2023 EVE Stats

I received an email from CCP outlining the accomplishments of my main pilot in the last year. Underwhelming comes to mind.

I spent 12 hours in the game. Most of that would have been when I got distracted and forgot to log off. Sadly, that was more time in game than 69% of players.

My wallet balance changed by -3.7B ISK. That placed me in the bottom 1% of players for balance changes. The biggest expense was the Lancer Dreadnoughts skillbook.

I visited a total of 4 systems, made 6 gate jumps, and docked in 3 stations. I expect that was to get skill books. 

Last of all I gained 24.4M Skill points. My main currently has 379M Skill Points, 4.2M unallocated. My training queue is very boring.

It won’t take me long to beat that benchmark – likely just by having to log in now to get the daily rewards.

Change

I built myself a new PC and am now going through the process of setting up all the software I require.

I printed out a list of everything installed on my old PC and am carefully considering for each one if I really need it or not.

One of the applications which did not make the cut was RSSOWL. That is the RSS reader I used to keep track of EVE content on blogger. I had not used it for some years.

Of the 20 blogs in the download list, only 2 or 3 were active, and even then, only sporadically. More than a dozen pilots I followed had simply stopped posting. I think only one had a final, neat post. The rest just sort of petered out and then – nothing.

I wonder if they were thinking they might at some point return to the game.

I followed a few other blogs in RSSOWL. One was still active, but his recent posts were confronting. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and had decided given the nature of it, the quality of his remaining life would be best met with hospice support than medical intervention.

I realised I felt an unexpected level of sadness. Even grief. I thought it might have triggered something in relation to the passing of my sister last year, which I have been somewhat detached about. I guess however when you have read hundreds of – effectively letters, from someone, you can build a type of meaningful (if mostly one way) connection.

One post in the last year

As the title alludes, I only managed 1 post in the last year.

While I occasionally log into EVE to collect rewards, I have only undocked a handful of times since my last post.  I try to follow a couple EVE Blogs and CCP’s social media posts to keep up to date on what changes are occurring, but nothing has piqued my interest enough to return to regular play.  CCP’s focus has remained almost solely on group destructive play.

Life probably hit the peak of its frenetic busyness over the last year, concentrated mostly around the kids.

My daughter continued her success in hockey, playing for another State Team, being in a couple teams that won state championships, and another league win with her club.  Her further progression however is unclear, with some excellent, taller, and older competition for very limited positions.  She made the most of opportunities at her school across the arts, sports, and leadership.  At home she continues to be a delight if she is getting what she wants, and a very unpleasant banshee when she doesn’t.

After training up to 6 times a week, my son managed to win State and National Championship titles in the somewhat niche sport of Artistic Roller-skating.  He played in three school bands, got his first dan black belt, continued to attend speedcubing competitions, kept working, bought himself a car and got his license, maintained a good social life, and just finished the last year of High School and his final exams.  He is comfortable he will get the scores required to attend his preferred university.  I mentioned last year he has ADHD.  It is a blessing when managed well and kept under control – as his achievements allude, but it is a stressful curse whenever it is not.

Next year my son should be driving himself to most of his activities and Uni, and I should finally have some time to catch my breath.  The first item on the to do list won’t be EVE.  I will have to decide what to do with my career.