![]() ![]() Most of that ends up being prep-work, though. There’s so much to do, and so many ways to do it, that it can be overwhelming. ComplexityĮVE Online’s a famously complex game. And by touched on, I mean basically hit everyone over the head with: doing stuff. Let’s start with the obvious one, the one I touched on earlier. So what lessons can CCP take from those games to make more engaging PvE for EVE Online? And even the ones who PvP as their primary activity learn the game through PvE. It’s what most players do, most of the time. In those games, PvE needs to be engaging. In most of the other MMOs out there, the game is actually built on PvE, and PvP is added on as a way to keep things interesting between expansions. Nobody’s really got any expectations of greatness, but you showed up for work today, EVE PvE, so good job! Well, if we’re being honest, it’s more like Fourth Chair in the second violin section of the orchestra. ![]() So it’s understandable that EVE’s PvE plays second fiddle. Even in the context of looking at the game as an economic simulator, PvP’s the engine that keeps that economy going. Lessons From Other GamesĮVE, no matter what the developers or industrialists say, is built on PvP. Logistics ships get more engagement, because they change targets as needed and remote reps can’t be grouped up, but even then, if someone’s under sustained fire… you just keep the reps running. Target Painters, webs, damps, etc, all keep running on the target until the target pops. Anything offensive gets turned on and left on. And for the most part, the same principles as solo PvE apply. In Incursions, you need to have your group and play your role… but the basic framework remains the same. Once you’ve done that, you jump in, lock rats, push F1 until it’s time to collect the loot and move onto the next room. In the abyss, you have to have built your ship to handle all of the different configurations that arise. EVE’s Most Engaging PvEĮven abyss-running and incursions, which are perhaps the most engaging PvE EVE has, amount to pretty much the same thing. CCP recently changed drones so you had to push F for each rat… but then they changed that back, because they broke basically everything else about drones when they made that change. You might have a web, or a TP, to make things easier, but those are basically part of your auto-attack: once activated, they stay on the target until it’s dead.īut, for the most part, you warp in, lock targets, push F1… and wait. You wouldn’t need to start off cloaked, and you probably don’t need to point/web/scram the rats. ![]() Except, of course, that what I described is a little more involved than most EVE PvE. Does that sound like engaging PvE?ĭoes it sound like EVE PvE? Because it basically is. When it dies, you loot the body, and get ready to do it again on the next mob. Maybe drink a potion if your health dips too low. You’ve got the next mob in sight, so you creep up next to it, root it, and then… hit auto-attack. Your rogue/thief/ninja/burglar-whatever the game calls its stealther-is going through an instance. You know, the ones many EVE players scornfully look down on. Imagine, for a moment, that you’re playing a normal MMO. So as we begin another year, let’s do a little thought experiment, shall we? ![]() And we hear about creating ‘engaging PvE’ in EVE Online. Some of it is stuff they think the game needs. Every year, we hear from CCP about… well, stuff. But it’s a new year, and that got me thinking. There’s a lot going on in EVE right now, including a war with some small, insignificant fights. ![]()
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