So, I started the game in late 2015. That might seem like a long time ago, but by the time I started playing, Eve was already 12 years old. Entire generations of players had come and gone. Empires had risen, held the galaxy by the throat, and crumbled to ashes. And yet, in spite of being 12 years late to the party, I’m now space rich (I’m not yet space wealthy, but I also haven’t made that a goal of mine) and have a character that is about 6 weeks away from being in the top 1% in terms of SP.
I’d say I’ve done a pretty damn good job of catching up to the vets.
Note: The following chart is going on 5 years old, but it’s all I’ve got. So we’re going to roll with it.
So here’s my takeaway:
- You can become one of Eve’s rich players just by not being an idiot and playing the game long enough.
- Eve has plenty of player turnover. This means that you don’t have to compete against a game filled with vets as old as the game. Sure, eve has some ancient and powerful vets running around, but the average player is probably in the neighborhood of 2 years old.
- An active newbro is infinitely more powerful than a vet that isn’t motivated enough to log on.
- Player skill is still the most important thing in determining outcomes. Not only can this be acquired at a tremendous rate, but it’s also not something that all vets posses.
- Eve ships are balanced so that bigger (and more expensive) is not necessarily better.
- Eve’s skill system is balanced in such a way that it takes a RIDICULOUSLY longer amount of time to perfect your skills for a ship, than it does to get them to a competitive level. This means that it really doesn’t take that long to be able to fly ships at a competitive level (especially if you focus your skill training).
- You do not need to be wealthy or have a ton of SP to be to be competitive, make meaningful contributions to the group, or to make a name for yourself. The only prerequisites for these things are a desire to do so, a willingness to fail, and the ability to learn from your mistakes.
In summation, the only thing standing in the way of your wealth and power is you.
