Out of Pod Experience

heres a better question to ask


why do people keep returning to EVE. what appeal does it have that we continue to return.

if you can answer that, you'll know why some people don't come back, while others will always be drawn back

My accounts will lapse in the next months because I simply don't have the time to play anymore. If ever this changes and EVE is still what it used to be, I'll be back.

Best mmo out there in my opinion.

LOL true, the classic "I don't have to out run the bear, I just have to outrun YOU" strategy. And it works., althought I use a different strategy, the one where one doesn't even inhabit the BS forest (High Sec) the bear craps in .

But hey, at least today I learned that "Troll" translates as "people who can actually successfully play a video game and lose stuff without getting their feelings hurt".

Thanks and I wish you well, I have to say I have total respect for the organisation and dedication of CODE players.

Basically, human nature. I remember when I started out back in '05. The hate was all about mission runners. They were considered by gankers the very lowest form of scum in the game. Miners were actually appreciated and held in very high regards because at the time, it was widely accepted that they brought value to the game in the form of minerals and building materials. Mission runners brought 'nothing but inflation'.

The forums were filled with vile and hateful threads, as they are today, but instead directed at mission runners. Gankers need a reason to justify the need of wanting tears. They need to demonize their target to make their play not just acceptable, but righteous and a civil duty.

Dravclad said it best a few posts back. You have to realize these player types are here to ruin your game and make you mad. And they get home court advantage and VIP-like treatment from CCP. Find a way to keep yourself out of their radar, like not flying commonly targeted ships or doing activities they prey on.

If you can't find enjoyment in your game and what you do, take a little break and wait it out a bit. I've been through this myself. So I really do feel you. In any case, I wish you success in whatever you decide to do o7.

To OP;

Eve Online. It's many things to many people. For me, I came into the game with a bit of a headsup. Before I fired up the first trial account I did some research, as to how the niche sandbox that is Eve tended to behave. So it was a swamp of articles ranging from 'toxic carebear avoidance' and 'Grr these specific toons/corps/alliances' to 'how not to look like an idiot by asking where the Auction House is.' So I had a vague idea on house rules. If it didn't bust the ToS, EULA, or exploit game mechanic glitches, just about anything goes.

I still hang out here, because of the same reasons I logged in the first time. Challenge. Effort. risk vs. loss odds. Some of the people I've flown with, been in corps with, or just chat with while we meander in different regions. Others stay for giant battles in null, being scrappy with a WH life for them, or roam in lowsec with fittings that would bust my wallet after too many losses but gives them the grins they're after. And yes, for some, eating highsec space rocks by the Procurer load is their idea of a nice evening playing a game. We're all jumbled in here together, kind of like roomates that didn't get a vote on who moved into the side bedroom. Solving those complaints involves guns, drones, missiles, scouts, situational awareness, and the willingness to fight or flight out of that confrontation.

Just like there are different reasons people come to Eve and stay, there are different reasons to finally dock up, log out, and not come back. To each their own.

Eve is, has been, and even with upcoming Alpha Clone options, will remain a niche game with a different type of regular gamer. That's not good, bad, or indifferent. However... to expect a game company and/or the majority in a game to play a 'wun twue way' decided by someone else is rather like herding various breeds of felines. It won't happen, it won't end well, and odds are high someone might get mauled by a jaguar having a really bad day. I've lived in all four types of space. I'm content for now to hang out as a Highsec 85%er with the occasional WH dive. Will it remain so? Meh, I dunno yet. Is my style of Eve the wun twue way?

Nope. None of us use that play-style. Once that lesson sinks in, goals and expectations can develop. If Eve isn't for you, then it isn't for you at this time. To each their own. If you are heading to other MMO pastures, hope you find a game that fits the niche you prefer. Me? I'll keep haunting Eve for now. It's working out alright as my MMO of choice.

>Mikk

My dear, that will be nothing to the sounds emitted by the musculature and vertebrae of your overworked spine as they struggle to compensate for the enormous weight of that (undoubtedly admirable) bosom of yours.

I find it very strange you talk about lack of social aspect because of pvp, because from my experience the most engaging social aspects have had roots in pvp in one form or other. It's usually the people who pve but neglect the social aspects that get ganked and chased out easily. It's the lack of willingness to enage with others and orientate themselves with their surrounding environment and people it it that makes high sec pve groups 'weak' vs groups that are motivated and organised with pvp goals. You don't have to enjoy pvp yourself, but broadening your social scope to include those who do, or at least those who know about pvp mechanics and know how to avoid them, will make your eve experience much better, and that's when people get hooked to the game and sub for long time.

I know indy people who don't do pvp, but they actively communicate and group up with others and they have lots of fun and engaging experience in game.

What? All of us?

It's been a bit, but I am pretty sure the tutorials try to hammer home the point that nowhere is safe, you shouldn't get too attached to your ship, and that you shouldn't fly what you cannot afford to lose. Certainly, the New Pilot FAQ produced by CCP does (start in section 7), and makes clear what type of game this is.

Perhaps this could be done better, but I don't think you can fault CCP for not trying. Maybe the new NPE in November will do a better job.

This is true, but intentional. I would also agree it is a problem but it isn't trivial to solve. The game is designed to encourage forming social/larger groups, which is good probably even for new players as numbers are useful so they are often welcomed, but when implemented badly, like say mining, just encourages single players to multibox multiple accounts. This is terrible for new/casual/solo players who have no hope of competing with them without doing the same.

I agree that a casual player interested in mining must be disappointed when they realize they can never compete with the multibox fleets Hoovering up the belts and probably many of them leave Eve at this point.

Eve is a competitive PvP sandbox. It is specifically designed so that the largest, and most well-organized groups have the most success. It would be foolish to expect new players to enter such an environment and be competitive with no experience, assets, or allies.

That said, there is nothing preventing new players from joining up with some of the existing 'big boys' and immediately be part of a competitive organization. Maybe some of their egos are too fragile to enter as a 'newbie', but there are all sorts of training options available in all sectors of space. Even the most green Eve player is an asset in the open-world type of game Eve is as he is better than nothing, so unless they are completely unreliable or unpleasant, they should find a home easily.

This integration of new players could all be done better I suppose, and the game could actively discourage/warn/coerce players away from trying to play the game solo. Again, let's see what happens in November.

The problem with this 'idea' to give a safe space to new players is that is almost always offered by veteran players who are just looking for a way to keep themselves safe. It is extremely difficult to give safety to genuine new players without it just being exploited by veteran players who will move in and out-compete the new players for resources, forcing them to either move out to the more dangerous space, or suffer with the low value or scare resources.

So yes, a safe space does hurt the game. Such a place can only exist in a sandbox game if it isn't economically valuable. It seems we might get that in the form of a new instanced NPE, which could give a safe space for players to learn the interface and the basic ideas of the game and that would be great, but the fundamental problem is that much of Eve you can only really learn by playing, and by playing you have to be vulnerable to the other players or they game doesn't work given we are all each other's content. You can't have invulnerable rookie ships flying around, or some mechanic where new traders can't lose ISK on the market. We are all in this universe together.

Some players, even smart players, won't make it over this learning curve before they are discouraged by losses and/or boredom. Others just aren't looking to play a competitive PvP sandbox where they can actually lose to other players with their spare time. There is nothing wrong with this as Eve is definitely not for everyone, nor has it been designed for everyone despite what some of the more flamboyant carebears will claim. Eve aspires to be more than a missioning game, mining simulator or even fleet combat game. It is trying to be a whole virtual world where everyone is vs. everyone all the time and everywhere. That idea comes with some constraints on what type of game play is allowed in this universe, and for some players, that means Eve will never be the game for them.