My EVE Journey
I will keep the About Me part short, since I want to focus on what I plan to contribute to the community.
I’ve played EVE since it was released, and like many other long-time players, I’ve taken breaks along the way, tried many things, and seen many changes in EVE.
I’ve run a corporation, (Gemeinschaft interstellarer Soeldner) [GIS], focused on newcomers who wanted to try PvP and fight in wars as mercenaries. Back then, we learned as beginners and, step by step, became quite successful. At that time, knowledge wasn’t all around, and not every player was as deeply experienced as players are today.
Today, it would be much harder for a group of new players to take on such an endeavour. That is one reason I want to help close the knowledge gap, because I see it as one of the pitfalls that makes new players give up early.
After some years of living, fighting, and training new players in the Empire space, life and work forced me to move on, and my journey took me away from EVE for some time.
After returning, I joined corporations that had, and still have, a higher percentage of newer players. Helping them settle into EVE became my main focus, and it is what brings me joy in playing today as a veteran. I usually help with questions about the UI, PvE missions, mining, exploration, basic industry, or, in some cases, PvP.
I think that gives me a view of EVE from both sides: the mechanics I’ve grown used to and the things I see new players struggle to understand.
My Areas of Experience
My strongest areas are highsec, the new-player experience, and the everyday systems that players encounter while finding their way into EVE.
My experience also includes PvE missions, mining, exploration, and basic industry and highsec mercenary PvP. Much of that experience comes from directly helping newer players understand these parts of the game.
Why I Am Applying
I want to bring the hurdles newer players face to the table, as I believe complexity doesn’t need to be overly complicated.
New players often don’t know which tools matter. More often, they don’t even know that they exist or where to find them. With the upcoming UI rework, I see a great opportunity to bring those tools to the forefront.
Newer players face many small issues, as well as bigger problems, that stop them from continuing to play. I want to help identify those problems and give FC practical feedback based on what newer players actually experience.
My focus is on helping players understand the tools, find a reason to care about EVE, and become part of its player community.
Examples
UI and Discoverability
With the upcoming UI rework, I see a great opportunity to bring those tools to the forefront.
- A window pop-up of the targeted ship, zoomed in, shows a new player what weapons it uses and the beauty of having a great skin. – instead of having a hidden camera function that throws a new pilot into a panic when he accidentally hits the button and can’t see his ship anymore.
- The upcoming booster loadout UI is an excellent example of how a change can teach players that boosters are a thing.
- Make overheating more prominent, as I constantly see newer players completely ignoring it or getting straight up frustrated when they accidentally overheat a module. I think a close back-and-forth between FC and how new players receive this system would be very helpful.
Highsec Wars and Smaller Corporations
War declaration: Increasing the price of a war declaration (like recently implemented) could, at best, limit the number of wars to protect a new player corp; at worst, it will just increase the monthly “protection” fee per station the new company has to pay to its future “protector.” It might also lead to far more micro corps with only one station as a defensive reaction.
Another option would be to open up participation on the defending side of a war.
Corporations can already join as allies, but they must be war-eligible themselves. I’d also like corporations without structures to be able to volunteer for a specific defensive war. They would become legal targets within that war, without needing to own a structure first.
Alongside that, individual pilots should be able to volunteer, similar to direct enlistment in Factional Warfare. A pilot could stay in their current corporation and join the war personally, without involving their corp.
With the defending corporation’s approval, both could help fight the attackers. There are enough pilots who would enjoy putting a stick in the spokes of some war-declaring groups. It could also create opportunities for independent mercenaries. Joining and leaving would need clear rules to prevent abuse, but the aim is more fights, more risk for attackers, and another way for smaller corporations to organize their defense through other players.
Immersion and the Path Into the Wider Game
I sometimes get questions from new players about immersive gameplay that surprise me and make me wonder why these ideas haven’t already been considered.
It can be something small:
Instead of having only one saved outfit, allow players to save up to three. Players could change into a previously saved outfit while in a station. It would help immersion, support roleplayers, and encourage greater use of the clothing items already in the game.
I would also like to see missions that take players out of the new-player region and bring them back through captivating, short storyline expeditions. These could extend the guidance system while introducing players to the game beyond the new-player area.
At the beginning, players have usually not made many friends yet. They may also be occupied with simply understanding what they are supposed to do during their first hours. Interesting NPCs, brought to life through a good story with a few meaningful choices, could help immerse them in the world before they connect with other players.
That first connection to real players could also use some help. A storyline could lead the player to a “cantina”, “space bar" or “space network” represented by the new-player chat. This could introduce the already existing real social space through a story in a natural way. These stories can be implemented over time to expand the new-player experience and help them dip into the real EVE at a pace they choose.
I hope these samples of player ideas and problems give you a sense of how I plan to provide feedback to FC;
Understanding the tools, finding a reason to care about EVE, and becoming part of the player community.
If you have questions about these or other ideas, just ask me.
