There’s nothing wrong with this. In High Sec, I can do a 40 jump run just for fun just to explore all of the space. I can seek out new areas and look at what the game has to offer. I can travel from Mimnitar to Gallente, then travel to Amarr or Caldari. Edencon and Trig systems are okay since I have good standings with them. I can take my fastest ship and go anywhere in High Sec. I can choose security missions, sell industry materials, buy ship parts, etc… I can do anything I need to do. I can fly to Jita, grab a new ship, and carefully fly it back home. There are no limits.
In Low sec, I can explore too- maybe do a mission or two, kill some rats, then cloak up the instant I see someone new. Then it’s back to High sec with a cloaked speed run on the gate at 10 AU/s.
Null sec? Forget it. It can be fun in short doses, but like you said- an entire enemy fleet can appear at any moment so unless I’m hiding within the confines allowed to me by a larger corp, there’s no fun to be had. It’s just work work work all the time. Null sec has grown stale and it’s run like a well oiled machine with quotas to be filled. Not my style.
People keep saying that High Sec is too safe because ganking has been nerfed into the ground. Well, 12 years ago, it was barely more dangerous. It was still easy to survive. I explored then too. I’d travel from ice field to ice field just to mine with different miners each day.
As for the “socially driven” areas of Eve, let’s take a look- There’s High Sec filled with miners and gankers and more miners and mission runners… Plenty of people to meet! There’s low sec where everyone you meet wants you dead, and there’s null sec where everyone wants you dead unless you’re in a corporation- then… well, they probably want you dead too.
Wormhole space is a strange enigma. I’m pretty sure the dwellers in there would actually stop to chat with you as long as you remembered to pack enough beer before heading inside. They don’t have a way to restock and thus rely on visitors.
But socializing in Low and Null? Doing that can and will get you killed.
I’ve dipped my toe in Low sec quite a few times- I simply never stay long. I’ve lived in Null once and visited a few times. Hated living there and only had fun during one visit where I was one ship out of over a thousand in two massive fleets and three Titans. The enemy didn’t show up and we left once the Citadel that had been attacked was fully repaired. For the most part, I don’t like Null sec. I never have and I never will. The only “socially driven” area I’ve seen in New Eden is High Sec. There, only a few people want you dead. Most don’t.
