EVE Blog Banter Special Edition: Why We Love EVE Online

The Mind Behind the Trinity Sisters
Sitting at her desk
Cape Canaveral, Florida


Welcome to my special installment of CrazyKinux's Blog Banter, where he asks us, "Why do you love EVE".


An interesting and more complex question than I thought before I sat down and really started thinking about it.

Besides the fact that EVE is unique in the sense that it is an original creation of the sci-fi genre... not latching itself onto any other existing franchise. The events and changes in this game happen because the players are making them happen, not because thats how it happened in the movies. And its not some.. "go raid this dungeon and kill this boss" and then 2 hours later it respawns like nothing ever happened.

In EVE.... the "bosses" are groups of hundreds of players, enemy alliance, bands of pirates, and elusive mega-personalities... living, breathing, players.

Entire regions of space are owned and controlled by massive player alliances, with no NPC interference at all.... epic battles and "land grabs"... espionage... you name it. Approximately 30 systems belonging to the Goonswarm were lost within the last few days. The systems will not reset. The Goons will not get them back outside of fighting to get them back. All of this... player driven content... and guess where the Goons are moving? Syndicate. That will make them my happy new neighbors, and will more than likely cause changes to how we function in our region of space. These ripple effects happen everywhere, constantly.

The most important part of all of this is that everyone in EVE plays on one single server (or, cluster of servers, joined together). If you know someone who plays EVE... "What server do you play on?" is not something that needs to be asked. We all play out here together. And that leads to one incredible community.

People become legendary... take for instance Helicity Boson, famed Pirate.... the scourge of the miner.... for putting effort into organizing an event to shake up those who take mining as their main source of income, some, becoming complacent -a dangerous attitude to have in EVE. I am pretty sure not a single pilot in New Eden doesn't know her name now... and her spawn, "Hulkaggedon".

And on the other hand, there is Chribba. Not an uber combat pwn u pilot... but a respected industrialist..... hundreds came to his aid to help defend one of his POS's that was recently attacked, just because he is known, and respected. And quickly the attacking corp withdrew, underestimating the power of a good reputation and friends.

Anything you want to be.... do... or become in EVE is possible. It is limitless.
So you want to be Boba Fett and be a bounty hunter? Go for it. Players put bounties on others heads, there is money to be made there.

Become a mercenary...... maybe an industrial corp wants to cut off a competing industrial corp in their system from main trading hubs. They will hire a mercenary corp to declare war on them for them (since typically, industrialists are not highly trained in combat skills), and then they profit as their competitors can no longer haul their goods to and from their destinations... because you... the mercenary... have been hired to do so.

There is another aspect of EVE I think many may take for granted... or will even deny - Roleplay..... In EVE more than any other MMO I have ever played (starting in '99 with EQ1).. people truly roleplay their character. Just take a look at the massive amount of EVE blogs.... almost all of them written "in character".

Take Maeve for example. She is an industrialist. She mines, she missions, she daydreams of adventure one day, joining a wing of her alliance in 0.0; but for now is perfectly happy to stay in her quiet system, grease to her elbows, and hair a mess.... building nothing but drones. Not because she can't build things other than drones, but because that is part of her character. She just loves her drones, and every combat ship she flies boasts a full bay of a variety of what she lovingly calls, "her babies".

In EVE you never know what you are up against.... you never know what skills that pilot that just locked you has.... what surprises up that sleeve.... what weaponry... what drones.... are friends waiting for a command to warp right on top of you in ambush?? Definitely not as simple as looking at that human warrior, seeing with your own eyes exactly what armor he has on, and knowing his level and what spells exactly to use most effectively against him.

In EVE you are not just another Human Warrior, or Elf Mage, grinding for the best gear you can get, becoming a cookie cutter of every other class like you. In EVE... you are what you make yourself. And many people form who they become based on a personality they have placed (maybe unknowingly) onto their character.

Pirate, bounty hunter, industrialist, hauler, spy, even eco-warriors.... these are not classes you choose in EVE, this is who you become. All in one New Eden... all connected... together.

UPDATE :: February 8th, 2009 ::

I'm sure pretty much everyone who was involved in this fantastic blog banter knew CK was announcing his winners this morning. Well... technically a few days ago, but more entries than he anticipated rightly pushed him back a few. Personally, at my sloth-pace, it would have taken me weeks to not only read all 56 but to judge which were the best on top!

So I dragged my sleepy little self to my computer this morning to see what was new in interweb-land, as I do. Saw CK's post on Facebook.... so I clicked.... definitely NOT expecting to have been placed anywhere in the top of some dozens of incredible entries. The little greedy monster inside secretly hoped I made it in the top 10.

Of course my eyes fell on #1 first.. I mean come'on, you know you did too!

I wanted to read the winning post first thing! (because I admittedly have only read about a dozen or so, so far). What was that? "Wench with a Wrench".... I blinked.. haven't had coffee yet.... refresh the page.... read the whole post this time... maybe I was being tricked... reading it wrong?

"1st Prize: Wench with a Wrench"

I have to say how incredibly excited and humbled to be placed at the top. Seriously. I don't win things, and I am no writer! (But that doesn't mean I'm not taking my $100 and running off to the EVE store now!)

Thanks CK... and thanks to the rest of the pilots out there who participated. And as CK requested, my email - lea (at) leadidit (dot) com .

Oh... and I just wanted to share my personal favorite of all the entries.... Ecliptic Rifts Boom dee ah dah

Fly safe! \0/