WOW!
Always love reading these. The reactions from other players are entertaining. Phrases like “f__k off” and “good riddance” infer that complaints about EVE are to be discouraged. Fortunately these are not the sentiments of the games community in general.
Been playing for a while (not with this alt however) and can understand both sides. Having been one of those players who cursed out my assailants in chat “WTF, you blew up my barge” kind of thing I had to “grow up” somewhat. To quote so many “It is what it is”.
New Eden is pretty much the opposite of what the name suggests. Living Hell would better describe the game. Mining especially can be the most frustrating of all occupations. Your main aim is to make money. Losing relatively expensive (for you) barges cuts into you profits. To earn more ISK is why you’re in business. Simple, somewhat boring game play.
PVP players who are not involved in Corp wars and such tend to be opportunists. It seems they wander about searching out easy prey. Nothing shameful. That’s just what predators do. But hunters in EVE rarely work solo. In my experience they tend to travel in packs. The first assault may be a single vessel, but many times that’s a scout. The rest of the group is right behind, using overwhelming force to finish the deed.
I do question this tactic of sending a dozen ships to blast a single barge. It assures victory, but leaves one with the impression of a pack of psychopathic hyenas. One begins to question the mental stability of such players. “Damn people are probably serial killers in real life”. We all know (hope) that isn’t true. For all we know the person(s) could be Mother Theresa. Perhaps they can remain saintly by satisfying their dark side playing EVE.
Almost always, your barges warp is scrambled and you are absolutely helpless. At that point your opponent can take their time killing you, savoring every last moment of your demise. There really is no need for the other six ships, except for the party atmosphere it provides.
While I have seen miners, including myself, bitch at the murderous pirates, I have also noticed that some PVP players get upset if you survive. I’ve been had occasions where I was cursed out because someone’s scramblers weren’t enough to overcome my stabilizers. I have a habit of equipping ships with as many as they can handle. This is especially true of transports carrying ore to market. If they can’t get to Jita it doesn’t matter how much ore you mine. You’re losing money in ore and spacecraft. I think of it as a form of “tank” to protect my profits. The opposition views it as unfair, not regarding that my vessel without them is no match for theirs. As such I would have a snowball’s chance in hell getting past them.
Another scenario is cloaking you ship. Not Asteros and such, but Velators, Miasmos or Mammoths. The other player gets pissed off because they know you are there, but can’t get you. It’s actually quite fun. It’s akin to submarine warfare. Sneaking past gate camps is highly rewarding.
Mining in low sec can be easy, if you adopt the correct tactics. “Discretion is the better part of valor” as they say. Hide, run like hell, avoid confrontation with hostiles. The excitement is in outwitting your enemies. If they get frustrated that just adds to the fun.
Finally, I do mine standard ores in hi sec, but only because I found the earnings (especially combined with reduced losses) were the same as mining ice in more dangerous areas. At times the value of the ice is so high that one would be crazy not to take the risk. In hi sec, usually close to Jita, I use Ventures to keep expenditures low. I use larger ships for hauling stockpiled ore to market. The biggest issue with hi sec mining is staying awake. It gets very boring very quick.
Having to work at an Alpha level is awful, especially since I used to have Omega accounts. Don’t know how folks can play Alpha for any length of time. For me it’s too much like facing EVE in a rookie ship. The higher Omega classification does make the game far more interesting. Blasting things to bits with Trivalgian cruisers (or larger) can really make a lousy day a lot brighter.
I know I haven’t really said much of consequence. Blame it on the spare time I have being retired during a plague
Fly safe.