EVE General Discussion

I've been playing Eve for less than a month. I have never played an MMO before. I thought I would share some of my impressions with the community and what I am experiencing. I don't read much about Eve, so I have no idea what current or past issues are or much else about the game. I like spaceships, and I really loved Homeworld.

I like the complexity of the game - having to learn how to scan, how to plot routes through the galaxy, learning skills to make things work better, the marketplace for ores and such. The idea that I can just go anywhere I want and do whatever I want is very appealing and enjoyable - at first.

The stations and star systems all start to look the same to me after a while. Eve is a dim galaxy - the stars don't seem to provide much light. Going from one place to another starts losing excitement after a while, because there are few to no interesting variations in the star systems. For fun I did a loop of 20 jumps the other day through 0.0 zones in my venture. I survived by not using auto-pilot and going on one direction and never down to a culdesac where I'd have to turn around. After a while, I realized that there's just not a lot of creativity put into making the star systems unique from one another visually. The same planets, the same stations, etc over and over again everywhere. At first it seems varied, but after a while - boring.

I am starting to get a sense that this is a universe where the most experienced players can pretty much act with impunity and everyone else is basically at their mercy. Like the real world, money drives power, but is offset slightly with a tenure requirement that the skill system builds in.

The initial missions were OK, but once I was done with Aura and the career agents at Pasha, I was kind of lost after that. What do I do now? PVP? Hell no. I realize that the people who have pod killed me so far have played for years, and have just about every skill at level V, plus they have a gang of other kids they hang out with to back them up. So that's out.

Join a corp? I have a job. I play only when I have spare time. I am not going to show up to events or make this an important part of my life. Eve seems to not be good for casual gamers.

So my choices are to mine and run missions. Mining is pretty borked up, it seems to me. The ore values are all very similar, and looking at the markets, the prices are constantly dropping, and the more rare ores are only slightly more valuable most of the time. Mining veldspar with little travel is most lucrative in terms of ISK/hr.

I do not understand why NPC pirates do not show in the directional scanner.

I do not understand why agents giving the next missions are scattered about the galaxy instead of just popping up in your home station. I don't understand why the last agent didn't point me to the next one instead of me having to search for them. After I finished the career missions, I didn't even know there were more agents.

The agent missions are all security missions in my constellation. I'm a noob, so I am not leaving my little area of ten or so hi-sec star systems any time soon because I am afraid to be killed and have to do all of that boring mining again to buy a new ship.

Insurance is broken. I could only insure my venture for 350K, but with all of the goodies on it, it cost me a fortune to fit with good modules.

The most important thing I could share is that the community is unfriendly, probably because of the nature of the game, and seems to bring out the worst in people. The rule is very old west - shoot first, talk after. It's left me with the impression that the community are not nice people, and that everyone is basically laughing as they shoot up noobs while the noobs come and then quit because studying for a month to just die a lot and mining sucks.

I tried injecting some helpfulness into the game myself by flying my ship around and guarding noobs mining from NPC pirates in some of the systems I frequent. I could not hope to guard them from hostile players. I notice no one ever does that.

So, PVP seems like something I never want to do, mining is boring, and I have not yet decided whether or not to buy another month. Possibly not.

When the remaster of homeworld comes out, I think I am out of here, because while the game is pretty, it only has two modes: repetitive and boring or exciting and over in ten seconds with someone PMing me that I am a noob ******* in Russian.

Those are my thoughts. Flame on.

http://podborn.com/the-sandbox-and-you-the-new-player-experience

It's your adventure. Live it.

EVEs community is easily the best you could find in an MMO.

Yeah, this is a troll.

I am starting to get a sense that this is a universe where the most experienced players can pretty much act with impunity and everyone else is basically at their mercy. Like the real world, money drives power, but is offset slightly with a tenure requirement that the skill system builds in.

More SP points and ISK is a good thing, but you can go and ruin someones day from moment you start your character. But yes, EVE is a harsh environment, where if you can't take care of yourself, you will be taken advantage off. One way or the other.

The initial missions were OK, but once I was done with Aura and the career agents at Pasha, I was kind of lost after that. What do I do now? PVP? Hell no. I realize that the people who have pod killed me so far have played for years, and have just about every skill at level V, plus they have a gang of other kids they hang out with to back them up. So that's out.

It's a sandbox. You do whatever, you set your goal to be. There is no clear progression, except progression in skillpoints.

Join a corp? I have a job. I play only when I have spare time. I am not going to show up to events or make this an important part of my life. Eve seems to not be good for casual gamers.

There are many corps out there that are playing the game "casually". It all comes down to your own goals in the game. But the more ambitious the goal, the more time you need to spend in the game (Obviously).

So my choices are to mine and run missions. Mining is pretty borked up, it seems to me. The ore values are all very similar, and looking at the markets, the prices are constantly dropping, and the more rare ores are only slightly more valuable most of the time. Mining veldspar with little travel is most lucrative in terms of ISK/hr.

Seems to me your research on mining and ore prices is faulty. You should probably go back to the drawing board on this one, cause the conclusion you've found so far, is just not true.

I do not understand why NPC pirates do not show in the directional scanner.

Would just be too easy to do some activities. Like Sec tag farming.

I do not understand why agents giving the next missions are scattered about the galaxy instead of just popping up in your home station. I don't understand why the last agent didn't point me to the next one instead of me having to search for them. After I finished the career missions, I didn't even know there were more agents.

This is no WoW clone, where you got questing hubs that will follow your leveling progression. Do some research, and you'll figure out spots to mission in.

The agent missions are all security missions in my constellation. I'm a noob, so I am not leaving my little area of ten or so hi-sec star systems any time soon because I am afraid to be killed and have to do all of that boring mining again to buy a new ship.

If you are not willing to explore, how do you expect to learn the game?

Insurance is broken. I could only insure my venture for 350K, but with all of the goodies on it, it cost me a fortune to fit with good modules.

If you'd get the same value as your ship and modules, then it would be broken.

The most important thing I could share is that the community is unfriendly, probably because of the nature of the game, and seems to bring out the worst in people. The rule is very old west - shoot first, talk after. It's left me with the impression that the community are not nice people, and that everyone is basically laughing as they shoot up noobs while the noobs come and then quit because studying for a month to just die a lot and mining sucks.

The community is unfriendly to people who think they somehow are entitled to safety and other stuff you'd get used to in the common themepark MMO. EVE caters to a special kind of person, if you are not that kind of person, then it's just not a game for you. EVE online is a niche product after all.
There are nice people in EVE, if you are nice as well. But writting a huge rant about the game, ranting on stuff, you obviously have no clue about, is not the best impression.

I tried injecting some helpfulness into the game myself by flying my ship around and guarding noobs mining from NPC pirates in some of the systems I frequent. I could not hope to guard them from hostile players. I notice no one ever does that.

Cause it's useless and a waste of time.

So, PVP seems like something I never want to do, mining is boring, and I have not yet decided whether or not to buy another month. Possibly not.

EVE is a PvP game, not matter the area you choose to play in. So, if PvP is not you cup of tea, then EVE is just not for you. Which is fine, and we'll just part here, and no one will give it another thought.

When the remaster of homeworld comes out, I think I am out of here, because while the game is pretty, it only has two modes: repetitive and boring or exciting and over in ten seconds with someone PMing me that I am a noob ******* in Russian.

Those are my thoughts. Flame on.

Well, so long. You probably won't be missed.

EDIT: Even if it is a troll, I'll bite. Too bored at work.

Welcome to EvE. For a first MMO trying EvE is pretty ballsy .. but i guess it was almost mine as well when i think about it.

Star systems are similar cause it would be a nightmare to make them all really different. If you move between regions and differences, and diff planets .. but eventually you dont even notice any of that, or care really .. too busy playing the game to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Once and a while i catch myself .. and look around and think - dam they made a nice looking game - and then get back to playing.

Experience is everything in EvE, an old player in a new account can do more than a new player in an old account. The inpunity bit i am not so sure of, i am experienced and am restricted in a myriad of ways - by the rules, game mechanics, concord, players, corps, alliances. I can not just do whatever i want, there are limits. As the game is a sandbox, there are way less constraints than many MMO - but as you dont have a frame of reference you shouldnt have a bias in that regard.

The hand off from the tutorial agents into the wide world that is EvE is a harsh one, and i think one major remaining weakness of the New Player Experience. The solution must of us bitter vets have is for people to join player run corps, usually the new player friendly ones like Eve Uni. Being with other players makes life better in eve, mutual protection, help with isk, help with logistiks, help with knowledge etc..

PvP is alot of fun, you just need to learn more about it, how to survive, when to run, how to run, how to warp off your pod etc.. PvP is ridiculously fun, as long as you can afford it.

Making isk in EvE to pay for frigates isnt that hard .. eventually - but it can be a grind at firsts, but usually one is new and its all novel .. so actually fun. There is minnig, missioning, Planetary Interaction, trading, scamming, exploring .. lots of ways to make isk. Not everyone enjoys them all, some like to do a little of this and little of that to keep it interesting - others find a niche and exploit it.

As for the people with years of experience being able to kill people with less experience .. i get killed by people with less than 1/10th my skills and equipment -and less experience .. its heavily situational. Over time you develop the player skill side of the game and you will die less .. and when you do you will know what went wrong.

I have been in corps since day one, all of them have been casual - friendly - new player friendly .. whether big corps like Eve Uni, or small little off the radar corps of friends. You usually dont have to join ops unless you want to. Some corps are more like social clubs .. where you log in - do your thing, maybe help someone, or maybe get help .. or maybe not. But its a a network for mutual support and entertainment .. Some of my best times in EvE were sitting around doing something boring just chatting away with people i like. Some corps are intense, but obviously not a good fit for you. I have work, wife, house, kid, a bit of a life .. EvE is a hobby.. i have picked corps of like minded people and it has worked out great.

As EvE is a sandbox, you can be a casual gamer .. or a hardcore .. its up to you as it is a game and it is what you want to make of it. Dont worry about the Joneses.

I dont totally understand your take on Ores . or minerals if you have refining skills. The market is a complex thing .. but if you joined a industrial corp, or read some .. you can learn how to pick and chose the right ore / mins with the right ship with the right method .. many people mine as a group or with multiple accounts. I wouldnt mine with just one small ship - ever . i value my time. I would do missions .. and or exploration with some PI thrown in. But that being said there are thousands of people making 10s of millions of isk per hour mining.

NPC pirates dont show on direction scanner .. cause they never have, .. duno .. good question. would be useful for ratting belts eh? Good point.

Agents are scattered so players are forced to move around EvE or wed all be in one system with crappy lag. show into a corp you want to work for, Agents tab and you can see all the their agents .. or you can use the map to show your stats - available agents. If you are doing missions .,. train connections and negotiation skills o lv3 or 4. Connections will raise your standing quickly getting you access to higher lv agents = more isk/hr Negotiation gets you more reward per mission done.

Insurance is what it is, always been that way .. just one of those things.

Dont fit what you cant afford to lose. Dont fly what you cant afford to lose. Dont undock what you cant afford to lose. Most important rule(s) of EvE.

Highsec is more than just 10 systems .. you can go anywhere in highsec and experience the save level of safety - go where your agents are .. or take a look at other NPC corp stations in your chosen area. There are also multiple types of agents .. some give mining missions, some killing missions, some hauling missions.

The community is supper friendly in chats, and on forums. . always gona be some asshats .. but for the most part they are good people .. the type of game it is attracts a certain type of player .. who may nuke your ship for giggles, but if you then convo them - say your new - and ask what you could do to survive better etc.. they will talk your ear off.

It is the wild west .. and in null it is NBSI (not blue shoot it)(blue meaning friendly). In low sec its the real wild west .. anything goes .. I do not go to Low Sec .. almost ever .. spent years in Null .. avoid Low like the plague. In High sec .. if you are in a Noob corp you should not really be dying much .. maybe the odd gank .. but really should be mostly safe if you dont start shooting people - or stealing from their wrecks.

It upsets me greatly that you think us all unfriendly. I'm friendly, I promise!!

Your attitude stinks, you have no creativity, you give up without a fight and don't seem willing to learn. You seem to be very good and making excuses for why you can't do anything.

In other words, you don't seem to have the kind of predisposition one would need to get the most out of a game like this.

I started this game when it was much less friendly to new players. I made friends and we did things together. When they weren't on I experimented with doing things I could do solo to entertain myself. I never got bored and had loads of fun.

many of his feelings are correct

1. It's not a casual game
2. You need to be a steward of bars to enjoy the game in many senses
3. people with shortcomings in RL like to take them out on noobs to feel powerful in EVE as feel they are totally impotent in real life.

The systems are the same because you would send someone insane if they all had to be different.

The other thing I think we really need to show people in Eve is dying isn't losing, not playing the game is losing.

I used to want to play PVP but never "found the time" as I always wanted to be in my best implants so never jumped to my blank clone so I just missioned then got bored, and left for a few years (what was the point of the SP then)

Now I don't care if I lose 1-2 Mil SP a year (a rough guess) I don't have the time to earn replacements so I fly low level implants and rubbish ships and Win by playing and dying more often than not.

And the award for the most pretentious post with the most ignorant assumptions in the thread goes to...

Only if you make it that way. There is the factor of you get out what you put in, but you can totally casual play this game.


Show us on the kestrel where the big bad ganker touched you...

@OP: I suspect troll thread, but I'll bite.

It really sounds like EvE isn't the right choice for you for a first MMO. You should probably look into a couple others and play them for a bit until you learn how MMOs in general work, and more importantly how to properly do your own research into what you need. Contrary to what the "ohh, poor me" crowd wants to think, gankers aren't all unemployed, obese, neckbearded virgins living in their mother's basement.

95% of how we treat you in EvE is based on how you present youself. If your response to a gank is "whaa, y 4 did u shootz me?!?!?1" or anything resembling that, of course you were trolled. If your response is closer to, "whoa, how did you do that?" then you're likely going to have someone talk your ear off.

EvE is a sandbox, so it's all up to you how, or if, you play. IMNSHO, the only way to fail at EvE is to be a highsec carebear crying for nerfs to ganking cause you want the rules changed simply because they don't like them.