Well, it’s been a few weeks since I last posted. While some of that can be blamed on work being a trifle hectic, there’s something that can take a far larger portion of the blame.

Just before the beginning of July, I started playing Eve Online. It’s an MMO, but unlike World of Warcraft, we’re not talking about Elves and Orcs. This is something far closer to my heart. I get to fly spaceships! *does a happy dance*

Of course, fly isn’t entirely accurate. We’re not talking about flight control with a joystick. More ‘double click in the direction you want to go’, or ‘Select target, then hit the orbit button’. But that’s not a problem. Really. It’s a great deal of fun.

There aren’t any levels for your character in this game. Just varying skills. While it’s possible to buy the biggest of ships, until you have the right skills, you can’t pilot it. And being able to pilot something doesn’t mean you can pilot it well. Some people have called Eve Online ‘Spreadsheets in space’. It’s a little unfair, unless you’re doing industrial stuff, but it has a degree of truth. A skill that gives a 5% bonus per level doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s in synergy with other skills. It can make a massive difference to your end result. Two skills each giving 25% doesn’t give you a 50% bonus. It’s a 56% bonus, as they’re cumulative. Little things like that can make a world of difference.

Then there’s the scale. When I started, it seemed somewhat expensive that each time I shot at something (this happens a lot as you might expect), it was costing me 140 credits. And I was shooting every couple of seconds. low level missions were giving me 70 thousand credits as a reward. Now? I can drop a few hundred thousand on ammo, and barely notice it. spending a few million on a ship to run around in is nothing.

The game’s a big sandbox. Pretty much everything that you buy was built by a player. Or could have been, at least. The game economy depends on ships being destroyed. So it’s probably a good thing that there’s no seperation between PvP (player versus player) players and PvE (player vs environment) players. There may be consequences for just attacking someone else, in some areas, but it can be worth it, economically. You see a freighter full of high value goods, you can run a profit if you blow it away, have your ship blown up, then having a friend loot the wreckage.

It can be a harsh environment. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve been having a blast playing it, and now that I’ve joined a player run corporation, I’ve been having more. having other people to talk to, and do stuff with, adds a whole new level to the game. Even if you’re just mining.

 

Heartily recommend the game. Even if it has been eating me alive.