Survival is tough--especially in space. Eve Online is a game of depth and mystery, one wrong step and you will find yourself on the wrong side of a laser turret; go into this game unprepared and welcome a myriad of confusion and tender despair. My mission was simple; survive in Eve Online for eight weeks and report my trials and tribulations. I knew this would be hard but still I was unprepared. This is Eve Online Survivor Guy.
Enlightenment
Week six had all the hallmarks of being a difficult and disastrous week. I start proceedings in a void, no objectives, goals or ambitious; I merely aimlessly floated around space looking for purpose; a nomad. The survival I had been so desperately clinging to was ebbing away at every second and my will to continue with the world of New Eden was simply nonexistent; I had been beaten, drained, without hope. The learning curve of Eve Online is more like a sheer cliff face- the desire to continue is seemingly beaten into submission. It was safe to assume that this was a low moment for me.
;)
Since my last week of adventure, nothing much had changed. I had indulged in minor piracy, found myself mining and simply waiting on an Eve University application. By the middle of my sixth week I had only received a mail alluding to the fact that I may soon be accepted. The will to simply log on each day was becoming difficult, I had no purpose; what was I to do?
I had found myself scrounging for help and guidance anywhere I could find it, everyone seemingly pointed to finding a corporation and therein would be purpose. So far I hadn't had much luck with this, I had skipped on a few different establishments as I perceived them to be inactive and empty and perhaps I was jumping the gun? Maybe my inclination to find something to do on this game was forcing me to recklessly flit back and forth between prospective corporations. Whatever the case I was becoming desperate and whatever my next action was, it was make or break.
Deciding that waiting for Eve University was perhaps an action that would ultimately lead me to frustration and despair; I made my way into the recruitment channel and simply looked up the textual landscape. Every kind of Corporation was recruiting; did I want low sec missions? Wormholes? Maybe even a spot of mining? Whatever the case, these guys seemed to provide it. After scanning around my options for a while I settled on a certain player who featured a number of vaguely exciting prospects in his spiel and also a welcome hint to new comers. I opened a conversation and leveled with the guy. I told him how I needed excitement, some purpose, a little guidance but overall; fun. He seemed to understand and invited me into a conversation; was this a turning point?
;)
After an hour or so of audio chat, my would be new best friends had decided to take me under their wing; show me some of the brighter sights of Eve Online and help me out on my path of survival. For the first time in two weeks I felt the sweet aroma of enjoyment. These guys weren't mechanically telling me how and why I should be doing certain things; they were simply a bunch of friendly guys, playing the game through a mixture of fun, social interaction and just general thrill seeking. We set away to a destination to attempt to fly a level four mission which one member told me, in no uncertain terms, was a "a ball breaker man".
The fifteen or so warps undertaken were filled with good humor, guidance and just some good spirited conversation. I think I had finally found the reason for many players advising new comers to find a corporation. Eve Online is a lonely game, more so when you have no clue of advancement, having a few friends and comrades around made the game feel slightly less daunting. The simple fact of being in corporation was a goal onto itself; everyone around you has an objective which they wish to meet and in a way the peer pressure forces you to think likewise. After two hours of flying with these guys I was already plotting my progression towards obtaining a Gallente Battle Cruiser; shaping my skills toward tanking and generally finding that lost purpose of mine.
After a while we all arrived at our destination and a fleet was formed. Unlike my past experiences this was a lot more regimented and tactical. Two of us were told to stay back and warp in after the strongest of our fleet entered and drew whatever agro; we were told on entering to only pursue the little "X" flagged ships and basically run an operation of clear up while our powerful friends focused on the tougher enemies. I had run several missions with corporations before but this was different, everyone had a role and as such the whole thing felt exciting. I warped into that encounter with nervous joy, I surveyed a horizon full of enemy ships, laser bolts and destructive bangs; by the end I had received shield damage, defeated several smaller enemies and received a generous amount of ISK. This was what I had been missing.
Soon after our first success we moved on to the several mission arcs on offer, things got even better; I was having the fun I so woefully craved. I now began to see exactly why Eve Online was held in such high regard, simply being with another set of people had given me a thirst to progress and advance, I was now participating in the ultimate sandbox and I loved it.
;)
After successfully completing several missions and scoring some well earned ISK, my corporation buddies decided to show me a wormhole; I was buoyed up and ready to go, these guys had salvaged the remains of my survival and helped me out more than they realized. I was all set for the wormhole until unfortunately my Internet connection cut and the night was prematurely ended. My survival was now under threat by a snaky service provider and I deemed revenge was the only course of action.
After my night's adventure with this new corporation I felt enlightened; I knew exactly why people enjoyed Eve Online and I had begun to find myself drawn to it in a way that I didn't think possibly. The next day I spent mining with purpose trying to gather a few ISK so I could buy the skill manuals I needed to advance and become a more useful member of my fleet. I was excited to play and survival now seemed easy. Perhaps the biggest requirement for any new comer to this world of New Eden is a few good buddies, some decent missions, one or two penis jokes and maybe a nice amount of ISK?
What is for certain is that my seventh week in Eve Online was only set to raise my prospects, I had objectives and goals to meet and I definitely wanted to taste some more of the sights and sounds that Eve Online offers. Join me next week as I continue...
