EVE New Citizens Q&A

from http://poeticstanziel.blogspot.ca/2012/05/theme-parkers-guide-to-eve-online-part_20.html

So, in Part 1 of The Theme Parker's Guide to EVE Online I discussed character creation, the EVE Online analogues to levelling, class roles and character classes.

In this instalment I'll discuss content. This is the area of EVE that really differs from what the theme park MMO player is accustomed.

I'll discuss EVE Online's PvE content, the quests and raids, terms you as a theme park player are familiar with, and which have their analogues in EVE. I'll discuss EVE's lack of end-game, how the lack of end-game puts the onus on the players to create the meaningful content that keeps players engaged with the game. This idea of player-created content is an essential component of the sandbox MMO.

But first, what is this sandbox term people keep throwing around? What does it really mean? The sandbox is the ultimate design-force behind everything in EVE Online. The sandbox is sacrosanct. The integrity of the sandbox colours every design decision, addition and alteration that CCP makes to the game (at least it should, I believe they try hard to do just that, even when they miss the mark.)

The Sandbox
A sandbox MMO has no universal goal, no universal destination for players to reach. There is no end-boss. There is no max-level. Rather, the players create their own objectives, and their actions will have some effect on the entirety of the sandbox. Sometimes those effects will be small dunes, only affecting a few players in your small space in the play area, sometimes they'll be sandstorms that will sweep over large swaths of the sandbox, affecting large numbers of players. Burn Jita and Hulkageddon are two large recent player events that have touched large masses of the community.

Every player does not have their own individual sandbox, but rather the game is one massive sandbox. Players are plopped into this communal sandbox, they are encouraged to mold out their own space within it. You can build your sand castle, but anyone at anytime can decide to kick a portion of it down, or all of it. You can decide to do the same to other players. It's your responsibility to be cognizant of those playing around you. You decide who to trust, who not to trust. You decide how you defend yourself, if at all.

What you do not get to do in the sandbox is decide who you will not interact with. Every player decides who they will interact with. You can choose to interact with player A, even if player A would rather not interact with you. They have little say in the matter. They can make an effort to avoid you, but that in itself is an act interaction. They been forced to recognize you, take heed of you.

The sandbox is ultimately about player interaction, interaction that affects how other players play and interact with both the game and other players. The landscape of the sandbox is constantly in flux. (Note: the link, while illustrating the nature of the sandbox in null security [nullsec] space, the sandbox is not relegated to nullsec; the sandbox exists throughout New Eden.)

Another important aspect of EVE Online's sandbox is that it is a single shard/server/realm game. Other MMOs split their population across servers, each consisting of a five to twenty thousand accounts. World of Warcraft may have ten million players, but you're only encountering twenty thousand of those players on the server you chose to play on. In EVE Online you are mingling with every subscriber.

In World of Warcraft, you can run from your reputation by moving to a new server and name changing your character. This is not the case in EVE Online. There are no name changes. There are no servers to leave or move too. You hang on the reputation you build for yourself. There is no escape from the sandbox (other than cancelling your subscription.)

Quests
Missions are EVE Online's equivalent to quests. There four different mission types: security missions (shoot and kill stuff), distribution missions (deliver stuff), mining missions (mine and deliver stuff), and research missions (do stuff to get datacores which are used in industry.) There are five levels of missions, which require larger ships, the higher the level. There are a few hundred missions in the system, and agents randomly assign them to you. There is no competitive aspect to missioning, they are an endless resource and locationally unique resource. Six people can be doing the Worlds Collide mission in the same system, and none of them will be completing the mission in the same pocket of space.

There are also storyline and epic arc missions. The storyline missions simply give you larger faction adjustments when completed. The epic missions are static, and can be completed every four months, they generally also reward large faction standing adjustments. (Faction standings is a reputation system that allows players certain interactions with the four races.)

Complexes, also known as exploration sites, are areas of space that are probed down with scanning ships. There are different varieties, but they generally reward rare modules and ship blueprints. These are competitive sites. They spawn in system and can be scanned down by any player. Once completed, a complex will close down and a new exploration will spawn to replace it.

Missions and complexes are generally solo activities (though level 5 missions are meant to be group missions). They are primitive in tactics and repetitiveness. Neither affect any aspect of the game universe or gameplay. They exist solely for the player to earn ISK (the in-game currency), rare modules and rare ship blueprints for other activities. ISK is earned through looting, salvaging, loyalty point earnings, and mission and bounty payments.

(more at link above. forums have character limits.)