EVE General Discussion

Is to kill them.

Say you just convinced your friend to play the game, you showed them a few video's to get them excited, so they signed up for a trial. They start playing the game, reading up on the lore a little bit, aspiring at all the different ships dreaming that one day theyll move from their frigate into something "cool" like a T3 or dreadnaught. But they have to take it slow, as they are forced to. They start building relationships with other players, thinking of how when they are stronger, they may be apart of something bigger than themselves. The new player settles on a battlecruiser and dreams of their first 1bn or massive fleet fight with their new skills as they are eager to put them to good use. Possibly that player has been cautious up to this point, dreading what would happen if everything they have worked for up to this point was destroyed. This is where the problem begins.

For some people, having "progress" eliminated makes them feel as what they did to obtain that progress was a waste. They may get discouraged and try to avoid these possible future hazards that remove "progress". If they get away with it, it will continue. The new player at this point must be reminded of what makes eve beautiful.

What makes eve beautiful? It is a cold, harsh, dark place. Nothing you have in eve is permanet. Everyone from the bigest alliances to a small empire mining corp WILL fall, will be set back, will eventually lose progress. A universe where you can destroy everything someone has, you can befriend people, scam them, use propoganda, use them, take a person to a breaking point where they might even consider not being apart of the universe anymore. Everything is vulnerable, friendship, trust, and your own dignity.

That is why, if you care for new players, you must wait until that player reaches a certain point, a short term goal that they have been dreaming of, almost to completion, when you sense the eagerness in their voice, knowing that they will finally get something of value, you must destroy it.

The sooner someone learns that I want you dead, my friend wants you dead, the old lady down the street wants you dead, your dog wants you dead and there is nothing you can do to stop it, you will fight back. You will win and lose. Just hope that youll last long enough to have a good time.

Dont get caught up in trying to keep obtaining in what you deem as "progress" as nothing in this game is permanet and any progress you get will be destroyed. New players need to learn this early on, as eve is nothing like other games. If you have a goal, try your best to complete it, then go get it blown up. Understand that it is ok if you lose something in this game, whether item, friend or trust. Just have fun with it.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/06/27/eve-devs-our-game-is-the-mmo-equivalent-of-running-inferno-solo-with-a-naked-barbarian/



http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/06/25/eve-online-devs-on-dayz-elder-scrolls-online-and-whatd-make-them-quit-the-games-industry/



That's not really in the spirit of EvE, now is it?

A bit harsh, but essentially correct.

Some zealot who thinks "sandbox" means "My playstyle is the only valid playstyle there is" despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary in game and out.

Actually a sandbox just means anything is allowed within the mechanics of the game, so whilst you are free to play your way others are free to interfere.

Segregated PvE and PvP, which you describe, is called theme park game design.

That's ok. The OP didn't describe any of what you mentioned either.

Or help them out a bit (but not very much) then scam the living daylights out of them

Yes? At some point they need to learn about how the sandbox works, specifically the part where people are allowed to come after them and they don't really have any say in the matter. Again, the OP's means of delivering this crucial lesson is a bit harsh, but it's a lesson that needs to be learned regardless.

No, it has everything to do with how the sandbox works and nothing to do with me as a human being: it's the fundamental lesson about how the multiplayer sandbox inherently means non-consensual PvP, and about how you can approach this reality without having the game experience ruined.

If all you have to argue your point is ill-informed fallacies, then the OP's point stands.

No the biggest gift you can give new players is a reason to stay playing after they are done with their tutorials
And most will eventually discover themselves what they really want to do in this game
Most will discover quickly enough what is eve all about or even know well enough when they start playing