Out of Pod Experience

Op, I deserve at least a few 100 kk for carefully and thoughtfully reading all of OP.

Perhaps not only the game has changed, but maybe you have also?

gl in wherever you go, wish you were not leaving.

If Cribba leaves, eve dies right then.

Some vets point out this game is getting too casual, too easy, less sandbox-like, adding up to other arguments for why Eve's nature has changed according to them.

While they say this, I'm thinking about how afraid I am when I undock in high sec. How confused I am from the size and complexity of the industry in New Eden. About the variety of personalities I encounter while flying in space, their ideas, approach and experience of eve being so richly diverse.

Sometimes they go on and share with us how they've tried nearly everything there's to do in the universe. Makes me feel even smaller knowing that playing for almost a year didn't allow me to master any activity I've done, despite getting in game advice, forum advice, reading basically every eve-uni page, reading forums, googling and using my brain.

For me it just seems there's a gigantic sandbox out there with more opportunities and challenges than I can think of. Can't remotely understand the feelings of these vets towards the game, but reading their opinions with great interest and have great respect for their knowledge about EvE, but am sad to hear anyone leave. It's not just a persons market activity leaving, but the potential their personality and assets have to add to the sandbox.

In case some of those vets would be interested in joining our Corp, we are happy to have you and see what adventures we can embark on in space together!

I'm not saying EVE is without faults, and yes the game did change over the years, but there are some points I would like to make to counter some of the things said here.

1. There is nothing 'wrong' with a 'mainstream' game or crowd. If a game is fun and appeals to wide range of people, it will attract more players, some of whom will be casual & some of whom will be hardcore, etc. I've always held the same stance towards musicians/bands/etc. The only criteria I judge music is whether I like it or not when I listen to it. I don't care if it's some celebrity mainstream pop star's song or some obscure indie band from esoteric places. If I listen to the music, and it sounds good, it's all good for me. I'm not one of those people who say 'this band has become too mainstream now, I don't like them'.

The same can be said about eve. While some things have changed, there are plenty of things that I like about it. It may have attracted some players that I do not like or fit with my EVE philosophy (lol whatever that is), but EVE is unique in a way that if you do not like someone you can blow them up or disrupt their operations through many different mechanics. The more people 'who don't get eve' are in space, the more fun things you can do to them. And many of the so called vets have been doing this for years - having fun and/or profiting from those who 'don't get eve'.

2. Who can judge whether some people are the 'right' crowd for eve or not. EVE is a sandbox, let it be that way. There will be people you look down on from your own point of view, but that's just way it is. There is no 'right' way to play eve, and in the bigger picture even flying space ships are only part of the big Sci-Fi sandbox that is EVE. Although I do like my space ships, if EVE was ALL/ONLY about space ships, the game would be so shallow and you may as well just switch over to Valkyrie permanently when that comes out for space ship focused pure action. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but EVE as a sandbox is bigger than that.

I'm not totally objecting all that's said in the OP, but I think there is a bit of elitist tone here, which I invariably find in any MMO's 'bitter vets'. Just as IRL, your views on what the world/life is about may differ from what others think.

And I do not mind micro-transactions, as long as the same item/ability can also be bought by in-game made ISK. While CCP has been monetizing EVE (yes I agree), the way the eve market works is that if you have enough ISK, you can buy with ISK what others by with RL $$$. If someone chooses to spend his RL $$$ for internet space game fun, then that's his choice. EVE is structured in such a way that unless you do illegal RMT, you would need to spend ridiculous amount of RL $$$ to match the ISK wealth of bitter vets.

Put it this way - 28 PLEX pack is like $480 (I think?), and for simplification let's say 1 PLEX = 1b, so you get 28b for $480. That's about 58.3m per $1. So to get a trillion, you are looking at having to spend over $17,000 (USD). Nowadays there are lots of trillionaires in EVE that people don't even bother boasting about it anymore. We've moved far from the days where MD scams of a few hundred billions was a major thing. Unless someone is willing to spend like $100,000 RL money, a single individual with a credit card isn't normaly going to effect the game world. And in mean while, those 'bitter vets' with their 'hard earned ISK' can smile at the fact that they've beaten someone who's just spent a few tens of thousands of RL $$$.