Eve Online....

I've been in a spring clean kind of mood when it comes to games.... Blogging as well. A few Eve Online based drafts have been sitting, waiting for the proper motivation to explain, clarify, expand and post etc.... So rather than a bunch of posts I wanted to condense the waffle into one. This one. Brace for impact.

Almost.

I was just about to make those blog changes when a friend, gamer and old Eve Online corp mate sent me a one liner message: "Officially back in Eve, with a buddy! You still play? :)"

My time in Eve has hovered in the log in and faff for a few minutes maintenance mode for a long, long time. Check whats new, look at the market etc... Of course I said yes.

So the last week has been all about gameplay in Eve Online. Hard going as we're on a 10 hour time difference. So it's either early for one and late for the other or vise versa. Still doable and still fun.

Good to be back in game with an friend(and a mate he convinced to come play as well).
3 live players, the biggest the corp has seen active at any one time in years. Kind of strange to log in and see other players in corp that aren't me, my alt and I.

For all the cringeworthyness of CCP's 'best ship is friendship' line; The sentiment is true. A buddy to game with is better than solo faffing. I still hate the PvP centric blinkered nature of CCP's player plans for the game. CCP has done nothing for me to want to pay for the game again. Having a friend as hardcore about the game as myself is whats making me reconsider.

As a gripe, grudge, exasperation CCP actions are king. Why is my real world cash a plaything to CCP. 2 second decade collectors editions with a promise - a payback on investment was not a JOKE! That's how invested and how serious I take Eve Online. It's why I'm still so triggered about the Mystery Code.

Next weeks patch was talked about on Talking in Stations where there was some good perspectives voiced. What really struck me were the members who discounted the pain or displeasure of that patch on others. The line akin to "I love the game and if these recent changes make you leave it then so be it". Such a blinkered groupie zealot is not a pretty thing. Eve Online via CCP is like an abusive significant other. You love all the good things and take all the abuse, even if that abuse starts to vastly outweigh those good bits. Hence I'm a twisted bitter veteran. How hard is it to see the pain for all players and 'wake' up that care for the broader playerbase is care for yourself..... Then again that's like wishing for world peace and caring for all humanity. Too much to ask from CCP who are the Lords of War, asking how they arm the other 9 out of 10, even the miners.

Yet I still recommend getting and trying the game for yourself. Trials are non limited and free after all. I've had good and great years but those years are being speedily outnumbered by the bad.

The coming changes next week are open to so much interpretation. Eve Online is a constantly moving engine. One change from CCP and it effects more than just what they intend; They either can't or won't consider the other 50 things that are effected.... Maybe they just don't care beyond the PvP.... The 20% decrease to damage resistance modules; Done for PvP reasoning but will screw with the PvE side just as much. I know I'm not happy about it, even if I can 'take it'.

Heck even the name of the patch 'surgical strike' had me thinking of the skill with the same name. They could have called it something else.... I'm sure there are people reading it who are thinking whats all this got to do with 'surgical strike'.

I had intended for this to be a non bitchy waffle but Eve and CCP seem to excel at 'controversy' and 'provocation' in one form or another; In and out of game.

On a side note, how hard would it have been for a game company to give a free month of game time to all accounts due to a global pandemic where every human on the planet is to stay home.... Just saying....

Eve was never a 100% masterpiece but CCP still try to carve, re-carve, plaster over and rework it into something else; Constantly. I don't think they really know what they want. Depending on when you join Eve you will have what you find fun.... You'll just have to watch that activity/ship/module morph and change and you'll adapt to the new ways or get píssed with it(it or all of it).

Pay, no pay, patch. Their not the only things I'm considering in game. Eve is a massive time sink. It's fun with friends yes but it takes time to get that fun rolling. Waiting for someone to arrive or go somewhere. Someone heading to Jita to pick up a ship gets a shopping list from others. Ship spinning waiting. Already I'm down time I could have been in other games. I've missed Battlefield 1 matches! That's not to diss my friends. Eve is just such a time sink. I've already sat theory crafting fits with friends for far too long, late into the night. That's all before grouping up for content. It's the pleasure and the pain. If I fly X and you fly Y then our new buddy can train A, B and then fly C. While we wait we'll run level 4's and he can salvage as we fill time. "Go on sub; It's only a few bucks; We'll fly assaults and he can get in a faction frig and we can have fun blitzing abyssals".

It all snowballs from there.

Time, effort, isk, more game time, time difference. Real cash.

My main thoughts on considering to sub is to generate more isk. Better ships need Omega time. The better the ship for the occasion the better the chances of completing the task and getting rewarded. With a side of time-saver elements.

I've lost ships and gained isk but lost more isk overall. Overall it's been fun yes. There's been adrenaline, risk and mundane tasks for sure and I'm not complaining(much). So isk spent(lost) = fun. Right?

But this is where a player invests in Eve. Time and money. To each their own, but CCP has stabbed me in the back for the cash and stuck a finger up to me and I don't forget those kinds of things. Even the blinkered CCP zealots will be fúcked over one day even if they won't admit it now.

Yea I'm that bitter and píssed.

Still fun with friends for some cash is worth considering...... For the fun.

Not unusual for my mate to be back in the game, theory crafting, buying and fitting expensive ships only to not fly them, sell'em and go buy something else. Like a cat getting distracted between a ball and a laser. I'm trying to temper him passing that on to his new to the game friend. But it's fun to watch.

Long story short. A mate and his mate are in game and shinanigens are being had. Mission running, abyssals, some industry on the side etc..... With talk of wormhole space .... Like the Shawshank Redemption you got to endure to win in the end.

Friendship is the only thing making me consider getting a small sub again. CCP may have a decent game despite themselves but they aren't my friend. As for business partners, they fúcked me over with the last large transaction so I canceled by yearly subs. I did for them, they didn't do for me.
Star Trek online got my business.

A sub for a month may be worth the fun to be had, for a friend(something CCP practically actually banks on).