Day 21 : Space Lurgy

Three weeks in! This is where the longest trial period would get me. I've paid  for a subscription ages ago so it doesn't bother me. Nice to see I'm still fascinated after three weeks. It's nice to still be baffled by so much that I read about and yet recognise some progress in my understanding of the game. It shows the scope of EVE, and more importantly it reminds me I enjoy learning stuff and using my mind as well as shooting stuff in space in a computer game. I could learn faster with actual human help and expertise rather than an internet full of descriptive EVE resources, but this would speed the learning too much and lower the sense of achievement.

 Waking up this morning with some horrible summer cold was not the best but at least I can realise that my apathy and general lack of focus yesterday are probably due to external reasons. I head out, mine for fifteen minutes, and then razz all that on skillbooks for skills I don't have. One of the good things about fixating on the skill learning queue length is that I've set my list to display ones I don't have. The listing will tell me if I'm eligible to learn these skills, and I won't miss out on anything interesting simply by not knowing it was available. Also I like spending money on skill books and learning the first level of skill generally only takes a few minutes (depending on it's "rank", a measure of how hard it is to learn). It makes me feel like I'm progressing and planning beyond the "get me a huge mining ship, and get me it ASAP" plan.

 Later I fly around my new home system, well home mining system anyway. Its very low population. You rarely see can flippers and other aggravating distractions. Anybody local to the system who saw them would warn everyone else. They would stand out like a sore thumb here anyway. I think they've got used to occaisionally seeing me zooming around suspiciously. I do a little "ratting". This is just clearing out any computer controlled opponents that have appeared in the various belts. It helps out anyone mining and there is a small chance of something worthwhile turning up while looting the wrecks.

 I take a chance and jump 1 system down to 0.5 space and see what the rats are like. The second scrap I have is a tougher fight, three frigates of around the same power. I manage it fairly easily instead of having to run off like I would have 2 weeks ago. It proves that the Rifters cheap passive shield tank setup I have works. As soon as I can afford better I'll be one-shotting these guys in 0.5. The bits and bobs I loot from the wrecks are more interesting here as well. The bounties paid for the rats are also slightly higher.

 Now that the Rifter basic PVE setup is done, I can plan a better and more expensive one. I can also plan a PVP build. This will take time, study and cash. I'll have to learn to enter fights better rather than just racing in head on until swerving into orbits. I'll have to practice active tanking (active meaning I have to trigger the defence mechanisms) for both armor and shield varieties. I'll have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages between afterburners and microwarp drives. I'll have to figure out why a lot of people think mixing gun types is a bad idea. It looks fighting in EVE is best when planning a particular range at which you'll be engaging, ie all your guns are best at that same range. I've been experimenting and so my ships tend to have varied range weapons, like the Rifter carrying a 280mm cannon for the initial softening shots. Its even packing ammo thats better against shields which are the first defence to get past. If mixing weaponry is a bad idea then whats the launcher only slot on some ships for? Probe launchers?

 Later, in the Rookie Chat channel, Feyd Rautha's name pops up. This is the character who attempted to stalk and goad me during my first missions back on Day One. Seems like he is up to his old tricks again, hanging out in Deadspace waiting for young and noob pilots to come through, take offence and initiate combat. Even though its a nasty thing to do, it's nice to recognise elements of the worlds story that are purely player created. He's become a character without me speaking to him and made the place seem more real. EVE only ever has one server, every player plays in the same world, unlike other MMOs where many servers each host a copy of the game world and you sign your characters up for one of them and generally stay there indefinitely. It makes player characters in EVE even more important, and this is still just down in noobspace, not out on the rim in the player based sovereignties.

 He'll be wiping players out using a far superior ship that looks like a tier one frigate but is actually a tier two one. More powerful. You can bet he is packing tier two guns too. I'll have to look at anti-frigate tactics in PVP. Maybe using the cruiser Vendetta once it is freed up from it's mining duties and I can explore a combat fit on it. At them moment though, I'm not even ready to join a fleet and contribute, let alone go head to head with a much more experienced player.

 Later that night I'm mining. Come on, I'm ill and I need to rest before an almighty piss up tomorrow. I chat to my cousin briefly and then a red skull flagged player warps into the belt. Up until now there has been me and one other miner in here. I quickly put an announcement over the local system chat. No one is biting at this guys bait. We are all old enough to see it's a tier II frigate and not a tier I. He sees the chat and bows out. This being EVE we all instantly think he has a cloaking device.


Captain John Crichton then jumps into the belt. Crying out out location and activity on local chat he proceeds to zoom around. It's a bit odd, why announce in local chat? Of course he saw the previous action and is taking the piss. This is amusing and once again evidence of EVE just generating content via social interaction. I get into a conversation with the said captain who proves to be a cool guy. Its odd in EVE that you expect the worst and often find the best. Somehow you are so paranoid that you forget you are all in the same boat, or have been in terms of some rookie frigate. He is only a month and a bit older than me and already has a cool boat. Where will I be in a months time.

Anyway - a little cash, a little convo, a new contact. No computer generated missions done. I'm physically feeling like shit and yet mentally I'm entertained. Man I fucking love this game.


PS - I learn that EVE chat doesn't have much in the way of emotes. You can /me like old time online chat rooms, but otherwise you are left to your own devices. 'o/' is wave, 'o7' is salute. I think.