Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Yes solo play is not a major gameplay pillar of nearly every MMO ever or anything...

I do not think that MMOs exclude automatical or necessarily solo game play. If you see the real life as giant MMO with all these social interactions you will also find lots of successful solo "player". If it would be impossible the term would not exists. So, if the same people cannot find their prevered ways in a MMO it means not that MMOs exclude it by nature. It means simply that it lacks on possibilities by development. I have not seen a single NPC running around so people which like to live on their own can do it in a world full of humans. So even if CCP would remove all NPCs and they see EVE Online as some kind of second life, for many it is indeed, they can implant mechanics which allow solo play. I gave some ideas. But for that CCP need to implement more possibilities anyway so this universe beginns to breath and live and give people more varieties to act and react. This needs not to exclude solo gameplay. Aspecially if you think outside of typical MMOs mechanics. But there are still some in EVE.

I am not familiar with the technical limits of the server, so I can only give my imagination.

And again I am not uninterested in playing with other people. I was always interested in fleet combat and bounty hunting in small groups. I even wanted to found a small fearsome bounty hunter corp.

I think the core of the issue is the OP's lack of experience, game knowledge, and misinformation that highsec carebears teach to new players. Which sadly undercuts any credibility or usefulness of the OP's opinion.

Nothing more to be gained here.

I strongly disagree. EVE is a multiplayer game but every mp game also needs strong single player elements, because many people more often than rarely want to have time for personal stuff and things to do on their own. If those people are constantly surrounded by always babbling, talking, socializing, annoying, grouping people they cannot enjoy their favorite game. And stepp away from saying that those people should not play mmo. Mmo does not mean at all that you constantly need to have other people around you, but rather have the choice and opportunity to interact with other human when you want to.

OP
Have you tried solo exploration in low or null sec?
Have you tried solo c1-3 wormholes?
i have done plenty of the above solo and it is fun, harder than the high sec stuff and you have to keep a constant watch for players. I do my null sec solo stuff in space owned by players red to me. It is not hard to avoid pvp if you you try.
Also eve i more fun in groups and small gang pvp i great. try it.

See, not all people are equal. Some like the Trail-And-Error-Principle, learning by doing so to speak, others like preparations and planing before doing. I do not say that one does not reach the goal with your way. Of course I think about what you say. It is a game actually.

Hm, it seams your are right with the Mackinaw if I compare the stats. Because I mine solo I need a big ore hold. Some rigs which increase ore hold capacity and ore yield would be useful in this case.

Thank you for the information. I will try it as soon as possible. Sounds really interesting. Nice to see that some finds the patience to explain such things instead of just blaming me to be a ... how does the poeple call them ... "rookies", "newbies", "noobs"?

But I think it is more the fault of CCP which implant new stuff without any access to it for new player. Therefore you need to rely on wiki's or such things. A new player in EVE Online who has not read anything about the game, where should he or she knows what "Wormhole" is or "Faction Warfare"? Yes, it is a social MMO game. You should join a corporation and the people will explain it to you and in real life no one explains you what you can do with your life ... blah blah. But EVE Online is still a game and not a second life. To turn EVE Online into a second life game so to speak, it needs A LOT more mechanics which allow such living environment. In its current state is too artificial and static, im my eyes. And that is why it needs better access and explaination of what you can do in the game, what you need for it and how it works. I would also use the screen in the captains quaters for it. Some advertisment for wormhole and faction warfare like it is by incursions. Only that new people know there is such stuff.

Solo play does exist in EVE,although it often requires more than 1 account.

If you want to experience all the aspect of the game on your own (industry, pvp, pve, exploration etc..) there is one place where you can do it,it's called C1 to C3 wormhole space.You can go day tripping there on a single account and have fun,or if you have 2-3 account you can set up a station and have your own system.

Honestly I think your problem is that you think you'll get ganked every time you leave high sec,which simply isn't true.Sure,once in a while you will lose a ship...Well,guess what? We all do.Losing ships is what this game is all about,sometimes you are the one losing it,other times your opponents do.It's just a game,it doesn't matter if you lose your internet spaceship...just be sure to fly one that you can replace if it happens and go play in the sandbox with it.

There are a lot of people justifying the problems with Eve's solo player experience, but no one is offering solutions. Yes, Eve is an online experience and that is fine, but there are times when a person does not want the multiplayer aspect. It is sometimes more fun to solo because you don't have to deal with coordination, whining from other players, etc. I understand what the original poster is saying, and I think CCP could make eve so much more appealing by developing solo play. Perhaps not in the aspects the poster mentioned, but getting outing hi sec without getting raped by a gang would be nice. If someone is on a lowsec mission, then make them "invisible" to other players in low or null unless that player engages another (i.e. Targets another player or a POS, etc). Develop a story mode or something that gives players a purpose. Develop unique items that can be gained only through solo play, instead of low and null sec that you can't even get to because they've already been blocked by other players. It really does rob someone from enjoying the whole aspect of eve, IMO.

Yeah, but what you discribe is these arena fight think. But what is if player are not interested in buying and losing ships while fighting other players? Maybe some playes simply want to explore space, do there own things in their own ways and setting own goals instead of competing with other players. I mean for what purpose? To get a long kill list?

I have nothing against PvP. But these PvP arena or duel thing bother me. EVE lacks on a real breathing and living universe and mechanics for that. Yes, CCP wants to give the player the opportunity to do what they want. But ... I think this is not so good at all. They should implant some mechanics to give players a slight "push" in special directions they want. Hard to discribe. The EVE economy is good. The system of mining and industry works good and could even become more varied. But the others things are not so good worked out, in my eyes. CCP is known for going new ways. If they could develop the game in the direction that solo and multiplayer have the same possibilities they would attract more people. In every Sci Fi TV-show like Andromeda for example, there is always a couple of people acting alone in the universe. Bounty hunter or such things. Solo play offers a whole new universe of possibilities if the game has the right mechanics to allow them. In a fleet you need not to be so strong or have tactical knowledge. But alone you must develop whole new ways to survive. Tactics, maneuvers, fittings etc.. But EVE Online does not offer these possibilities so you are forced to play with others to do the exciting stuff, in most cases and solo play becomes boring with the time. I cannot do what you want in EVE.

I have many ideas for the game but CCP will not like them because they need to change existing mechanics. As example these corporation stuff. A corporation has a capitalistic purpose. To make money; minimize input, maximize output. What is a pirate corporation and why has it a CEO? Why is empress Jamyl CEO of the Sarum family? Corporations should be limited to industry and trade purposes. But it should be possible to found gangs. Bounty hunter gangs or pirate gangs.
The whole pirate mechanics need to be reworked in my eyes. And mechanics should be implanted to give criminals the chance to cover their identity while moving in high sec but it should also exists mechanics to uncover their real identity. So the border between low, null and high sec becomes blurred. It should exists special opportunities for pirates non-pirates can not have but criminals shoulds also be exclude of things. So it has its pro and cons to be a criminal. Maybe mechanics which prevent pirates from buying so much new ships because new ships are build in high sec mostly. But for that the pirates have their own stronger ships build only in null sec. The market should not be open for everyone. Criminals should pay higher prices and have not access to every weapon or module, especially not Navy Faction stuff. A station should decide whether criminals are welcome or not, which means can dock or not. Later when walking on stations becomes available you can implant whole new possibilities. In low sec there should be free harbors where everyone can buy stuff from high und null sec but no everything of both zones. But it should also exist priate and smuggler bases in low and null sec, where you can buy Pirate Faction stuff only. But you cannot buy these things in high sec. Of course someone with high security status cannot dock on pirate bases. And pirate ships are not welcome in high sec only if you have a special high security status, so the NPCs trust you.

Same for bounty hunting. It should exits more possibilities to hide for criminals. Nebulas, Asteroide fields, anomalies etc.. I like the imagination of hunting a criminal through the whole EVE universe, high and null sec, for month and years, maybe while he is smart and quick and escape every time. But in the end I create a trap and get him. I know there are very smart people like "Mitani" which use the existing mechanics in this way. I would like to see more of those guys and possibilities for them not only information wars.

These are these "push"-mechanics I mean. For every occupation in the game (miner, pirate, bounty hunter, mercenery, trader, smuggler, industrialist, explorer, spy and so on) it should exists an own mechanics and gameplay opportunities which makes these life interesting and varied. So very character in real life can use his or her features to play his or her own style or a whole other style. This would result in whole new contant into they game instead of just working on shiny new superficialities. So this PvP-arena or competion/duell stuff dies and the universe becomes more alive. The sandbox would become a second life. This is what I could imagine EVE Online needs to become. So solo player and group player have their opportunities to enjoy the game and maybe become a legendary pirate, bounty hunter or mogul or the second "Illusive Man/Mitani".

The problem is whithout these "push"-mechanics which lead the players on the ways they want the sandbox stays static, in my eyes. In real life you also have theses pushes which lead you on good or bad ways. Opportunities, choices, decisions, experiences and so on. EVE need more of that. A lot more.