At A Glance articles are designed to give readers an accurate overview of an MMO's free trial. For two weeks, Laura Genender has been playing in EVE Online and today, she shares her experiences with us.

Starting off on my first day in EVE I felt like a 7th grader who, by some error of the education system, had been transferred into senior year of high school. I was alone, very small, and quite unprepared for my future – all I had to my name was a lonely little pod, a handful of skills, and a very stubborn nature.

14 days ago, I downloaded EVE Online and registered for the trial. All the feedback and activity on our forums about this somewhat eccentric Sci-Fi game eventually ate away at my curiosity, and brought me to the game’s official website. I jumped into the game with a fairly casual attitude, choosing my race more by flavor text and appearance than anything practical – the EVE website has a (perhaps overly) thorough starter’s guide, but with only 14 days to explore, I wanted to shoot, not read! I decided that the in-game tutorial by my helpful electronic assistant Aura would be more than enough. Of course, at this point, I didn’t understand how important my somewhat hastily made character decisions were – I didn’t even know that different races piloted different ships!

That’s how I found myself sitting in my Ibis (the Caldari starter frigate) somewhere near Kisogo. I had some general knowledge of how to progress my character and how to pilot my ship, plus a courier mission sending me on to my first NPC agent, but not much else. I was a strawberry blond, and looked sort of like the girl from Spiderman. My cargo bay was full of Veldspar, one of the most common unrefined ores.

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i am glad you liked it. i hope you are patient enough to get through the first weeks of not knowing exactly what the game is about and build a great career.

Laura, I am glad you enjoyed the game and gave it a fair shot.  Eve is very complex, and only getting moreso with each patch.  While it may seem impossible to catch up with those who have played for years, do not despair, you can be almost as good skillwise and get even better with practice handling your ship.

Each skill has 2 numbers, the skill level, and the skill rank (multiplier).  Each level takes 5 times longer to progress than the one before it, and the multiplier is applied to the number of skillpoints.  A rank 1 skill requires 250 skillpoints to reach Level 1 from 0, a rank 5 skill will require 1250 skillpoints to get to the same point.  Rank 1 L2 will take 1250 to reach, but Rank 5 L2 will take 6250 points.  Each level might only add a 2-20% increase in ability, and if you just train a bunch of skills to L4 you will get very good in a fraction of the time someone aiming for L5 will.

In this way, you can become very effective with veterans, good enough to compete and overcome them assuming equal gear.

It's when you get to advanced ships and skills that you have to max skills at L5.  If you train up Learning skills, you will raise your attributes and gain more skillpoints in less time.  It's highly recommended that you pick a path to specialize on, and train for it.  You can always change your mind later.  I also recommend training up the core skills for each category.  These are rank 1 skills that take little time to train up, but will benefit all ships that you fly.

I'll agree that EVE has to be approached from a different perspective. As the saying goes "EVE is la a sand box with land mines, deal with it". But if you give yourself time, engage the community and  keep at it, the reward is truly great.

All in all, a great review Laura!  

Really good and cool game..

you can get a 2 weeks  free  playing pass at www.eve-offline.nl

also more then 100 guides tools and other things..

I lovvve this game

Also, for the carebears among us (carebear pride!) Eve provides an arbitrarily deep economic game.  You can specialize in things like trading on the open markets, with skills that allow you larger numbers of open trades and larger ranges of those trades being available.  Some people seem never to do anything but mine ore, refine ore, and haul ore -- others get into manufacturing, inventing (developing elite technology items), or even odd little niches like salvager or archaeologist.

As you note, in the PvP game (which is really almost RvR, with huge alliances of corporations [like guilds] struggling over vast areas of fringe space) has many roles also.  Tanks, electronic warfare, fast harrier ships,  you name it.

But one of the joys of this game for me, in addition to the wide-open skill system is the graphics.  If you love the Hubble, you will peace out on the graphics, even as you pod your enemies! :)

There's just not enough time in 14 days to really get to know the game, but maybe that's enough time to get the barest taste for it.  I think when I'd been playing 14 days, I'd barely figured out which parts of the game were NPC based and which were player created -- which is a lot.

Eve can be a thinking person's game.  The women I meet who play are tough (you have to be to deal with the largely testosterone-dominated chat), smart, savvy, solution-oriented -- and can make fairly complex calculations jump hoops in their heads, often enough.  This is a game where I tend to meet more folks who are engineers and such in real life than any game I've played.

The economy is so complex that CCP actually has a full time economist on staff.

It's worth noting, btw, if you are thinking of making the commitment, that since you can only train one character per account at any one time, CCP is encouraging people to get 2nd accounts.  "The Power of 2" gets  you a 2nd account for $49.95 for 6 months.

If you'd like more info, a 14 day pass (fishing for referrals, so shoot me...:), pointers to some great sites for more information (eve-online.com being not the be-all-end-all of sites -- there's *far* more info on the fansites, and not the usual constellation of 10tonhammer et al), drop me a message on this board and I'll hook you up.

Yrs,

Shava

That was a good review!

Good article, but I feel the need to clarify the one big misconception about "how can a new player ever catch up to a veteran since skill points train in real time".  Well, of course you never will, but what few fail to realize is... you don't need to.

For every ship in EVE, be it a Cruiser, Battleship Stealth Bomber or Dreadnaught, there is a finite number of skills that you need to fly it from a basic, effective and maximum perspective.

Let's make up an arbitrary example for a Stealth Bomber (A ship I fly effectively now, after 5 months of gameplay)

Your typical Stealth Bomber probably needs about 20 skills to fly in a most basic manner, 30 skills to fly effectively and 40 skills would cover every possible skill you'd ever need to fly one as total expert.

As mentioned previously, skills have 5 levels to them........and due to the fact that training between levels 4 and 5 always takes a long time (anywhere from 3 days to 60 days) no one (not even the vets) trains them to level 5 unless its a requirement to get another skill.  (i.e to fly Stealth Bombers you must have Frigates 5)

The skill bonuses between levels is usually quite small, anywhere from 2% to 5%.... so even if you were to run into someone who went nuts and became the supreme SB pilot of all time....his skills would only be 5% better overall than anyone else who only trained to level 4.   And trust me....5% better does not outweigh the fact that in most fights, he who shoots first and hardest, wins.....

Right now, after 5 months of play, I can fly a SB almost as well (from strictly a skill point perspective) as the leader of my Corp...and in another month... I'll have him matched almost skill for skill, level for level...and he's been playing EVE for almost 2.5 years.

Difference is... I can only fly Caldari Stealth Bombers...while he can fly both Caldari and Mimitar SB's.  He can also fly a Dreadnaught, 2 races of Battleships, recon ships (something I'll start flying at the end of my 6 month) and Heavy Assault cruisers.

With my skills I'm limited right now to one race of Stealth Bomber, Ratting (PVE) Battleships (not fitted for PVP yet, but I have an alt that will be flying those within a month)

To sum up this long post.... right now my corporation needs me to fly Stealth Bombers...and I'm am fully capable of doing so in only 6 months of gameplay.  If you were to specialize more you can get to this point even quicker, however if you are new to EVE and don't plan on trading timecards for ISK than you will have to do the same as I did and train to fly a PvE ratting ship, or train up some mining or trading skills as well.

While it is true my Corp CEO can fly many more ships than I can, neither they nor I need me to be able to do the same to be effective in 0.0 PVP raids and I'm getting my share of kills and killmails... ..

A bigger issue for me now is that my ship is more skilled than I am.....there is a real trick to flying one well in every situation, and I made some mistakes last evening while camping a station that got me caught by a couple of interceptors as I tried to take flight....... and boom..... back to the station in my pod I went.

Wait till next time.... 

Oh yes, and to those who say, "I'm not waiting 6 months to get to the fun"...... while its true EVE requires a level of patience  not seen in many newer games today, I assure you, I've been having a great time getting to this point....the journey does matter......

Nice introduction into the game, yu didn't get mortified by all the windows, options, panels, boxes, bars, menus and whatnot - that is A LOT! ;)

Great to hear you enjoyed your experience in-game and the game itself. The mechanics are dificult to learn, not to mention masteting them, but if one gives EVE a shot and finds it good... you  will stay ;)

Again great to see such a decent and fair article, great to have you in the New Eden!

@ Kyleran.  5% might be the difference between 1/5th and 1/4th ..which means something might fit now, that previously didn't. Even if you only gain 1 point because of that 5%, you might just be able to fit another Coprocessor and upgrade your systems by 10%. So the last skill, is definitely not useless, you just have to decide whether it's worth it for you to spend time and virtually make no progress for a month.

I have been playing Eve for just under 2 yrs and one thing i have found in 0.0(no holds bared) space is that we need those newer guys in frigates to tackle. there is no need to spend 6 months training to be effective in pvp.

Whenever we get someone with 1 month or less under their belt we direct them into small fast ships capable of holding just about anything down so the heavy hitters can kill them. this role is completely nessesary, even with interdictors around.

So don't think you need 6 months or 3 yrs before you are in a role that is effective.. Us heavy hitters would not get any kills without the noob tackler buzzing around with a warp scrambler.

eritalker.

I play 2 years Eve,today is easy for beginning.I am create new alt and progres in making isk is speed.Before isk newer to be enough for new players.
Very nice rewiew!

First off, a well-written review, with none of the usual "this is way too hard to be a game"-comment you sometimes get from less patient reviewers.

Those who already play the game, will probably agree with what I am about to say to those who have not played the game (yet).

No review can ever do justice to a game. If you're remotely interested, do yourself a favor and try EVE out.

One of the game's strongest features, from a customer standpoint, is the fact that CCP has managed to provide new content and expand the game world since the game came out. Now there are problems, balance issues, nerfs, bugs, crashes and unscheduled server outages,.

BUT because CCP is dependant on EVE, they have an incentive to keep the game running. A sense of urgency permiates the company when it comes to serious issues, and you get the destinct impression that they actually understand the customer/business relationship (unlike some other distributors I could mention).

Natually, there are ex-customers and banned players that will tell you the exact opposite, and they may be right, but I still think the overall grades for EVE (since retail) should be:

Technical stuff: 8.5/10
Development: 9/10
Community support: 8/10
Value: 8.5/10

Hello,

i was often thinking about returning to EVE.

I didnt because because i wasnt able to figure out the so beloved "pricing USD/EUR" issue so far, but i would like to bring it up again so CCP gets aware that this is still holding potential customers back from subscribing:

Considering the current USD/EUR conversion and the fact that euopean customers get VAT charged (included), the game is still more expensive for european customers compared to USA citizens.

I know all the arguements like life-index costs etc etc etc.
Just wanted to mention without getting again into a 9876 times discussed issue.

The second thing holding back my resubscription is, that CCP is charging the first month of resubscription with 19.95 EUR, then following up with 14,95 EUR monthly.

So far i thought its ME getting "something" for spending my money again to iceland.
Im a bit "distracted" that i have to PAY to enter the "welcome back" gate to EVE....seems a bit wrong to me.

Anyway, maybe you (CCP) are reading this and think again about the policy to make customers PAY for their comeback - it sounds very wrong to me.

Besides from that, im waiting for the avatar/groundgame expansion (working title "ambulation") which gives a social aspect im missing way to much in the game so far - but thats just my playstyle which (of course) isnt valid for everyone - like any1 can see: Eve has a 200.000 + subscriptionbase which is pretty nice !

A very nice article, well done.  You covered the new player experience quite well.

A slight correction to your article.  Eve is made up of thousands of worlds, there were 5 thousand systems before they added the new areas in 0.0, so I do not know how many there are now, but more than 5,000 for sure.

The biggest problem with Eve is there are some very nasty things some people will do to new players and it is perfectly legal.

Eve grouping is broken big time.  So only group with people you know.  When I mean broken, look at this scenario, you are in a group with others and one of the people in your group gets attacked, guess what you do not have the ability to attack the aggressor, he is only flagged to the person he is attacking. Now if you have remote shield or armor repair equipment  fitted on your ship you can remotely repair shields or armor on your group mates ship, those devices are not considered aggression.

But you have to be very aware of aggression in this game, targeting someone is not considered aggression, only firing on them is considered aggression.  In high sec Concord takes a dim view of aggressive ships and will destroy them.  Only if you have a Wardec on your corporation, which is a contract with Concord to allow you to fight another corp in empire space, can you have aggression without a Concord response.  Many people will attempt to make you become the aggressor so they can pick up the remains after Concord has destroyed your ship.   So shooting first is not a good idea in Empire space.

I hope you continue to enjoy your time in Eve.

Originally posted by caspar21

I have been playing Eve for just under 2 yrs and one thing i have found in 0.0(no holds bared) space is that we need those newer guys in frigates to tackle. there is no need to spend 6 months training to be effective in pvp.

Whenever we get someone with 1 month or less under their belt we direct them into small fast ships capable of holding just about anything down so the heavy hitters can kill them. this role is completely nessesary, even with interdictors around.

 

So don't think you need 6 months or 3 yrs before you are in a role that is effective.. Us heavy hitters would not get any kills without the noob tackler buzzing around with a warp scrambler.

 

eritalker.

  

This post is so very true.... my first PVP role in EVE was flying a Rifter, (and this can be done almost immediately, even during your free trial) tackling for the rest of the team.  I loved bombing around in it with my micro warp drive turned on.... and even when I got blown up as along as the target died I knew I'd accomplished my goal.

Finding a good Corp makes all the difference, find one that fits the play style you like, and they will get you up to speed in less than a month.

And you said something really important, focus on attainable goals first, it is too easy to try and do too much too soon.

If any brand new players are looking for help, look me up in game, I would be happy to answer your questions.

Ragmore - HedgeKnight (Caldari Pilot)

I hear people say all the time that a newb will never catch up with a veteran, but that is simply not true.  I've been playing for almost 3 years as a Manufacturer, Scientist and Tradesman.  Recently, I decided that I wanted to train up to fly Dreads.  There's only one problem, the specific ship that I wanted required not only a baseline of skills that I didn't have, but also my character's baseline points in Memory and Perception, that I would require to be proficient at training those skills were so low, that it would literally take me LONGER to train up my 3 year old character, than simply start a new one, plug in some implants and go to town.  My calculations showed that a new character with the right beginning skills, and 2 implants valued at about 17Million ISK each,  would actually take almost 2 months less time to train than my existing character.

What people fail to realize is that there is such a huge variety in this game that each person can make their own career decisions and become extremely proficient at a particular niche.  What's funny is that my son started playing 3 months ago, and he can already use weapons that I simply do not have the skills for, and there are other weapons that he's already more proficient at than I am.  It's simply a matter of what you choose to focus on.

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by caspar21

I have been playing Eve for just under 2 yrs and one thing i have found in 0.0(no holds bared) space is that we need those newer guys in frigates to tackle. there is no need to spend 6 months training to be effective in pvp.

Whenever we get someone with 1 month or less under their belt we direct them into small fast ships capable of holding just about anything down so the heavy hitters can kill them. this role is completely nessesary, even with interdictors around.

 

So don't think you need 6 months or 3 yrs before you are in a role that is effective.. Us heavy hitters would not get any kills without the noob tackler buzzing around with a warp scrambler.

 

eritalker.

  

This post is so very true.... my first PVP role in EVE was flying a Rifter, (and this can be done almost immediately, even during your free trial) tackling for the rest of the team.  I loved bombing around in it with my micro warp drive turned on.... and even when I got blown up as along as the target died I knew I'd accomplished my goal.

Yes, I LOVE my little rifter :) I'm up to a Stabber now, but I still keep my Rifter and destroyers (I have a Minmatar and a Caldari) at hand.  They all have their niches, and that is great.

Nice read. Show once again that it is not so hard to get into it if you give it some time. EvE is different. Noone holds your hand. That makes it so much fun at the same time.

The eve uni guys really rock. Great service to the community.

Good review!

I would just re-iterate what some of others have said here; just because you have been playing for  a few weeks doesnt mean you cant compete with the OAPs in the game. Put together a gang of 3 or 4 players and all sorts of things can happen; they can take down an old player foolish enough to be roaming around alone or go raiding in null-sec or pirating in low-sec. Eve is like no other MMO for the variety of possible activities and outcomes.

"Choose your own path in Eve and tread it joyfully!"

Just to say that Even newbs can own a 4 year vet in EvE. As my recent loss testifies!!!!

Just read the article, and this game seems fun, but just one question......do you have to pvp or is it a choice?  I'm not big on the whole pvp thing, but the economics of the game seem very interesting and something that would probably enjoy.    Thanks.....

Originally posted by junzo316

Just read the article, and this game seems fun, but just one question......do you have to pvp or is it a choice?  I'm not big on the whole pvp thing, but the economics of the game seem very interesting and something that would probably enjoy.    Thanks.....

No you dont HAVE to PvP. Just avoid the unsafe zones.

Been playing EVE for a while now and have to say that hardest part of EVE - is start !

Geting the right race, atributes, background - all of this is important when you first start. Then its the long haul to get lerarning skills up -wich is what generaly what kills most new players.

But what comes after that is apsolutley great ! Especialy if you like PVP.

Oh and - Ivy league - Alliance for new pilots. They will teach new pilots all there is to EVE and in a fun manner.