EVE Online

[Coldfire]

So I've had an interest in EVE for several years now. I've kept up with the goings on of the game, played the two week trial a couple times, and generally just learned as much as I could. However, every time I got to the point where I was going to make an account, I stoped. Usually it was because I didn't actually know anyone who played the game, and even if I never interact with them in the game, I would like to know someone I can talk to about it in real life. As it happens, one of my cousins, who is also a very close friend, is starting up. So, against my better judgment, I am as well.

Anyone else here play?

And yes, I'm aware that there's a year old thread about it. But seeing as it's very likely that some of the people who played then don't anymore, it seems prudent to make a new thread about it.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

I do, but at the moment I'm concentrating on skill training, rather than playing. I've got little time to play when it comes to uni.

I'm still reasonably new to the game as well, but then I am flying around in a cruiser with a good few level 5 skills and most of the others are in the lvl 3 to 4 range. If only the level 5's for them didn't take up to 25 odd days to train.

[Maistro]

A friend and i are starting up again in the summer holidays.

If you guys are still platying then i'll invite you to the corp.

[Baragash]

Don't have the time at the moment, but it's hanging on my list of things I'd like to do (second half of the year most likely)

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Still playing, as long as corp membership doesn't mean I'm now a null sec pirate and have to move everything, I'll join.

[Enigmacookie]

Downloading the 21 day demo via Steam right now.

[Coldfire]

Been slowly learning the ropes of the trade industry. Finding better deals, learning the most efficient routs, etc etc. As it stands, I'm still buying, moving, and selling one order at a time. But as I learn more and get better at it, I'll delve into the faster methods. Theoretically at least.

Out of curiosity, what do you all do in the game? When you play that is.

[Dr. X]

I recently stopped playing Eve after 2 years(no time with new car projects). I enjoyed the game quite a bit despite its near vertical learning curve......either you get it or you dont. I never dipped my feet into anything industrial but focused my attention to missioning and pvp. As i progressed finding and testing ship fittings I slowly had the urge to....well.....pirate. By pirate i mean going to low sec space(.4 and lower) and pillage the people there. From there on I had racked up so many player kills that my security status had been lowered too far to return to concord santioned space. From here, I focused on skill training to make myself a more efficient pvp'er and selling the items i salvaged from my victims wrecks.This, although a very unpopular lifestyle choice in the vast universe of Eve, is the most fun I've ever had on that game, more fun than missions, mining, trading, or anything else. But for startes, I'd suggest working mostly in the skill brackets of Spaceship Command, and your tanking spec, for Amarr, Gallente, and half of Minmitar--> Mechanic-armor skills, For Caldari and the other half of Minmitar ships--> Engineering-sheild skills. These will keep you alive and make the ships you can fly much better as you receive bonuses for each level completed in training for each ship skill. The game is far more complicated than I am able to fully describe but would be happy to answer any questions you guys may have about Eve to best of my ability. Cheers and good luck!

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Myself, mainly missioning at the moment. I need to work out if HAC's are worth it, which I hope the above poster could answer for me.

[Dr. X]

HAC's are useful for quickly doing Lvl 3 missions and level 4's if your careful and tank according to the damages dealt in the mission. They are also a quick means of getting aquanted with pvp if you wanted. They are very dynamic ships and great uni-taskers, but the price tag makes it a ship to be careful with unless you've got isk falling out of your ears :D

[Tarion]

My problem with Eve is I've never really fallen in with a group. Missioning on your own gets boring fairly early, and I've not got the hang of either mining, or trading.

Plus, with a low level character, the risks of PvP seem pretty high.

EDIT: Starting up again on a 21 day trial account.

I think a lot of the issue is that the mathematical slant of thought I have makes me want to up my learning skills as early as possible. Finding the balance between playability and efficiency may be the difficult bit.

[Enigmacookie]

Yeah, discovered that this game is a tad bit too advanced to play on a casual basis. casual as in "sit and watch purty space while doing homework".

Game looks immensely fun and immersive, but I don't think I can invest the time and will into learning a super complex system that - in the end - will do me no good in "real life".

[Coldfire]

Yeah, discovered that this game is a tad bit too advanced to play on a casual basis. casual as in "sit and watch purty space while doing homework".
Odd. One of the reasons I like it is because I can do just that. I spend ten or twenty minutes planning out a profitable trade route, then set my ship on autopilot. I'll do homework, read a book, or do whatever. Then, when my ship arrives at its destination, I'll pick up the goods and set autopilot to the selling point.

On top of that, your skills improve even when your not playing. What time you spend in the game is very complex yes, but you can get a lot done while not really playing.

[Dr. X]

Yeah, thats another good point, training skills takes ACTUAL time, like hours and days, and that training takes place even when your character is logged off. So even if theres a whole day where you know you wont have much time to play, just start up a long skill and let it bake. One of the reasons I quit was due to a fallout between myself and the RL friends I played with, and without some one to game with, it loses its luster quickly. But its also not hard to find some corporation attributed to helping new players ease into the game. Its my opinion that this game either works out for an individual or it doesnt, due to the steep learning curve, non-linear play style, and the huge "alone" factor.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

My only complaint is at the level I'm at, I should be doing level 2 odd missions, but seem to be stuck on one, so I'm getting barely enough to cover some missions in terms of munitions expended.

Of course hitting level 2 will make thing easier, I guess it's a time thing I'll do in a bit. Connection 4 should help alot too.

I just wish some of my 20+day skills had that second number removed from them.

[Tarion]

Right, I've gone back to my roots. Caldari missileboat was what I did on my first try, so I'm reviving it.

Running a Merlin atm, with aspirations towards the Hawk (http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Hawk). Skill focus is a mix of Missiles/Spaceship Command/Shielding/Learning skills.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Right, I've gone back to my roots. Caldari missileboat was what I did on my first try, so I'm reviving it.

Running a Merlin atm, with aspirations towards the Hawk (http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Hawk). Skill focus is a mix of Missiles/Spaceship Command/Shielding/Learning skills.

Good mix, Shields is important for any ship, and the others do focus on Caldari strengths, apart from learning, but again, that's because everyone needs it.

[Dr. X]

TBH, sheild skills are useless for Gallente and Amarr races beacause all of their ships utilize an armor tanking build. You just have to stick with what your chars races is built to do until you have enough age on him to branch out to other things, just my 2cents though.

[MGRockwell]

I'm playing EVE right now!

I'm stuck on some of the first missions because I need Frigate L.3 so I've been doing odd missions and a bit of easy mining.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Wait till you need Frigate 5 or Crusier 5 to fly a ship you want to.

[Coldfire]

Yea, I'm working on Industrial V right now. Actually skiped all the other ships. I'm going straight from Iteron to Iteron V.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Well, to fly HAC's I need Gallente Cruiser V, Mechanic V, Weapon Upgrade V, and I think Spaceship Command V. That's before Assualt Ship IV too. Not a bad choice, considering what you are doing Coldfire.

Of course, and as separate to this, I completed an Epic Arc. It was somewhat satisfiying seeing my railguns pop targets at 30 to 50km.

Here's one for the doctor, what is it people have against mixing guns? I'm drafting a build for a HAC and I'm thinking of keeping it similar to what I have now, either going for some form of armour repair or smart bomb. At the moment it's a pair of 250mm Railguns and three dual 150mm rail guns on a Thorax.

[Dr. X]

Mixing guns is taboo because it makes you an inneffetive ship. Each type and size of gun has a specificif range in which it performs best, and when you mix guns, its almost impossible to be in the best range for both. For example, for one of your HACs, the Deimos, you need to use the largest medium blasters possible, i think these are called medium nuetron blasters but cant remember as i was a laser user. If you mix rails and blasters, your damage output is halved because at the close range for blasters, the low tracking speed of the rails make it unable to do damage. And at the longer optimal range of rails, the blaster wont hit jack s**t due to their extremely short range. I know its a bit complicated but NEVER MIX GUNS! Its suicide unless you fly the minmitar battleship Typhoon. And for your gallente HAC, definantly need an armor rep, some armor hardeners, an MWD or afterburner, web, and as many ion or nuetron blasters that you can squeeze on there, thats the basic and easiest fitting to master. If you have any other fitting question you can check out battclinic.com, they have thousands of loadouts that are constantly peer reviewed to find the best ones, hope this helps.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

I don't mix different types of guns, and I certainly agree blasters and rails are stupid, it's just that going with a pair of longer range guns, then having my primary firepower effective at the 20km to 35km(ish) has seen me do well in the missions. It provides a staggered system, rather than overspecialising.

I'll explain it in some more detail. I have a pair of the 250mm railguns. I use them to thin ranks at the start, and by the time they close from around 50km to 30km, I then open up with dual 150mm railguns, finishing the job. At the moment with the way my skills look, I've got a great rate of fire, and the range on them is somewhat rediculous. In one mission I'd estimate I got at least a dozen kills at over 45km from the 250mm Rails alone. So I don't see why when I ask the question everyone just says 'don't mix guns you noob' when I've stayed within the one gun type, Rails, and use two different calibres. Surely there are other players who use multiple laser types on their ships, or have multiple missile types loaded.

[Dr. X]

They all say that because if you decide to use long range guns, you should be able to dictate the range in which you fight, they are prepping you for a pvp mindset. Although i personally disagree with mixing guns in any way, the way you have it set up is ok for missioning. It just makes it so you can only really put half your firepower on a target depending on the range rather than all of it at one range. With the guns youre using though, its apples and oranges :D I see no major flaws in mixing guns in that manner for mission purposes, so rock on CaptLeon, rock on.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

They all say that because if you decide to use long range guns, you should be able to dictate the range in which you fight, they are prepping you for a pvp mindset. Although i personally disagree with mixing guns in any way, the way you have it set up is ok for missioning. It just makes it so you can only really put half your firepower on a target depending on the range rather than all of it at one range. With the guns youre using though, its apples and oranges :D I see no major flaws in mixing guns in that manner for mission purposes, so rock on CaptLeon, rock on.

Oddly enough, and I did some of the math behind it while at uni(bad me I know, but hey, what can you do when you're that bored?) my effrective range is actually in the 30 to 40 km range, as the 35km mark my dual 150mms start to have falloff, and the 250mm rail is getting into it's optimal zone. So it actually works out, short of doing a lot more math than I really want to in one sitting, that in someways I'm marginally more effective, as instead of say, a +/-5 to +/-7.5 km optimal zone, with both guns I could have something like a +/-15 to +/-20 optimal zone for engagements.

Now my question is do I go and get an Imicus for scanning and rat hunting(with the Cheyenne, aka my Thorax I previously discussed) so I can get more money than missioning to get the advanced Learnign Skills I want.

[Tarion]

So, I considered throwing this in the rookie chat, but I figured I'd get more help from the forum.

Do Frigates have much of a role later, or am I just using one until I can get into a Cruiser? I'm not really sure as to the value of Tech II Frigates (Like my aforementioned Hawk)

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Look at what Cry Havoc did to Pandemic Legion in the last Alliance Tournament and I think you have your answer. No spoilers, but check that out on YouTube, as I can't seem to connect to it at the moment. They have a place, it's very subjective, if you want to have a Stealth Bomber, get one, but it does seem to be a better PvP ship than anything else. Especially in gangs.

[Tarion]

Look at what Cry Havoc did to Pandemic Legion in the last Alliance Tournament and I think you have your answer. No spoilers, but check that out on YouTube, as I can't seem to connect to it at the moment. They have a place, it's very subjective, if you want to have a Stealth Bomber, get one, but it does seem to be a better PvP ship than anything else. Especially in gangs.
Oh. Wow.

Now, I've not seen much EVE PvP, but just from watching that and listening to the commentary, I'm pretty impressed.

[MGRockwell]

I'm still not really sure what I want to do in the game. I started over as a Caldari pilot, and I do like the combat type role so that is what I'm focusing on right now.

I'd like to learn some more of the trade/industry type jobs though as well.

Covert Ops seems pretty cool but it also seems like you'd need to be in a pretty good corporation (that uses Vent a lot) to be of any use.

[Coldfire]

Look at what Cry Havoc did to Pandemic Legion in the last Alliance Tournament and I think you have your answer. No spoilers, but check that out on YouTube, as I can't seem to connect to it at the moment. They have a place, it's very subjective, if you want to have a Stealth Bomber, get one, but it does seem to be a better PvP ship than anything else. Especially in gangs.
That was a hell of a thing.

[Dr. X]

CaptLeon, stick with something like a beefy Thorax or Vexor for ratting, they are cheap, somewhat fast, and have good damage potential. For most ratting just run through the asteroid belts and kill whats there while you do a system scan for an anomoly. Thats a good way to get money, rep, and some decent loot.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

The idea is find some tough Serpentis or similar hide outs, fly in with the Cheyenne, clear out, rinse and repeat.

Edit, Guys, care to say EVE toon names? Maybe build us a corp in the game?

[Tarion]

Tarion'Maseth in game. Tarion already being taken :(

Most of the way through the learning skills marathon. Flying a Salvaging Destroyer that earns me lots of ISK and working towards a Cruiser and the skills I'll need for it.

Getting into a Corp would be the ideal next step :P

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

LionofPerth for me, what faction Tarion?

[Coldfire]

Derivus Roth here. Gallente Federation trader.

But I don't think we should start a corp. I think we would be a lot better off finding an established one for us all to join.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Not too bad an idea. No plans on taking it over from the inside?

[MGRockwell]

My ingame name is Synchro Tron. Old name from another game and Synchrotron, Synchro and Synch were already taken...

I'd be down for joining a corp.

[DeathForce]

I am usually on my Bronn Stormborn account more then my other account if anyone want to add to me to their friends list.

[DeathForce]

I made a 40kforums chat channel so anyone can come and join it.

Its called 40kforums btw if that was not clear :smt002

[k_orr]

I was thinking about finding a new mmorpg to play and all these pretty adds for eve caught my attention. So, i foolishy typed in "eve review" into google and this http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/ ... Eve-Online (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/208-Eve-Online) was the first link on the list.

I laughed myself stupid. But, i have never been more discouraged to play a game in my life.

I realy should stop watching those videos, they deter you from playing ANYTHING.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

There's a reason I don't listen to them at all. It's just a rant that turned into a gimic.

EVE is a good game, yet it has its flaws, like all games.

[The Tommunist]

Your not supposed to take ol grumpy seriously (yes i have my own personal nickname for him). He rips every game to shreds. Just sit back and laugh at his rapidfire jokes.

[CaptLeonof153rdElysains]

Your not supposed to take ol grumpy seriously (yes i have my own personal nickname for him). He rips every game to shreds. Just sit back and laugh at his rapidfire jokes.

For me he's grumpy for the sake of being grumpy. That's all it he is. I like a bit more substance.

[Tarion]

To be honest, I couldn't disagree more. I mean, yeah, you know when you're going in that he's going to highlight the flaws of the game. Its what he does.

But there have been plenty of games where his reviews have actually encouraged me to buy games.