Returning to EVE Online

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Footnote: Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)

It was inevitable, this return to EVE Online.  My last go ‘round in the dark recesses of New Eden, was nothing if not exciting.  I experienced my first taste of life in a newly formed Corporation caught in the death-throws of a War Declaration.  I fought bravely but noobly along side my Corp-mates.  I tasted the bitter brew of being part of a fleet that was nuked to dust in a single blow.  I raised my training skills high enough to upgrade my ship twice.  And I learned that salvaging earns a very good living before coming to my senses and going back to fantasy MMOs.  I knew when I un-subscribed that I’d be back.

I’ve barely scratched the surface in the sandbox game that is EVE Online.  I was craving fantasy at the time and needed a more directed progression model.  My tastes have been tweaked a bit since then.  I’ve grown tired of the standard MMO fare and have been unable to remain engaged in the games I’ve tried, except for liking Warhammer Online and really enjoying Wizard101.  Playing those two games I’ve seen more about how I can make my own fun and find other adventures besides exploration.  I’ve had as much fun planning my next step in W101 as executing it.   Even more surprising, is how much I enjoyed the casual grouping mechanic for PVE and chaos of large scale combat in Warhammer Online.  In the vacuum left by leaving my other fantasy subscriptions, I think I’m ready for another journey in EVE Online.

There have been two big expansions since I last played.  Faction Warfare introduced an opportunity for new players to get in on the PVP game with considerably fewer skills and financial investment.  I might not survive it long but I’m definitely interested in giving it a go.  Quantum Rise provided enhanced game performance and technology upgrades.  I don’t have the skills to partake in fancy industrial technology but I will surely benefit from less combat lag.  Being blown to smithereens while you’re lagged frozen is more than a wee bit frustrating, and I’ve never been anywhere near the real lag-fest, Jita.

I re-subscribed to the game last week but I’ve yet to log in.  Getting started again feels a little overwhelming – but in a good way.  The possibilities are endless.  The road I can travel bounded by only my own imagination.  I believe my boredom in other games has me ripe for a return visit.  Whatever gaming time that hasn’t been consumed by W101, has been spent planning my return to EVE.  I need a course of action, accompanying skills training plan to support the course, a source of income beyond PVE quest rewards and decisions on a ship and fittings necessary to jump into FW PVP combat.  In short, I have a lot of pre-work to do before I get in the game and un-dock my ship.  Such is life in EVE and I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I don’t know when the expansion with Ambulation is going to release but I’d like to have a much better foothold in the game before it arrives.  EVE Online, here I come!

Comments

[Marchosias]

I've been back in EVE for just over a week now. It's one of those games that I go in and out of regularly. There's just something about sandbox games that keep me going back. And being one of the few good sci-fi MMO's out there doesn't hurt either when I feel the need for a break from the elf worlds.

[Letrange]

[vader]Welcome to the dark side[/vader]

I'll point you to my own blog about 4 months ago. I started a 3 month tour of FW to learn PvP so it will probably be an interesting read. The speed changes have made small ship combat MORE feasible than it was before. Assault Frigate gangs are the new roam in FW. The full on combat T1 frigate are never out of place. Sticking to T1 frigates makes it really easy to stay in for a good long while.

[Saylah (Lauren)]

@Marchosias - I feel the same way. Even if I don't stay for years on this subscription, I will continue to revisit EVE. It's the horizontal game that I wish someone would build in a fantasy MMO. There is no end to it and no end-game to rush toward. That said, sandbox isn't for everyone. The more directed and story driven PVE content they are speaking of for the March release is excellent as is the FW for directed PVP. They probably need to tweak that just a bit more, possibly integrating them so it's a more seamless PVE/PVP content experience for new users and casual players.

I'm going to roll an alt just as a comparison of the new player experience. I'm never going to be more than a casual EVE player and I want to talk about what type of play that is and make others more aware of the opportunities within if they are thinking about trying EVE.

[Saylah (Lauren)]

@Letrange - thanks, I'll definitely search backward and find those posts. I need to get my finances and skills in order first. But I will definitely be checking out FW. As I mentioned above, I think there is this casual game in EVE that isn't the dreaded mining some people aren't interested in that doesn't jump out at you. I want to explore and discuss that play style.

[Letrange]

@saylah - it'll be hard to miss it covers 3 entire months of posts - how long I stayed in FW. It starts a few months into September as I recalls. But yes doing missions for the isk alone gets boring (at least till Level 4 where it's still boring but the income is rather nice). Remind me to introduce you to Exploration you may find that more to your taste than simply running agent missions. Full blown exploration can be lucrative even in high sec due to the current prices of decryptors. But there's entry level exploration that can be worth it (especially if the last wave is commander rats or it escalates).

[Saylah (Lauren)]

I've skimmed over exploration but still can't formulate in my mind what its role is and it sounded like a mining's cousin. Is it?

[Letrange]

ah no...

Exploration can be many thing depending on what you go exploring for. Think of them as auto-spawning mini dungeons. For everyone there are the relatively weak ones, but these are great to cut your teeth on and like I said they can escalate (I'll explain the term when you're in game and we can have a longer convo). Then there's real exploration involving lots of rather expensive skills, specialized ships and scan probes. Then you can target specialized dungeons. Some related to combat (no longer so wimpy). Some related to T2 (again long conversation). Some related to mining (better roids than surrounding space usually). Some related to salvage (boxes of salvage). And in low and 0.0 some related to combat booster drugs.

[Mallika]

Saylah, I read your comment over on Tobold's blog that you were looking for a fantasy mmo with crafting, preferrably f2p ... have you looked at Runes of Magic? It caught my eye with its housing and crafting, though I didn't really try it as I got side-tracked into LotRO. It might be what you're looking for.

[Mallika]

PS Runes of Magic is in open beta right now, but will launch soon I believe.

[Saylah (Lauren)]

@Letrange - very cool! I must have only been reading what someone was writing about mining in them and got the impression that's what they were for. Cool. I'll email you in game once I'm actually playing.

[Saylah (Lauren)]

@Mallika - Thanks for the heads-up. I'd been meaning to take a look but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Maybe it will have released by the time get all settled in EVE. Appreciate you looking out for me. :-)

[Letrange]

@Saylah - Don't worry once you're in game I'll drag you over to the eve-blogger community (we're only 120 strong or so). That'll help kickstart the exposure to the eve metagame. Although I will say outright that there's a preponderance of pirate blogs.

[Saylah (Lauren)]

@Letrange - I've noticed that when reading EVE related blogs which isn't unexpected. I did a little more research into Exploration and not sure it's for me.

The important thing for me in EVE will be to find my "quickie". I've been exposed to two games in succession that have really nice "in and out" opportunities. I need to find that in EVE. With it's sandbox scheme I should be able to find something.