It’s been years since I’ve played. Started my original account in 2005. I’ve played off and on for over a decade. I was younger too. Married + 3 kids later my time for gaming just does not exist in the way that it did way back then. The game required significant time investment to be able to really do anything.
Is it still like that these days or are there things that you can do in a 30 minute play session that leaves you feeling like you accomplished anything?
I would say no…Elite Dangerous might be more what you after…
What kind of gameplay are you looking for that would make you feel accomplished?
I havent been able to sit down and play Elite for the same reasons.
I didn’t think much had changed, but figured I’d check in and see if anything had. So many hobbies require so much time investment and sadly games that require a lot of investment are just further done the fun list for me I guess.
@Scoots_Choco As far as rewarding gameplay, pvp found and done inside of 30 mins but when I last played unless you kept replacements fully kitted and ready to go resetting took its own fair chunk of time. Especially if you like to run a EW fit for small roamings. Then having to try to get back up with the group without being dinged on the way to them, unless they came back for you. Sometimes we would fly for an hour or two and not have much happen. These days that’s a lot of time to hope for a fight and nothing happens. But that’s just probably got more to do with the fact that there are other things I prioritize over eve now.
anyhow thanks for the answer, I didnt think anything had been added but i wanted to check at least
Well I think ED might be the better fit ATM for such tight time constraints. If you want a great game that “feels” like actions matter but also want a more casual drop-in feel, try RUST. Totally different game but it’s a blast and right in the EVE PVP style. About $9 on Steam right now is a steal…
One thing you can try would be the Abyssal Proving Grounds. Those will appear at the end of a T3 (Fierce Filaments) (or higher) Abyssal pockets. They have a chance to spawn at the end of sites and will lead you to a pocket where you fill fight against another solo pilot in a Cruiser ship.
Those have a set time limits for both the parent Abyssal pocket and the Proving Grounds.
It does demand a bit more pilot skill since you will need to (1) survive the initial parent pocket, and (2) will be facing against another opponent in a 1v1, but it’s something that can be done with relatively easy accessibility.
The greatest difficult will occur when you play during off time zones when there are less players online, since the Proving Ground Conduit does not spawn if there aren’t enough people clearing Abyssal pockets at a given time.
yes, I have been, and every now and then plays a good length of time, if I have it available.
but most likely like you I work (up to 6 days) and have a family life.
if you’re luckily I found a corp that put family and realworld come first over the game.
so I play anywhere from 10 minutes to 6 hours, depending on the day.
no. CCP is removing solo play in favor of incursion style content against npcs.
Lots!
It just depends on what you regard as fun really.
you can do abyssals or burners in those 30 minutes per day.
Or PI but that’s not something I would advise 
It’s gonna be hard to find pvp content in 30mins no matter what you do.
Abyssal proving grounds are often not there because few people are doing them. They also require bling fits to be competitive, so you need to have an income that can match.
Faction warfare is as casual as you can get. Small-gang/solo in cheap easily replaceable fits. You earn isk whilst you roam. But you’re going to struggle to find a decent fight within half an hour.
I think this game is playable casually…as long as your focus is PvE.
30 minutes may be cutting it close but let’s say 45-60 minute sessions and beyond are very well doable. Also I’m talking if you’re dude is under 50-60 million sp or so.
Well, I’ve played ‘casually’ for almost 12 years now… which means being active 1-3 months per year, whenever I get an itch to see if EVE has realized any of its’ considerable potential yet.
I also tend to do my gaming in 20-60 minute chunks, with weekend bouts of multiple hours. So a lot of EVE content is not really accessible most days - DED hunting, escalations, exploration, WH sites etc. tend to want you to be available for well over an hour to be productive.
I haven’t tried Abyss sites but apparently if you can get set up for those they are good for sub-30-minute chunks of activity. Missions obviously can be run in 20-30 minutes, although you have to be a bit choosey about which ones to accept. Problem is that the scale of productivity needed in EVE to feel like ‘you accomplished something’ tends to be a bit higher than what you can achieve in a short session - unless you have a really long view and think ‘hey one short session a day and after 3 weeks, I’ve accomplished something!’.
I also found the old events, before CCP went completely off the rails and decided events should be punishment rather than incentive to play; to be good, short session content. Probably event content was the most satisfying short session content.
With no event on, a typical short session for me would be:
That way I at least know I made a little money, got a chance at a drop or some loot, had some minimal action, and poof I’m done.
Compared to other MMO’s I play, this is actually the least action, least accomplishment, most boring routine I have for a 30-40 minute session. EVE shows a lot of promise, but sadly rarely lives up to it.
Keep in mind, I’m well aware that EVE is not tuned to the busy-gamer, short session, easy accomplishment crowd. So the reason I keep poking at it is because I don’t expect it to deliver short term gratification.
I play casually. But that’s a subjective term. 30-minutes isn’t much time in any MMO IMHO EIOIO
You cant even play a game of Dota 2 in 30 minutes.
I would say, look for a single player game. You can save and quit, any tim eyou want.
Im really enjoying Total war three kingdoms. I wanna marry Zheng Jiang, but she keeps refusing me. Guess Ill just have to kill her instead.
you need to learn to seduce women. Tell her that life without her will be very painful and she will surely understand the depth of your love.
100% agree with bachelor player game.
Man, i kept losing at that game. No fun at all. I dont get it, women dont get jokes anymore. Everything is offensive.
Station spinning is still available to casuals… but if you want to be good it takes dedication and stamina
I hate that game too. For some reason, they dont allow you to save your progress. Stupid. So stupid.
exploration is a thing, ADS is a thing. FW in a cheapo frig ppl say is a thing.
playing like that for 8+ years, mostly PvE
any decent PvP is BS get you blobed in null 
coz everyone and his dog are multiboxing and PLEXing their 5-6 accounts like there no tomorrow.