Sparks

As I remarked recently, there isn’t anything particularly compelling that I feel like doing in EVE at the moment. I’ve been pondering that a bit lately, and wanting to mull over a few thoughts here. Don’t worry (or sorry), but this is not a bitter vet exit post.

For quite a while now I have used Exploration as the catalyst to get me undocked and interacting with the environment. It doesn’t matter if that part of my session lasts for 5 minutes or an hour, that first step normally gets me in the zone to make the most of my EVE time.

It seems obvious, but undocking in EVE is important. The other week I undocked to pick up some researched BPO from my POS. While in flight I noticed a Covert Research Facility site in local. After finishing my task I swapped to a Stratios to run the site. Once finished that I figured I would scan down the signatures in the system. There wasn’t much of interest, but I did find a Hi-Sec to Hi-Sec wormhole that I peered through, checking if the other end was anywhere near Jita or some of the assets or my Datacore sites that I have spread around the place. It wasn’t, but I had gone from logging in to do a simple task and ended up “playing” EVE. I have lost count of the number of times that has happened.

While I still like the unknown aspect of what you are going to find during exploration – I am getting tired of doing the same stuff over and over and over again. My EVE sessions are suffering from that lack of ignition. Working through my BPO research has helped a little, as shown above, but it is not as effective. I’m not sure what there is to replace it.

Getting bored of aspects of the game is of course nothing new. There are many areas that I have investigated, skilled up and tooled up for, played, then put aside as they became more of a chore than fun. Missions, Trading, PI, Mining and so on. For all the focus on EVE being a sandpit MMO, in the end it does have an underlying reliance on theme park mechanisms, especially for those of us who play solo.

In most regards it is impressive the game has kept my interest for so long.

So while I am in a bit of a rut, I need to go back to ticking off items on my EVE to-do list.

. I am thinking of buying a totally unnecessary and expensive hull to celebrate my 8th year in game

. I really need to fit and undock that Rorqual I purchased a while ago. I want to use a Clone Vat Bay for the first time. (I might have to fight through my inclination to park Capitals while playing solo.)

. I got a Worm and Garmur for the new burner missions, but I can’t force myself to grind Level 4 missions to get one. I might start by fitting them out.

Eight

I glanced down at the odometer yesterday in my car and realised it had just hit 100,000km. I never pay attention to the odometer, but it is uncanny how often I seem to focus on it at the exact time it clicks over a milestone figure. I presume that while you might not be consciously aware of the figure, subconsciously a part of your brain is.

It is the same for how many Skill Points my main Character in EVE has. Again I don’t really pay it attention, but I suddenly seem to be aware of it right as it clicks over each 10 million. It is the same again for in game birthdays. I opened my character sheet and for no obvious reason my eyes were drawn to the birthdate.

I turned 8 in EVE today.

It is not a real accomplishment within itself. You don’t achieve in EVE just by paying your subscription for years. It is instead an acknowledgement to CCP – for the game they have created and keep evolving. It is an acknowledgement to the community around the game. It is an acknowledgement to – I will put it kindly, my perseverance.

I thought I’d mark the occasion with a moment of nostalgia.

Best Memory

Taking part in Providence’s failed defence of D-GTMI. From a mechanical point of view the slideshow and totally unresponsive client showed a broken and unfair game. But that didn’t seem to really matter – it also showed just how amazing the possibilities were within EVE.

Worst Memory

The weeks after the Incarna release, a poor implementation of walking in cabins, over heating graphic cards, and the now iconic static image of the Captain Quarter door.

Favourite Ship

Strangely enough, that is probably the Orca. I loved being able to roam around in them carrying whatever you needed to be self-sufficient in a nomadic lifestyle. Being able to scan the Fleet Hanger and Ship Maintenance Bay put end to that, although the Transverse Bulkhead rigs now make it a more of a viable possibility now.  I have also loved just about anything that can fit a Covert Ops Cloak.

Favourite Feature

Exploration

Least Favourite feature

Not so much a feature, but the general feel that PVE content is not dynamic enough.

Most wanted little changes I’d like for my EVE birthday

I’d like more than 5 overview tabs; I’d like to be able to move Clones in ships and store more than one in a station, and I’d like ship skinning to be changed to a removable rig like slot, as having individual entries in the market place for each skinned ship is unnecessary.

Now let see how many more years I can get out of this game.