EVE Search - What a game!

Echo Echoplex wrote:

I just subbed a couple of days ago (hi everyone) after a 2 wk. trial but only a few hours of that used, so I have zero idea what I'm doing. Meanwhile I've been reading, reading, reading to try and lessen the learning curve, and have seen so many Disillusioned-I-Quit posts from people who've seemingly played quite awhile and I just don't get it.

I can see quitting for various reasons: time management problems, frustration with the learning curve/yourself and your own inabilities, eventual boredom, lack of money, and yes, even personal conflict with the politics of the game, but what I don't understand is quitting because the game proved itself to be what it was when you signed on. In a game that's remarkably complex it's the one aspect that seems so simple and transparent.

I have no idea what I want to do or be yet and I won't be surprised if I rage or pittykitty when I get scammed, betrayed, podded repeatedly, etc. but I see this game essentially as an rpg for every person who plays it. Even if you spend your time trading out of game, you're playing that role. You can play the role of a benevolent and helpful pilot who aspires to elevate and educate, you can play the role of the biggest as*hat who ever walked the face of the earth, you can play it as anything in between, or even both simultaneously. It's the wild wild west and the civil war and a a social experiment and a sandbox and an mmorpg and a rpg and and a fps all in one.

What keeps me enthralled with the whole idea of this game isn't even the gameplay, it's the people behind it and the notion that the turd who pods me and laffs is just as likely to be somebody I become good pals with after I dry my tears as he is to become my mortal enemy. The troll who talks exclusively memespeak may just as easily be a lawyer with a wife and 4 kids, and the acerbic, feminist-leaning activist may be a basement dwelling neckbeard with special needs. I've never seen an online game or environment with the level of intelligence or complexity or variety of this one, and I'm not talking about gameplay, I'm talking about the players themselves.

The way I see it is, I've (hopefully) set myself up to win no matter if/when/why I ever decide to stop playing so long as I don't forget why I loved it when I signed up. I spent my few first trial days logging, standing in CQs, staring into space like a catatonic, being completely overwhelmed, and logging off. I play on a Mac and none of my keys work for the game. I missed earning the extra isk for completing a mission within 2 hours because I couldn't find the asteroid belt. My skill queue probably makes zero sense whatsoever.

I've spent days reading up on strategy and it all looks like this to me:

"Fit your jsodef with a giejpr and two F235 fjeies and warp to Maowojdje. From there, invest in some tzrqt lasers and gate to Obidijw and join a HNWQ with a view to swkwhing your stpqxe jjeurwowk sogorkejwhwjusi. Simples".

And I love this game already. What is wrong with me? i'm a female too, and I thought about hiding it but eff that, and if I ever alt-up they'll be female as well. Now if I could just find the skill book the NPC agent swears is in my P&P folder. Even the agents lie! Lol