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tinny_three

EVE Online

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ago

Why is EVE for you?

I've just been lurking on Video Games, but with the new EVE community, I thought this could be an opportunity for me to learn and maybe try something new. I hope you don't mind my asking!

I have a load of friends that have played EVE at pretty high levels in the past, and whilst I know about the impressive micro-to-macro depth of EVE and the amazing stories it generates, they've never quite communicated to me why, fundamentally, it's the game for them.

I know it's special - all of the people I've met that are into it are smart as heck, and have gotten a lot of out of it, and it has 20 years of history - but what are the things that keep people coming back for more? Like, the big battles and stuff are cool, but from what I understand they're rare.

On a mechanical level - an I can't get enough of this level - why do you play EVE?

Created at 8:52am, 2nd August, 2023. Page last updated at 2:43pm, 16th May, 2024.

MacGybo 8/2/2023, 9:12:19 AM

Good question. If you ask twenty Eve pilots this, though, you'll get twenty different answers. I'll give you the answers that apply to me.

Firstly, the thrill. One of my gameplay styles is to lie in wait for a big kill. It can be hours of waiting. Rather like fishing. But then you get the moment when it all kicks off. Your mind registers the reward you've been seeking, you activate your guns, then you have to loot the goodies with other pilots trying their best to stop you. Adrenaline is an addictive substance.

Secondly, I have a brain which enjoys problem solving. Eve caters to that in a big way. Fitting ships, developing tactics, understanding mechanics. Rules which all make sense and go as deep as you'd like to go. You end up thinking about stuff long after the PC is off.

The stories that come from the social aspect is a big thing too. You mention the big battles but they're the headliners. Small battles, roams, ganks are daily occurances and bring new experiences and camaraderie. They're usually far more fast moving and fun than a huge fleet too.

I could go on, but I'll leave something for others to talk about :)

tinny_three 8/2/2023, 10:23:41 AM

MacGybo

Thank you! This is really interesting, and that's the first time I've heard of that fishing analogy.

Is that waiting straight-up waiting and not doing much (so as meditative as fishing) or is it like a background tensity sort of thing where you're off doing other bits, knowing that you have to keep an eye on the main thing you're waiting for?

I find myself (almost) obsessing over the problems I find in games, particularly around management/strategy games and builders, so that does appeal to me...

MacGybo 8/2/2023, 10:32:39 AM

tinny_three

There is always, always stuff to do in Eve, so when I say waiting, I'm also doing other stuff. I may also be semi-afk. But this is what's called Hi Sec ganking. Permitted piracy. Aka suicide ganking.

There are less policed areas of space - low security and null security space - where you will need to keep your wits about you. If you hang around or go afk when undocked there, you'll lose ships.

Wadd Enderas 8/2/2023, 10:58:27 AM

I've often thought about this, because when I try and explain the game to my friends I invariably do a terrible job.

When asked the specific question, 'well, what did you do when you logged in last night?', responding with 'I orbited a gas cloud for 4 hours' or 'Spent my night building a spreadsheet for a manufacturing project', is often met with a little bit of laughter and mockery.

But to echo one of the points MacGybo mentioned. For me my enjoyment and love of the game stems from the social experiences. I love the community that has built up around EVE Online. I'm constantly interacting with the firneds I've made, but beyond that, engaging with new players in a support capacity, responding to some light-hearted shittalking with a fleet we've just had a scrap with or even seeing some of the quite intense role-playing aspects that a lot of people bring to the game.

Just last night I was with a small fleet of 8 pilots from my corporation heading around WH space looking for some PVP content. We took a fight with a smaller group thinking we had lured them into an unfair battle, only to find they absolutely wiped us! I and my corp mates lost a fairly considerable amount of in-game cash and were stunned at how easily we'd been dismantled, but after a few minutes of crying to each other and feeling sorry for ourselves, we've immediately jumped into trying to recreate the fits of our opponents and theorycraft other fleet compositions that would combat theirs. I've been receiving messages all day today with updates of what their fits might have been, it's been really quite distracting from work! :D

Basically.... it's great! But is so challenging to put into words what we're experiencing when we logged in. Thanks for asking the question because despite playing for nearly 10 years, I'm really curious to see what others answer with!

tinny_three 8/2/2023, 1:28:45 PM

Wadd Enderas

That's an awesome response, thank you!

How many real world hours did that battle cost you, out of curiosity?

I'm a bit time poor at the moment, so I'm coming at it from that angle too.

FUN INC 8/2/2023, 12:47:08 PM

Simple - its all about community for me. :)

RupertStaff8/2/2023, 1:05:06 PM

FUN INC

Just About Community, surely...

FUN INC 8/2/2023, 4:16:07 PM

Rupert

Yes - that was my opportunity wasted to get that in there! :D

Kerri 8/2/2023, 8:05:03 PM

Rupert

🙄😜

Heretical Coffee 8/3/2023, 5:13:11 AM

The dopamine rush plain and simple.

With EVE having a hardcore style system that if you die, you lose your items, your ship, etc. every time you kill another player and every time you die, everytime you escape, every time you find a rare item, you get that dopamine rush. It leads to a symptom colloquially referred to as the EVE Shakes. Where you get a shaking jittery feeling that just gets me to log in whenever possible.

How you get those eve shakes may differ, but the PVP in this game is some of the best with the most significant consequences in any game I have played.

tinny_three 8/3/2023, 1:52:53 PM

Heretical Coffee

Haha that's incredible!

So if I mention the EVE shakes to my buddies that play, they're going to nod, and not look at me like a weirdo?

Heretical Coffee 8/3/2023, 2:06:08 PM

tinny_three

They shouldn't, it may be the case that they never experienced them. This can happen if they never do any form of PVP, mine in null sec or high sec where they never experience conflict, etc. Most players will know what you mean by the EVE Shakes though.

Melicien Tetro 8/3/2023, 7:02:44 PM

Coming up on 20 years. My first gifted ship was a vexor. To this day, a vexor is still a great gift for a new pilot. What other online universe has that consistancy?

Swagger Olacar 8/3/2023, 7:21:17 PM

For me is not so much the gameplay as it is the people. People never dissapoints in either being helpful and guiding new palyers or their reactions during pvp whatever they may be there is something for averyone. It sounds like the punchline of an excellent joke but for me EVE is not about the game you play but the friends you make along the way.