EVE Online

[Remianen]

So in the spirit of keeping things compartmentalized, I figured I'd start a new thread on this.

 

Been back in EVE (after a 15 month hiatus) for about two weeks now and man, I don't know why I left. Oh yeah, my main's account got hacked and as a result, I lost 18 billion ISK worth of assets. Anyway, that bit of unpleasantness behind me, I basically picked up where I left off. But something pretty frickin' awesome was rolled out while I was gone. It's called CARBON and is their new character creation system released in advance of Incarna (formerly known as 'Walking in Stations' and 'Ambulation'). I seriously think this is a major step forward in character customization as it pertains to RPGs. Right now, it's still portrait based but when you create your character, you create their full body.

 

Examples:

 

My Caldari main character (and former hack-ee), Reniara Silas - My Gallente Trader, Mercedes Silas - my Amarr PvP pilot Tania Silas - my Minmatar explorer, Anaia Silas

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_Reniara.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_Mercedes.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_Tania.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_Anaia.jpg

That's the portrait seen in game (obviously in much smaller size)

 

But when I (re-)created her, I went through this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_ReniCC1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Kension/EVE/th_ReniCC2.jpg

 

The part that's awesome about the system is how thoroughly customizable it is. You can create the face you want by basically clicking and dragging the bits you want to change (very much like working with clay). None of my girls have max boobs but they let you make 'em big, small, even sagging. Anaia looks busty because of her pose (she's got her arms back and sticking her chest out, which the CC also allows). The Body Modification section was added last week. That's where your tats, scars, and piercings are. A friend of mine (from CoH, natch) has spent the weekend futzing around on a trial and sending me messages ("OMG I just made Master Chief/Chun Li/Steven Seagal"). Here's a video demonstration. In fact, all of LexHiram's videos are great examples. (And for reference, Tania is that exact race/bloodline - Amarr Khanid - and she obviously looks much different from Lex's.)

 

Once past character creation though, the game's not for everyone. It's a sandbox, not a theme park. Many folks need a predetermined goal given by the game to enjoy playing. Me, I'm an industrialist/marketeer. My goal is finding out (first hand) what the "gold cap" is in the game (in other words, the maximum amount of money a single character or account can have). I've gotten as high as 100 billion but haven't found it yet. I'm also into the political intrigue that exists in the game. I've supplied both sides of a war before, which is awesome!

 

Anyhow, if anyone's playing (or wants to play), gimme a holler. I'm currently the senior leadership of Dominion Advanced Innovations (erm, and all its members ), a corporation focused on industrial production and resource acquisitions (read: we make and sell stuff and find/sell off wormhole rights).

[djthefunkchris]

Now that is awesome. Looks like you have millions of options. IF I ever get that game, it will be only because of this.

 

To me characterization is one of the biggest and most important features that seems to be lacking in the MMO bussiness... I mean, some of them get it, but even with alot of the choices out there, after you get the "armor" or dress your character up, they start to look like everyone else's, with only the color of the outfits to actually make them stand out. To me individualism is a goal that should be on the minds of any of these games. I want to be able to look around and say "Hey, thats Remi's character over there!" by just seeing the character (not having to have a name over your head).

 

To me that improves the gaming aspect, to be able to immerse yourself in a game. I want to be able to tell who someone is by sight, just as easily as I can in real life. Sure, from the back or side or something you might think it looks like "X", but as soon as you get a good look, you will know it's actually "Y".

 

Watching that video makes me want to get the game just to play around with the character creation part. I don't even know what the game is about.

[crayon]

Hmm, I wonder if there's any potential to use this character creator for TEW renders?

[Huntman]

$19.99 on Steam. It sure looks great from the screenshots on Steam. The character creation, which I love in games, reminds me of what APB tried to do, except this blows APB out of the water...and lasted more than a month. It sure looks interesting however. I just like the fact that you can be a emo tattooed pirate (which I most likely will be). Oh and it is very Sci-Fi, which is another thing I love. I might possibly get that over my summer AKA the first day of summer. After watching that video, I'm pretty 100% sure I'll be getting this game soon. Maybe even before summer. I'll download the demo today. Just a quick question since Steam doesn't list it and I'm too lazy to Google it, how much is the monthly fee?

[Nedew]

I've always been in love with EvE Online - but i've never had the money for it! I usually jump in whenever they do their free trial periods, but i know that i would live and breathe it 24/7 if i could get a foothold in. The politics, the diplomacy, the freeness of it all, it's just absolutely amazing. It's what the internet was built for!

[supershot]

This game looks like something that id really be interested. I'm all for freedom in games and this looks unreal in that category. I just got a new laptop not to long ago so I'm not to familiar with what my graphics card can handle gaming wise, so if anyone could help me figure out if my graphics card would be able to hand this game. Would greatly appreciate it.

 

Here's some of my pc's specs. If you want anything else just ask.

 

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.101026-1503)

System Model: HP G72 Notebook PC

Processor: Intel® Pentium® CPU P6000 @ 1.87GHz (2 CPUs),~1.9GHz

Memory: 4096MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 3894MB RAM

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

 

Card name: Intel® HD Graphics

Manufacturer: Intel Corporation

Chip type: Intel® HD Graphics (Pentium)

Display Memory: 1696 MB

Dedicated Memory: 64 MB

Shared Memory: 1632 MB

 

I'm crossing my fingers!

[Remianen]

Just a quick question since Steam doesn't list it and I'm too lazy to Google it, how much is the monthly fee?

 

I've always been in love with EvE Online - but i've never had the money for it! I usually jump in whenever they do their free trial periods, but i know that i would live and breathe it 24/7 if i could get a foothold in. The politics, the diplomacy, the freeness of it all, it's just absolutely amazing. It's what the internet was built for!

 

Unique part of EVE. The monthly fee is the standard $15 BUT you can also buy gametime using ingame currency. Right now, a PLEX (Pilot's License Extension) goes for around 330 million ISK. You can buy it off the market just like ships and ammo and such so the price does tend to fluctuate based on location and demand. Now, 330 million ISK sounds like a lot (and it is, at first) but it's possible to make that (and far more) in less than a month of mission running. In fact, I know of some folks who do that much in a weekend of level 4 missions, without a special drop (with a unique/rare drop, it would be a day's worth of missions). But the fact that the option exists at all, is awesome to me. So time poor, cash rich folks can buy game time cards and convert them into PLEX that they can sell and time rich, cash poor (or just those people who can make massive money in the game) can play, essentially for free. I bought two PLEXes and used 'em for Tania and Anaia since I had the ISK available and didn't feel like hitting my credit card four straight times (tends to set off alarms at banks). Honestly, if you follow someone on their missions and salvage the wrecks they leave behind, that can make you 5-18+ million a day, easy.

 

So yeah, it's possible to play for free but probably not right off the bat. You'd need some specialized skills and a ship (probably a destroyer) to really salvage efficiently. I know I bring Anaia along to salvage for me and loot the wrecks I don't have room for (I need to save room for more missiles!). They even came out with a specialized salvaging ship.

 

Nedew, what you mention is exactly the reason why I love EVE. There is SO much political intrigue that many times, the only things you hear about on the mainstream press regarding EVE are the massive multilevel espionage capers. Like the EBank scandal, Band of Brothers and the fall of BoB, seriously, what other game has guilds with INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORS? The scams come fast and furious but they're nothing that common sense can't fix ("If it sounds too good to be true....."). I like what one of the devs said at the Fanfest this year about how and why they want to improve the new player experience.

 

As CCP Soundwave gracefully expressed during Fanfest, EVE's current new player experience can be summed up by the phrase "Welcome to EVE Online, here's a rubix cube, go *&%$ yourself."

 

 

Oh and this story really says a lot about EVE's general freedom and what is possible in the game. When you consider the fact that many of those ships would sell for $600+ in real dollars/euros and there are SO many of them in there, it boggles the mind.

 

EDIT: Even the NY Times has gotten in on the act.

 

This game looks like something that id really be interested. I'm all for freedom in games and this looks unreal in that category. I just got a new laptop not to long ago so I'm not to familiar with what my graphics card can handle gaming wise, so if anyone could help me figure out if my graphics card would be able to hand this game. Would greatly appreciate it.

 

Here's some of my pc's specs. If you want anything else just ask.

 

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.101026-1503)

System Model: HP G72 Notebook PC

Processor: Intel® Pentium® CPU P6000 @ 1.87GHz (2 CPUs),~1.9GHz

Memory: 4096MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 3894MB RAM

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

 

Card name: Intel® HD Graphics

Manufacturer: Intel Corporation

Chip type: Intel® HD Graphics (Pentium)

Display Memory: 1696 MB

Dedicated Memory: 64 MB

Shared Memory: 1632 MB

 

I'm crossing my fingers!

 

You should be able to run it fine. You'd need to turn some of the shinies off (like ship reflections and the like) but it should be fine.

[Remianen]

Hmm, I wonder if there's any potential to use this character creator for TEW renders?

 

Yes. Since you can export portraits, you probably could. Though you'd have to resize the renders down from 512x512. Given the way you can pose and customize each individual character, I could see it being used for renders. Might take about as much time to create one as it does with daz/Poser for newbies but without the rendering time (and without many of the accessory options, obviously). Given the way you can change/adjust/modify the camera and lighting angles (much like daz, in my limited experience), it should be possible.

[moon_lit_tears]

I've poked around looking at EVE, I don't get into internet games much but was told this would be an interesting one.

 

Thought about it, but games with a monthly fee are a little out if my league as I won't play daily and I feel if I can't play it daily a monthly fee is a bit much, but I'm debating this one for a trial.

 

Remi you're like a male Oprah. You do it all, and go everywhere!

[Remianen]

I've poked around looking at EVE, I don't get into internet games much but was told this would be an interesting one.

 

Thought about it, but games with a monthly fee are a little out if my league as I won't play daily and I feel if I can't play it daily a monthly fee is a bit much, but I'm debating this one for a trial.

 

That's a common misconception, I think. I look at it in a way that's probably different from most folks (shocker!). I calculate the cost of entertainment. So, for example, if I play say 60 hours a month (easy to do even if you only play on weekends) at $15 a month for the subscription, that's a quarter per hour of entertainment. How does that compare to going to see a movie? Heck, my satellite bill costs me about $8.50 per hour since I don't watch TV very much. I have lifetime subs in both DCUO and Champions (LOTRO too) and haven't logged into those games in a week (DCUO), two months (Champions), and seven months (LOTRO) but they've already paid for themselves. Gonna add STO lifetime soon because it's flat-out cost effective. If I like the game, I'll play it. The more I play it, the less it costs me to continue doing so.

 

Remi you're like a male Oprah. You do it all, and go everywhere!

 

Life's too short to deprive yourself of anything you desire. I'm a networking fool (because "it's not what you know....") and always jump on any opportunity to experience anything new. My unabridged resume is 18 pages long in Word (single spaced).

 

Over the last few years, I've really gotten into looking at the design of games (blame Adam and Craig Morrison and Gaute Godager and Scott Hartsman, etc). Why is one game successful while another isn't? Break it down and you find that, for the most part, the most successful games with the greatest longevity, have some things in common. Those features fuel trends (CoH started the customization trend, WoW made the 'theme park' style popular, etc) and games that follow, well, follow those trends. It's actually fascinating when you really look at it.

[Huntman]

Played one mission from the 14-day trial and I have to say. That was the most fun I've had with a online RPG in a longggggggggggggg time. The game was a blast and runs (surprisingly) smoothly on my computer with the settings all on high. Buying time, I remember, was in APB, but I don't think they had a monthly fee. How do you export portraits? I think the world of GDS needs to see my emo space biker.

[moon_lit_tears]

Remi. I agree with you. Life is too short.

 

Anyway I figure it this way.

 

I play an online game that you can do a subscription. (month to month, a few months, or a year)

 

They also have another option to pay by area you unlock. These areas are unlocked forever. Per player on your account. (up to 6).

 

I find that more cost effective because I'm the type to play a game for a few weeks/a month or so then quit for a while.

 

So for me online monthly cost games are not worth it.

[Nedew]

I've ended up re-researching EvE for a few days thanks to this thread, and i've decided i'm going to give the impossible a go and see if i can get to affording a PLEX within the 14 day trial. I fancy myself as a budding trader - wish me luck!

 

Of course, the download will have to finish first. Only 3 hours to go!

 

Remi, i'll let you know if i get anywhere near my target and i fancy begging

[Huntman]

Of course, the download will have to finish first. Only 3 hours to go!

 

I was on this boat due to my internet being god awful. 6 hours to download. Then I was so happy to play...update, another 2 hours..

 

Now it works

[Remianen]

Played one mission from the 14-day trial and I have to say. That was the most fun I've had with a online RPG in a longggggggggggggg time. The game was a blast and runs (surprisingly) smoothly on my computer with the settings all on high. Buying time, I remember, was in APB, but I don't think they had a monthly fee. How do you export portraits? I think the world of GDS needs to see my emo space biker.

 

Click your name (in the chat box, whether in local or corp or whatever) and pick the 'Capture Portrait' option. Then you can go to Documents -> EVE -> Capture, to find it.

 

Nedew, my advice is mine in a 0.5 - 0.7 system for the Empire specific ores (Plagioclase for Caldari, Kernite for Amarr, Omber for Gallente and Minmatar), refine the ores then take the rarer minerals (Plagio = Mexallon, Kernite/Omber = Isogen, to a secondary market hub (Agil for Amarr, Motsu for Caldari, etc) and sell it. You'll get the movement you want due to population, at a better price due to less cutthroat activity/competition. That, in addition to doing missions and selling the stuff that's worth selling (read: market buy orders for 10k+), should keep the cash flowing steadily. Also, put up a buy order for a PLEX for the right price, minus a couple zeroes (so say, 354,000 instead of 354,000,000). Hey, you never know.

[Nedew]

Thanks for the advice Remi, much appreciated Good idea on the cheap PLEX buy order - no bites yet, but fingers crossed!

 

Well, after 7 hours of gameplay i'm up to just under 2 million. Missions are extremely useful (profitable). I'm an Amarr based in Conoban for now, but will hopefully move onto a reasonable sized market hub before long.

 

I'm Imran Nabali if anyone fancies a chat in-game.

[supershot]

Kinda curious as to how you guys chose your race and bloodlines. Did you choose what matches your personality the best or what was best for the game mechanics.

 

Also what would be the best choice for maximizing my 14 day trial?

[Huntman]

http://i52.tinypic.com/5bzkph.jpg

 

Emo Space Biker, Huntman Udan. Shame the picture quality looks kinda poor.

[supershot]

Emo Space Biker, Huntman Udan. Shame the picture quality looks kinda poor.

 

Very nice! I can definitely see the space biker in him. I think the quality looks decent.

[Nedew]

Here's my handsome fellow. I was aiming for a Persian/Caesar/Picard blend, what do you reckon?

 

 

Kinda curious as to how you guys chose your race and bloodlines. Did you choose what matches your personality the best or what was best for the game mechanics.

 

I already knew i wanted to be a trader/miner, so i went for things based on that.

 

Also what would be the best choice for maximizing my 14 day trial?

 

It depends what you mean by 'maximizing' really. What do you enjoy? What do you want to try? And so on.

[Remianen]

Kinda curious as to how you guys chose your race and bloodlines. Did you choose what matches your personality the best or what was best for the game mechanics.

 

Also what would be the best choice for maximizing my 14 day trial?

 

Well, when I started (2006) and rolled Reni, Caldari Achura was the hands down best race/bloodline combo in the game. Of course, when I rolled her, I didn't know that. I wanted her to be a Japanese character, in the old 80s stereotype (Japanese make the best businessmen, etc). When I made Mercy, I wanted something other than Caldari and Gallente/Gallente was the best Gallente trader combination (tied for best trader combo period, with a Minmatar something or other). The last two, I knew I wanted one of each of the other races. The Khanid backstory appealed to me because of how close they are to the Caldari empire and how they left the Amarr so that was Tania's choice. Anaia was planned from the beginning to be an explorer (this was right after the exploration changes and wormholes were rolled out) and the best Minmatar combo for that was Minmatar/Vherokior.

 

Nowadays, it doesn't really matter which you pick. It seems the choices now are more centered around combat style/weapon choice (i.e. if you want lasers, pick Amarr. Missiles, pick Caldari. If you want to shield tank primarily, Caldari. If you want to armor tank mainly, Amarr.). Though you can train any skill from any tree or fly any ship from any race, you get a bit of a headstart if you're "born" with level 3 in your favored race's frigate skill (for example). Just go with what backstory sounds more badass and looks best, I'd say.

 

As for how to maximize your trial, I'd say go with something industry or mining based. I only say that because those income streams begin from the moment you pop into New Eden. Combat focused choices still have LOTS of skills to train to just be 'decent' (often referred to as 'fitting skills' or 'support skills'. Fitting skills help you 'fit' more/better stuff onto your ship. Support skills make main skills even better).

 

One thing I recommend to new folks is, pick a ship you like (or like the idea of) and train up until you can fly it masterfully and make it do stuff it's not supposed for. For example, I know a guy who can do level 4 missions (read: designed for battleships) in a frigate. Those big ships can't hit him (he's too fast, their guns can't track him) but he can hit them just fine. He has the skills/money to fit ridiculous stuff on that frig (his frigate is worth around 250 million isk - look here. And he has a video of him doing an annoying level 4 mission here). That should help you focus your training and your efforts in a direction that'll bring the most profit (rather than training skills willy nilly like I once did).

 

Emo Space Biker, Huntman Udan. Shame the picture quality looks kinda poor.

 

That's actually pretty good.

 

Here's my handsome fellow. I was aiming for a Persian/Caesar/Picard blend, what do you reckon?

 

Nailed it. He looks really sinister, in a "don't turn your back on that guy" kinda way.

 

Oh and if you want, Tania has 11 Crucifiers at Tash-Murkon Prime that you're welcome to if you want 'em. I bought 'em way back in '09 before she could fly the Malediction (Interceptor) and don't really have a use for 'em now. She also has about 150 Punishers and a bunch of destroyers and such (there used to be a corp that sold tier 1 ships in bulk for basically pennies on the dollar and I bought up a TON. I used to be industrial director for a corp that had beef with a director in one of the big alliances. He'd hire mercenary corps to war dec us constantly. Replacing modules is easy. Replacing ships took time. So buying 1,000 frigates made more sense than building them. And every war needs as many tacklers as they can get!).

[Nedew]

Firstly, you're an utterly fantastic fountain of knowledge Remi. You turn a couple of one-line replies into 3 helpful and interesting paragraphs, bravo

 

Definitely taking that 'train up one ship rather than everything' approach too, thank you. Amazing story about your Level 4 Frigate mate too!

 

My reaction to that many Punishers ("150.... 150....150!?") sums up a lot of the scale of EvE too. I mean that's worth what, 25 million or so? Which to a newb (just broke the 4 million barrier, reckon i'm gonna bite the bullet on paying as the trial restrictions are really getting on my tits. No industrial ships!?) is an inordinately enormous amount of money, but to anyone with more than a month or two under their belt is small fry. And yet without those at the bottom the economy wouldn't work for those at the top. I've said it before and i'll say it again, i love EvE.

 

Got any more pearls of wisdom Remi? We're all ears!

[crownsy]

I've had an off again on again relationship with Eve.

 

I love the game and the concept, But i've always felt like it's the game i should have found at college instead of WoW, and now i just don't have the time or ability (due to being a late starter in a game world where there are so many vets) to get involved with the community/ learn the game beyond "I shoot thngs and sell the loot on the market i guess?"

 

It also doesn't help that I've gotten non-active/ bad corps i suppose. Most have had good people, but either a) don't want to teach someone the game who hasen't played B) see corp as a chat and thats it C) hate that I can only play a few hours a week and exclude/ ignore you

 

Right now i'm on hiatus. I have a 5 Million SP chracter, caldari specced for PVE. I've been thinking about unretiring her this summer and giving it a go, but just dread trying to wade through and find a corp thats worth a damn and might actually group together and have fun and teach me the ins and outs of the game.

 

If you guys are still playing in like two months when finals are over, mabey I'll see if we can hook up in game. Im a vet MMO player...just need to find a corp that doesn't mind im causal (law school +GF = no time to play) / actually helps each other learn the game/ fly missions.

 

Anyone in a corp like that?

[Nedew]

I decided to bite the bullet and sub, this really is thoroughly addicting

 

Seeing if i can get away with jetcan mining in .9 space (mining with frig, hauling in industrial) whilst i train up towards getting a Retriever (i already bought one, but can't fly it just yet). Wish me luck

[Clarity]

Gave this a bit of a blast myself using Steams 14 day trial. Its good.. I can admit that.

 

Looking to become a bit of a miner currently..