Ah, wish I could get into this game I really do.

I'll give Eve a couple things though since I peak at it now and then, and I still have some goon friends crazy about it. Such as it being one of the few games, if the only, that allows you to buy game time with in-game money which honestly, a lot of games could follow this example. Also I think the meta-gaming in Eve far outweighs anything I ever heard else where, something I always admired in games since the days of counter-strike when I strategically placed porn sprays to snipe smuck's with a scout who went to look. Tip of my memory, but I remember recalling that Eve is probably one of the few MMO game's that increases in its player base rather than dwindling down but more to be said about the dime a dozen formula games or Korean fantasy floppy copies.

Speaking of Sandbox MMO's and meta-gaming, I do believe Funcom (Age of Conan) planned to create a new MMO with a sandbox approach called the Secret World. Not sure how development is handling, but I do recall goons planning early on or someshit on making guilds on each faction (3 unless they changed it) with a larger bigger shadow guild controlling each faction in the sense of a Da Vinci conspiracy scheme approach. ...I just like to think I have a soft spot when it comes down to stuff like that, probably one of the reasons I was thinking about marking down psy-ops in my wish list.

Eve is probably the most in depth sandbox ever created. The gameplay is difficult to get into and learn at first, but once you begin getting the right skills and pvping, it all changes. It took me about 3 tries before I really began enjoying the game. Most of which was my fault for not taking the time to adapt to a different combat system and wanting learning a new approach.

The combat system is very good, well thought out and balanced. It takes some trial and error before you really begin to learn your ships capabilities and the way you can fit a ship is endless. Every ship is very different and eventually you find one that fits your play style. People get really creative with fits and the meta game is outstanding. Speaking of sniping, we had a guy the other night terrorizing one of our gates. He cloaked up about 200KM off of our gate and began one shotting frigates. He had multiple safe spots bookmarked and was difficult to pinpoint. He was a one man wrecking machine, they finally caught him by putting a warp bubble between his suspected safe spots. The alliance then proceeded to take him out like Joe Pesci in Casino, lol.

Another thing that I really enjoy about the game is the offline skill gaining. You can step away from the game for weeks or months at a time and still make progress in terms of character development. It allows people with busy schedules to be as hardcore or casual as they want to be without penalizing them.

Anyway, you should give it another shot, it's lots of fun.

Eve is the most genius game ever made. Not in terms of the business model, but in terms of creative vision. It has what we all wish for in every other game we played. Completely balanced. A group of shitty noob frigates can turn out no so shitty after all, killing characters flying in the most expensive shit, if they are organized. You don't rock you hot shit all day because you have it, because then you would be just dumb. The whole idea is to be able to fly it, when the time comes. The game has taken on the personality of the real world. You can be a carebear miner (hey I love it myself!), a hardcore pvper, a scientist, a trader, a leader, an industrialist, a pirate, or straight form up a criminal enterprise and steal peoples shit and be an asshole all day. Matter of fact, one of TW"s very own former GM's plays an excellent dick taking out carebear ships costing hundreds of millions more than what he is flying lol . These aren't classes btw, they are styles of playing. The travel in the game does get to me at times, but i sit back light one and go read some other shit, etc. This shit is so damn dynamic, im still learning everyday some real cool new shit to do.

Plus, overall crowd in even local channels, are so much more civlized than in other mmo's just due to the somewhat simple need of a little brains to play it.