EVE New Citizens Q&A

This.

I am a brand new player to Eve. I have overcome my fear of acquiring a brand new & shiny timesink (having previously had 2 separate installmnts of sinking much time into WoW), bought the humble bundle deal, and have been through the tutes and part of the sisters of eve gumby-level epic missions.

I have only a vague idea of what I want to be doing, how I want to progress, how the game works. e.g. R&D stuff looks interesting, apparently I need to reach science V and a couple of other bits to start doing that. I think I know that heading for 0.4 or below systems is likely to end with a high-level player casually blotting me out of existence just because they can. Apparently player corporations are able to own systems, provide their own security, etc, but I have zero idea how that works. I'm currently wandering around high-sec systems, loosely following the epic arc, earning ISK and getting the hang of flying ship, PvE combat, how stuff works, salvaging the pirate ships I kill. Then I plan to get the hang of scanning/exploring the same way. I know I can find stuff, but I don't really know what sort of stuff, what sort of value, what I do with it. I've got a slowly growing stockpile of salvaged stuff, which as far as I know I can use to manufacture things, or break down for raw materials to use for sale or manufacture.

I am used to being self-sufficient. In WoW, I had multiple toons, mostly acquired all my own raw materials, could manufacture most useful things, etc. In Eve, I don't think that's possible, unless maybe it's doable with multiple accounts, and a lot of profit dedicated to maintaining them. Certainly not a viable short term goal. Need to concentrate on this character, will need to start specialising a bit at some point soon, build from there.

But I know there's a lot of stuff I don't know. I know I can't ask specific intelligent questions until my general Eve knowledge base undergoes a significant expansion through more gameplay, and researching my own questions that come up. I hope I happen to find a corp with players I can enjoy playing with, who have a similar outlook on stuff to me. I hope I find people that can tell me stuff that leads to intelligent questions, and who don't have a dogmatic outlook about how things must be done (especially if the dogma is rubbish, e.g. 'pallys can't tank' coming from WoW guilds), if their dogma is right, I'd rather be able to reach that conclusion myself, rather than accept it as gospel. Find people like that, enjoy playing the game, that'll keep me playing, and hopefully see me being a source of knowledge & help for newer players joining the corp down the track.

So, a basic list of questions as a genuine new player:

Why do I want to join this nullsec corp?

What's expected of me as a player? e.g. Do I need to be online at specific times of the week? Do I need vent/mumble/whatever? Am I expected/wanted to put any time into doing stuff for corp like gathering resources?

What sort of corp is it? What are the aims/methods/etc? Is it all about going out and fighting other players? Or about other stuff? Or a mix, or what?

How is the corp structured? Almost certainly with some sort of followup to clarify the answer, as I don't yet know a thing about the potential structures.

What does joining mean for me in 6 months' time? Will I be an outlaw who gets shot at by high-sec high powered NPCs?

What sort of apprenticeship/training/probation period am I looking at? If I try it and decide you're not for me, or you decide I'm not for you, is it simple for me to leave and go elsewhere?

What are the organised corp activities? As a newbie, how involved can I actually get? What sort of level do I need to reach in order to fully participate? Is 'what sort of level' even a meaningful question?

How free am I to just wander around doing my own stuff, like missions?

Is joining a nullsec corp a radical change from what I'm doing currently? I think it is, but how radical a change? What changes? What do I gain access to, and what do I lose access to?

What help is available? How do you respond to questions, especially stupid questions? I've got no problem with RTFM as a response when appropriate, but are you able to point me to a better manual, or even to a corp forum that can provide that sort of knowledge base?

I have no eve background, but I do have a gaming background. I understand concepts like kiting, focusing fire, healing others, tanking (though tanking seems to have a quite different meaning here), etc. What's the best way for me to learn more, get more eve-specific knowledge? When I apply what I think I know to my gear/ship/fitting choices, and come up with something dodgy, will you give me constructive feedback that means I'll make better choices next time, or will you simply tell me the 'correct' way to do it?

My impression is that being part of a corp is probably going to entail my ships having accidents while involved in corp stuff. Is this a small corp being built, or a large & established one with its own resource stockpile? If I'm quite new and with limited income, am I going to be able to afford to be a member?

How much RP, how much background story, how much staying in-character?

Can you point me to some threads on the eve forums that your officers are involved in? For me, that's a half-decent way to get an idea if I'll like playing with these people. If the officers are helpful on the forum, I'll probably like them. If they're flat-out trolls, I probably won't. If they're simply in character, no worries, assuming my character is ok with it.

I meant to mention skill books and skill plans, this goes into the basic support a la free frigates IMO. There should be a complete set of the basic fit skill books in the corporate hangar, but if not hopefully the corp would be generous enough with isk that you could go back to your training station and get what you need, inject, and head back to home. That would be a good question to have though.

Regarding travel to null, its easy. Set medical clone, undock and pod yourself. I'm only now getting the sense for how skewed my perspective on isk is. When I made my move I had a Tristan, two Atrons, and a Catalyst, and struggled with how to get them to null. I thought I was space rich already. That's really peanuts it turns out; just sell them in your training station's market and pod yourself down.

Thanks. But I know there's important stuff I missed, though I don't know what.

One thought is the most basic of questions: What's the important stuff I probably should know in order to make an informed decision about joining this corp?

And after stalking profile, what's the difference between a corp & an alliance? Pretty sure that one's a RTFM question, which I will do once I'm logged out again. Only had 5 minutes while waiting for new drone skill to train...





Sounds good. I'm certainly tentatively interested, if you're making the effort to make threads like this, you probably pass my 'people I'll have fun/stay interested playing game with' filter. And I don't know what'll be interesting to me gameplay-wise until I actually try it. If something irrevocable happens, can always start over, it'll only be a few weeks' of training lost.

This thread is very helpful to myself and malcanis. In our planning, security on the new players side wasn't enough of a consideration. Thank you for highlighting this to me.

The main problem with all the information you guy seem to be getting in regards to Null appears to be coming from people who have not made the jump into Null themselves and have made a home in Hisec. I think of them as the twinks in wow who stay at lvl 19 and dominate the lvl 15-19 pvp arenas.

I as a player feel safer in Nullsec than I do in empire, opening peoples eyes as to the reasons why that is will be my main focus.

Good questions, please keep them comming!

Bland
Friend of Malcanis

I think everything has already been covered, but here are the main questions I have about moving to null.

1. How do I get there? (Both myself and my stuff)

From what's been said here, selling my stuff and pod jumping is probably the route to take, but that leads me directly to my second question.

2. How do I buy stuff? Is there a trade hub like Jita? (Related - how do I sell stuff? As a miner, corp ads that talk about corporate ore buying programs interest me because it seems like I will have a simple way to sell what I mine.)

3. What can I do there besides mine?

4. Do I have to PvP? (Alternative version is: Can I PvP?)

5. Null sec sounds hard. Why should I go there? (I'm starting to get the idea that maybe null sec isn't so hard if you are with a good corporation that controls some space, but I'm just starting to think that way, and I'm still not convinced.)

Oh, one last thing. The cynic in me wants to know, "Why are you bothering to recruit newbies? I can't help a corp as much as a more experienced or higher skill point player, so is it just to get me out there and then kill me and make fun of me?" I probably won't ask that question, but I will be thinking it.

I hope that helps.

Most EVE players do have lives too, believe it or not. Most corporations will just ask that while you are on that you participate in ops and help fleets out. Some may have a minimum amount for active hours but isn't many that I've seen.

As someone else said, the best way to get into fleets and not feel left out is to specialize. Focus on flying one role, then move onto the next role once you have all the skills needed to make you nearly the best at your first role.

Let me preface my comments by saying EVE is my first MMO, and; yes, I am a woman, so I am not the typical new player. AND, I first went to null sec (Curse) as a two month old character.

---

Having given this some more thought, I think the two most important issues for a new player thinking of joining a null sec corp are:

1. Mentor/Go-To Person: someone you can ask, what to your mind are, the "stupid" questions.

As an example, when I first started playing I must have spent two hours researching how to refuel my frigate. I could find all sorts of info on refueling more advanced ships but nothing on refueling the starter/frig ships. In the end, I posted a question on this forum and found out frigs don't need refueling.

Fast forward a year, and I'm in a null sec corp, and they ask me to park a ship in a pos for quick ship changes. Now, I understand all of this, what I don't understand, lol, that causes me to drag my feet on doing this very simple task, is.....where do I park it? I mean there must be some sort of organized parking system in the pos, because everything else in corp is very well organized, so how is this structured? And I can't figure it out. So, eventually, to my mind, I summon my courage (to expose the depth of my continued ignorance---I mean, come on, I've been playing this game for a year and I can't figure out PARKING!) and ask "Can someone show me where to park my ship?" only to be told....anywhere, we don't care!

In both instances, if I had had a go-to person, I would have just asked straight away, and not wasted time. But, because EVE encourages learning on your own, some times Newbs waste an inordinate amount of time on issues that are, for those in the know, non-issues.

AND,

2. Why SHOULD I join a null sec corp in the first place?

This is, to a degree, an indictment of how the tutorials are presented to new players. When I first started playing, I felt there was too much emphasis placed on how much danger there was in New Eden (ship losses, etc.) and not enough emphasis on a spirit of adventure. Now, having played for a year, I have a better understanding of why the tutorials are presented as they are, but.....as a new player, if I am embarking on this adventure called EVE, the way the tutorials are structured now, why on earth should I go to, what is presented as, the scariest place in the game, right off the bat? Seriously, why? Why should I try to compete with the biggest, and the baddest, first? Why not wait until I gain some experience? Then try null sec.

After having played a year, I still feel the tutorials do a disservice to new players. They instill fear, rather than a sense of adventure. And these forums, to a degree, reinforce that. Everyone points out the dangers, the pitfalls, the complications, of going to null sec, but no one ever talks about the elation of going there and coming back. No one talks about the fun of GETTING AWAY WITH IT!

(So, the answer to this question is: We (the null sec corp) can help you GET AWAY WITH IT!)

---

I do want to second what has been pointed out earlier, new players don't know enough. Period. They have no frame of reference.

What they need, what is attractive, enticing, a good selling point....is the "helping hand."

Not a newb, so don't send ISK, but I remember being one. I was a 'carebear' as a newbie.

My main one:

"How do I get out of highsec safely? Every high to low gate I encounter seems to be camped".

This was a result of two trips into poorly chosen lowsec systems - Decon and Egghelende - as a newbie. (The former is safe in AU peak but dangerous any other time; the latter is never safe). Yes, I was *that idiot* that bought stuff from the market in lowsec. Twice.

Too add to this great list already:

* How does the corporation assist their new players to make the stay as awesome as all the news-sites claim it is?
* What "services" are provided by either corp, alliance or both (jumpclone service, jump freighter services, pick-up fleet, ore/mineral buy backs, ship replacement programs).
* How good is the market seeded (can I buy in null-sec or should I have stuff shipped in).
* What general type of ship / doctrine is mostly used?

I think the most important question would be "why should I go there?", after which you'd probably start talking about epic space fights, intrigue, bros and big fleets. To which the reply will probably be "sounds dangerous and also sounds like a lot of effort. I'll just stay here 'till I'm ready'".

I don't want your money :)


In my case it was "how can I be useful in pvp, what role could I get to do reasonably quickly to help the group".