Tapp's Notes

Currently, I’m working my way through an EVE online trial account. Mostly because it is free, but also because EVE is a unique game. It is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, and in this case the massive is earned. In most games, there are multiple servers running the full game that only contain a fraction of the people playing. World of Warcraft boasts millions of players but you will never run into more than the same couple of thousand with the same character. In EVE, everybody is playing the same game at once. This comes to around 32000 people on some nights, though I hear it has been known to go as high as fifty.

 EVE Online is a space game. You design a character, log in, and are immediately floating in space in your beginner spaceship. All your interactions with the game are done through the ship. The main point of the game is to earn money (called isk in this particular patch of the multi-verse), with which you can buy better ships and equipment, and thus engage in the many space hijinks you see going on around you.

The game  is very focused on player interactions. There are some NPC given missions, but they tend to be lack luster compared to EVE’s competitors such as Lord of the Rings Online and World of Warcraft (both of which I have played, although only for a few hours a piece). The meat of EVE is the ongoing rivalries between player run corporation who mine all the materials and produce all the resources, explore, or simply engage in blood sport. The entire economy is player run and controlled, and I beleive there is even some form of virtual stock market.

Player progression is centred around skills which take a certain amount time to train, ranging from several dozen minutes to severa days. The neat thing is that this time passes and the skill is trained even when you are not logged in; I may be at work right now, but my character is improving his ability to fly Caldari Frigates. I’d say this time based skill system is unique, but it reall isn’t. The only difference between this and a standard RPG is that the game does the grinding bits for you, and you can focus on having fun.

In theory. Actual fun might be a little harder to come by…

In the next few days I’m going to be starting a series of posts on the adventures of my EVE character, Phinneas Q. Spacely the III, and my own personal experiences in this harsh, Randian, universe.

A “Let’s Play” is a type of game writing somewhere between a review, a walk through, a plot analysis, and a riff track. the writer plays through the game, taking screen shots and just generally pointing out it’s foibles. They can be very factual, or halfway between fact and faction, with the author making up dialogue and logic behind the frankly ridiculous and illogical things that can happen in video games. Unfortunately for me, to do newer games I either need to get a new computer or find someway to run my X-Box through the computer. I’ve been wanting to do one of Star Trek Online for quite some time.

However, I’m open to suggestions. Incidentally, I shall try to make it funny, or at least an amusing read. I’m going to try and do that with most blog entries, and hope that my writing will steadily improve. Its different (and nice) to be writing something non-academic for a change.

Anyway, the comment system should work, so feel free to speak your mind at any time. I won’t give out emails, and you can even them back to your own blog. Also, the current theme is a placeholder, and not set in stone at all. Suggestions are always appreciated. Finally, if you look to the right, you will see some links. If you want to be added, just let me know!

The Old Tapp’s Notes Site can be found at:

http://tappsnotes.net/Music/index.html

I will also be putting a couple of links up at the side of the page on a permanent basis, and the Old Tapp’s Notes site will be one of them.

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