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[General Article] EVE Online: E3 2013 - The EVE Universe Marches On
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
During E3 last week, we caught up with CCP Games to talk about EVE Online and what the team has in store for the now-decade old title. The times are a-changing in many exciting ways as you'll see in our preview. Read on and then leave your thoughts in the comments.
EVE will be branching out into other mediums this year with a comic book series by Dark Horse and a source book covering the history and universe of the game. The biggest push is for players to submit their own true stories which will be covered in these other mediums. Not to mention a future television show highlighting some of the past moments that players had over their ten year experience. CCP said that it is better to take the true stories of players in the game and build the fiction around those events rather than just starting fresh with new material. If you are a decade long EVE player you may soon see your story on television.
Read more of Garrett Fuller's EVE Online: The EVE Universe Marches On.
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Now playing in theaters:
Band of Brothers: A Spaceship Story
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
The second training slot is nice for training a character up for a specific task then stopping. This way you only have to pay for a few months while you train then you don't have to pay anymore. With a second account you have to keep paying to use the account. The obvious drawback is that you can't have both logged in at the same time.
I love that they are adding more books and shows that explore the lore behind the Eve universe. Reading the novels is what got me interested in the game in the first place. The lore is very deep and well done. I'm excited to read more about it.
I didn't mind the former scanning method. Could be frustrating at times, but therefore more rewarding. Nonetheless, a good update.
It's funny that the Captain's Quarters are now optional, and I never use them. Though when they added it, I thought: Cool, my avatar is more than a portrait! But it doesn't add anything to gameplay, and as I have come to find out, nothing to immersion.
Karttoon, not Goonswarm, and he left to Goons after that, they have claimed to be the masterminds behind this, which is false.
Those are Darius'Johnson's and Mittani's greatest frustrations, Bob (and later IT) self destructed, and all those goons are frustrated they couldn't do it.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
Really? Really?? I think it adds *a lot* to immersion, at least to me. And you can't overestimate how important the CQ is to new players. It's huge.
Oh, and the CQ have been optional for some time--the ability to disable them was not added in Odyssey.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair.
Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D
Play EVE for free for 21 days
"Hey mister, you have a weird growth on your back..."
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
I don't want to conquer the 'universe' by myself.
I just want to play in it by myself, and have a selection of goals attainable and beneficiary to a lone wolf. I want to do this without having to pay them for 2+ accounts.
I want to be able to go exploring (scanning) and when I find something, I would like to actually go there and see it. If there are ships, I would like to be able to enter combat. If I win, I would like to be able to loot my rewards. But I can't, because there are some things in EVE that are simply just OVERLY thought out. To do what I just described requires 3 different ships. Each one of which would have to be switched at each step.
1 ship specialized for scanning sites (avg $20-$30 mill isk)
1 ship for combat in these sites (avg $70-$200 mill isk)
1 ship to loot and salvage (avg $50-$100 mill isk)
- I am a veteran player, so the isk isn't an issue. The issue is I shouldn't have to go dock and switch ships 3 fucking times to achieve something that in a 'reasonable' advanced technological future, I could do in 1 ship, with perhaps a time investment.
The issue here, especially now that exploration is the new hotness, (and thus, even more crowded and overpopulated than before) is that while I am a 'regular' player who pays for 1 account (reasonable, as far as I'm concerned) I lose almost everything I spent time searching for while enroute back and forth between switching ships and the sites I find to players that have multiple accounts.
When I voice this, I get cruel responses immediately, mostly hovering around "Well, pay for another account so you can use multiple ships at the same time" -- No, I will not fork out more money so that I can adjust to a bad design. MMORPGs have active developers. Changes are always made, updates, patches, fixes, retooling and redesigning. This is something EVE has been presented with for years, and they ignore it. I've submitted other ideas that in the end turned out being (what they thought) was a good idea and such changes were implemented. One example of this is the Armor Shifting Hardener they added last expansion.
So, I won't accept "learn 2 activate more accounts" as a reasonable solution.
I love EVE, and i like CCP. But, I always end up cancelling my sub because of the virtual impossibility of me being able to log in and do shit without waiting for a militant corporate fleet to support me doing it.
I love how massive EVE is, and I love the player content and control, but I would like just SOME table scraps thrown to those of us that can't spend 12 hrs a day in an alliance.
They push the same fluff in all of their trailers and ads, "EVE is cold, lonely, dark, vast, epic, brutal, etc" yet, they don't really have an answer to "well, i'm alone in this vast universe. What is there for me to do?" The consensus: "Join a corp" Me: "I am in a Corp. and I like the people in it. But sometimes I just don't wanna do stuff with the corp. Sometimes I want to do things at my own pace or on my own time" Consensus: "Join a corp" .... can anyone feel me on this?
Fly a Tengu ^^
iam not trolling, it can fit dps / scan / covert ops so you are basicly undetected bar Local.
You can scan site's
You can loot the lewt
You can nuke the pirates
I know its not perfect, but if your willing to learn to fly this ship then all those options you mentioned opens up in just 1 ship.
it aint perfect but its the best you can get to do all shit you wanne do
Having played some 7 years with a few breaks inbetween, but aslong as they don't change supercaps, sovereignity-system, jumpbridges/jumpfreighters and moon-mining I won't be coming back.
All they add is good for people who like PvE and some casual PvP, but 0.0 is totally boring these days as the gamemechanics make it too static.
I definitely know what you're saying. I feel the same way. I've played EVE for 7 years, and while I've been in corps, I've pretty much done my own thing due to schedules and time constraints.
I've been exploring for 5 of those years, always solo. I continue to do so. Like the previous poster mentioned, any of the strategic cruisers are fine for solo exploring. Personally, I prefer something cheaper, especially in low and null sec where I spent most of my time, so I outfit all-in-one Ishtars or Vexors. They can do the job at most sites, and you don't *need* anyone with you. Fly safe!
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair.
Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D
Play EVE for free for 21 days
Thanks for the constructive responses.
I can fly all race's T3 Cruisers.
I currently have a Tengu and a Proteus (prot for PVP -- unfortunately, the most laid back and fun corp i've found is a Pirate corp. Go figure)
I find that I can't really fit the Tengu to do the 3 necessary things for exploration if I go below .3 or .2 sec systems. Basically, once I have battleships to deal with (or Interceptors for that matter) I simply don't have the DPS output to handle it. The tank is fine, but 2 highslots are used for a probe launcher and a cloak.... That taxes my dps so much, I can't imagine how I'm supposed to do harder sites in these ships. So, with my 1.2bill (cheap fitted) T3 ships, I still can't freely go exploring without still having to stay in range of a bigger hitting ship.
Blah, there are plenty who would read this and miss the point. It probably just sounds like whining and some noob that wants the "uber ultimate pew pew ship" but those of you (2 of you so far) who understand where I'm coming from know that I am not looking for that, and what I am looking for/wanting from CCP is not unreasonable.
Thanks again for your suggestions regarding Tengu (T3) ships, but, unfortunately, even as it somewhat a solution, it's a very expensive and under-performing solution I've already tried, and that leaves me wanting.
I got my hopes up when they announced the "exploration ship" but that ship is TERRIBLE and even less useful than fitting up any other BC to do the same thing.
*sigh* It's so ridiculous that in this "lonely, cold, dark" world, we aren't expected to be alone.
I have to agree with you, Sunshadow21 -- The ship balancing has been going well. But, that is mostly to address over utilized and under utilized ships. Too many people flying Rifters, Drakes, etc... the flavor of the year ships. Other ships [assets that took a lot of time and work] are being completely under-used or not used at all. The rebalancing helps promote using something different. "Shaking things up" if you will....
Unfortunately, that won't trickle down to the over-specialized nature of ship roles any time soon, imo.
I've been submitting to them for years (yes, YEARS) about this issue of solo play being a myth. (on one account) and never have I seen any real answer or approach to this.. and forget about a "response". I stopped expecting responses to these types of issues from CCP. They leave it to their player-base to flame anyone who questions their dogma.
Fact of the matter is, EVE is the only MMORPG where one cannot activate an account and perform any tasks (undocked) without the support of a corp/alliance. This is a broad statement that isn't supposed to be taken in the extreme literal fashion, so I don't wanna hear from the exceptional-ists that are probably burning to say "You're 100% wrong. Here's a list of things you can do solo: Market trade, industry, etc etc etc etc" It's a space game with heavy combat in it's design. Don't tell me it's ok for them to design it to be an off-limits zone to those that don't have multiple accounts. That's a copout, and it's a copout I should be hearing from CCP, not fellow players.
CCP have told this time and time again, that EvE isn't ment to be played solo. EvE is heavily in favour for groups.
Look at the new scanning-sites and the way the loot gets thrown into space... if you run them solo then you won't get all the loot.
EvE promotes specialization, because CCP wants a group of specialists to work together to get a job done, and I speak for the higher tier content, not the high-sec-stuff.
Mining in 0.0 requires miners, haulers and combat-ships to defend the mining-op.
Scansites in 0.0 require a scanner/hacker (covert Ops) and someone to clear the site of NPCs.
Running missions in 0.0 requires combatships/haulers/etc and someone for the intel to identify threats.
EvE isn't designed to be played alone, and it never will be. The one thing CCP will tell you in that regard is: HTFU.
Nope. It's their 'fallback' response for a lack of design efforts.
Watch the Butterfly effect trailer. They promote new players joining (by themselves) and having a great adventure. Allbeit, still promoting flying with friends and such, but .... come on dude.... Everyone joins EVE alone. It's a videogame. It's also an MMORPG... the last decent one too.
It's a sandbox. It's open world. It's freedom. It's just that they have no idea how to present content/activities for people in between fleets. That, and/or they don't want to fund the development.
Yes, they heavily promote group activity. Yes, it's a multiplayer game that isn't supposed to be played "fully" solo.
But, it's also a game where you start out by yourself. All career agents teach you how to do stuff by yourself. All ships are flown by yourself. MOTHER SHIPS and COMMAND SHIPS are flown by 1 capsuleer (yeah, 1 dude plugged in controls all the functions of a space craft the size of a small country) yet, this is a future where ships can only do 1 thing at a time.
Dunno what HTFU, but I'm going to assume it's a snarky or rude comment akin to "RTFM" or "GTFO" --- that's fine. very cute. But, I disagree all the same. No videogame unless stated PRIOR to purchase should be designed punish people that play by themselves, for any reason, be it work schedule, family, finances, attention span, technical reasons, Roleplaying, etc... It's just not good design dude.
I joined EVE with two friends at the same time. Not everyone joins alone.
Also, exploration in a covert ops frigate is now easy in 0.0 since NPCs were removed from the data(radar) and relic(archaeology) sites.
There's plenty a lone wolf can accomplish, especially if you don't just think about mining and missions.
Perhaps join a corporation with the intention to make off with their valuable blueprints after a while. You have your solo goals then for sure, but still have others to interact with.
There is a strategic cruiser available to each race that can do all of the things you have specified in one build. They are pretty fun. I think they would be exactly what you are looking for for a fun solo experience.
That's the thing though, there is most definitely a way to do what you've described with just a single account. Also you are confusing two things in your post, so let me clarify. What you are referring to are Combat Sites, some you have to scan out, others are warpable to by default.
After the expansion, the actual 'exploration' sites do NOT have spawns to fight with any more.
Therefore 'exploration' -ie Archeology/Hacking sites just need you to have a probe launcher and Data Analyzer and Relic Analyzer modules equipped to do them. Once the loot is opened you don't even need a Tracktor beam, the ship simply pulls the loot that you click on.
As for Combat Sites, that's a different story, they vary in difficulty levels from super easy- can be done in a frigate solo, to super difficult you gonna need like 10 people and possibly a capital ship (when fighting a mothership spawn). Now for what you want to do- with a single account, is totalyl achievable, you just lacked the wits to come up with a solution. So here it is (taking into consideration you stating ISK is not a problem) :
Get a Nightmare, with 4 turrets but the damage bonus of 8, using very little ammo and cap because of only 4 turrets, and having 3 extra high slots, will allow you to put in a probe launcher and two tractor beams. it also has a decent drone bay, therefore along with one set of combat drones, you put in a set of salvage drones, for your salvaging needs.
There you go, you got yourself a versatile ships that ( with top notch skills ) will perform all those roles for you, and in fact you'll be able to solo pretty difficult sites with that one too. And of course you can always train up for a Marauder, which has same versatile capabilities among battleships. As for cruisers, give Force Recon a try, basically will give you all the versatility you need, oh along those lines, you could go for a Strat Cruiser instead, you can configure it in such a way that it will be capable of a little bit of everything without being a master of one.
Now for the biggest misconception you seem to have. There is plenty of soloable content. And plenty of ships that can perform a number of roles simultaneously, feel free to optimize and adapt to that content and 'explore' and play however you like. There is so much actually that I as a solo player have not ran out of things to do ( I have 79mil SP- allows me to do a lot ), however, as this is after all an mmo, the REST of the content is designed for group play, so hey you can get close to soloing it all, but at some point you will hit a ceiling where your efficiency of killing stuff vs time spent on it will drop off, unless you play with others or to stay solo, get more accounts. But that's the thing, nothing is stopping you from getting in there and attempting to do it yourself, with lots of research and preparation you could pull most of it off yourself, it will just take a lot of time and effort. Which is as it should be, because what the heck is the point of an mmo if the content is scaled for one person, then a group comes, wtf is there to do for the group then, and wtf is then the point of the whole thing in the first place.
So adapt and learn, there is always a way, however will require a lot of effort, time and dedication on your part to achieve what multiple people are supposed to work towards.
If you don't have the guts for that challenge, then stop solo playing and find out how to play nicely with others. In EvE you carve out your own destiny, through blood and tears, if you keep sitting in the corner whining, the laser aint gonna mine for you.
http://sigs.griefwatch.net/index.php?kb=LESTUS&name=lestus&template=chaos
First note, HTFU is "Harden the f*ck up", i.e. toughen up or die. Second, the current game mechanics are fine. The fact that they force people to group up in order to do the best stuff or get the best rewards is actually the very best aspect of the game. Being able to successfully overcome those kinds of logistical challenges and get a major reward is both extremely satisfying and very rare at the scale that Eve usually offers.
True, you do start out by yourself. You begin as one tiny insignificant cog with no importance in an absolutely massive machine, and you have to find out where you fit. It's actually quite similar to real life, taking for example when you graduate highschool; what are you going to do? Train more? Go into industry, military, politics?
Have any of the great people in modern history ever done the great things they did completely solo? No. They had teams of people helping them and being directed by them to do these things, and they had to work their way up from the bottom first, proving that they were worthy of that kind of responsibility. The exact same thing happens in Eve Online.
And as for work schedule, family, finances, etc...if you're having those kinds of problems should you really be playing videogames? Real life comes first.
Where's the any key?