Into EVE
I write this as my new Frigate know as the Navitas circles an asteroid in the Bourynes Solar System. My ship is currently mining some Condensed Scordite while my character is learning a Learning Skill. You see, I have been playing EVE Online for only a matter of days and already I am getting into it. This is a game where you can sit back and relax while you let things happen. Of course I am not relaxed, I am still nervous and fearing that something is going to go drastically wrong.
Already I have bought this Navitas and left behind my starting ship. Was this a wise choice? I hope it was, I am sure that there are many EVE players who would tell me that I should have kept going with the starting ship until I was ready to move onto bigger and better things than my Navitas. However I have already made back nearly 1/4 of the ISK I spent on my Navitas.
I think I shall continue along this path for a few days, mining some asteroids while learning new skills. If I continue in this fashion I hope to be able to make the step up to another bigger, better ship from which I will be able to travel further, mine more and just do more things within this game which has already struck me with its sheer size.
I was talking to my buddy Seni’ath earlier and I mentioned how I felt like a small being within a giant world. Seni’ath has been playing for a few months now so I assume he knows what he is doing and has a place in the world. Yet he still said that at times he gets the feeling of being a small cog within a giant machine.
Is this something that puts me off? No. I already know that I can work away in my small area of the galaxy, in 1.0 space and not have to worry about being targeted by the many Corporations that run EVE.
Corporations and such like are what attracted me to EVE in the first place. I have read many pieces (mainly by Jim Rossignol in PC Gamer) of work that talk about the world of EVE, the role played by the various Corporations, Alliances and even the many non-affiliated players. There is a very real sense of freedom within EVE. It feels like the players are having an impact on the game and are able to influence events.
Is this what makes EVE unique among MMORPGs? I think it is, unlike games such a World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online you play in the knowledge that one day you can have a profound impact on the game world itself. This is similar to what Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is setting out to do.
By giving players the chance to actually impact upon the game world the developers of EVE have created a game that has much more depth than others. I again come back to the point that I am able to orbit an asteroid in safe 1.0 space comfortable in the knowledge that I can slowly work on my skills and mine minerals which I will be able to refine and sell for some ISK. I know that while I am doing this, there are going to be Corporations out there which are stuck in eternal conflict with each other. These are conflicts which will have an impact upon anyone and everyone in the game as different parts of the game world come under control of different groups.
I will say that EVE has already grabbed my attention in the way that no other MMORPG that I have played has been able to do. It just has a feeling that makes you want to play and play. However it has that one vice that all MMORPGs seem to have, monthly fees. I fear that once my trial ends I will have to put the game aside. I do however hope to have some adventures in the meantime.
Back to those asteroids for me.
Tags: EVE Online