Gamers: The most destructive battle in online gaming history took place on Monday. Does this make you interested in EVE Online?

Heard of this, but I’ve no interest. I love video games, but truth be told, I am a complete trophy slut. If it wasn’t for trophies and achievements, I may have given up on gaming a few years ago. I’m also not an online player at all, although EVE is pretty much up there as far as online interaction goes. It’s amazing what they’re doing with it, but not my type. I’m old school, gotta play on my own. And gotta have trophies for me to collect.

No.

No.

I’m opposed to the concept of paying for a game, paying for internet service, and then paying a monthly fee to put the two together, and then paying for upgrades on top of that unless I want to be stuck in some bullshit basic setup.

@Seek_Kolinahr Aye. This is one of the things about modern gaming that really gets on my tits. It’s bad enough now that I have to pay for extra levels, weapons, characters, outfits and what have you.

’‘swings cane’’ Back in my day, if you wanted to unlock something in a game, all that stood between you and the shiny unlockable was yo mutherfackin’ SKILL. Now you just have to pay for everything. Shullbit.

But online is something else entirely, really…they have a different type of experience going on, and the servers do need to be maintained. A monthly fee isn’t so bad I guess, but I heard of EVE and its PS3 counterpart where you pay real money for equipment, weapons and armor and shit…beh.

@Seek_Kolinahr Just a few points of clarification. The game is free to download, and the 2 expansions released every year are free. You can buy your subscription through in-game currency as well so you can play for free if you want to spend significant of time earning ISK (the in-game currency). You still have to pay for your Internet connection though (no way to avoid that unfortunately).

@Symbeline In both EVE and DUST 514 (the PS3 game you’re referring to) you can get everything with in-game currency, or if you’re rich and lazy you could spend real-world money on it, but that’s really not required to have fun.

EVE is intriguing, but I know it would be too much of a time-sink for me.

I tried it years ago, but the character development system was just too painfully slow, and grinding ISK each day in high-sec got rather dull. It was before PLEX had been introduced, and the subscription was relatively expensive compared to other MMOs.

I’d be tempted to play if I knew I could make enough ISK from day one to pay for the game subscription, and not have to spend more than 4 hours a day doing that.

No. I have no issue with DLC and such, or even subscription-based online models, but I’m not going to spend real money on virtual assets that I can still lose and grinding for in-game currency doesn’t appeal to me ether.

I tried EVE last year. I couldn’t even make it through the tutorial. I will stick with Mario Cart.

@gorillapaws That sounds not at all fun.

@johnpowell Lol, nice.

@Seek_Kolinahr Well, they have a free game so they have to pay for ongoing development and keeping the servers running somehow. I think it’s a pretty reasonable model. Pay a monthly subscription fee, or (if you have more time than money) spend time in the game making ISK to sell to people who will pay your subscription for you. And there are lots of ways to make ISK in EVE. You can do boring stuff like mining, hauling stuff from A to B, playing the market (buying low and selling high) which all can be very lucrative. Alternatively you can run missions, explore anomolies for secret goodies, or even become a pirate, blowing up/ransoming other player’s hard-earned ships. The fun really comes from the social aspect: getting with a group of people you like and working together towards some common purpose. Teamwork really trumps everything in EVE.

Anyways, I’m sure it’s probably not the game for you (or most people), but I just wanted to explain a bit more. It does sound a lot worse than it really is, and there is some serious adrenaline that kicks in (on a whole different level) when you’ve got something you worked hard for on the line about to get killed that I’ve never experienced in any other game I’ve ever played.

@Kropotkin It’s pretty hard to save up enough ISK each month to buy your subscription as a newer character because you’re limited in your income-producing activities—it’s possible, but would take a lot of effort. As you get more skills over time it becomes much easier to earn ISK (even trivial for some).

I hate subscriptions. No EVE for me.
I do play Star Trek Online though.

This is a whole new language for me. I…had…no… idea…

Interesting but I will pass. I already have enough ways to spend resources.

Thanks for exposing me to a different world.

Uh, no. Not even remotely.

I was talking MMO’s with a few of my friends just last week and EVE came up. When I was asked if I played it, I said no, then explained that it is far too easy for someone like me, who tends to solo most of the time, to lose too much of a time investment for me to be interested in playing it. Also, I’m over subscription fees or grinding to pay my fees. The story I thought was interesting though.

If I wanted that sort of cutthroat PvP, I’d join a street gang where I could actually get my throat cut.

I game too casually for high-stakes gaming like casino gambling, and find no entertainment value in being in a hostile environment with entities 100–1,000,000 times as powerful as me.

Give me Ryzom (which I actually subscribe to) or World of Tanks and I’ll have fun. But as far as I’m concerned, EVE Online isn’t even worth loading the page that has the download link.

@jerv Lol, GA!

It is true that there is very much a ruthless component to the EVE universe. It’s a sandbox, and the developers mostly take a “hands off” approach to player interaction. What results is completely emergent and unadulterated human nature at its best and worst. There are genuine acts of charity and self-sacrifice, and bloodthirsty cut-throated treachery that would make Ayn Rand dance in her grave.

One interesting thing about the game’s social groups is that the most effective ones tend to be based on a kind of loose socialist feudalism. The economy is studied by real economists. The whole sandbox concept is pretty interesting. It also makes me more appreciative of rules and regulations within modern society.

Yeah. I play games to get away from modern society.

@gorillapaws Much of my gaming is to escape from human nature.

In WoT, every pub battle is 15v15, random players (no constructed teams), with balanced teams, and no trading. Even footing.

In Ryzom, PvP is strictly consensual in most areas (though entering Prime Roots, where the best foraged resources are, is implied consent), the inter-player economy is largely gifting and barter, and in-game currency is only used when dealing with NPCs or new players who lack the foraging and crafting skills to get into the real economy. Certain resources are only available from Outposts, which are sometimes fought over, but if you belong to a guild that owns an outpost (which I do), you can often get your leaders to work a trade with their leaders; Outpost battles are costly enough all around that trade is preferred over conquest. Drive-by healings are the norm, you can usually get a resurrection simply by asking in Universal chat and giving your location, and failing to rez someone after beating them in a duel is considered an egregious breach of etiquette.

In other words, Ryzom is a far kinder and nicer than the world that makes me want to play games to get away from in the first place. You get to see the good side of humanity that’s often absent in daily life.

The only time I play video games I do so by myself on either my ps2 or ps3. I play video games occasionally to get away from people, bullshit and drama. I’m not comfortable with the concept of gaming with other people online, though sometimes I’ll make a rare exception with chess.

I think it all boils down to how competitive you are and how social you are. I’m sociable enough for MMORPGs to have some appeal, but not competitive enough to really be into PvP much, though they provide challenges that PvE cannot; it’s nice to sometimes face a thinking opponent rather than a scripted one. I enjoy strategic games, but not twitch-games,so I’m not into most shooters. I’m not hardcore enough to get into a game that becomes a lifestyle.

Look at the games I play. One is a shooter that requires strategic thinking and doesn’t rely solely on reflexes. The other is n RRPG with relatively little PvP and simple enough that it doesn’t require the commitment that many other MMOs do.

That’s why I like playing chess online occasionally. Chess also seems to attract a more decent crowd than these other games. The only games that I like are nes that require the use of stealth, puzzle solving and horror games (like resident evil where you get surprised when playing them during a quiet night by yourself).

@jerv I think it all boils down to how competitive you are and how social you are.

Hahaha yeah. I’m not a social person and fuck competition. Hell I’m not even social enough to team up with other people even when our adversaries are computer controlled. As far as I’m concerned, games are something I do alone. Or with another person, swapping controllers or playing against each other on the same TV and in the same room, but I may be slightly old school…

@Paradox25 Not all of them have bad communities. WoT has more than it’s share of trolls, but Ryzom has few; those who like griefing others quickly get bored of games with consensual PvP, and isn’t action-packed enough to keep the attention of the immature. That pretty much just leaves respectful adults, and kids mature enough to act like respectful adults.

@Symbeline I still game with rulebooks and dice… though not as much as I used to. Been hard to find or start a Shadowrun group since I moved :/

@jerv I hear that. I love D&D and I have 3.5 books, but I can find no one to play with. Never been a DM before so I can’t get the ball rolling much, unless I find someone who has experience being a DM.

@jerv EVE is strategic and tactical like WOT is, and that’s where a lot of the satisfaction comes from. Combat is deep and rich with every ship and tactic having a counter. The main difference is it requires social interaction, teamwork and coordination (especially for massive 1000+ player fleet engagements). It’s possible to solo PvP, but you’re at a major disadvantage. For example, you could stumble across a target that looks vulnerable, but he could be bait, with a small gang of friends waiting to spring the trap. A good ship is no match for a dozen cheap ships working together.

There is of course the hilarious learning curve graph from xkcd. There are groups of players who are dedicated to helping new players learn, and other corps geared towards teaching PvP. So altruism certainly does exist in EVE, but it’s not at all like the Ryzom community you describe.

I guess the things I like most about EVE is the fact that you “level up” passively so you’re not obligated to constantly grind for skill points. You might have to grind for ISK to replace losses or buy shiny new ships, but if you fly what you can afford to loose (the #1 rule of the game) then this is pretty minimal. It works well for someone who has more cash than free time and doesn’t mind paying a monthly subscription. The tactical combat is also incredibly satisfying, especially because you’re playing for keeps and the adrenaline is flowing.

@gorillapaws EVE is persistent world, and you can be attacked in your sleep. Ryzom is persistent world, but nobody can enter or destroy your apartment, and your mektoubs (pack animals and mount) disappear when you log off. And in WoT, you only really exist (from the viewpoint of others) during battle; the only thing you can “lose” is the in-game currency required to repair/reload your tank. While there are also constructed team battles, it’s always team-vs-team with no outside interference, and no opportunistic jackals wiping your infrastructure out while your units are in battle.

While Ryzom is easier if you’re in a guild, or can find someone to help you out, there’s very little that is impossible to do solo. Outpost battles are scheduled in advance, so anybody wishing to defend has a couple of days warning at least, and since most of the players are adults with day jobs, you won’t ever have to leave work because a guildie texted you about a sneak attack and they need you to log on.

I gamble with my life at work and during the commute to/from.(Seattle drivers are dangerously incompetent.) I don’t feel like gambling my rent money for a game as well, nor quitting my well-paying job in order to be able to defend myself against professional players wearing diapers and popping amphetamines in order to play 20+ hours a day. To me, EVE Online lives up to all of the negative stereotypes about MMOs and the people who play them, while also throwing in many of the things I despise about bankers and schoolyard bullies. It’s best left to rich sadists who have nothing else to do with their time or money. I get enough adrenaline already; enough so that I don’t have any left when a real, life-threatening emergency happens.

Nope. I’ve met too many Goon Swarmers in real life.