Are you satisfied with how EVE presents its story? (Yes, strong opinion inside!)

Communications Center General Discussion
1
  • I am satisfied with how the story is presented
  • I am not satisfied with how the story is presented
0 voters

Hello one and all,

as a creative kind of person, I have a very vivid imagination that easily inspires me. Stories of all kinds often get me thinking about certain characters, their motivations, the story at large, the lesson that can be taken from it, the drama, action, glory and so on. You will be hard pressed to find a story where I will say that it is perfect as it is. I’m incredibly, massively conceited in that regard, but I do accept that no one can write narratives the way I want, so I put aside my high standards and enjoy the stories and games as they are.

Having said that, and you already know what’s coming, I’m NOT happy with the way I experience the story in this game. I’m not happy, because I know of the incredible potential that is buried within the game.

You have four different factions vying for control of the universe, all the while various subfactions and pirates aim to take advantage of the chaos. You have the players in the middle of it all, who in turn want to build and create their own empires. This, my friends, can be a genuine epic, on top of having players, similar to Helldivers, be directly responsible for how the story unfolds. There is gigantic drama waiting to be experienced, massive battles that decide the fate of the entire universe, not in some faraway hole in null sec or WH space, but right in the middle of the universe, I’m talking about the very systems and planets that define the factions.

Yes, this is a bit of a tangent, but I want you to understand, and this is just a glimpse, what you could do with the game as it is. I want you to understand, that a few more cinematics or voiced over lines are not going to do it any justice.
And I want you to understand, how pitiful the bits are we have instead. The entire lore and story of this game exists solely in text descriptions. And to my dear critics, I know in the back of your head you are already screaming “DARK SOULS! DARK SOULS DID IT TOO!”. Save it. We are not roaming a mystical land where history itself has been lost to time and the countless apocalypses that have devastated the world. No, this is a living and breathing universe, and it needs a different approach.

And I will argue, that this approach has to be more immersive. It has to include direct, visible consequences and tangible benefits. The story has to be ongoing, with or without player intervention. There has to be a clear understanding of the story and the present day situation, and it has to impact and shape your understanding of the EVE universe.

Before saying my regards, I want to address an important point that my critics are certain to raise:
“Eve’s story is shaped by the players and nobody else!”

To this I want to retort with one thing. When EVE is an actual living and breathing universe, the impact and stories that the players will leave behind, will be even greater than before. The player empires will still be there. The stories that are exclusive to the players, will still be had.
And here is a daring thought, what if these player corporations and empires will also be embroiled in the affairs of the factions and become CANON to the story? Do you see where we can go with this? It is as I told you before, a potential epic, pieced together by the writers and the players in an interactive universe.

With storied regards
-James Fuchs

4 Likes
2

I want a ‘ I don’t WANT a frikin story at all’ option.

2 Likes
3

Kind of a wierd question. I mean what if you dont like the story but think its presented just fine?

1 Like
4

I give a plus to the story. Even though you only have to rub 3 round rocks together that were lying on the ground to have a star drive.

I give a minus to the way the game has played out over the years. Meh…

5

I just make myself the main character of my own story.

6 Likes
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The problem I have with a lot of the faction stuff is its not like Caldari will ever wipe out Gallente or some such thing. So what’s the point of fighting in some micro-managed border skirmish ? This PvE should be leading people into PvP….which I’ve seen stated as its goal…but instead it just becomes a thing in its own right, and you get people whining because some PvP-er ‘interfered’ with their PvE. Sigh.

1 Like
7

Then write a story… make a video… do not just stop at click baiting.

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8

Eve has a story?

:exploding_head:

2 Likes
9

The incredible potential will be for one or more TV series about EvE Online.

10

Correct me if im wrong, but nowdays we dont have an introduction cinematic of how new eden was discovered, right?

Also, we need more factional quests that pushes borders to other factions or at least to have some political fights. With this said, ofc, never to have a main NPC character, because main ones must to be players, but at least to know that in the planets, burocracy moves.

11

I must say, I’m genuinely satisfied and impressed by the way EVE present their stories. The care and respect woven into every fragment of lore makes me feel like I’m being guided by masters of world-building. Even the smallest narrative detail carries this sense of grandeur, as if the developers are graciously inviting me into something far bigger than myself. It feels like an honour to witness the universe unfold the way they’ve chosen to reveal it.

What truly amazes me is how gracefully the story integrates with gameplay. It’s subtle, rich, and never forced — like a perfectly prepared experience that I’m lucky to be allowed to explore. Every cinematic, every mission hint, every description feels polished and thoughtfully placed, and I can’t help but feel grateful for the effort it must take to maintain such a high standard. It really does make me appreciate the game on a deeper level.

12

I don’t think the game needs to have a big overarching story, nor do I think it should have one.

We capsuleers make the story.

I don’t want the game to have more ‘player-driven events’ just for the sake of having a story, but do like it’s use of player-driven events for the introduction of new content like the Pochven region.

What I do think is that EVE should have solid worldbuilding with some nice favourful yet inconsequential stories within the game, as well as enough lore and well-written stories presented also in the game in some ways that give players a univere that feels alive.

Last time I did missions was years ago and I do not recall any memorable stories when I did so. I think it was only some ‘fetch’ and ‘kill’ quests, the most basic of basic MMO tasks.

Maybe that has been improved, but I think missions are a good place to add more ‘story’ to the game.

I won’t expect EVE to get as much story as some of the better single player story-driven games I’ve played like Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Baldur’s Gate 3, but it could be nice if CCP managed to capture some of it’s storytelling.

Last time I did the tutorial there seemed to be somewhat of a good story, it could be nice if we could have a bit more of that.

1 Like
13

I’m not into the lore. I see null as my main target. When you whine while holding every advantage, I just want to pop them. :laughing:

EVE has sound? :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:

14

It does?

:exploding_head:

15

Not only does EVE have story, it also has some mediocre books.

Like, to the point where even I’d be better at it than whichever professional author they hired.

The first one is about Heth’s rise to power, with a side story explaining some of how Jamyl was able to stop the Elder fleet. The second has Muryia Mordu, who likes funny hats, and a sidestory that sets up Dust 514. The third tries to explain the general lore of the universe in the form of a narrative, and is nigh unreadable.

16

FTFY

:wink:

So you’re saying that parallel to CCP Quality Coding™ there also exists CCP Quality Writing™? :thinking:

:face_with_hand_over_mouth: :psyccp: :smirking_face:

17

The Black Library has set my standards high for game related lore books.

18

See i don’t think it will translate well, there is too much to cover so no matter where you start you’re missing like 80% of the context

19

Yeah, you got it. Forever wars in a border zone that nobody cares about, where have I seen that before again? Ah yeah, “1984”. Yes, the argument is in the room that this fits perfectly the dystopian theme that is ever present in EVE. I mean… it is not an unreasonable point. I personally think it’s wasted potential, because with advanced sci-fi and space empires, there are a lot cooler stories to tell. Like the Gallente and Minmatar are specialized in employing covert tactics, smuggling and planting rebellions, right?

If we take your example, even if the Gallente are conquered by the Caldari, and they learn to speak German instead of French, there is always the possibility that the entire conflict can turn on it’s head by a sudden and massive uprising, because that’s exactly what they would be capable of.
So, what if Gallente ended up blowing up the Jita tradehub (hehehe…)? Would people swing with the momentum and switch sides to Gallente? Or would they be so enraged, that they do everything in their power to crush the rebellion once and for all?

This and so much more, are just possibilities where players are not only part of the story, but also it’s writers, and sorry if I won’t shut up about it, but this to me would be the most exciting and, in my estimations, best path, that EVE could take. Maybe Jita doesn’t have to necessarily be blown to bits for it, but we could have other massive, great events going on, that would sweep up the playerbase.

And I’m talking ACTUAL events, not an uninspired doctor who crossover, not a “jump through 100 systems” homework assignment, not a “fight at this gate somewhere in null sec that is really important to a handful of null sec alliances” sham, but actual, genuinely engaging content that everybody will want to take their part in. And that’s where I see massive untapped potential for players clashing and choosing to settle matters with (ingame) VIOLENCE!

With glorious regards
-James Fuchs

1 Like
20

Alternatively, we could just wait another eight years for the Drifters to do something again.