EVE Online

Apart from having a single shared game universe, there are a number of features that set EVE apart from other MMOs. The developers of the game, CCP, originally had a background in computer graphics.

As a result, the scenery and the EVE Online ships are breathtaking. Unlike other games where you must constantly quest to gain experience and levels, EVE online skills take a set amount time to train, and will continue to train even if you are not logged on - allowing players to progress without the constant grind so typical of MMOs.

The player driven economy is based on real world economic models. CCP employ economists to monitor and report on the EVE Online market, and you can make a fortune in manufacturing or just manipulating the stock market. Corporations and alliances also play a big part in EVE, with the storyline being driven by player events. Again, real world corporate structures have influenced the way EVE Online corporations function, adding even more depth and realism to the game.

This attention to detail and diversity means that no matter what your play style, there is a fun career path for you in EVE.

CCP caused a splash in the world of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) five years ago when they launched EVE Online. Branching away from the established and crowded 'swords and sorcery' niche, EVE Online was set in deep space. Drawing on the heritage of space trading and combat simulations, like the timeless classic Elite on the BBC Micro, EVE Online boasts a fluid market based on real world economic models, with player driven supply and demand making alternative game careers like day trading and commodities speculation a profitable choice for many players.

With a deep storyline, CCP have also encouraged players to push the boundaries of the game. Player owned corporations (EVE's equivalent to guilds in other games like World of Warcraft) and alliances not only feature in the news, but they also drive other game events.

This leads into the heady world of EVE politics. From an individual player, right up to a player alliance, EVE's gamers can affect the activities and storyline of the game. An assasination and the following corporate theft and destruction of an alliance were not only in-game news - it was covered in many gaming magazines, and even reached the mainstream press.

Many view EVE as a 'slow' game - it's certainly not a short term experience, and those looking for a quick action fix will be disappointed. However, the longer you spend playing it, the more depth and game play opportunities appear. EVE is certainly a rich and involved game, and CCP's vision of a player driven economy and storyline is showing games like Second Life and World of Warcraft the right way of building virtual worlds.

Your game experience starts with the creation of an EVE Online character. Choosing the career path, attributes, and initial skills here can affect your gameplay for many months, so it pays to spend some time.

Initially you choose which of the four Empires your character will come from, and you can then choose a subrace. For more information on the Empires of EVE, have a look at this Hub - The Races of EVE Online.

A lot of effort has been put into the new player experience (NPE) and you'll find that choosing a career - such as Trader, Industrialist, Miner, or Pilot - will automatically choose the best attributes for you, as well as assign the skills needed to get started.

Apart from profession specific skills, the most important skills to acquire and train are the Learning skills. Each level in a Learning skill will boost one of your attributes by one point. This in turn will reduce the training time of any skills that have that attribute as their primary. For example, Spaceship Command has Perception as it's primary attribute. Each extra Perception point your character has will have a significant reduction on the time it takes you to train Spaceship Command to the next level.

After the Learning skills, new players will find the Drones skill most useful. Drones are small, autonomous craft that can be carried in your ship. They can carry out combat or mining duties, and at the early stages of EVE, you'll find them much more powerful and effective than your character and their starter (or 'noob') ship.

Being able to deploy drones can help defend your ship when under attack, and you'll find that they become a cheap and effective way of adding some combat power to your ship. In the longer term, Drones can become more and more powerful, and with high levels in the Drone skills you will discover that they can be a lethal ally.

For more information on EVE Online skills and choosing the right skills when starting a new character, have a look at EVE Online Skills: What They Are And How They Work and Choosing Your EVE Online Characters.

Other games like World of Warcraft require a player to complete repetitive quests, gaining experience each time. After a certain amount of experience, a character gains a new level of proficiency, and can start using new spells, weapons, or items. This is often referred to as 'grind', as players must continually grind away at the same dull missions and quests to advance anywhere in the game.

EVE is radically different, with the concept of EVE Online skills. Skills can be bought on the market, given as rewards for missions, or looted from cargo containers. EVE Online skills have a level, from 1 to 5 - as your character trains up a new level, the bonus or ability that the skill grants will increase. Each skill has a primary and secondary attribute - the more points a character has in these attributes, the faster that skill will train.

A good example is the Frigates skill. Frigates are the entry level, workhorse EVE Online ships. To fly a Frigate, you will need at least Level 1 in the skill. Each Frigate grants different bonuses for each level trained in the Frigate skill. For example, you may get a 15% increase in speed for each level, or a 10% increase in the damage your frigate's weapons do.

The best part about EVE Online skills is that you don't need to be logged in, or doing something in game, to train them. Once you choose to train a skill, the skills section of your character sheet will show how long it will take to train the skill to the next level. And that's it - if it takes 3 days to train the next level, 3 days later you can login and find the skill trained up. This method of 'offline' character advancement is hugely helpful to players who are tried of the grind of other games, or who can't dedicate large amounts of time to playing.