Dear Readers: What Am I Missing About EVE Online?
I've lamented often here about the dearth of any themes in MMOGs that aren't swords-and-sorcery. Tabula Rasa could have been something stellar, but it lost its vision and died an early death; there's also Anarchy Online, which was fun back in 2001, but now looks like something beaten up by the ugly stick. If you don't want a fantasy setting you're pretty much limited to comic book heroes-- as a sci-fi nerd, there's a sad lacking of anything science fictiony. And I'm not particularly looking forward to Star Trek Online, either.
One game I come back to time and time again, however, is the long-running EVE Online. EVE is probably the epitome of good sci-fi. It's every Isaac Asimov space opera rolled up into one digital package and pumped over the intertubes. But EVE is a bitch to play. I think you can probably define "hardcore gamer" by the level of excitement you get when you log into the game.
I've had a on/off subscription to EVE for years, although it usually lapses in a short space of time. EVE is a game I want desperately to love and play and enjoy but every time I try, I feel like I've walked into the middle of a group of people laughing over an inside joke and I don't get where the entertainment lies. EVE can be unforgiving if you're a solo player, as the bulk of it lies in epic fleet warfare requiring the synchronization of a large group of players. While there are things to do on your own, my experiences with mining are about as interesting as I suspect spending hours inside an actual mine would be.
So to those of you out there who have spent a lot of time with it, what can I do? I've attempted to join player-run corps in the past, but my interest usually diminishes pretty quickly. EVE is a game I very much want to love, but unlike other games like World of Warcraft, it's always lacked the hook that pulls me in to an addictive degree. So, dear readers, help me get addicted?
mixvio
Posted to MMOs, Miscellany on 17 December 2009
· Comments (6)
Other stuff like this: bored, ccp games, eve, eve online
I like to play a by mining or hauling cargo while I read or do homework. Also, don't be too harsh on STO, I've been having a blast in beta.
EVE Geek checking in!
Although most people will reccomend finding a good corp, there's plenty for the solo player or small group to do.
Unlike games like WoW, there's no clearly defined path to follow. You need to make and pursue your own goals.
Mining is boring if all you do is hop from asteroid belt to asteroid belt. Have you tried mining in wormhole space? This opens up a whole new avenue of gameplay, as you'll need to be exploring and finding the sites on your own. There's significant money to be made on all types of exploration, and significant risk (read as: fun!) as well.
If you're more mathematically inclined, you can try your hand at trading. You can make billions without ever setting foot in a spaceship.
However, I'd reccomend my personal favorite style of solo play: the drug baron. Set up a starbase in a quiet part of low-security space, mine gases and manufacture "boosters". You can then smuggle these drugs into Empire space or 0.0 (the police will try and catch you!). This profession mixes PVP, PVE, mining, and is perfectly accessible for a solo player.
Of course I could write another post entirely about life in an alliance, and fleet warfare, but I'll leave it here for now.
One thing I discovered while trying to catch up to my fiance in WoW (Level 80 is far far away from level 1!) is that single player MMO are boring. Compare playing a MMO to something like Dragon Age, the MMO servers simply can not allocate many cpu cycles to the NPCs.
Eve is suppose to be a niche game. Its focus is on economic and combat pvp. Just like Andrew said, until recently there was no guidance on what to do in the game. The new player experience has been seriously improved in this regard.
I also very much disagree about the bulk of the game being in large scale fleet warfare. Most people in game are in the central empire space.
The best question to ask is what are YOU looking for in a game mixvo :)
Personally, Mixvio, I'm with you. I've tried it, I want to like as I love games like the old Privateer series and Freelancer, but I just can't get into it. The thing for me I think is that it moves too slowly while I've grown to desire a quicker, more dynamic environment, and EVE is just at it's core a more slow paced game.
One thing I want to add. In Eve you can participate with people who have been playing for years in just a couple of weeks. This really differs from WoW where I would need to spend a lot of time grind to 80 to be able to play with my fiance.
I just received an email from CCP offering me 5 days free and a nice new starship if I resubscribed by 6th January. I'm definitely going to take it up :) I've got a Christmas holiday to enjoy after all :)