EVE General Discussion

Because EVE scares off new players.

I think it's also important to consider the definition of success. If success is defined as having millions of active subs or the MOST active subs, well then, I would have to say no thanks. That game is a seething cesspool of the most rotten elements of humanity (and not in a sexy, nefarious, eve online way, but an annoying 4 channish way). The developers are constantly handcuffed by the constraints of catering to such broad masses, which in turn- dumbs down the content. A LOT.

Consider a more modest definition of success: Eve Online has payed for itself many times over and is quite profitable. CCP hf is widely considered one of the most, if not THE most successful indie studio today.

Metallica was often called the "Thinking Man's Band" because of their intelligent lyrics, Eve Online is the intelligent mans' MMO.

Why I stopped playing Eve...

- paying $15 per month is such an antiquated system of accessing MMOs, especially when you might only play once or twice a fortnight. Let me pay for the time I PLAY.

I now returned to LOTRO. I pay for what I want, WHEN I want. When I stop playing, I don't have to worry about throwing dead money on a subscription.

You DO understand that you have just perfectly described EvE? Ther's no sexy, nefarious EvE way, d!cks are d!cks and that's it. The only difference is that in EvE the clueless noob kind of players are quickly kicked out and they are the millions. All of the rest including 4 chans are all here.

Game mechanics are perceived to be endless point and click to the unfamiliar eye.

The fact that you click and the ship goes straight to that point AUTOMATICALLY turns down two thirds of the sci-fi fans that, when facing EvE for the first time, dream of flying a small but agile ship, spinning madly among bigger ships, dodging shots.

In EvE, your mechanical skills mean ZERO, and you cannot dodge through practice and instinct, or place amazing bullseye shots other than by formulas and values.

Combine this with things like the market window (which sounds and looks like math and planning, and thus labelled "undesirable" by many individuals), the inability (actually, the INADVISABILITY) of letting others see your power and progress through a mere glance at your appearance, and the fact that you can have everything you build and hoard TAKEN away from you by other players, anywhere.

EvE, in short, is not immediately rewarding. I remember the first time I got caught, in 2008. Not knowing how to set up my autopilot options, I was taken through low sec, and my salvaging Catalyst was greeted by a Phobos on the other side. I was extremely PISSED off. My hours of salvaging, my loot and my biggest ship had been utterly LOST forever.

This had never happened to me in a MMORPG. If CCP made a fantasy MMORPG, there would be a button to remove your victim's boots after the killing and another one to rummage in their pockets, and the public is NOT used to this.

And there is more: nonconsensual PVP everywhere, lack of "final bosses" you can expect to engage once you get more powerful...and even the realization that playing this game poorly will NOT make you more powerful. You can play non stop for years, and end up broke and beaten by every other noob adept to PvP.

Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing is sure. Most things in EvE depend on people, and people (specially people playing this game) are far more cruel than any computer-controlled enemy waiting for you at the end of a dungeon.

Get to Lvl 80 in WoW and no level 50 can even look bad in your direction without knowing you can destroy them by flapping an eyelid. EvE Online laughs at this concept by eliminating this kind of rewarding character progress and putting your own destiny, more or less, in your own hands.

Sooner or later I will run into this 2008 bastard that killed my Catalyst. I've had him in my Contacts for 4 years now. And it's fun to reflect that, sooner or later, he'll get off that damned Nyx he's sitting in and only PERHAPS I'll run into him. With my pals. And loaded guns instead of salvagers.

Isn't that beautiful? With all its flaws, EvE is the people that plays it and that makes it the best videogame I've ever experienced.

I know the spirit of 4 chan is thriving in TEST Alliance but I'm curious if you're ever experienced other MMO communities, such as.. the World of Warcraft Community? X Box Live crowd?

Lol, man, this is beautifully written.

A fact tht i find funny is in regards of the guy that killed you and keeping him in the contacts.

I found it amusing that after all my history in EVE, my actual CEO was red in my contacts, and I even dont remember why. Probably was killed by him early on when I was begining to explore new eden :)

Its kinda of funny, specially that now I know hes a kinda of a cool guy, not anymore a faceless ship that slaughter my ship somewhere in the past.

My six hardcore PvP friends have some specific complaints that a) have been stated already in this thread, and b) typically cause flame wars:
1) sluggish, clunky, non-responsive GUI depsite recent "improvements". These people are not just annoyed with the GUI; nor is this mere dislike; it is honest HATRED of the GUI.
2) Keyboard skills count for almost nothing. For players who have develeoped keyboard skills, this is bad. They feel that one of their best strengths is eliminated from the WIN equation.
3) No skills accelration. This leads to the flame war topic of "catching up" to advanced players.
4) You can't actually hook up your stick and fly the ships Black Prophecy style. Again, the player skills are not an important part of the WIN equation. I have played Black Prophecy and I can tell you that a multiplayer dog fight in an asteroid field is seriously cool fun. Not available in EvE.

When you add all this up, it means that EvE is a very undesireable environment for gaming. Keep in mind that these guys are avid PvPers, and are not averse to EvE's PvP, per se. The consensus is that "EvE is not REAL PvP". Like I said, flame war material.

So this is the opinion of real humans, whom I know, and have sat with in the same room many times. They are avid PvPers in other games, and who have had trail accounts in EvE and dropped them. You can write them off as the "twitch" crowd. But charater assassination is not the point of this thread: EvE's perceived popularity is. And these guys can't be convinced that EvE is a excellent gaming experience for the reason listed.

Times it takes from installing the game to being on par with other players:

average mmo 2 month
eve 2 years

not true. unless you want a 1 vs 1 with big ships, wich no one does.

things that require too much skills are usually kept safe, day by day activities are done with cheap and low sp stuff.