your heart pounds from the excitement of player vs player combat knowing you are risking it all.
Eve is also a bit tough on new players as they will feel small and unimportant at first to the the incredibily large and complex game environment and user interface. Skill training at first consists more or less of training learning skills that allow you to train more important skills faster which can make a huge difference long term but is incredibly boring at first. Many consider these learning subset skills to be fairly useless and are a huge obstacle for players starting out.
But eve is also the only game where there is no grinding. Skill training is real time rather than level based, and you can train those skills while at work, or on vacation, and when you log in, you are able to 'play' with your friends rather than in a corner of the game surrounded by level boundaries that force you to solo or group with total strangers.
Yet EVE is also a game where it can take years to fly the ship of your dreams. There is no highest level or maximum skill points. Because EVE is a strategy game one must understand that patience is the most important virtue.
Imagine a game so expansive that there are over 5000 star systems to travel, to explore, or to fight to control whether economically, militarily, or both. EVE is the first game that gives everything gamers wanted, but at the same time, is NOT for everyone. Not everyone is ready for EVE. And most importantly, EVE is not ready for Everyone.
Imagine a game where dev's reply regularly to player threads, and control forums to keep them clean and on topic. Imagine a game where expansions are included with your monthly subscription, and trading characters ingame is allowed.
There are no limits to EVE. Only those your mind created that hold you back from your potential.
Are you ready to control the destiny of thousands? Or wishing to control your own? EVE is the best game ever designed, not perfect, but the best 'game' out there, if you are ready for it.
I hope this helps those who are in search of their next MMO. Perhaps it helped you decide against playing, and that is fine. This is not a game for everyone, but it just might be the game you have been waiting for but never knew existed.
Drokar Gazer
Chaotic Underverse [KURSE]
</p>
Comments
<p><blockquote><hr><i>Originally posted by Sothorn</i>
<b>Eve is a great game...but if you want to enjoy it, you MUST get into an active (and large) corporation...otherwise, you will plink around in empire space and not really see the game.</b><hr></blockquote>
I have to politely disagree. Eve is not limited to one stlye of play. If a player chooses to run missions alone then a large corporation is not necessary. However, i do agree that it is a good learning experience and social experience but it is not required to play eve. Some prefer to just log in after work and be casual gamers, and eve is perfect for this style just as much as it is to the hardcore player. Whether that be a agent runner or pirate / pvper, or miner/builder, it can be done as a group both large and small or solo.
EVE offers a lot to any playstyle, its just very important to note that it can take a looong time to experience all that EVE offers, so patience is an absolute requirement or you wont last long or wont be happy.
Drokar Gazer
Chaotic Underverse [KURSE]
</p>
The OP forgot to mention some things....
Like endless hours in Empire mining roid belts, Or the same mission time after time after time. Or the fact that pretty ship, that took you a month of mining to afford will only last 5-10 secs in combat.
But other then that he hit Eve-online right on the nose.
Its a great game, with lots of possibilities.
Average age of characters is 6-7 months...only a few thousand are above 30 million skill points.
Loot what you kill...that unimportant mod may be worth 25 million isk...
and unless you want to die alot, dont take on more then you can chew.
Yeah right...been there done that....
"You will log on withen 45 mins of getting home from school/work and report to belt V-II for 6 hours of mining!"
"You are not allowed to keep anything, all bounties,loot, ore, and the ship you are in belong to the corp!"
"You will spend your online time hauling ice products to the POS...you will be allowed one day for your own thing later this month!"
No there are other paths to take, I would'nt join a large corp if they gave me a Titan.
. You CANT be a new player and be effective. Period. Your starting frigate is worthless, and your lack of skills do not allow u to use good weapons and tools. Sure you can fight and PvP, you will respawn with free noob frigate each time u die but seriously, how competetive your frigate is against a battlecruiser? Another fact is that most new players still do not know a lot of tactical and strategical sides of combat, furthermore, PvP is usualy group based, so soloists are at great disadvantage here. Its not impossible to make a good start for new solo-players, but it is greately disadvatageous towards them. And since there is no way to speed up skill learning process ( I dont mean by raising learning skills but rather using your own personal skills or by how much time u invest), which means that it doesnt matter how often and how much u play, whether 1 hour a week or 60 - you cant get battlecruiser sooner then X amount of real life days.
These are some of the disadvantages from the new player standpoint.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
Well,againits all in how you look at it. I have seen some great pvpers / pirates only weeks old, and in group combat there is alwys a need for a tackler. Sure you mihgt not survive but, really not risking much but learning tactics and more important, unlike other games, able to group with corpmates and not be limited by borders that a level based game is more likely to have
The suicide tackler earns a good rep for his service. As long as a noob understands his role he can be effective in pvp in a week or so.
If you joing a corp and they make you their slave for 5 days out of the week it's time to find a real corp. Sure most serious corps that have 0.0 space are going to demand something here or there but most of the time its military service.
Make a difference!
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
The last big corp I was in.... sucked. Same explanation about the mining as the guy above. Not to mention, being new in a large corp is rather unforgiving. Everybody already knows each other. Lots were there from the beginning... when it was a small corp... and have a bond you probably won't get. However, small corps are all dependant on each member. I know that, no matter what I'm doing in game, my corp needs me to do it. A large corp already has all the supplies it needs. My efforts only go in to supporting the greed machine, and I see none of what I gave.
Plink around in empire. Plink around in 0.0. Do what makes you happy because, for once, there's a game that will allow you to do what your [good or bad] heart desires.
SobaKai.com
There are two types of people in this world - people that suck... and me.
SobaKai.com
There are two types of people in this world - people that suck... and me.
Assuming the new player knows about how to keep at optimal distance, took mesome time to realise that I wasnt doing any damage whatsover because of that distance. For some reason I assumed that optimal distance means optimal DPS, and not miss completely 9 out of 10 shots.
Newp layers can group and do tiny damage, but realistically speaking, if advanced players in advanced ships do damage in 300-500 (or possibly higher? i never reached that high to see top damage dealers), have extremely fast/maneurable ships, are shielded with high level shields and have different tools to help them fight or escape have a noob grouped up with them, would that noob be much of a help? Its like having a level 20 priest helping a level 60 warrior - the priest would do little healing, but not enough to be equially competetive.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
Assuming the new player knows about how to keep at optimal distance, took mesome time to realise that I wasnt doing any damage whatsover because of that distance. For some reason I assumed that optimal distance means optimal DPS, and not miss completely 9 out of 10 shots.
Newp layers can group and do tiny damage, but realistically speaking, if advanced players in advanced ships do damage in 300-500 (or possibly higher? i never reached that high to see top damage dealers), have extremely fast/maneurable ships, are shielded with high level shields and have different tools to help them fight or escape have a noob grouped up with them, would that noob be much of a help? Its like having a level 20 priest helping a level 60 warrior - the priest would do little healing, but not enough to be equially competetive.
Well, nobody likes them, but I will point them out anyways. GoonSquad. Proof that the ship you're flying doesn't matter. It's how you fly it and how many you're with that does. It's why cruisers can take out battlecruisers, and battlecruisers can take out battleships. It's why people STILL insist on having friggates in their fleets. They might not be able to do a whole lot of damage, but they're still there. They can ECM, or NOS, or just shoot something. They could simply be there to Warp Scram and Webbify. They might not turn the tides (as that might be the "how-to" explanation you're looking for), but they're still handy to have around.
I know more people in Eve that applaud a losing effort over someone who simply turns and runs. Look at it this way:
If they lose, at least they tried (and it's not like a brand new player loses a lot of SP/Isk when he gets podded anyways).
If they win, whose to say they wouldn't have lost without the newb there?
Victories come in many different forms. Don't think that just because a newb is getting out-gunned it means he's therefore worthless on the battlefield.
SobaKai.com
There are two types of people in this world - people that suck... and me.
Animal? Vegetable? Mineral?
I'm going with a fruit actually, possibly a watermelon. It's big and nice to look at it.
No annoying animated GIF here!
@jimmyman99, get out of the fantasy mind set of support is heal. A simple Condor, Executioner, Atron, or Slasher with a simple Webber and Afterburner, all about 6 hours of training max. can boost a battleships DPS by up to 25-50% Not to mention in pvp can make sure that targets stick around long enough to die. Add in some Electronic warefare and you can be very effective in pvp with out actually Healing or doing damage.
On my level 4 missions I don't mind having a kestral or Cormorant around to kill those Scambling NPC frigs keeping me from warping if something bad goes on. Why are they nice to have? my DPS in my raven is less vs. them then a kestral or harpy.
Alot of new players have a hard time getting that in thier heads. I've had several times where a Frig or Destroyer player has saved my Battleship. In fact these new players can cause enough headaches in these small ships that Its not often to have a group of players specifically identified to kill them. thats because they are a threat not because they want to remove players from the enemy group.
Don't think so much about damage. A Tackler doesn't even need to fit a weapon theoretically. The most important thing is the webber and scrambler that is used to keep the target in place, so the others in the gang can kill it. Tacklers are essential in every imaginable combat scenario from small skirmishes, to huge fleetfights, and only need Frigate 1 (everyone has tha at least at that level), Afterburner 1 and Propulsion Jamming 1. While being a tackler may sound like the unpleasant dirty work, new players are taught teamwork and timing, skills that are essential in EVE, especially if you start moving to larger ships. But there are even veterans, who enjoy the role of being a tackler.------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Mandolin
Designers need to move away from the old D&D level-based model which was never designed for player vs player combat in the first place.
Erm... that's a pretty limited and short sighted response.
Someone else mentioned it but it needs emphasis:
A new player in a freebie starter frigate can train electronic warfare and a few other areas and be a 'suicide tackler' for any PVP group. I've done it. And it is a very HUGE addition to any fleet to have a frigate driver who doesn't mind racing in at max speed to land a web on the primary target so it can't get away or can't maneuver. Likely the new person will die in the process but they may very well have turned the tide of the entire fight with that ONE maneuver.
EVE is tactical combat. Any player with a good brain, who can listen, is an asset to a commander on the battlefront.
Frigates are a huge asset on the battlefield. Never underestimate how useful a new player is. If given the right knowledge.
Not saying being new is easy... it's not... EVE is HUGE and there's a TON to learn and it's not a game that everyone will enjoy. But if it's the game for you... and you find yourself enjoying it. then don't be afraid to help, even as a newbie....
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Agree 100% here. When I first started I never bothered training the learning skills till I was training level 3 or higher in the skills I actually 'need'. Once you hit level 3 in a skill, however, it's a good idea to start picking up learning skills. Generally I throw my learning skills in when I log out at night and let them train overnight. Initially (when they're short training times) I did them while playing and trained my longer 'necessary skills' overnight. But now that my learning skills take hours (if not days) to train I train them overnight and train my combat skills while I play. This maximizes my ability to both get the learning skills that I need as well as improving my characters combat abilities at the same time.
But no, training the learning skills first??? That's neither necessary... nor advisable... for a new player. If you have a main character and have a second account you're doing it for? By all means, knock yourself silly... but as a noob? Train the skills you need to improve yourself. Grab the learning skills once your training times start getting up to the several hours mark. trust me... you'll enjoy the game a LOT more.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Erm... that's a pretty limited and short sighted response.
Someone else mentioned it but it needs emphasis:
A new player in a freebie starter frigate can train electronic warfare and a few other areas and be a 'suicide tackler' for any PVP group. I've done it. And it is a very HUGE addition to any fleet to have a frigate driver who doesn't mind racing in at max speed to land a web on the primary target so it can't get away or can't maneuver. Likely the new person will die in the process but they may very well have turned the tide of the entire fight with that ONE maneuver.
EVE is tactical combat. Any player with a good brain, who can listen, is an asset to a commander on the battlefront.
Frigates are a huge asset on the battlefield. Never underestimate how useful a new player is. If given the right knowledge.
Not saying being new is easy... it's not... EVE is HUGE and there's a TON to learn and it's not a game that everyone will enjoy. But if it's the game for you... and you find yourself enjoying it. then don't be afraid to help, even as a newbie....
A bunch of people pointed it out (myself included... I think maybe two posts down from the one quoted). Most Eve veterans, middlelets, and newbs know that it's (metaphorically speaking) not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. And, if the "dog" is willing to listen and learn, there's really no end to how much he can offer a fleet.
I usually only give shortsided answers when asked shortsided questions.
SobaKai.com
There are two types of people in this world - people that suck... and me.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
With about 6 hours of training. Yep. You can easily finish the tutorial in that time. By the time you're done with the tutorial you can easily fly one of the combat frigates which have more than enough Cap to equip them. The noobmobile can too but it might take about 12 hours of training to get the skills to make it strong enough. It's cap is pretty small.
Mind you: You aren't going to be running around nuking people. You'll be slowing them down, trying to drain their cap some and generally making a nuissance of yourself so that the big-boys can do more damage. A very useful role but a lot of people (myself included) don't really enjoy that particular one. I like making things go BOOM... THAT will take you a few weeks to train up to.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
as a General rule of thumb the frigs that require the frig skill at lvl II are those with bonuses to support skills like EW and tackling, the ones that take lvl III are the ones that do damage. Now one thing to note is that your opponents resists which are fitting based determine how much of your max damage you do unlike lvl based games. so while it is more difficult for larger ships to hit and damage smaller ships(not impossible mind you) it is easier for smaller targets to hit larger slow targets like battleships. The combat system is a little elusive till you see what all matters and the fact that the ships stats not player stats effect how well your tactics... That said it doesn't take long, maybe a week (according to the new players that I have listed the skills to train), to be able to use most of the basic equipment that will effect your ship.
That analysis is a bit on the fanboyish side don't you think ?
I mean, I've been playing for more then three years now and still have three active accounts. I've progressed from a loner just after release in a imicus in 0.5 to a member of one of Eve's most notable corporations. I've dablled in about every activty there is in the game from mining and pvp to industry and 'event chasing', just name it.
However, while Eve does offer an opening to do all that you list, reality is that creating the opportunity to use that opening is not just something you control as easily as it is to point you ship there and go. Eve can be a deadening grind, a mindless flamefest and has it's fair share of blatant cheats just like any MMO.
For me, the best description still is the shortest one you could give it.
Eve is the best sandbox type MMO available atm.
It will allow you to do just about anyting you can come up with, but allows anyone else to do the exact same in his effort to royally screw you.
Eve players should not romanticise the game on this forum. It's not total freedom, it's freedom from mechanical restrictions, but not freedom from social restrictions.