Naari Talvanis
Science and Trade Institute
Caldari State
0
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Posted - 2011.10.24 04:38:00 -
[1] - Quote
Joined in 08 cause I liked what I saw in EvE, something no other MMO was able to offer me, a good looking game with space ship combat sci-fi. Didn't play past the trial the first time after playing for about 2 days because my friend and I had a headache trying to figure out how the hell everything worked.
The point where I had to go into the forums to ask about basic game functions and rely on google to fly my ship, was the point I realised that as a semi-casual player this was not the game for me.
This is still a complete nightmare though for a new player joining, and probably a major reason alot of people get turned off by EvE.
The steep learning curve sets the tone for one's further EvE experiences, and takes a certain type of player to appreciate, agreed, but the steepness shouldn't be defined by having no clue what is going on. And not giving you a manual to your new spaceship. And doing a Men in Black styled memory whipe right after giving you your license to fly. 
The second major reason I didn't get hooked right away is because, like many people I know, I wasn't able to get out of the damn ship. Did some research on EvE, (and it's potential as an MMO I wanted to invest valuable time and money in) and found out about walking in stations. With (what seemed) working Fan-Fest tech-demo's of pilots walking around, playing a chess-like mini game against other pilots, etc etc.
That was enough to pull me in and start playing in advance, even though the stuff was still probably at least a year or 2 away.
The game has lot's that I like that has nothing to do with Incarna and it's been enough to have kept me playing since 08 and come to love the game.
But still, I want to get out of my damn ship.
Not to apply make-up, but because it broke the immersion of playing a spaceship pilot in a vast universe. Doing all manner of things..
I didn't, and don't like the fact that you're basically your ship, all the time.
And not just a ship, an EvE ship. Which means it has a very short lifespan and I don't get to bond with my "character" or ship. I can buy a new one in an instant, and there's a big chance alot of people are flying one quite like it.
It's a PROVEN FACT that people like to identify themselves within computergames, be different, have more choices when it comes to what they are playing as, or looking at.
Secondary outfits in the fighting games of old, unlockable skins in pretty much every (good ) game ever made, different paintjob, etc.
Just because I could create (in that day and age) pretty diverse characters in the first unreal tournament didn't mean the game suddenly was about fasion shows for me. Was nice to at least look different than the other 10 people jumping and shooting their way through my screen though..
Just like it was just a little bit better to kick as with scorpion in his non-standard outfit, and have a kickass armor or car in other multiplayer games.
In EvE, ships often don't last long, are easily replaced, can all be flown by everyone who has half a brain, look exactly the same, and don't feel like "me", but like "that rifter I just bought and am about to let die in a fire somewhere."
Because EvE is so much more than simply blowing up spaceships, it's important for alot of people to have something to identify themselves with ingame. Industrialists, bankers, diplomats, PI players, logistics people, researchers, etc do so much more than simply fly around shooting and loosing ships in mind-numbing repetition. Because that's what it would become if EvE didn't have ALOT more content and different factors to consider, eventually leading to violence. Boring.
That's why you don't play that 3 year old multiplayer FPS anymore. There's a new one out that offers more or less the same.. but shinier.. and in a new setting.
Hell even people who mostly PvP in combat ships (cause marketing, manufacturing, etc is just as much pvp as shooting cannons) have downtime. Sure you can spend that time spinning your ships, but the option to play a quick hand of poker with corpmates doing the same, checking their skills, working their spreadsheets would be welcome right? While still being ingame? Checking stuff out and working out a plan with your corpmates on the starmap without having to resort to massive linkage and external sites like dotlan. The possibilities are endless.
And even if you still feel comfortable sitting in your ship in a hangar with other options available, shouldn't mean a ship manufacturer should be forced to sit in his, looking at a freighter he uses once a month to move some stuff around.
As it stands, Flying In Space should be the foundation on which all of that is built, YES, but nothing but FiS will reject a major playerbase that can be valuable to EvE in many other ways (beartears, bankers, industrialists, researchers, truckdrivers, pvp pilots, SUB-MONEY, etc.) .
Because it's only a matter of time untill a new spaceships MMO lands on the market, possibly doing it better.
I hope EvE is still interesting over the long term due to game mechanics and being able to invest in the game over time by then.
I still love the game, and don't mind them focussing on some dire-needed FiS improvements/repairs this winter, but ditching Incarna entirely or for an extended period of time would be a mistake as I see it. Even more so cause what little we have now would go stale.
They just released it in the dumbest way ever* and alot of people have the right to be pissed off..
No establishments would've been okay, but OPTIONAL and all 4 quarters like it's at least out of beta TO BEGIN WITH. |