Wednesday, August 18, 2010 (21:35:03)
What is EVE online (EVE)?
EVE is a massively multiplayer 'sandbox' game in the truest sense.
To date, there is no game that can house as many players online (50,000 or more) at once on a single server and boast the incredible universe size that EVE can (it takes days to cross).
EVE pits your wits and your ship (your avatar), against other players and the amassed universe.
In EVE you are free to become what you wish. You can become the territorial pirate who fights for their own portion of space dust, the charismatic leader directing others to fight towards a common goal, or the miserly trader who spends their life on the go in the seat of some of the universes most massive ships moving product from system to system for profit (more EVE professions).
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What is EVE online (EVE)?
EVE is a massively multiplayer 'sandbox' game in the truest sense.
To date, there is no game that can house as many players online (50,000 or more) at once on a single server and boast the incredible universe size that EVE can (it takes days to cross).
EVE pits your wits and your ship (your avatar), against other players and the amassed universe.
In EVE you are free to become what you wish. You can become the territorial pirate who fights for their own portion of space dust, the charismatic leader directing others to fight towards a common goal, or the miserly trader who spends their life on the go in the seat of some of the universes most massive ships moving product from system to system for profit (more EVE professions).
The above are only a small fraction of what you can do. There are literally thousands of choices of which paths to take and its up to you to prioritize. However, whatever choice you make - it is yours to make.
Time is your only restriction. What will you train today to become tomorrow?
What is the skill progression like?
Skill progression is completely real time. Unlike some other MMO's you are able to train offline towards a goal. For instance, if you were to be working towards becoming a miner and you needed to have the skill Mining IV to use a certain tool. You could set your training to begin learning Mining I, II, III and eventually IV - up too whatever you can begin training within a 24 hour window.
Some skills take many months to train whereas others take fifteen minutes. Theoretically doesn't need to play the game to train skills, but there isn't much fun in just training. One needs to earn the ISK (the money in EVE) in order to purchase the skill books to learn the skills.
Is there Player versus Player combat? How does PvP work?
Yes, there is PvP combat.
EVE is structured in security ratings. When you first log into game and see your avatar / ship on the screen, you will notice that in the upper left hand corner there is a rating - 1.0. Space is rated 1.0 - 0.0. The space that is 1.0-0.5 is considered high security or "high sec". In this space players generally leave other players alone, though there are exceptions. In anything 0.4-0.1 (low sec) and 0.0 (null sec) players are fair game and there are little to no game penalties for players when they kill others.
However, there is an active bounty system in which if another player is annoying you and/or has killed you, you have the ability to place a bounty on their heads. This system, though exploitable, is interesting to see in action. The most nefarious players actually get their pictures and names placed on Concord (the security / police of the universe) billboards throughout high sec for all to see, which goes without saying is quite the bragging right. Anyone can take their bounty from a stations bounty office and track them down for the reward.
Players can not only kill your avatar (ship) they can "pod kill" you, which if you don't have an active sufficient clone, could potentially set you back to literally the beginning. Smart aware players triumph in the world of EVE.
Is there player looting?
Yes.
Not only can other players loot your ships wreck, they can salvage it and reduce your ship to space dust. Everything you had on your ship that wasn't blown up in the explosion, is free to loot.
Is there player housing?
Like Ultima Online and/or Lord of the Rings, EVE does not have player housing. However players get virtually limitless storage in any one of the thousands of space stations throughout the verse. There are many tools within the game that let you track and search through your belongings to find what you are looking for, but was said earlier, EVE is massive - it takes time to get from station to station and system to system. It is generally best to keep your belongings within close range so as to have whatever you need at your fingertips to succeed.
Is the game a single server and/or shards?
EVE is a single server game. CCP (the game developers) boast upwards of fifty thousand players at once online. There are no shard / servers, but space is divided up by system and gates, which function as the 'seams' in the Universe. However, one might think that with that many players online on a single server there would be tremendous lag - really though, that's not the case. There is little to no lag in the game unless you are in the highest populated areas.
The population of EVE's population is dwarfed by the sheer enormity of it. You can travel through space and never see another soul for hours.
What is the general population like?
Much like any other MMO - it varies. EVE is one of the largest MMO games in the world. If you are playing you will see chatty folks, silent folks, goading arsehats, griefers, etc. etc. Find yourself a good corporation (guild) and stick with them. They can watch your back and you can watch theirs.
How do the graphics / sound rate in comparison to modern MMO's?
Metacritic rates EVE as an 88. (World of Warcraft is a 93 comparatively). Though EVE is an older game its graphics were recently upgraded to Dx10 and its sound / music is a mix between new age trance and some rock. In my opinion the sound track and sounds of the game are engaging and fitting for the universe.
In conclusion ...
It has been said that EVE online is an MMO for the hardcore of the hardcore. There are few games like EVE where you can literally lose everything in the blink of an eye. Additionally, there are few games where one could spend months studying graphs of market data within the game and make a fortune.
Though the following graphic is meant to be a humorous analogy, it is sadly, apt.
(note: The most recent expansions have drastically improved the new player tutorials, so the above is not quite as true as it once was.)
EVE is an acquired taste. If you don't care if your ship is your avatar and that you'll likely never be able to visibly dance about, fist pump, yell, sword thrust or look down the sight of your rifle to "headshot" someone - then EVE might likely be for you.
Curious?
Start here: Free 14-day trial
Let us know if you decide to pick it up. If you do join us by posting on our forums and joining us in game via our OI channel.
- Posted by: Sin
- Topic: Eve Online