Eve Online

[Ja'chyra]

First of all apologies to Froggy, I'm sure there is already an EVE thread somewhere but I couldn't find it with search or in the frist 10 pages.

For those that don't know Eve is a MMORPG based in space, like WOW in space? Nope, I reckon it's completely different.

For a start pvp is non consentual, other people can blow you up anywhere at any time unless you happen to be docked in a station. There is also no levelling up in the traditional sense so you can't get to be a level 89 Uber Space Warrior. No seperate servers either, everyone plays on the same server although you may be hours apart in travelling time if you want to be in the same system.

So what has it got?

Space...........and more space. the game is split up into systems which have a mix of space stations, planets, moons, suns and various other things like wrecks. Each system is part of a constellation which is in turn part of a region at a rough guess there has got to be over 1000 systems. So while there are usually about 30k people online you can always find some room. The space is further split into high sec, low sec and 0.0, high being relatively safe, low being really quite dodgy and 0.0 for the bic corporations and alliances that like to own the space around them.

So what is there to do? As it happens there's lots you can do, there's the pvp side which Eve is famous for but you could also mine minerals to be used in the buidling of ships and mods or you could build said ships and mods, or trade in things other people have built, you could even research for better, tech 2, ships and mods or explore new space or run missions against npc foes, PVE. So thee's lots of choice but what really makes it a good game are the other poeple in game. I've played a few other MMORPG's like WOW, EQ2 and some others but in Eve there seems to be less of the leet teenagers around.

So that's a brief description of what you can do and I've barely scratched the surface, so I'm coming to the point of my post, namely who else plays?

I've got a few older characters at about 25mill SP's, even though they are almost 5 years old :P but I've just rolled a new toon for the express purpose of trying some of the.......darker shall we say occupations in EVE. SO I've joined a corp with a new player I just met with the express purpose of some high sec wars, low sec roaming and whatever else naughtiness we can think up.

So does anyone else play or would anyone liketo try it out, I can send you an invitation to the buddy programme where you get 3 weeks free play instead of the usual 2 weeks? If you do drop me a pm here or look me up in game where my name is Fear Khan.

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

I truly am tempted, especially after reading the TV tropes page for it. seems like just the kind of ruthless backstabbing game I would utterly fail at!

I have a few question about it though, first of all how time intensive is it? and also, what kind of fee am I looking at if I started this game up?

[Ja'chyra]

I truly am tempted, especially after reading the TV tropes page for it. seems like just the kind of ruthless backstabbing game I would utterly fail at!

I have a few question about it though, first of all how time intensive is it? and also, what kind of fee am I looking at if I started this game up?

Time intensive is really up to you but you really need to log in once a day to change skills although you can stack them up and put anything upto a one month skill in line if you know you're not going to be on. But you'll find it quite addictive if you find people you like, I find the people as good as the game and have made some good friends I've never met.

I buy timecards from shattered crystal and they cost 35 dollars for 60 days, here Not sure I'm allowed these links but it's all legal.

The 3 week trial you can do without entering any card details, I think, or you can do the 2 week trial without me sending you a link, either way look me up and I'll be happy to help out.

Oh, feel free to pm me if you like and I'm sure GC wouldn't mind either.

GC, what corp are you in?

[Beskar]

I will be brutally honest about this game.

It's good reading stories about it, but the reality of it all is far different. The entire game is you sitting on a ship doing pretty much nothing. You don't even control the ship, you should of tell it to go in a general direction.

Combat is you pressing "go to location", press "lock" then you hear some noises for a few seconds then you press on a gun, and now the ship goes in a big circle shooting for 5 minutes while you read a book.

There is a lot moving to systems, so what you do here, is type in location, then autopilot then leave the game running for an hour or so while it automatically takes you there. You can manuelly do it, but all its doing is right clicking "go to jump-gate" "use jump gate" "travel to jump gate" and waiting for the warp in-between.

The gain skills, you click a box and select "learn" what happens now, is that you wait for days on end, real time, for you to get a skill, which does nothing much then usually open up more skills to learn which eventually you do to get hold of something like using another ship, or something.

The game is mind-numbing and if you are starting playing, unless you buy a character for real money, you are looking at around 3-4 months to be able to actually get some what some where with the game, and that is you knowing exactly what you want to do and how to go about getting that far.

[Ja'chyra]

Fair points Beskar and there is a lot of point and click, but, and there's always a but, as I said at least half of the game is the people you meet.

i don't think the game is that simplistic, but you're right in that you don't actually pilot the ship, the challenge comes in outthinking others and getting the best ship fit.

As for having to be months old, they just introduced a 100% boost to training for your frst 1.6 mill SP's and this really helps, but again it really comes down to choosing your targets.

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

wow, that is a bit to expensive for a hobby........ Frankly the whole monthly subscription is the reason I have never been able to get into games like this. I mean I already have to pay for the game itself, making me pay 15$ a month just to keep playing it pisses me off...... If it was a bit less than that I would consider it, but unless I get a better job any time soon I have to pass.....

[Ja'chyra]

wow, that is a bit to expensive for a hobby........ Frankly the whole monthly subscription is the reason I have never been able to get into games like this. I mean I already have to pay for the game itself, making me pay 15$ a month just to keep playing it pisses me off...... If it was a bit less than that I would consider it, but unless I get a better job any time soon I have to pass.....

No probs, but you don't actually need to pay for the game just the monthly fee.

If you decide to do the trial drop me a line or use this link

[Cultured Drizzt fan]

Perhaps if I ever have more free time and some money to spend I will take you up on that offer

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

My friend dragged me into it. I don't really see the point though (after playing for about two months). Mostly I just tag along as he runs level 4 missions and collect stuff. I have a decent amount of cash, a battlecruiser, and a transport thing to pick up goodies from enemy wrecks. But it's not all that fun. Part of the problem is he doesn't want to PVP (which could be more interesting but I doubt it).

That reminds me, gotta check on my skills. This game would not be worth it at all except for the skill system that lets you train skills without actually playing.

[Beskar]

That is a very bad thing, Alexander. It is worth it because you get skills without logging on? It should be that the game is worth it because you actually have fun.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Oh indeed. It's a strikingly back-handed compliment. However, it does put EVE ahead of games that tie skill/level progression to grinding.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

And the political game is interesting, at least to read about. One of the guys at Rock, Paper, Shotgun did a small series of pieces on EVE a while ago, and there was some interesting stuff. The Goonfleet intelligence service couping Band of Brothers is a fantastic user generated story.

But I'd prefer to read about it to playing it.

[Meneldil]

I'm thinking about giving it a try, but I'm definitely worried by the addiction factor. I've been addicted to WoW for quite some time, and according to what I've read about EVE, it's simply outright boring if you don't spend quite some time on it.

Oh well, I'll probably download the free trial.

[Monk]

I played the trial and for me EVE just wasn't that much fun. The amount of information thrown at you on the very first screen is absolutely ridiculous. Learning curve? No. There is no curve. The game throws you at a wall of earth entitled "difficulty plateau" and god help you if you don't grow wings and fly to the top before you crash into the side... The in game tutorials were terrible in my experience, since it was an online trial, I had no manual what-so-ever.

Yet despite that and the obvious sadistic hatred this game had for me, a new player, I actually managed to scrape together an understanding of the game. At least enough to allow me to jump to the nearest star base, and then I was completely lost all over again.

It felt like EVE was an MMO that had spent a lot of time catering to its hardcore fanbase, which is fine, but for me it came at the cost of being able to simply get into the game.

[johnhughthom]

I played the trial and for me EVE just wasn't that much fun. The amount of information thrown at you on the very first screen is absolutely ridiculous. Learning curve? No. There is no curve. The game throws you at a wall of earth entitled "difficulty plateau" and god help you if you don't grow wings and fly to the top before you crash into the side... The in game tutorials were terrible in my experience, since it was an online trial, I had no manual what-so-ever.

Yet despite that and the obvious sadistic hatred this game had for me, a new player, I actually managed to scrape together an understanding of the game. At least enough to allow me to jump to the nearest star base, and then I was completely lost all over again.

It felt like EVE was an MMO that had spent a lot of time catering to its hardcore fanbase, which is fine, but for me it came at the cost of being able to simply get into the game.

My feelings exactly.

[Krusader]

Played EVE a bit, but while it was okayish you really needed a corporation to have really fun.