What to Expect When You Join The EVE Community: A New Player's Perspective. Part 1
Hi there, my name is Alexandra Fisher… but many of you may know me as WhoisAfish (or Afish). For any of you who have been following my journey you know that I believe mobile gaming changed my life. It sounds like a pretty dramatic statement – but after I had fallen prey the common misconception that gaming is a waste of time – I wanted to share my experiences. Not only did I find a deep passion in gaming, it helped me develop strong life skills such as, developing strong multi-cultural communication, empowered me to enhance my management capabilities and build resilience in a cutthroat environment.
Click me to watch a brilliant player made trailer that depicts the heart of EVE Online game play.
When I first started playing a mobile space MMO, I experienced the deeper level that you don’t find in many other games. This unique virtual world taught me countless life lessons. I was enveloped in this rich and flavorful community of personas that stemmed from real people. But while we built real relationships that bonded us, we also faced the wrath of game developers who not only placed profit before players, they completely ignored their community. We suffered numerous issues from countless updates that grossly monetized the game to the poor and almost nonexistent customer service. Mass waves of groups would vanquish as quickly as they were made.
Stories ended before they could even start.
Players dispersed to other games, in hopes of finding another platform to rebuild. Feeling responsible for the community I fell in love with, I found myself on a quest to find sanctuary for our teams and players. That’s when I discovered the most elite gaming community in the world: The EVE Online Community. I began to rally our men and women to look towards a new hope. The mobile version of EVE Online –EVE Echoes— a joint effort from the development alliance of CCP Games and NetEase. I didn’t want our community to experience the same disappointments from our other game, so I began my investigations. Before we invested more time and energy to build up something, only to have it destroyed… I wanted to know:
Who is the EVE community?
In effort to touch base with the EVE community, I started adding discords and unapologetically spammed their servers with questions to discover what their community was like. (Because lets be honest…when I tried WoW…I was like WOW…this community is…not for me). What I found was incredible. Because of the games highly political nature – I felt it was necessary to dive into the rich in-game history. Luckily a dedicated player named Andrew Groen published an entire audiobook. And even after listening I still knew I had barely begun to scratch the surface of the complicated world that shaped the modern EVE that exists today. I set google on fire with my endless hours of research. I met players who exchanged stories with me and the more I listened, the more I began to realize a key difference in EVE from other MMO’s.
I learned that EVE…isn’t just a game. It’s a lifestyle.
While many of my teammates began playing a new mobile space MMO called “Second Galaxy” to fill their craving, I joined the infamous INN, Evenews24 and Talking In Stations. I posted articles to help spread the message of our mobile gaming communities determination to find a new home. But to my surprise – the EVE Online community seemed to reject me. They seemed to dismiss a mere “mobile gamer” as someone who would be incapable of understanding what the world of New Eden had to offer. When you enter the EVE community, you will be met an overwhelming amount of information and a highly intellectual group of skeptical yet dedicated gamers. They are a fearlessly brutal group whose core mantra is HTFU (Harden the F@$k Up).
EVE is not for the feign or fickle hearted.
If you aren’t willing to brush up on a little history, spend time exploring a complicated menu, and prefer instant gratification then you might want to reconsider EVE as your choice. Veteran players have high expectations which cultivate a high barrier to entry. And while this may scare some (*cough* carebears *cough*) out there, I believe that this is one of the first magical experiences you will encounter in an elite gaming community such as EVE Online. It is the first of many tests to see if you will be able to survive in a world of scarce resources where anything goes. I didn’t let the naysayers who tried to demoralize me stop me from getting my story out there. Instead, I looked to connect with a few highly skilled players like Jin’taan and Caleb Ariyana who were the first in a series of many players that sparked my ever-growing curiosity. They could feel my excitement and passion as I relayed the stories of betrayal, loss, PVP and friendship to them. They began to see my vision. As if it were fate, I ended up connecting with a player known as Wyld in Second Galaxy. He also happened to be from a well-known alliance called Goonswarm that dominated in EVE Online. He asked me if I was attending EVE Vegas which was only 2 weeks away. As soon as I realized the event was taking place so close to me, I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to meet this infamous community first-hand. I spammed numerous discords, pled my case to the CCP Devs in charge of planning of the event, and even appeared on a talk show run by the INN known as Open Comms. I got roasted for almost one hour by seasoned vets (one of them who is now on the CSM). Struck by such disbelief that I could be interested in EVE, they told me I was a “paid ad”. But as I fervently pushed my case, a few like Dirk MacGirk began to consider the unbelievable thought that I might be sincere and played a large role in helping me obtain two tickets to EVE Vegas.
When I finally received word that I was able to obtain 2 all access passes to the biggest fan fest of EVE Online, I ran outside the room to tell my life partner NomX3. It was though my name was Charlie and I had just won the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Factory. I requested members in the EVE Echoes discord to message me their questions. My trusted community helped me plan my itinerary and sent me videos and links to research beforehand. The week seemed to dissipate quickly as Vegas approached. My limited experience playing EVE Online wasn’t going to hold me back. The time had come and we drove to Vegas, checked into our hotel and set off to meet more of this unique crowd. Dirk MacGirk, who has been graciously hosting Cabana parties for the past few years, extended an invitation to NomX3 and I. Not sure what to expect, we came bringing a peace offering. I was surprised to see that it wasn’t just a crowd of members from Dirks alliance and noticed everyone was invited. In game, EVE players can be ruthless warlords who destroy everything you’ve built…but when it comes to meet ups – you can meet some of the most welcoming and friendly and inspirational players who exchange stories of bravado and perseverance over a beer. The very same guys who had roasted me on their show, were opening their arms to me so that I could join their club. And because of that, I was able to meet two EVE legends.
I met Hedliner and Elo Knight, two notorious players who are from alliances known as Pandemic Legion and Pandemic Horde. I was astonished to hear that Hedliner had been a dedicated EVE player since he was 13 years old. And when I asked Elo (who is known for his incredible ability to command fleets in large scale battles) for some “noob advice” he was willing and happy to see my interest. The two drank beers and humored me while I asked my ‘bright eyed noob’ questions. The cabana wasn’t full of internet strangers – it was full of a community that understood the depth that a world like EVE Online creates – and it made me feel like I was a part of something much bigger. The evening wrapped up and we headed to watch Open Comms live where NomX3 and I were able to pick up our official badges and meet more incredible individuals like Matterall of TiS (Talking In Stations). I learned how the seasoned EVE Online player worked with a dedicated team to break down current events in EVE to the player-base…”. The show continues to evolve into a haven of information for interested EVE Online players and long term veterans alike.
While many have highly opinionated views on CCP Games, TiS tends to focus more on specific game play, highlighting the positive side of what this virtual world has to offer. I also had the opportunity to connect with Ashterothi through the TiS discord channel. Ashterothi (also known as Ash) is a dedicated EVE elite player who you can frequently catch on streaming on twitch. When we spoke, he made a unique comparison of EVE to other MMO’s I found interesting. He mentioned how if your team is bad in a game like WOW, it can directly affect (or ruin) your game play. Its pretty hard to pass a dungeon when your team isn’t coordinated. But in a world like EVE Online, new/bad players create more game opportunities because of its unique economic system. In a world like EVE, poor coordination doesn’t mean you won’t be able to advance and upgrade your armor because your tank can’t seem to hold aggro. It means that you will have various scenarios present themselves and have to learn how to adapt to them. Poor coordination could motivate you to learn to lead as an FC (fleet commander) where you are essentially responsible for the safety of your squad. It could inspire you to build a website or team discord to enhance your teams communication. Or it could motivate you to give your corp the middle finger, abandon them (along with all their blueprints) to search for a new team that better suits your needs.
It’s your story. Your sandcastle to build whichever way you want.
There’s unlimited potential with how you want your character to progress in the game. Ash explained to me that when he joined EVE, he wanted to play the role as “one of the good guys” and helps foster new players. Ash, NomX3 and I set off to grab dinner and discuss the things we were looking forward to most after Open Comms had finished. I enjoyed listening to him speak passionately about game lore, his team and the new upcoming updates *(whispers Triglavian)*. We headed back to the hotel and got some early shut eye. I had to get my much needed rest for the next day I would be introduced to the other important components that make EVE possible.