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Another EVE Online Musing
ianubisi
Member Posts: 4,201
My trial just expired about an hour ago. I've been agonizing since Saturday about whether I was going to pay the $19.95 to extend by at least one more month (that's what it costs to buy a key).
The game has some really interesting concepts in play.
The skill-over-time approach is unique, and it is very attractive to me. I work, and I travel when I work, and that means I have 14-36 hour stints where I can't even ponder looking at a computer to play. The idea that my skills are improving over that time, in fact that the harder skills are getting much-needed attention, is very attractive.
The complexity of the game is superb. I like games that require thought behind the mindless actions. I like the idea that a well-considered approach is more important than just ramming time and mules at a problem. I'm sure I'm not understanding the ways you can exploit the system, but I did enjoy the amount of time it took me to feel like I could approach some combat and trade and manufacturing.
The constant treadmill of improvements is also very good. There's always a better ship to get, stronger weapons, and the skills that are needed to use them. I think they need more unique content, but I'm sure that's what time will bring the game. I think this is an attractive quality to the game.
But the game seems lacking.
The downtime in travel is obscene. I think this is a catch-22, because it would be silly to travel across the Galaxy in 30 seconds...but at the same time, the Agent missions were more of an excuse to go wash my car, clean my closet, and otherwise not spend time staring at the computer. Any game that emphasises content based on downtime has got the entire idea all wrong. It feels like I'm boating from Qeynos to Odus all over again. What a waste of time.
And what, exactly, am I working toward? A bigger ship so I can carry more ore so that I can buy a bigger ship that carries more ore? That's about the only part of the game I'd likely be playing, because I dislike PvP and thus the idea of owning a battleship to go cruise in 0.0 space is really unattractive to me. That's a personal opinion, mind you, not a failing of the game.
And the game is so ... sterile, cold, impersonal. The graphics are great, but the lifelessness of space is opressive. Seeing no humanity at all, except those static portraits, is disaffecting.
But when I sit down and ponder what I'll be spending my time doing I realize that I'll just be working hard on a character that will mine and trade and that's about it. With most MMOGs I can at least Explore, and see new sights, and new challenges...but there's so little difference between one solar system and another, they look like any random wallpaper you can get from a Hubble telescope imaging.
The death-knell in my decision comes from the fact that Hardware T&L is required to play the game. That's fine for my home system, but as I mentioned I travel (3-4 days a week) and that means a laptop my company gives me. Unfortunately, that laptop runs a measly Intel Extreme with no T&L...and that means I can't play this game (outside of being in a space station and that's it) when I'm on the road.
I think the game is well worth a look by anyone interested in the MMOG genre. Some of the concepts they have in play are admirable and work well. But unless they can add some more diverse content and allow software T&L emulation I can't justify propping up the $14.99/month to play.
EDIT: One last note, a big thanks to MMORPG.com and CCP for allowing me to take a look at the game! Much appreciated!
Comments
From three months or so playing EVE, I would have to say that while the good stuff you mentioned remains good, the bad stuff you mentioned just gets amplified.
Eventually I just found it too tedious to log on and try and make money.
The game doesn't really cater to long term solo play, so joining a Corp is almost essential unless you have extremely high levels of patience. And as you spend quite a lot of time offline it may be tough to feel part of the Corp you choose to join.
I eventually got to the point where I couldn't be bothered to take Agent missions, so would just park an Industrial ship quipped with a Miner II in a safe asteroid field, set it going and go and do something more interesting for a couple of hours (like watching paint dry for example) - then return and sell the goods to the highest bidder.
It was at this point I relised I was crazy to be PAYING for this, I could be playing X2 or some other single player space game.
I like the idea of the game, just the lack of excitment killed it for me. I'm thinking I may return when the Shiva expansion gets released, and see what it's like then.
EvE have its good parts, but fails out completely on a couple of points imo.
The Online skill training system that everyone loves so much. Well it is kinda neat and all, until you realise that no matter what you do, you will never be able to catch up. This is the biggest game kill imo. Who would join a game today that has been running for a couple of years, meaning the other chars are a couple of years more developed than you...? There was no way to catch up when i last left the game, maybee that has changed...
The PvP. Sure its fun if you can afford it. But Mr. Mediocre will never have the chance of enjoying PvP in EvE. It is way to expensive to replace a Battleship. I would simply never risk it, because that Battleship is what you just wored your butt out for in the last 3 months...And if you do risk it, you will be beat up so bad by the PvP pro's. You simply wont know what hit you until your out in that cute pod.
Exploring too was kindy fun in EvE in the beginning. There is stuff hidden out there if you know how to find it. Its slow and tedious work - but also rewarding. This was fun until some peeps posted almos everything out there on a public site...
If they would fix a way to catch up on learning, and balance out the cost for PvP, then i just might consider taking up EvE again.
I've been playing Eve Online for a year and a month now and have to admit that I've lost my love for the game also. While I'm writing this, my account was only a few more days to go until it expires. What killed it for me was the severe lack of game content. Sure it was fun to explore as a newbie in the game at first, but after you play the game you suddenly realize that of the actual 5,000 solar systems in the game, about 97% of them are all identical..meaning all have asteriod fields. I lost my love for the game also due to being an explorer. There is not much to explore in the game since it's space. Although CCP is adding Shiva to the game sometime in August 2004, I seriously doubt that it will make an entire difference in the game.
I also got burned out of the mentality that all I did in the game was work to get bigger and better ship. All I owned was ships and merchandise, but there was nothing in the game that I could truely show to others as belonging to me except my ship.
Eve was a very good game for me, but I've decided to move on.
Eve-Online, EQ2, DnL, SWG (Dead), Guild Wars, Anarchy Online, EQ, DAoC, Planet Side, WoW, LOTR, Tabula Rasa.
DOnt buy a key just extend the key you had. If not you will lose your character you had for 14 days.