EVE New Citizens Q&A

o7

I'm taking a break from EVE right now to give another MMO a try. I understand where you're coming from.

The problem you're describing is common to the majority of MMOs to be honest. They're designed to not really 'end' and to give you more to work towards and accomplish.

You really need a goal to work towards when you play EVE. Once that's in place, you see you gameplay as working towards, supporting or supplementing that goal.

For example, I wanted to pvp, that was my goal. I started missioning to build up funds, joined RvB to learn, made a trade alt to supplement and finally joined Stay Frosty for low sec pvp.

I never felt any time was wasted because everything was in relation to the main goal. It can feel at times like you're not 'playing' EVE but you're building up to doing what you enjoy. Always remember, EVE is about people interacting and you can do that in a number of different ways. That makes any amount of game time worth it

Like you, EVE is my first MMO.

I also have usually quit playing a game once I "maxed out" by what ever measure applied; I completed every quest, or hit the highest level in PVP terms or whatever. I am not currently playing any other games but I will probably buy Destiny pretty soon and give that a whirl; the SciFi genre appeals to me so may as well give it a go.

EVE is not like that. There is no "max level." EVE is a framework, a sandbox that we (the players) are constantly building, wrecking and rebuilding all sorts of things in. All these ships and modules and whatnot are just tools.

I take breaks all the time: going away on holiday, work getting busy, focusing on family. Sometimes I will go for days or weeks only logging on occasionally to keep the skill queue loaded up. I have had quite a few friends come-and-go through EVE, so I recognize now that it is probably a minority of gamers who will actually stay attached to this game for any significant amount of time.

As long as you are enjoying what you are doing in game, you are not "wasting time." If you find that the game is not enjoyable for you, don't worry about it. You still haven't "wasted time" you've just learned that it isn't for you.

Good hunting

Any time spent playing video games is time wasted, from a certain perspective. I feel like the time I've spent playing EVE was less wasted than time I've spent playing other games. When I think back on other games I've enjoyed, I remember generally what they were like and how much or little I liked them. Only with a few of the best ones can I recall any specific instances of gameplay that were particularly memorable.

When I think back on my time playing EVE, however, I can tell a hundred stories of the experiences I've had here. Maybe that's because it's still my first and only MMO. Once, during a break, I gave WoW and Guild Wars 2 a shot, but neither of them was remotely interesting for me.

I've been playing now for about 3 years. My first two years I was pretty obsessive about it, and spent most of my free time logged in. Over time I've become more casual. About once a year I take a break for 2-6 months and do other things, but I always come back, and it always feels like coming home.

There is no reason for you to feel intimidated by EVE. At the end of the day it's just a video game, albeit a unique and special one. Some people love it and some hate it. Some play seriously and some casually. The one recommendation that I can make for you is that when you do give it a try, avoid falling into the trap of playing like it's your job. If you find yourself spending a significant amount of your time doing anything that could be described as "grinding" or "farming" then you may be doing it wrong.

That's exactly what this forum is for. No shame in it, and no apologies necessary. By posting and asking questions you give yourself a leg up over most other new players who don't even bother. (And, in turn, it also makes you more likely to stick around, but that's just my opinion based on my own experience and that of some friends who've done the same.)



- Sometimes, yes, but usually because I'm on vacation or otherwise unable to log in. Generally speaking, if I'm able to log in on any given day I do so for at least a while to chat with people whether or not I undock - EVE is a more easily-accessible social hub for me than many other options due to RL geography where I live. The one exception was about 3-4 months after I started playing where I was so busy with college that I literally forgot to log in for several weeks.

- Given the above, usually only about a week at a time because of vacations. The period where I forgot to log in lasted about a month if I remember right.

- Definitely. I've made a lot of friends through EVE, and while I have contact with them outside of the confines of the game via steam/skype/msn/whatever I still like engaging with them through the game client.

- I definitely do not play EVE exclusively. While I might have an EVE client open much of the day when I'm at my computer I also play other things, often at the same time.

I haven't ever actually let my sub run out, but I do take breaks and play other games. I don't feel bad doing this because I plex my account using non-play time intensive methods. I've gone weeks/months where I log in for 15-20 minutes a day to maintain stuff and set skills.

It's important you don't take EVE too seriously. It's a videogame, not a significant life choice. If you're bored with the game, try to find things like an active corp or PvP to interest you. If that fails then just let your sub run dry until you get interested in starting again.

I personally don't play much, except for the occasional PI checkup which keeps my PLEX up.

Ski season prevents me from excessive commitment to EVE :-)

I've spent more time not playing EVE than I have playing it since I started. MMOGs aren't generally my thing, and I had done everything I originally set out to do within two years. Ever since then it's been the nature of the game, the awesome sandboxy single-shard world, that has made me want to come back, but admiring what the game is and actually having fun playing it aren't the same thing, so I've been very on-and-off, always trying to get back into it. Anyway, what I have learned from this is as follows.

Time in EVE is never wasted as long as you are doing something challenging, interesting and/or genuinely fun. If you work towards some virtual objective as many MMOGs encourage you to, that will be a waste of time in retrospect as you didn't really achieve anything and you didn't have fun doing it. Eventually EVE will be shut down and all this will be erased. If you work towards having lots of ISK or lots of kills, all those ISK and kills will be gone. But if you work towards being good at earning ISK or good at getting kills, then the game becomes a puzzle, a challenge, and the result of succeeding is a change in you, not in the game, so you can never really lose what you gained.

Related, the one time I burned out in this game, rather than simply running out of things I wanted to do, was when I got too obsessed with making more ISK. Challenging, interesting and/or fun. If it doesn't meet one of those criteria, you shouldn't be doing it in a game.

Time spent not playing EVE can feel wasted. Every time I've come back to EVE I've wished I had been playing it, even casually, during the time I was away. Even as a solo player you feel like you missed out on all the stuff that was happening while you were gone. It's a game worth 'staying in touch with'. I've always been glad to find a reason to come back.
If you have to quit for a while, train skills if you can still afford the account. Read the forums, the dev blogs once in a while. Stay in touch with anyone you know in the game, and with the game itself.

As for finding time for other games, for the first year or two EVE absolutey dominated my free time, and I could imagine that continuing had I not run out of things I really wanted to do. But at the time I only played single-player games, so nothing competed for my attention long term. I've since played other multiplayer games alongside EVE, as I am currently doing. You can play EVE is such a way that you have to set alarm clocks to turn up for ops, and in such a way that you can not log in for days without consequence. It's up to you.

Hopefully my analogy doesn't offend anyone's delicate sensibilities...

Playing EvE has always been like dating. In the early years things were pretty intense...especially the first year. Even went to FanFest one year (highly recommend going at least once.) Did some app development...did some blogging and even an online radio station for a while.

Then for some reason...not sure if it really matters the reason anymore...we took a break. Went our separate ways for a few months. Got back together for a while and re-lived some of the old times. That lasted a half-dozen months or so and we again took a break.

Then the 'booty calls' started. I'd read something or see something that reminded me of EvE and hadn't really been with a serious game for a while, so paid for a month or three to see how things had changed and tried to re-live the old days.

This off-and-on thing lasted a year or two...but we both knew we were growing apart. EvE wasn't the same game, and I wasn't the same person.

This last go-round, it's been like spending time with an ex-wife. Nice and polite to each other, but we're both pretty sure we each made the right decision. EvE has it's own new players...people I've never met and honestly don't have the patience for (present company excepted, of course) and I've been spending some time with new games.

It's possible we may get back together again for special occasions or something, but it'll never be what it was. Fond memories, though.

Was it worth it? Aren't all relationship? Everything you've done and experienced has made you the person you are today. I like to think that EvE has heightened my expectations of video games in general. I know what's possible.

I look forward to the 'next' EvE in my life.

KB

This must be one of the more interesting questions i have seen on the forums in a while, thus i will do my best to answer as truthfully as i can now that i have had some time to think about it.

I have spent over 8 years in EVE, during those 8 years i have "quit" the game on 2 occasions, for about 6 months total. Granted during that time my account was still active, and i kept training skills.

Im going to answer your question in 2 parts, one real life, one ingame.

Real life.

Currently im reflecting on how my life was 8 years ago, and how much it has changed, and how much of that is because of EVE.
When i started to play EVE i was in a bad place, even if i might not have realized how bad back then i can understand it now.The people i met in EVE helped me improve in so many ways. Everything from company, to making me feel like i was worth something.
Forced me to learn English, ruined a 5 year long relationship (or just made me realize how bad it actually was).eventually lead me to meet my better half, get married and move from Norway to sunny California. Made me travel to several countries and states (twice to Iceland). I have met some amazing people that im proud to call my friends in and out of EVE, and i have met some people i really wish i had never known.

So yes, i would say that EVE has been worth it for me. I cant imagine where my life would be, or what kind of person i would be if it hadent been for EVE.

Ingame.

This is the one im struggling more with.
EVE is an amazing game, there is no questions about it.
CCP has done so many things right with this game, but one of the biggest things they did right was setting up an environment that allowed people to communicate, and form such strong bonds of loyalty to their corp members, their friends, their allies. But that also has its drawbacks.
Many people aspire to become a CEO, or a director, or a diplomat, or just have some sense of leadership role. Wanting to lead their group of people to something great and be recognized for it. Whether or not its just from your corp members, or from the universe as a whole this... desire is something that can mentally destroy you.
The sheer amount of pressure and expectations is enough to get to most people, and it's not something you should take lightly.

EVE goes from being a game you play for fun to the thing you force your self to log into because you know people will get upset if your not around enough, the thing where you spend hours looking at spreadsheets, in meetings, writing forum posts, listening to people complain about what you should do to make them happy... You get the idea.

I dont know how to play EVE casually anymore. I have been a director,recruiter and diplomat for my 8 years here. I have been in high positions in alliances, i have been the ass kisser, i have been the one asking people to stick their heads up someone elses asses. I have taken blame, i have given blame. Been yelled at, yelled at others.

In the long run, EVE has hardened me, and sometimes i dont like the person i have become because of it. Other times i wish i could let more of my EVE persona come out in real life and say "**** the consequences, i can deal with it".

But, i have forgotten how to have fun in EVE, how to treat it as a game, not a second job. And i blame that on the fact that i have always been in leadership roles. In my mind the needs of the corporation, or alliance always has a higher priority then my own.
I have never really been able to do stuff because I want to do them, im always to busy making sure that everyone else can do the things they want to do

The solution should be simple.
Resign and just be a regular member, no leadership stuff to deal with. Well there is a big problem with that, one that i cant get around. On both occasions i quit playing i resigned (ok truth be told the second time i actually got fired since the new CEO dident want me micro managing things ), and i could not for the life of me find anything to do. And not knowing what was going on in the leadership, seeing the things that was wrong and not be able to do anything to prevent it or try to fix it. I could not deal with it, and i realized that while i dont have fun in EVE, im not the kind of person that is capable of letting years of work go down the drain.

So, has EVE been worth it?
I dont know, but i cant honestly say that i would still be playing if it werent for the corp and its members.
My loyalty to them keeps me logging in, not EVE the game.