EVE Online

I thought, being a noob to EVE, I'd take the opportunity in the DT to divulge my thoughts on my first few days playing... Consider it my testimonial, if you will, of why I am now an EVE loyalist.

I didn't think I would like this game this much. It seemed.... overwhelming. Huge. Complex. Intricate. Challenging.

Those were the reasons I first downloaded EVE, gave it a quick spin and then uninstalled it to preserve disk space. I didn't get it at first. It seemed so far beyond my understanding. But, then again, I wasn't really listening to what EVE was telling me.

After reinstalling EVE and deciding to give it another go, I merrily created a Caldari character, played through the tutorial, amassing some fun weapons, modules, and other things, and joined a corporation. I thought, hey, this is pretty easy. It's fun, kinda care-free, and entertaining. I was roaming around my home system, doing some mining and doing some scattered agent missions, when I was sent a message by our CEO, stating that he recommended I relocate to their home system as soon as I could, since our allies and support were there.

Sounded easy enough to me. So I gathered my belongings from the hangar, loaded them onto my shiny new Merlin, and began the massive 11-jump journey to my soon-to-be new home. Being new to the game, I thought, "okay this will take a while. I'll go AFK to do the dishes while it jumps."

Needless to say, I found out rather quickly how misguided that was.

As I finished the dishes, I came back to find that I hadn't even made it three jumps before I was gutted and podkilled without warning. It took a moment to sink in, but I suddenly realized... I just lost everything I owned. My new ship was gone. All my cargo, modules, skillbooks, tritanium, all of it was gone. I was furious at first. I had no idea what to do. I had very little ISK, fortunately a new Ibis (thanks to my insurance policy), and no modules at all. For about an hour after that, I gave up  on EVE.

But I eventually came to this conclusion: this felt more real to me than anything I'd ever experienced in WoW. I experienced a near total loss. I literally felt like I had lost something. If I died in WoW, no big deal. All my gear was in tact, and all I had to do was go fetch my corpse, but this.... this was different.

The more I read the forums and guides, trying to find some answers, I started realizing that everything I did in this game held meaning. Not just to myself, but to others as well. This wasn't a linear romp through the stars. This was an existence. There was true struggle in this realm. True heartbreak from loss. True elation from a hard-fought victory. True paranoia in never feeling safe.

I had to think to survive, not just rely on the mechanics of the world I was playing in to protect me. And that's just it: the vulnerability makes it all too real. If all of this was real life, and you were a new pilot and you were flying around in space trying to learn, you would certainly come across pirates and/or goons who would either kill you for fun or rob you for profit. That's what makes this game so exciting to me: the challenge of survival.

This isn't about amassing the best loot or becoming the best fighter or conquering some dungeon. It's about securing your place in a world where there is no real security. It is a true quest to survive. That, to me, surpasses the typical game experience. It makes this game unique and brilliant.

This is why I am now a loyalist to EVE.

I've read the complaints of many who want a PvE server... but I agree with the cries of others that to strip the game of PvP is to truly strip the game of any meaning. This is a game driven by the players, not the "game masters" or CCP. We decide what happens next. We write our own story, blaze our own trail. And our encounters with others in that universe who may be our friends or foes are what give this game its lifeforce. In some ways, it is truly a second life, a second existence. Granted, yes, it's a game. But, it's very easy to get lost in this world because everything you do here can lead to so many other things. Nothing is terminal. Everything is in perpetual motion, ever-changing, ever-evolving.

Anyway, I'm sure those of you who have been around a long time have heard all of this before. But I felt compelled to praise this game for being what it is: a playground teeming with excitement at every corner of the universe. These are just the ramblings of a noob, but I hope you will welcome me as one of you.

I look forward to growing in this community.

- Talia Mersana

 PS: I realize this is TL;DR fodder... but thanks for making it this far, to those of you who have.

Amen --

In EVE, no one is safe -- no matter how many skills you have, no matter what equipment you have -- EVER.

It is all about the risk...

When the hair stands up on the back of your neck... and your hand starts shaking on the mouse... that is what seperates EVE from the pack...

~ Wydo

Spot on man!  I too am semi new to EVE but I agree with your post 100%.

 ~Cheers

I`d be surprised if you got no support from the Corp you joined, most will freely advise you

I run 2 player Corps, and help out as much as I can

I have been playing Eve for a long time, and have noticed it must be harder for the new players, as the game has grown more complex. At least the tutorials actually teach you a few things now...

Being a Eve player myself. That is why Eve is such a fun game. Very well writen assesment of Eve.

Welcome to EvE

OP was spot on. I am also a new player and I couldnt write a better assesment of my experience.

I have tried countless mmo's since 2001 and have never found one that held my interest like Eve.  Too many mmo's these days try to hold a players hand and tell them what to do next....in eve you simply to what you want when you want to do it. You can be good, bad, sneaky, even dishonest.

It is truely a testament to the game that I enjoy it so much because I am in no way a sci fi fan.

Don't forget you can also loot your targets wreck for what is not destroyed with the ship.

If people want a pve server the closest option is to just stay in high security space. Don't anyone hold their breath for a EVE PVE server.

Just next time you have a long trip switch your map autopilot to "Safest route" instead of "Shortest" By default it is set to shortest.

Also remember your attackable with no NPC police protection in security areas 0.4 to 0.0

0.5 to 1.0 unless your corp/alliance is at war, the police will pop anyone attacking you (Although if they feel like suiciding to get you they still have that option).

There are other rules to High sec fighting like if you steal someones cargo can they can attack you, so be carefull.

If you find your corp is not teaching you well enough, feel free to look up the player corp "EVE University". They are a great corpfor new players to learn the ropes in all areas of EVE.