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EVE Online: Content in EVE's Sandbox
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood akes a look at how content is handled in a sandbox game like EVE Online as opposed to in a more typical theme park game.
Creating content for most MMOs is a fairly simple task to understand. You take your setting, and you develop quest and dungeon content for the various level track throughout your game. It’s a time consuming process, but it’s a relatively easy one to map out.
In the case of a sandbox game like EVE Online, on the other hand, the waters get a little bit murkier. The goal of any sandbox game is to create an environment for players to interact with, but on the whole, leave the bulk of the action in the hands of the individual player.
“We want to create an immersive back story, establishing the setting for the characters that allows for player interactions,” said CCP’s Tony Gonzales, the man in charge of the EVE Online IP during a presentation at this past EVE Fan Fest. It is from these interactions that EVE Online derives most of its overall tone.
Read Content in EVE's Sandbox.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Just reading that makes me want to go back to EVE and play some more, it is the big depressing news that draws the most attention because no other game would allow this type of thing to happen. It's the ability of the players to show who they are and their personallity.
You make your own way in this game and what you want from it. Some people like to be led and some show what it takes to make a success of themselves with drive.
Nothing really harsh about this game at all, just have to know that when you enter EVE you better watch your back and trust only those that have earned it. It basically mimics some real life lessons you learned in RL.
Actually it is harsh, as is real life which it emulates... which makes it a great game. Knowing that even in a group, you can be ambushed, or that your corporation can do things that have adverse effects on you and the rest of the players...etc is the thrill. It is not for everyone, but it is a game that I wish more dev's would learn from, as opposed to the player friendly games like Wow, LOTRO, etc. I also wish I could play it without becoming over competitive and having it leak over to my RL, lol.
This is why Sandbox > theme park. Reason? New content. With a theme park, new content typically renders past actions/rewards obsolete. Not so with a Sandbox. New content is synergistic with the old.
I was just thinking this weekend, my experience in EVE is more like a never ending set of stories. I've gone through so many different chapters, from 0.0 fleet fighting, to merc wars in empire, to carebearing it up running missions and now I'm in wormholes contemplating a return to 0.0 when the next expansion comes out.
Always something new on the horizon it seems..... which keeps it fresh.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
My life on EVE… back in beta, I was a little pilot flying around, mining, scared of NPC rats and used to get pwned by drones roaming in belts. I later began to work to become a bounty hunter.
By the time the game went retail, I was a little pirate. Not a good one but still a pirate.
Eventually I left… and came back a few months later. At that point, I went on and lived in the Curse region and made tons of good friends. Joining a powerfull corp and fighting among some of the most ruthless pilots at the time. Eventually, life became too busy and I left again…
I came back in 2005 and played for a few months. Things had changed and I made a new character in order to relearn the game.
I had a blast doing missions and living in Empire space. I was a very carebearish player in that era. Left again due to life and came back…
This time as my current character. Joined a small corp that was trying to become the next big thing but it simply never worked out. Left and joined another corp that was trying to start a business. We did good for a while and we were even supplying some important outposts deep into 0.0. However, the competition was fierce and someone hired mercs on our ass. Soon enough, we had to fight wars while struggling to make a living. Eventually, the little corp joined an alliance and we became a fighting force strong enough to fight back. Our corp nights had several activities such as mining, pvping in providence as blues, running complexes, cosmo, exploration, trades, Jita runs, escort, assault, POS work and the list goes on.
My adventure didn’t finish there though… a few months later, I ended up in a great alliance and became a diplomate, security pilot and eventually a fleet commander when in need. Fighting 1 on 1, exploring worm holes, doing complexes and once in a while, fighting epic battles where thousands of players are fighting over the control of a territory.
This is just the scratch of my own personnal adventures… I think most long term players have incredible stories. The best of all is that they all had an impact on the world of EVE. It's not a game for everyone, I think most EVE players were the type to play with Legos when they were young.
Yeah… EVE is really the best game out there lol
It wasn't that long ago that the biggest ship in the game was a Battleship and you had travel 15 km in unprotected space to approach any object in the game. This meant at least 45 seconds (probably more) every time you jumped through a gate or entered a station. Theme park = new content & Sandbox = evolving game play. In EVE almost everything changes for the better and in most games you just do the same things in different places. Capitals, Wormholes, Exploration, Moon mining, Dust.....EVE is a sandbox that constantly changes but somehow maintains the core game play : ]
Well, EVE is well far from the real life. There are many activities in EVE which are considered normal, while in real world it's considered a crime.
There are too many "just because I can" situations, where most of the people do simply manifest the stuff they'd never do in RL, because they would end up in jail. But hey, what do you expect from a game which box has "be a pirate" in the top of the occupation choices.
Whenever I leave the mmo genre in disgust over the lack luster games, Eve is the one game that pulls me back.
When im tired of all the bullshit level grinding, the repetitive endgames and lame vendor pvp. Eve is the one game that offers something different.
PLaying: EvE, Ryzom
Waiting For: Earthrise, Perpetuum
we are "condemned" to play eve the rest of our lives there is nothing that can reach eve level of awesomeness
BestSigEver :P
You dismiss the positive side of EVE Online's freedom. The same rules and mechanics that allow for scams and piracy are the rules and mechanics that allow ingame universities, banks, stock markets and other establishments to be created. With the freedom to choose your enemies comes the freedom to choose your allies, as well.
You can definitely be a pirate in EVE Online. You can also be the leader of a major alliance of thousands, a teacher of a combat university, a spy, a counterspy, a banker, an investor, a diplomat... roles not normally available in most MMOs. In EVE Online, there is the freedom to choose your own path, decide your fate and reap the rewards or consequences of your actions. That only a small percentage (a far cry from 'most of the people') of EVE Online players engage in nefarious deeds is testament to how well the system works, and a positive reflection on the community as a whole.
- RPG Quiz - can you get all 25 right?
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I've tried eve a couple of times, and was never able to get into it.
The big selling point of EVE is the Meta-game. The larger stuff that comes out of the players freedom in the game. This is all swell and dandy. But to me, the major turnoff was that the "Actual Gameplay" not the derived gameplay, was just insanely boring.
Combat was not fun to me. Mining was not fun to me. Exploration was, to me as a new guy, non-existant.
So while the meta-game politics, stock markets, piracy, trading corps, etc. was very appealing to me. Actually playing the game bored me to tears.
I'm not bashing on EVE, as by its numbers and fan base, it is obviously a very good game, but unfortunately, its just not the game for me
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
I'm sorry, but this type of posting will not do. You march up to your room and don't came back down until you are ready to blindly attack videos games that aren't to your liking. This wishy washy "I can see how others like it but it's not my kind of game" is the exact kind of posting that leads to constructive conversation, tolerance for other views and positive interaction. We'll have none of that here.
Hippy! ><
- RPG Quiz - can you get all 25 right?
- FPS Quiz - how well do you know your shooters?
You did the exact mistake as many did. You came in and expected something to be cooked and nice in front of you. You expected a service like Mcdonalds where everything is generic.
Combat boring?
Have you actually took the time to fit your ship, join a group of 12 pilots and go out and have an amazing battle against other players? did you take a moment to get on Ventrilo and live the true stress behind a fight? (you can be a pvper on day 1 btw)
Mining is not that much fun but did you take a moment to join an industrial corp and mine a night with them? It's quite fun to have 8 miners around, helping, chatting and such... mining alone is obviously boring.
Exploration takes a bit of skills but before you get there, you can do cosmo, complexes, missions and the list just goes on and on.
The one thing you cannot do in EVE is solo play and expect things to be interesting forever.
You did the exact mistake as many did. You came in and expected something to be cooked and nice in front of you. You expected a service like Mcdonalds where everything is generic.
Combat boring?
Have you actually took the time to fit your ship, join a group of 12 pilots and go out and have an amazing battle against other players? did you take a moment to get on Ventrilo and live the true stress behind a fight? (you can be a pvper on day 1 btw)
Mining is not that much fun but did you take a moment to join an industrial corp and mine a night with them? It's quite fun to have 8 miners around, helping, chatting and such... mining alone is obviously boring.
Exploration takes a bit of skills but before you get there, you can do cosmo, complexes, missions and the list just goes on and on.
The one thing you cannot do in EVE is solo play and expect things to be interesting forever.
Like I said, I found the game boring (for whatever reasons) and decided it just wasn't for me.
To me if I can't have fun going through the gameplay aspects of the game, it's just not worth it. Eve was not a fun game to me. I've got 3 different friends who play it, and all love it, I just can't get into it.
To each his own.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!