EVE Online – My journeys so far.

A couple of weeks ago, as I mentioned, I started playing EVE. It is a very different sort of MMO, but I think I’ll save the game analysis for when I’m feeling a bit more intelligent. Still, I thought you might be somewhat curious as to how I’m getting on.

Quite well, as it turns out. EVE’s learning curve is famously steep, and it is very easy to find yourself wondering what the heck you should do next. Fortunately I have enough experience with previous true sandboxes, mostly old school Ultima Online, to not be too disorientated by that.

I signed up for the 14 day trial, but that did not last terribly long. Trial accounts can’t take the Industrial ship skills, even though you receive a couple of ships needing that skill during the tutorial. Well, a wannabe tycoon like me wasn’t having that, so clearly the thing to do was to subscribe! As there is no charge for the game itself, it was just a matter of 20 Euros, including a one-off signup charge. Within my current funds, just about! Impressively, unlike most trials, the remaining trial time you have is added to your subscription, so you don’t miss out on gametime by subscribing before the end.

I started off as a Gallente citizen in the Verge Vendor region of space, and completed all the advanced tutorials at the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Clellinon system. The advanced tutorials are extremely generous with gifts of skillbooks and ships, not to mention wisdom, and this gave me an excellent start. On finishing up there, I decided to base myself in the nearby Luse system, setting up shop in a starbase belonging to the Federation Customs corporation. In retrospect, they weren’t necessarily the best Corporation to concentrate on, but they were local, and have looked after me quite nicely. I ran missions for the local corps for a few days, before deciding I wanted to explore a little more of the universe.

So off I sped to the the Amarr and Minmatar tutorial zones. I had discovered that you can go through the advanced tutorials at every system that offers them. Completing each series gives a decent chunk of standing, so it seemed worthwhile from that alone. What I do is simply leave all my gear where it is, get in my Gallente Shuttle, and buy the cheapest frigate available when I get there. It has been extremely useful in learning how the other races ships and weaponry work, which I am sure will be useful in the future.

I’m still in two minds whether or not to go do the tutorials in Caldari space, as they are the sworn foes of the Gallente, my primary faction, and my Gallente standings would take a serious knock. I’ll probably save them for if the Caldari start looking like they really hate me. Doing the odd bit of work for their allies, the Amarr, should keep that from happening any time soon.

So far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be any limit on how much stuff I can have. This is a major boon to a pack rat like me, but I can see that I will have an epic time of it trying to keep track of where everything is, even with the useful Assets window. I have a base of operations in each of the three Empires I have so far visited, each with its own pile of ships, loot, and general junk.

The other reason for me visiting the Amarr is that different areas offer different loot and salvage, and the capacitor related salvage I seek is most easily gained from Amarr’s local pirates; the Blood Raiders, and Sansha’s Nation.

My relationship with the Federation Customs is standing me in good stead as I prepare to move my Gallente operations to the Luminaire system in the Essence region. They have a couple of starbases there, so I arrive already having access to level 2 missions, and a good tax rate. I’m mostly moving to be a little more central, as it is a lot quicker to get into the other Empire areas from here. There are a heap of drawbacks to being in a busier area, but travel is far from trivial in Eve, and it’ll save me a lot of time in the long run.

Currently, I’m poking about the Luminaire area, seeing what’s on offer, and building up my standings with the local Corporations. Some are the same as over near Luse, but there are quite a few that are new to me here. Slowly building up my resources, skills, and standings. Patience is key.

For anyone interested in my current build, it’s coming up after the leap.

Arkenor Oakshadow

Attributes
Intelligence: 19.44
Perception: 19.44
Charisma: 11.88
Willpower: 17.28
Memory: 21.60

Corporation Management
Anchoring
Corporation Management
Total Skillpoints in Group: 1,000

Drones
Combat Drone Operation
Drones
Mining Drone Operation
Scout Drone Operation
Total Skillpoints in Group: 12,744

Electronics
Electronic Warfare
Electronics
Electronics Upgrades
Long Range Targeting
Propulsion Jamming
Sensor Linking
Signature Analysis
Survey
Target Painting
Targeting
Weapon Disruption
Total Skillpoints in Group: 41,159

Engineering
Energy Emission Systems
Energy Grid Upgrades
Energy Management
Energy Pulse Weapons
Energy Systems Operation
Engineering
Shield Emission Systems
Shield Management
Shield Operation
Shield Upgrades
Tactical Shield Manipulation
Total Skillpoints in Group: 26,310

Gunnery
Controlled Bursts
Gunnery
Medium Hybrid Turret
Motion Prediction
Rapid Firing
Sharpshooter
Small Energy Turret
Small Hybrid Turret
Small Projectile Turret
Weapon Upgrades
Total Skillpoints in Group: 33,725

Industry
Ice Harvesting
Industry
Mass Production
Mining
Mining Upgrades
Production Efficiency
Refining
Total Skillpoints in Group: 106,961

Learning
Analytical Mind
Clarity
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Focus
Instant Recall
Iron Will
Learning
Logic
Spatial Awareness
Total Skillpoints in Group: 307,296

Mechanic
Frigate Construction
Hull Upgrades
Industrial Construction
Jury Rigging
Mechanic
Remote Armor Repair Systems
Remote Hull Repair Systems
Repair Systems
Salvaging
Total Skillpoints in Group: 41,323

Missile Launcher Operation
Defender Missiles
FoF Missiles
Missile Bombardment
Missile Launcher Operation
Rapid Launch
Rockets
Standard Missiles
Target Navigation Prediction
Total Skillpoints in Group: 4,915

Navigation
Acceleration Control
Afterburner
Evasive Maneuvering
Navigation
Warp Drive Operation
Total Skillpoints in Group: 14,659

Science
Archaeology
Astrogeology
Astrometric Rangefinding
Astrometrics
Biology
Cybernetics
Hacking
Laboratory Operation
Metallurgy
Research
Science
Total Skillpoints in Group: 63,056

Social
Connections
Criminal Connections
Diplomacy
Negotiation
Social
Total Skillpoints in Group: 49,834

Spaceship Command
Amarr Frigate
Amarr Industrial
Caldari Frigate
Destroyers
Gallente Cruiser
Gallente Frigate
Gallente Industrial
Minmatar Frigate
Minmatar Industrial
Spaceship Command
Total Skillpoints in Group: 177,558

Trade
Broker Relations
Contracting
Marketing
Retail
Trade
Total Skillpoints in Group: 3,415

Total Skillpoints: 883,955
Total Number of Skills: 108

Skills at Level 1: 46
Skills at Level 2: 33
Skills at Level 3: 19
Skills at Level 4: 10
Skills at Level 5: 0

I am, as ever, unfocused. I have given myself a good base from which to work from though, through my concentration on the Learning tree, which speeds my rate of skillpoint gain up appreciably. Moving forward, I will be taking the necessary skills to unlock the wonders of Mining Barges, along with anything else that looks kind of quickish and handy along the way.

While I’ve gotten up to Cruisers with Gallente ships, I don’t consider it too late to switch to another Empire’s ships if I decide that is a good idea. I’m still pondering my options, so will be avoiding Empire-specific ship skills for a while.

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