It is my belief that many players are scared away from playing Eve Online because of the very nature of the game. It is also very much unlike other MMOs in that you rarely see your alternative self; your avatar. I have actually seen my frozen body floating in space more than I have seen him lounging in a chair in the game. Unlike fantasy MMOs that personify an alter ego, Eve disembodies you from an individual and puts you in command of various starships — these are the respected bodies you often play the game inside.
Eve is also represented as a PvP game and many players are scared away by this. In fact, you can play the game without ever fighting another player. Many Eve players will scoff at this insinuation, but it is true. There will be times when you will have to defend yourself against another player, but if you are smart and not greedy those occasions are very few.
Here is a list that I compiled on the 10 things I have learned about the game. They are in no particular order.
1. You are going to die in the game. Most often your death will be by the hands of another player. Relax, the game has softened the loss of a death to only isk (money). A bit of danger always enhances game play and with this fact, you will have so much more fun in the game. The worst that will happen is you lose your ship, modules, cargo, and perhaps cybernetic implants — again only money.
2. The universe is huge but aside from from gaseous cloud backgrounds, the universe is pretty much the same everywhere. You don’t have to travel great distances to do things. Most solar systems, or collections of systems, have agents and asteroids to keep players content.
3. The game is not based on a twitch. Eve is not a first person shooter nor does it take any skill at those sorts of games to be good at. I have a friend who has bad carpal issues and he could easily play this game.
4. Very easy to make isk (money) in the game. There are innumerable ways to make money from mining, missions, pvp, pve, and even out right thievery. A distinct set of rules in the game, this is by far the most open sand box allowing the player to do what he wants and how he wants.
5. You are forever learning in the game. The learning curve at start is steep, but as you figure out Eve Online you’ll soon discover the game is not that hard. Yet, you are always learning. Real time progression is the only way to gain levels in skills, and in this method you are never going to run out of skills to learn. Besides the sheer number of skills in the game, you as a player will always be learning new tactics and methods to achieve your goals. I learn something every time I load the game up. It is so refreshing to find a game that isn’t dumbed down to a 10 year old’s mental acuity.
6. Find yourself a good corporation. Get out f the start up corp as soon as you can — that is a one way street that will lead you only to dislike the game. Find your strengths in Eve, then match that to a good corporation.
7. Never stop learning. Sort of goes with point #5 but viewed from a different perspective. Like in any MMO if you get in a rut, you tend to close doors to other areas of the game. There is so much to do in the game, never let yourself get complacent. I have learned so much in two months of playing. Things I never dreamed of when I first started, I now do without thought. Don’t get in a gaming rut, but keep looking at new ways to gain isk and reward.
8. If you get good enough at the game, you can pay for your subscription. I guess many games have this these days, but Eve pioneered the PLEX — the idea you can take ingame money and buy an item that rewards you with a month of free game time. Currently a PLEX cost around 700 to 800 million isk. It is very easy to make 10 million isk a day, closer to 30 million if you are diligent. Towards the more aggressive side of playing you can make a billion isk a month, paying 800 million for a free month of playing and still have 200 million to buy stuff with.
9. Complacency kills. I don’t die often, because I don’t fight that much. When I do die it is because I have become complacent with the game. Eve Online is like electricity or fire — the moment you think you have control over it, you’ll end up dead. Focus at all times and learn the secrets of how to escape, how to fight, and even how to beg. You should always be looking for that one little trick that will buy you 1 more second to do what you want, rather than allowing someone else to control that second. Pretty much everything is up for grabs, so utilize every little tip, secret, and gimmick to keep yourself alive.
10. The game is a lot of fun. It took me a bit to get my head into the game. I don’t know if it was because I was trained and nurtured by Daybreak games like Everquest, but Eve Online is a tough but rewarding game. You start out in a flimsy little ship, but within days you are mastering the skills to fly larger and deadlier ships. Soon you will have to juggle time to keep up with all the activities you want to get done: Mining Asteroids, Industry, Planetary Interaction, Fighting Pirates, Missions, Wars, Player Skirmishes, Exploring Wormholes, Finding new sources of Isk. So much to do in the game.
Emerald Tablet: Home 