Greedy Goblin

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Why no EVE for me?

Commenters keep asking the question why don't I play EVE Online. It's a game where scamming, being unfair and ruthless is rewarding, so would fit me well.

It would fit me well indeed. However I'm looking for more than gaming fun while playing. If it would be enough, I wouldn't blog about it. I believe some universal ideas fit to the games and the real world the same way. I want to spread them. I want to test them.

In EVE I'd preach to the clergy. Also, EVE is consensual PvP. You consented scamming, suicide ganking and such by installing the game. You have to live in a cave to expect anything else. If you are surprised that you are shot after touching a "gift to newbies" container floating peacefully, you should really uninstall the game.

I want to bring my ideas to the mainstream. I want to affect people who don't want to be affected. I want to rock their pony-panda-Mylune world and show them that even here you should be ruthless and unhelpful and not at all nice.

I don't want to beat some newbs. I want to beat the system.

15 comments:

Ermak said...

A part of me agrees with you. The other one - screams in horror if I'd ever be like you.
Oh, I'm going to be so extra-nice and helpful to other randoms for a couple of days. Even if they're leet-speaking retarded Arthasdklol.

Andru said...

Also, Eve is boring.

While playing it, I could never get away from the crushing feeling that I'm wasting my time. There's nearly zero RPG elements in it, (If I wanted to play a game in which I gain power by not playing, I'd 'play' Progress Quest.) and I've never been a fan of pissing other people off just because I can.

I could never shake the feeling of Eve actually feeling like work more than fun. Only that in work, I get paid.

Steel H. said...

Interesting. I'd say it's a level of "metagaming" even higher than I imagined. Tilting at windmills doesn't do this justice, given the way WoW is build and run. But then again, Undergeared did help me change my perspective, so I guess it's not all in vain. So I can wish you success. As for me, I'm getting bored senseless by WoW, I started EVE a week ago and find it genius and fascinating.

Also it seems the M&S is a resilient species, that can survive even in the cold vacuum of space. There's plenty of cargo ships worth billions set on autopilot, miners that invest all they have in a full fleet of the most expensive ships that all get taken out by a single smartbomb, people that hire the goons as trusted middleman for transactions of billions (of RMT money). Then go onto forums to complain. It never ceases to amaze me.

Steel H. said...

Andru - it's definitely not for everyone - cliche I know (plus you need to go out searching for the fun, rather than having fun be delivered to you). But that's yet another thing EVE does well - it picked a niche market and focused on it. In WoW, one of the many problems is that it's too big, and trying to be too many thing to too many people with contradictory desires. This is why there is an explosion of QQing at any sort of action the devs take. It seems like a critical mass that passed the stability threshold.

Seán said...

That and playing Eve is like watching paint dry.

Ciaphascain said...

Actually I thought that what you wrote today in your post would have been obvious to anyone that has read your blog for more then 2 to 3 months.
The only thing I do have an issue with is your disparaging remark about Mylune, leave her alone you brute.

Ephemeron said...

Why not play EVE to learn something new, then? Expand your understanding of greed and ruthlessness, discover new scams, ideas and methods to exploit social customs and ape-subroutines?

Besides, WoW and EVE are not mutually exclusive. They won't melt your hard drive if you try to install them on the same computer.

Caramael said...

I really really like the idea of Eve, and I've tried the game multiple times. But I never last for more than a month or two. The game can be very boring, the skill system is the mother of all that is horrible, and the UI is worse.
The only reason I keep coming back to WoW is because of your PVP projects.

NetherLands said...

MMO's are crafted worlds that cater to specific audiences, just as games in general are catered to specific audiences. Signing up for a soccer match and then complain the other people don't play rugby is a bit...odd, and it raises the question WHY someone should be able to spoil the other soccer players fun by him going full-body contact.

WoW is a cartoony, 12+ game about collecting Pets and Mounts and covering your avatar in over-sized gear that makes Rob Liefeld art look realistic and practical.

I'm not saying it's perfect or within my taste, but it is what it is, and if someone wants to change it one should approach/aim for the Devs themselves, not take candy from babes in the wood and then proclaiming one is so 'awsum' to do so.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the real reason you don't try EVE is that you're afraid you'll fail at being the 'biggest Goblin of them all'. Vs the WoW populance you can feel superior, vs EVE this might be different.

Anonymous said...

you all are commenting as if gevlon has never played eve. that may be true, i dont know that he has ever said, but he clearly has an understanding of the game and at least the major mechanics, ie containers labeled "gift to newbies". he has given perfectly valid reasons not to play, give it a rest.

Dancingblade said...

@Steel: You nailed the "WoW is too big" point. Instead of focusing like EVE, they fell prey to "trying to be everything to everyone, and doing NONE of it well." I've been dabbling with an EVE trial account this week. It's an interesting change of pace when tired of grinding rep or doing scripted events (read: dungeons/raids), but you definitely gotta have your "big boy pants" on.

Anonymous said...

I admit EVE Online did seem like a better fit.

As for WoW, "beating the system" seems like it is destined for disappointment. What you do one a single European server does not seem like it will have a huge impact.

More importantly, it seems like it is Blizzard's financial self-interest to actively resist or at least constrain your philosophy. For example, recent 4.3 change: doing a 4.0 random will give 150 VP versus 100 for 10-man 4.3 Raid boss. The CP from the daily was quadrupled. You get CP from winning an unrated BG and there is no cap. So full CP is merely how long you want to grind; none of that skill is required. In MoP, resilience is built in, so people who don't care about getting PvP gear won't be that disadvantaged when they PvP.

Won't it get frustrating trying to constantly "swim upstream" versus Blizzard?

Anonymous said...

In patch 4.3 we’re changing the daily battleground (BG) to reward 100 conquest for a win (up from 25). In addition, every non-rated BG that you win will also give you 50 conquest. There is no limit to how many BGs you can run this way, up to the normal conquest cap.

Our intent is to start acting even more on our Mists of Pandaria philosophies of encouraging players to approach the content they want to, how they want to, and be able to work toward meaningful player progression. Arenas and rated battlegrounds will still earn Conquest faster, but with this change you can now work your way up by running normal BGs, if you so choose.

Joshua said...

HEY! Lay off Mylune, she is awesome and wants me to kill spiders. What more could a guy want out of life then to kill spiders?

Anonymous said...

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Eve Online is what you make of it. If you want to be a ruthless pirate and kill and destroy for fun and profit...so be it. If you want to be an Industrialist and feed the pirates and their victims with replacement ships and modules,...so be it. If you want to be a "care-bear" and hide in a cave and only come out when the sun shines,...so be it. The game is what you make of it. If its not for you...Say-La-Vee!