It May Even Be In Our Time

Unsurprisingly, finals have caught up with me at a rather lousy time, and I’m trying to keep my head clear and myself afloat while I work to complete them. Hence, I haven’t been posting at all, and I have had barely any contact with the gaming world for a while. I’ve mostly been immersed in drawing and painting and hours of work. So, inevitably, I turn to drugs. In specific: EVE Online.

I wrote a review on EVE Online a while ago (back when I actually had game of the week reviews) and it pretty much holds true to what I experience as I slip back into the world of interstellar piracy. However, some of my friends have recently taken up the game as well, and it adds a fantastic new dynamic of starting up fleets and corporations with friends and actually getting the chance to preplan our entire endeavor. I have the advantage of having played already and having a lot of my character set up already, so as my friends begin to start up I can buy them initial equipment and advise them on fitting for their crafts, which gives them a distinct upper edge in combat during starting missions. We have, however, also come across the problem that newbies at the game don’t quite know how to handle their equipment, and therefore can’t face heavier combat and be expected to perform to the level of their gear.

What I hadn’t thought of before is that EVE has a very established learning curve to it–you actually need to scrape your way up from the underdregs in order to become “combat effective” as I’ve been calling it. Giving my friends higher tier gear and helping them pick out the better equipment may actually not be helping them at all, and instead confusing them and making it more likely for them to be shot down and lose their expensive arsenal.

I’ve decided on a somewhat different approach since we started playing. I’ll still help them with their gear, but I’ve told them to go back and do as many starting missions as they can. I’ve given them a few tips for key equipment that will ensure their survival, and have suggested that in the direst of circumstances they learn the appropriate time to run away. In the meantime, I’ve begun the undertaking for a mining barge to make money for our corporation. Once they start more advanced missions, we can worry about more advanced equipment. For now, the gear that they have will facilitate their climb, and they’ll begin to learn the game process on their own.

I’m so tired. I’m glad I have EVE as a stress reliever.