Returning player Q's - Free play and safety in secured sectors

New Citizens Q&A
1

Hello there.

I left a few years ago when players began to figure out how to suicide ships in high sec space. I left due to this as I thought the idea behind high sec space was, um, that you were secure? I am looking for a new game and thought about coming back. But wanted to know if this is still a thing in high sec space - where people are able to suicide into ships and destroy them before the auto patrols can show up and stop it.

In addition, I was wondering what were the major handicaps of the Free Play option of the game.

Thank you in advance.

2

Remember it is not called safe space. It is called Highsec, it just has more security and it has consequences for bad behavior. As in, Concord will never stop somebody from suicide ganking people, it will just punish the person that did.

Any research before starting the game should have pointed that out. Happy to assist ingame if you need more answers.

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3

Hello Fruga,

Here’s the short answer to your question: yes.

In Highsec, organizations and individuals still “gank,” or randomly destroy, other vessels. Such attacks are often random, but can also be targeted in some situations.

Organizations such as the New Order of Highsec specialize in ganking miners and freighters in would-be secure systems.

Say you’re mining in a Procurer. A ganking Catalyst (a Gallente Destroyer with very high damage output) warps to you and opens fire. From the second they activate a hostile module against your vessel, it will take between eight and twelve seconds for CONCORD (space police) to arrive and eliminate your attacker. So, in that time, your ship might be destroyed…

However, especially for newer pilots (because you probably won’t ever be moving expensive goods or mining in notably dangerous areas), the greatest danger in Highsec is wardeccers.

When you join a player-run corp., you expose yourself to the possibility of having other players declare war against you, granting them the ability to target your ship even in Highsec.

But, summarily, so long as you’re smart, you won’t be at too great a risk of being ganked in Highsec. The possibility does always exist, though.

Regarding your question about free accounts (Alpha Clones), there are currently some decently noticeable restrictions on unpaid characters, namely they cannot use any ship larger than a cruiser, most Tech II modules, and any pirate or alternate-faction hulls (they can only fly ships from their own empire).

However, CCP recently announced changes coming to Alpha Clones soon, which will (in my opinion) vastly improve the usability of free characters by giving them access to Battleships and some Tech II modules.

4

In December the skill point limit for Alphas is being quadrupled, and many ships up to tech1 battleships and large weapons will be made available. It’s probably worth getting training now.

People can still suicide kill in HiSec. This is by design, they are not griefing anyone. It’s up to the player to take danger into account and make their plans accordingly in EvE. If you are careful to properly tank your ships (remember, more tank better than bigger cargo or more mining yeild) instead of going all out for efficiency you become much less of a target for suicide kills.

Ganking is actually not as big a problem as you might think by reading forums. The vast majority never get ganked at all.

5

Yes, suicide ganking in high-sec is still a thing.

High-sec space is more secure than low-sec or 0.0 sec, but this is a spaceship combat game, and because of that, various forms of combat are allowed and encouraged in high-sec. Instead of aiming for “peace” in high-sec, the game aims to have “civilized” combat, which ultimately means rules like in a tournament or duel situation. The attack can still happen, but the enemies have to follow certain combat rules. It’s a game, and basically that’s the idea behind high-sec.

The Free-to-Play option is more like an unlimited trial. You can enter any area, join any fleet, fight anyone you want, without restrictions. You ARE restricted in the skills you can train, and that means you can only unlock the ships of one race, up to cruiser level, with Tech 2 defenses but only Tech 1 (and pirate loot drops) for weapons. It’s a decent compromise that lets you “participate” in the combat parts of the game, and doesn’t limit you too much in terms of making friends and being able to join them for your play sessions.

The other main restriction besides what ships you can unlock is that you’re training skills at half speed, which, basically, this game is about unlocking a set of ships so that you have a set of tools appropriate for whatever situation you may encounter (mining, transport, small fleet, DPS, support, jamming etc.). Doing it at half speed is annoying to some people.

But, as posted above, the devs are removing some of these restrictions, to make the game even more accessible for you.

6

As I understand the upcoming changes to alpha clone skill training, an alpha is still limited to roughly 4.5 million skill points in direct training. However, having achieved that goal, the alpha can sub or use PLEX or injectors to train beyond that level. If he doesn’t sub, he still an alpha, except that for the duration of the PLEX or by using an injector he can train up to 20.5 million skill points total. A returning player with a lapsed account (no subscription) will find, if he has 20.5 million or more skill points, he will have access to the up to 20.5 points that are designated as alpha skills. I think, but am not certain, that this will entail the ability to train enough to access the T2 modules (and drones?) that are also coming for alphas. A counter example is that as far as I know, alphas will still not be able to train PI. So a new alpha or a returning former omega will not have access to PI skills. In the returning omega case, this will be true even if he had PI skills before and has less than 20.5 million SP total. I could be wrong about this example - it’s just intended to illustrate the principle I think will apply.

7

As a alpha miner in a venture that cost maybe 2mill fitted, I find it kinda funny to be ganked by a fully decked out gank Catalyst costing 5 to 8mill.

It doesn’t happen much because what’s the point beyond getting a dot on their kill board.

8

Dear OP, I doubt you will have fun playing EvE with that point of view.
Greetings from real life: There’s no space on earth where you can’t be mugged or attacked, despite all of the consequences law or society predict. And now the funny part: That makes the game such fun. You have to be alert and think about countermeasures, you must outwit your foes, and you have to overcome the feeling of loss as a bad incident.
Then you’ll have fun. Try it!

9

Thank you all for your replies.

I actually quite enjoyed playing EvE in the old days. I enjoyed mining and refining materials, as strange as that may seem. EvE offered a great way for me to enjoy this strange quirk of mine and also help out others with the supply of the materials and I was even beginning to look into manufacturing as well.

Unfortunately, with the advent of the ganking squads in what is suppose to be safe sectors (without wardeccs that is) that enjoyment is no longer available for me. I do not want to have to continuously out think people who don’t give a crap about their characters or such things, using multiple accounts to do little more than grief other players. Yes, EvE is very much a PvP and I was fine with that by keeping myself to the hisec areas and only mining the lower value ores. But finding loopholes within the system in order to frustrate other players is not my idea of fun. If it is yours, then all the power to you but I won’t be returning.

Thank you.

FMDK

10

It sucks being ganked, I dont even stress becouse it is so rare. But you can easily turn the tables.

I started tanking my mackinaw with passive mods and so i look unsuspecting. And when one hits me in a catalyst and Concord hits them i grab all their T2 stuff and dock up till my timer to run out.

I got enough for 5 ships now. Lol.

11

Players were suicide ganking ships in 2003, in beta actually, in fact concord was buffed because of the ‘yulai incident’ around then, corp used logi to tank concord (and banned because they refused to stop when asked), also google mu gatecamp.

Since beta game documentation has clearly stated, high sec is not a safe zone, concord are there to punish not protect.

So no its not changed, in addition players are still rewarded for taking the time to understand mechanics- why not read through the new player faq and the documentation on the ccp website, and make an informed decision.

12

There is no area of EvE which is supposed to be safe. That mindset is your problem.

13

Fair enough. Highsec was never safe, never suppose to have been safe, and never will be safe. If you don’t like that congrats to you for realizing that and moving on to something you do want to play.

If it is any consolation though, the Eve personality that ganked you, Gevlon Goblin, has moved on from the game. He also has decided that Eve isn’t for him and recommends that people don’t play it.

Anyways, I wish you the best finding a game that suits you better. Fly safe!

14

You keep saying “Suppose to be safe sectors”. Its not supposed to be safe, and thats the point.

If you want to play a game where you have all the reward with zero risk, then go play single player Mincraft and use cheats or something. That way, you get all the reward with zero risk, zero effort.

To me, playing a single player game with no risk, no effort and infinite rewards is not my idea of fun. If it is yours, then all the power to you, but i wont be playing whichever video game you choose to go to.

Good luck with Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

SLRX

15

This is Eve.

Everyone vs Everyone

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16

Gevlon needs to harden up real hard tho.

17

If you want to be immune from interaction with other players, play on the test server.

There, noone else can attack you, compete with you to finish a site or to mine an asteroid you were mining.

18

Yeah they can, and do.

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