Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
EVE review - take 3
Lerxst
Member UncommonPosts: 648
I've just finished with a prolonged excursion into one of my favorite MMO's - Uncharted Waters Online. It's a game I like to fall back to when I'm looking for fun and fed up with the new games. That said, I've gotten just about all the enjoyment I can get out of the game due to a very broken economy that came about after a new game development and allows for only one viable play style and some typical "F2P" nonsense.
The game, however, is a solid piece of work that is entertaining, immersive, open-ended, fairly harsh when it needed to be, has a huge game world and is educational... yes, educational! You can actually take any historic map of the era (1500's) and use that for your own navigation if you wanted to. The game play, overall, pretty much paints an fairly accurate picture of what life would be like and missions that require things like bringing item A to point B actually make sense when taken in context with the game world.
But, this review is all about EVE, right?
I came back again to trying out EVE after spending a few months in the Uncharted Waters universe. EVE and I have a strange relationship, it's sort of a love-hate one. I loved the concept of the game since I signed up and participated in the beta 10 years ago. I went back for a few months in 2007/8 and again, just returned for a few weeks.
Everything about that game is a concept I should love; it all appeals to the hardcore, realistic gamer in me. There's something though... well, I'll just document what my past couple weeks in game has been like and you can decide how good or bad the game is:
Day 1 - Installation and registration went well. It's been years since I last played and with all the changes, I figured I would start over again from scratch.
Impressive looking world/universe/space! The graphics overhaul a while back really did this game justice.
Let's see. This computer blip at the bottom of my screen wants to tell me something, let me read...
Ah, a mission. I get it. Might as well start my way through the tutorial.
Wow! That text sure is tiny, kind of blends with the background too. Better get my glasses on. Damn this old age!
Day 2 - Cool! This mission game me an item I can put on my ship. Wait a second... what do you mean I need to upgrade a skill for that?
Fine. Where can I get the.... oh, guess I'll visit the Market.
Great, got it. Let me train.
Hrmm, 15 minutes. I really want this extra cargo space though. Guess I'll wait.
Day 3, 4 5... - Ok, so I pick up item A, scan Item B and bring the results back.
Let me set the course, undock, autopilot on... go!
Hey, here's the space junk. Let me scan it with.... with.... ah fuck me! Scanner's back in my inventory!
Head back to station. Get scanner out of inventory, fit it on ship, head back out.
Ok space junk, this time I got you!
Scanning... scanning... scanning... scan failed.
Scanning... scanning... scanning... scan failed.
Scanning... scanning... scanning... scan failed.
Scanning... scanning... scanning... scan failed.
Hrmm, am I doing something wrong? Let me ask in the chat.
*types question in* Hrmm... maybe... wait... what?
Goddamit! Chat's scrolling too fast to read anything!
Let me go online and check the forums.
After a 20 minute forum scroll and Google search later, I just decide to try it again.
Success!
Great! Let me go back to base and finish this mission. Just need to set course and dock, there we go!
The fuck you mean I'm missing something?!
Are you fucking serious?! I have to go back out, scan the goddamn thing again and actually "open" the container?!
Screw this! I'm going for some combat!
Day 6+ - Hrmm, mission said there were pirates somewhere... ah!
Wait, which speck is theirs? Screw it. I'll just target them from the list on the side.
Locked. Good!
Die you pirate scum!
Fifteen seconds pass...
Well, that was easy, too easy. No cool counter attacks. No variety. Hell, I didn't even have to do anything other than click my weapon systems. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw the ship I blew up until the fireball at the end... Hrmm, I might try mining.
Day 7 - Ugghhh so many skills to train! You're kidding me... 20 hours to train this?! maybe I can... oh wait... no, I can't do anything to speed that up, can I? I don't feel like dealing with those damn tutorial quests again! Guess I'll just wait. Wonder what new flash games are out these days.
Day 11 - Wow! 3 whole days of nothing but skill training! I should be ready to head out and really make a dent in those asteroids!
Blast! No more left in this asteroid field! Let me try the next one. *30 minutes later* Finally found a freakin' asteroid! Yay me!
Let's see, target, lock - check. Ore hold empty - check. Mining laser online - check. Ok then, let's go!
I said... ok then, let's go!
Let's go!
What the fuck, you fucking piece of fucking horseshit?! I said fucking MINE! MINE! Everything's there. Go! Mine the fucking....
Ah fuck this! Fuck this game! And fuck the world that thinks this shit is supposed to be fun!
And so, EVE is no longer taking up space on my hard drive. Although I love the concept of this game and, in theory, should love everything about the game, it fails horribly at actually being entertaining. I get about as much excitement trying to debug software errors as I did playing this game, all 3 times now.
I understand a game being difficult to master and am a fan of most games that have a steep learning curve, but some of the mechanics in EVE seem to be there just for the sake of making it difficult. Why, for instance, wouldn't scanning an object open that object after the scan was successful? It only makes sense to scan it so you can open it, why make you go through that extra step of opening it?
All EVE seems like to me, is a bunch of superfluous steps and mouse clicks that are added for the sake of saying it's "hardcore". There's a difference between difficult and challenging. EVE not only crosses that line, but goes so far past it, you can't tell there was even a line!
In terms of immersion, nothing in EVE ever really drew me in. The story was told via a computer display that really had no sense of character development or personality. I understand sandbox games better than most, but most games let you see the NPCs and have dialogue that portrays something about them and the story. Going through EVE's story just felt like reading blueprints every step of the way.
Also, not being able to advance your character through in-game actions kills any sense of immersion and attachment I have to that character. Seriously. If I get to the point where I need to wait 20 hours for a skill to train in order to so something I want to do and there's nothing I can do in the game to change that, the game is pretty much telling me to go log off and not play for 20 hours. That's a funny way to show immersion... by not playing the game?!
The space combat and controls are also annoyingly detached from the player. Click a name, target ship, select "approach" from a menu, watch your ship automatically turn, select your weapon when in range and watch your ship automatically fire.
Honestly, and it kills me to say this, for all the people complaining about the lack of skill and auto-targeting in WoW, tell me how this is any better? I never once felt like I needed to use any skill in order to fight another ship. The only "skill" that ever really seemed to matter were those of my character... which brings us back to the last point about skill training and downtime!
I swear to God, it's as though EVE's entire marketing statement says "I'm the most awesome game you'll never really play!". Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to a Tower Defense game I got hooked on while playing EVE!
Comments
Ahnog
Hokey religions are no replacement for a good blaster at your side.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
i have the same relationship with EVE. Beta, brief stint for a couple months in 08 and I just re-subbed a few days ago. There is just something about the game that makes me want to check it out every once in awhile.
I don't feel the same as the OP though. Although the skill system does make a noob want to cry tears of blood and despair, you can still have fun along the way. None of the mechanics frustrate me that much either. But then again, I love learning curves in games, finding out how things work is half the fun for me.
I find EVE very immersive. It's got great atmosphere and graphics. Even the music gives you that lonely desolate feeling of being the in middle of @#$%ing nowhere..lol. It does tend to come off as a VERY slow paced game, but I'm older now, I don't mind that.
I have yet to make it to 0.0 space, or join a good corp and supposedly that's where the real game is. The biggest problem I have with EVE is convincing any of my friends to play it with me. It's just too much information for their tiny little minds to handle I guess :P
I enjoy 0.0 a lot, but it is far from being the only "real game" there is. It's good to try it at one point of one's eve career, as with most other things. Ultimately, I feel it's more about the people you fly with than the specific circumstances of one's environment. With a good tight knit group which already are friends or are becoming friends through the game, mostly everywhere/everything is enjoyable.
EVE-Online is the Slow Roasted over hot wood coals Beef Brisket of the MMO world. The longer it roasts the better it gets.
You want a Drivethru burger?, see WOW.
TL;DR version:
Op claims he wants a serious relationship when what he really wants is sex and halarity ensues as he learns that EvE isn't that sort of girl.
The learning curve of Eve is great, the sandbox feel is great, the feeling that you get from making your 1st load of cash is great, the having to watch as 5 year veterans gank noobs in high sec "because they can" and have no punishment as they bully the younger kids... Isn't great!
I hated watching them constantly "picking on" and ganking the newbies for kicks like bullies, just because they could with no fear of the newbies comeback. And don't say "But Concord.. bah...bah.." Concord is as much use as a police force as a donkey is at catching mice!
Eve could have been the best space MMO ever if it was more like "Elite" with the prats, opps! pirates made bully each other in lowsec . But who would the pirates gank then? Each other! They do that anyway if you would leave highsec ya bullying chicken!
Highsec gankers are cowards that can't fight the other bullies of the same size, in case the get beat up and have to run off QQing! lol.
(And no, the bad pirate didn't touch me anywhere before you tough guys ask).
I'd say "Fly safe!" but there's no such thing in Eve. o/
No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!
...10% Benevolence, 90% Arrogance in my case!
I can't really say one way or the other how your experience would be. If I started from scratch today I'd still have my experience but suggesting you can't mine is absurd. Everyone, starts with the Mining skill to 1. You get a free Venture in a few hrs.
While EVE has many flaws, the introduction to the game is not one of them. If you obsess over skill points, you are going to learn to hate this game. There are 30 years worth of Skill points. You aren't supposed to train them all.
Don't mind these guys badmouthing you.
I agree with your contention that EVE is boring. I spent 3 months playing thinking my investment would pay off. It didn't. The gameplay is boring and it doesn't help that you rarely engage with other players unless you have money coming out of your ears.
It gets so many things right, but fails at what the purpose of games are: entertainment. It's just not satisfying to play.
If you ever think of coming back watch a Stream of another person playing first. You'll see them sitting around doing nothing 95% of the time. The other 5% is awkward clicking on menu buttons like this is 1997.
indeed...
"EVE is likely the best MMORPG that you've never really understood or played" - Kyleran
Like I've said a million times before, EVE is simultaneously the most exciting and boring game that you will ever play. You will spend countless hours bored to tears just for a few minutes of extreme adrenaline.
However, if you never PVP, then only the boring part applies.
another review from a clueless player that can't be bothered to learn the game at all and whines about everything he doesen't understand. For the record, tutorial missions (and it took you 11 DAYS to get to mining, something most noobs would do in their first 1-2 HOURS of play) are nothing but the bare bone indicators of which controls you use in the game - the equivalent of pressing buttons and right clicking a monster in your typical wow mmo). It's supposed to teach you how some of the basic gameplay works, not to be a fun ride...
Most of your 'review' is also filled of bullshit and wrong assumptions which more or less shows you don't really have an idea what this game is about. This is the kind of game where you'll need to do your homework before playing, while playing and before deciding what to do. You trivialize the gameplay, and the combat system after a few minutes because "all you have to do is lock and fire your guns!", while completly disregarding any strategical decisions you have to undergo before even pressing F1 (and you probably know nothing at all about game mechanics), because, again you have a narrow vision and didn't bother learning how the game works. By that logic one can say chess is a terrible game because the gameplay is nothing but moving pieces from one tile to another. How boring, and unneccessary complex, why do they all have different movements??
If you aren't willing to put up some time and effort into learning the big picture in this game (and judging by your extremly slow progression you didn't), then you should definetly seek out for other alternatives. This isn't a game where you have quests holding your hand and telling you what to do and where to go until max level - this game is exactly as you make it to be for yourself. That is not a review, it's just you being frustrated and spewing random ideas with no understanding on why you can't have fun in a game when you don't know where to look for it, and expect it to be handed to you on a spoon. It's like starting out WoW and saying the game sucks after 5 minutes because "damn all you do is press tab and shoot a fireball at a monster until he drops dead". Clearly bad.
0.0 is overrated; it's generally safer then highsec if you know how to play by the rules.
0.0 'pvp' can be very boring while listening to the FC calling targets and outnumbering the opponent 5:1, unless you are in there for the real pvp like some groups do.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
yes , it is it !
Quite sad though that in a sandbox world generator where you can play basically every role out there, warrior, healer, scout, spy, saboteur, thief, trader, corp leader, hauler, alliance leader, miner, builder, scammer and what else a player quits after a few days being bored of doing the same thing.
Too much themepark experience in the past I guess, they still need the hand to guide them.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"