never played EvE, but i will try it; im bored to tears to be honest.
edit: and thanks for the suggestions
Also my equal first piece of advice: find a bunch of people who are doing what you want to do in the game, and join them. You may need to achieve some goals before they let you join. That's OK: now you have your immediate goals.
Big thing is, get into a start corp right away. Community is KEY to enjoying EvE. You don't have to be always active ala WoW, but having more experienced people to ask questions and show you things really, REALLY helps. You can play this game alone, and with the right build /cough Caldari.../cough, you can enjoy a good chunk of the PVE content. If you want to PvP, especially as a newbie, get into a decent corp/alliance/coalition and get thee to Null Sec. It can be crazy, but it's heart pounding fun just making the trip there. Just remember these rules:
1) There is NO such thing as a fair fight in EvE.
2) There is NO honor in EvE. (ref: Rule 1)
3) Never fly a ship you can't afford to lose.
4) Other than actual hacking or gold farming, everything is fair game in EvE. The quickest way to make a buck is to lie, cheat and steal.
5) Be careful who you piss off today, they could be the guy warp scrambling your brand new assault frigate tomorrow. Yes, people can find where you are in this game.
6) UPDATE YOUR CLONE AS SOON AS YOU START PLAYING AND AFTER EACH DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7) Ship insurance - Go get some!
8) Do the game tutorials. They take a bite out of the learning curve.
That's all I can think of right now, though there are loads more that will pop up as I stop trying to think of them all.
For those worried about being ganked as soon as you undock , theres one rule to remember...
Nothing in Eve is free and if it says it is its a trap!
(Do not take anything from cans named "Free Stuff", taking things from someone elses can makes you a criminal to them and they can and will shoot you)
I've known people who've tried Eve 6 or 7 times before they got it, dont think just because you didnt get it last time, you'll never get it.
Dont expect to be able to solo everything in the game, you can't, its that simple. Eve is a social game, join a player corp, make friends, you'll have a lot more fun that way.
First time back in 2009, I had to quit the game in 10 minues due to the font size. I hardly could read anything on a 16inch screen! fast forward 2011, about 10 days back I saw EVE for $5 on Steam. I was bored to death with fantasy MMO killing orcs, spiders and what not (cancled Rift, left lotro at 61, still working on 49/50 in Guild wars). So I thought what the hell, lets try again, this time on 22 inch 1080p. Fired up the game with 21 days trial. Font size is still the issue (though I heard it's being worked on) but after playing some 6 hours I jumped on the EVE and grabed the Steam Deal! It is the most unique experience and most original MMO I've ever played. As per Steam, I played 93 Hours in 10 days!
It also took me several tries before Eve got me. First trial lasted only a few days. A good 6 months later I had a sudden urge to play and started a new trial but only played for a month. I set Eve aside and then three months later I was in Eve again. Occasionally I lapse a month but Eve keeps pulling me back, I will just wake up one morning thinking of Eve.
But yea.. I enjoyed the write up, I think your writing skill has improved since the last time too. I like the way you slightly over dramatised the bastard pirate story
I did wonder when you said "so I undocked..." I thought, well ok, he's must have just skipped the part about fitting weapons since he's played before.
kinda of hard to beleive that you ever did play Eve for two months before if you forgot about that. As I recal the last series you wrote had a pongy whiff of BS about it, but I accept now that its just for entertainment and not to be taken as a real experience.
Having had to trial EvE like 4-5 times before I truly got into it I can tell any new person a couple of things.
1) Get into a solid Corp who shares your playing time (crucial) and has the same objectives as you (Missions, PvP, Pirate, Nullsec, Mining, Industry etc). This is the single most important part about getting into EvE. The drama and meta-politics of nullsec are what dragged me in. The Corp I joined this last time opened that up for me. A general rule of thumb, if they don't have an interviewing/waiting period, they are probably not worth getting into imo.
2) Approach EvE as a hobby, not a game you're trying to beat. You won't beat the game. If you go into the game trying to fly the best ship with the biggest gun and blah blah, you're going to be sorely disappointed. If you approach the game as a hobby learning the ins and outs of the little ships, medium sized ships, etc etc.. not only will that facilitate learning the game better, but it will prevent you from feeling the "i'll never catch up" bit that some people suffer from.
3) Nullsec is entirely different game from empire (highsec). I was completely blown away with how much more fun, meaningful, and exciting things were once I shipped off to nullsec. It completely opened up the game for me.
And for the bad - Things I dislike about the game.
1) Cloaky douchebags. Can't stand how badly they affect the game. You can't do any ratting in your systems because your enemies are leaving some cloaked up idiot idle in your systems 23/7. I wish you could build a structure in a system you had sov that randomly emmitted an EMP pulse that would decloak. This way active cloakers could still be effective, but AFK idiots would be scanned down and nuked.
There are other little things, but I guess that's my main gripe with the game.
Awesome. I like a writer who actually plays the games for a lenghty time. I want to hear more because it was just getting interesting.
As for EVE I have never tried it, some of it is disliking free pvp, and the other is for all the articles I have read I can't seem to find my purpose in the game. Still I am beeing told over and over, you have to play EVE to understand it... so I just might, later this year
I had similar experiences with EVE as many posters here. Now in my 3rd or 4th time with EVE, and with much want to fall in love with this game, I think it finally happened. I can now see myself sticking with it, the overwhelming feeling of being new isn't as devastating as in the past.
Just started a 14 day trial. I'm having tons of fun with the tutorial missions, and looking forward to expanding beyond them. What sorts of professions are there besides combat and mining to work towards?
Important facts: 1. Free to Play games are poorly made. 2. Casuals are not all idiots, but idiots call themselves casuals. 3. Great solo and group content are not mutually exclusive, but they suffer when one is shoved into the mold of the other. The same is true of PvP and PvE. 4. Community is more important than you think.
"You don't have enough skill points"...."You can't fly [Insert ship name here]"
2 statements I often heard in Eve that roadblocked me from trying the things I wanted to try. I won't be returning, what's the point?
yer that reminds me. when i start a new mmo. I need to complain because I cant fit into end game raiding gear straight away even though i've only just started and dont have the required skills or levels... oh wait. thats because its an mmo, something you need to invest time in to get to the things you want
"Invest time in" is the key point here isn't it? Investing time is what Eve is all about, but in relation to how many sp you have or what you can fly this isn't about effort, it's just about waiting while the skills train. And while the real time based system has many positives, it also has a big negative (at least for me) and that is just having to wait for skills. I don't mind working for something so it's earned and deserved, but I do mind waiting around.
Of course I am not talking about making a leap from newbie to end gamer. A system of progression (and learning the game through trial and error) is fine and Eve has that too. But it is the case that many players of Eve come up against corp requirements that they can't meet and it's frustrating. Frustrating because you can't do anything to meet them except wait, and usually you feel like you wasted time training the wrong stuff because you didn't know any different at the time
I'll give you an example. I had 2 accounts in Eve - one for PVP and one for industrial stuff. The PVP toon got turned down twice for corps, once because I needed 25 mil sp and I had 19 mil and second because I couldn't fly Minmatar BS or T2 as I had trained Caldari and Amarr (Caldari so I could use a CNR for missions). That's frustrating. I wouldn't have minded being a suicide tackler or flying logistics or whatever, but the no was because I lacked something they wanted from all their pilots.
An isolated incident? Perhaps, although I had several other roadblocks due to a lack of skills in particular areas or number of skill points and in the end it frustrated me. I did put time in to Eve but felt as if I got absolutely nowhere despite that.
I am no Eve hater. I think the game is immensely beautiful and engaging and that's why I got frustrated, because I wanted to play, but couldn't find a niche. I think it is a game that is very hard on newer players in not helping you to get a feel for where you want to go, and finding a corp to suit you seems to be a tough job.
Yea I tried it, did the tutorials , waited in line to get interviewd and join the main noob corp-cant remember the name right now, and then waited in line to go out on a corp noob PvP training mission and then waited in line for something else, and then flew around in so called dangerous space and did not see a single soul, and waited around to do some other training class so I could understand game better and then corp went ot war so could not do certaing stuff but had to wait around to get involved some way in war, but to low of a noob to get much involved................In other words it sucked for me bad, but may be different for someone else, if you like your mmo very slow and deliberate then this may be for you. What one of the writers said about the tiny font very true, little dots that is your goal-now go get im.
Comments
Dont worry about what you can't do yet. Focus on what you can do now.
Give me liberty or give me lasers
Also my equal first piece of advice: find a bunch of people who are doing what you want to do in the game, and join them. You may need to achieve some goals before they let you join. That's OK: now you have your immediate goals.
Give me liberty or give me lasers
Took me three tries before it "clicked"...
And believe me, when it clicks, you'll know it
Big thing is, get into a start corp right away. Community is KEY to enjoying EvE. You don't have to be always active ala WoW, but having more experienced people to ask questions and show you things really, REALLY helps. You can play this game alone, and with the right build /cough Caldari.../cough, you can enjoy a good chunk of the PVE content. If you want to PvP, especially as a newbie, get into a decent corp/alliance/coalition and get thee to Null Sec. It can be crazy, but it's heart pounding fun just making the trip there. Just remember these rules:
1) There is NO such thing as a fair fight in EvE.
2) There is NO honor in EvE. (ref: Rule 1)
3) Never fly a ship you can't afford to lose.
4) Other than actual hacking or gold farming, everything is fair game in EvE. The quickest way to make a buck is to lie, cheat and steal.
5) Be careful who you piss off today, they could be the guy warp scrambling your brand new assault frigate tomorrow. Yes, people can find where you are in this game.
6) UPDATE YOUR CLONE AS SOON AS YOU START PLAYING AND AFTER EACH DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7) Ship insurance - Go get some!
8) Do the game tutorials. They take a bite out of the learning curve.
That's all I can think of right now, though there are loads more that will pop up as I stop trying to think of them all.
Nice write-up. I have always considered playing EVE but I keep hearing the horror stories of the learning curve.
For those worried about being ganked as soon as you undock , theres one rule to remember...
Nothing in Eve is free and if it says it is its a trap!
(Do not take anything from cans named "Free Stuff", taking things from someone elses can makes you a criminal to them and they can and will shoot you)
I've known people who've tried Eve 6 or 7 times before they got it, dont think just because you didnt get it last time, you'll never get it.
Dont expect to be able to solo everything in the game, you can't, its that simple. Eve is a social game, join a player corp, make friends, you'll have a lot more fun that way.
F2P/P2P excellent thread.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/282517/F2P-An-Engineers-perspective.html
Took me 2nd try to get into this master piece!
First time back in 2009, I had to quit the game in 10 minues due to the font size. I hardly could read anything on a 16inch screen! fast forward 2011, about 10 days back I saw EVE for $5 on Steam. I was bored to death with fantasy MMO killing orcs, spiders and what not (cancled Rift, left lotro at 61, still working on 49/50 in Guild wars). So I thought what the hell, lets try again, this time on 22 inch 1080p. Fired up the game with 21 days trial. Font size is still the issue (though I heard it's being worked on) but after playing some 6 hours I jumped on the EVE and grabed the Steam Deal! It is the most unique experience and most original MMO I've ever played. As per Steam, I played 93 Hours in 10 days!
It also took me several tries before Eve got me. First trial lasted only a few days. A good 6 months later I had a sudden urge to play and started a new trial but only played for a month. I set Eve aside and then three months later I was in Eve again. Occasionally I lapse a month but Eve keeps pulling me back, I will just wake up one morning thinking of Eve.
I'm kind of dumb, and I'm usually drunk when I play, and I manage OK. It's not that bad
Give me liberty or give me lasers
wtf is with all this spam about womens clothes?
But yea.. I enjoyed the write up, I think your writing skill has improved since the last time too. I like the way you slightly over dramatised the bastard pirate story
I did wonder when you said "so I undocked..." I thought, well ok, he's must have just skipped the part about fitting weapons since he's played before.
kinda of hard to beleive that you ever did play Eve for two months before if you forgot about that. As I recal the last series you wrote had a pongy whiff of BS about it, but I accept now that its just for entertainment and not to be taken as a real experience.
Having had to trial EvE like 4-5 times before I truly got into it I can tell any new person a couple of things.
1) Get into a solid Corp who shares your playing time (crucial) and has the same objectives as you (Missions, PvP, Pirate, Nullsec, Mining, Industry etc). This is the single most important part about getting into EvE. The drama and meta-politics of nullsec are what dragged me in. The Corp I joined this last time opened that up for me. A general rule of thumb, if they don't have an interviewing/waiting period, they are probably not worth getting into imo.
2) Approach EvE as a hobby, not a game you're trying to beat. You won't beat the game. If you go into the game trying to fly the best ship with the biggest gun and blah blah, you're going to be sorely disappointed. If you approach the game as a hobby learning the ins and outs of the little ships, medium sized ships, etc etc.. not only will that facilitate learning the game better, but it will prevent you from feeling the "i'll never catch up" bit that some people suffer from.
3) Nullsec is entirely different game from empire (highsec). I was completely blown away with how much more fun, meaningful, and exciting things were once I shipped off to nullsec. It completely opened up the game for me.
And for the bad - Things I dislike about the game.
1) Cloaky douchebags. Can't stand how badly they affect the game. You can't do any ratting in your systems because your enemies are leaving some cloaked up idiot idle in your systems 23/7. I wish you could build a structure in a system you had sov that randomly emmitted an EMP pulse that would decloak. This way active cloakers could still be effective, but AFK idiots would be scanned down and nuked.
There are other little things, but I guess that's my main gripe with the game.
Awesome. I like a writer who actually plays the games for a lenghty time. I want to hear more because it was just getting interesting.
As for EVE I have never tried it, some of it is disliking free pvp, and the other is for all the articles I have read I can't seem to find my purpose in the game. Still I am beeing told over and over, you have to play EVE to understand it... so I just might, later this year
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
Welcome back Adam. I enjoyed your first Eve series and I'm looking forward to this one.
I had similar experiences with EVE as many posters here. Now in my 3rd or 4th time with EVE, and with much want to fall in love with this game, I think it finally happened. I can now see myself sticking with it, the overwhelming feeling of being new isn't as devastating as in the past.
This is probably the best advice yet for people who hav only played other MMORPGs.
Give me liberty or give me lasers
Just started a 14 day trial. I'm having tons of fun with the tutorial missions, and looking forward to expanding beyond them. What sorts of professions are there besides combat and mining to work towards?
Important facts:
1. Free to Play games are poorly made.
2. Casuals are not all idiots, but idiots call themselves casuals.
3. Great solo and group content are not mutually exclusive, but they suffer when one is shoved into the mold of the other. The same is true of PvP and PvE.
4. Community is more important than you think.
"Invest time in" is the key point here isn't it? Investing time is what Eve is all about, but in relation to how many sp you have or what you can fly this isn't about effort, it's just about waiting while the skills train. And while the real time based system has many positives, it also has a big negative (at least for me) and that is just having to wait for skills. I don't mind working for something so it's earned and deserved, but I do mind waiting around.
Of course I am not talking about making a leap from newbie to end gamer. A system of progression (and learning the game through trial and error) is fine and Eve has that too. But it is the case that many players of Eve come up against corp requirements that they can't meet and it's frustrating. Frustrating because you can't do anything to meet them except wait, and usually you feel like you wasted time training the wrong stuff because you didn't know any different at the time
I'll give you an example. I had 2 accounts in Eve - one for PVP and one for industrial stuff. The PVP toon got turned down twice for corps, once because I needed 25 mil sp and I had 19 mil and second because I couldn't fly Minmatar BS or T2 as I had trained Caldari and Amarr (Caldari so I could use a CNR for missions). That's frustrating. I wouldn't have minded being a suicide tackler or flying logistics or whatever, but the no was because I lacked something they wanted from all their pilots.
An isolated incident? Perhaps, although I had several other roadblocks due to a lack of skills in particular areas or number of skill points and in the end it frustrated me. I did put time in to Eve but felt as if I got absolutely nowhere despite that.
I am no Eve hater. I think the game is immensely beautiful and engaging and that's why I got frustrated, because I wanted to play, but couldn't find a niche. I think it is a game that is very hard on newer players in not helping you to get a feel for where you want to go, and finding a corp to suit you seems to be a tough job.
Yea I tried it, did the tutorials , waited in line to get interviewd and join the main noob corp-cant remember the name right now, and then waited in line to go out on a corp noob PvP training mission and then waited in line for something else, and then flew around in so called dangerous space and did not see a single soul, and waited around to do some other training class so I could understand game better and then corp went ot war so could not do certaing stuff but had to wait around to get involved some way in war, but to low of a noob to get much involved................In other words it sucked for me bad, but may be different for someone else, if you like your mmo very slow and deliberate then this may be for you. What one of the writers said about the tiny font very true, little dots that is your goal-now go get im.
"!0K, 9K, 8K. The tension was becoming too much," - as was proof reading...