Roughly two years ago I left Eve online due to a combination of burnout, lack of corp activity, and the ever emerging promises of better MMORPGs that loomed on the horizon. Off I went and I became fully emerged in a new game full of shiny new graphics and wonderful action combat, which was a great break from the often cumbersome flying style found in Eve Online. While I met many new friendly allies and even more formidable love to hate enemies I felt once I hit “end game” there was something missing.
Two weeks ago I was complaining about this once shiny new game that had become stale but I did not feel burnt out like I did in Eve, I felt that I had hit a wall where what was left to do in-game was no longer appealing. What was left to accomplish did not drive the MMO’er in me to log in and do what was required to take the next steps forward to be a better gamer, a better guildie, and most of all, a better person. I had heard Eve had a “free to play” option and I logged in hoping to get in touch with old corp mates just to catch up and while the corporation had disbanded they invited me into their discord where old members who went different ways both in Eve and life hung out to chat with each other. I thought to myself, how many people I have met playing MMO’s over the years? However many times I left and came back to other games it felt like I had to start out all over again socially but I always knew if I came back to Eve I would fly with those people again, no matter how long I was MIA. Other games create a similar bond for sure but Eve just feels different. Whenever I come back, it feels like I never left.
Unfortunately, many of my old corp mates moved on to small scale “elite PvP” alliances but others stayed in the CFC. I know it’s the Imperium now, but it’s hard to refer it to something else after so long, maybe that will fade soon. I also know two things about Eve: the first is that it’s a shitty game, and the second is that it’s a shitty game that can be made great depending on who you play with. Quickly I made a list of what I wanted out of an alliance and through my old connections I found a corporation in the Imperium that was kind enough to take me in. I spent my first few days submitting API’s, setting up jabber again and getting my bearings in Delve. During this time outside of a few faux pas including mentioning Co2 and pap link numbers which I guess raised some eyebrows about me being a spy, they were extremely helpful. One new corp mate purchased me a carrier to rat, another lent me a fitted Noctis to salvage, and others ran Templars out to my ratting system as I lost them (those new fighter changes feel great but not so good until you know how not to lose so god damn many to rats). All in all, it felt good, but I still wasn’t “hooked.” I was still questioning why I missed Eve so much.
Then it happened, a ping went out and Jay Amazingness had called for a fleet to take out the Blood Raider Sotiyo and he was handing out free ships, I had no excuse not to go. I quickly hopped in the fleet and was traded a Punisher. I felt excited to be on my first fleet in years even though it was a “PvE” thing I knew there would be some resistance and a great chance of shooting at something other than rats or structure. Travelling to our destination, I immediately knew what I was missing in MMO’s and in Eve specifically. First off it was just how I remembered, pilots asking the same questions over and over only to receive witty retorts of “check the ping” or “read the MOTD” and yes this can be annoying especially after every fleet it’s the same bull shit. However, often times it is this banter in Eve fleet comms that creates a mood and tension that can only be broken by a well-timed joke or a spot on verbal lashing in the highest comedic sense. It seems these jokes and retorts vary from corny to good until you get the right one that completely breaks the tension, in our fleets case as the FC became frustrated dealing with incompetence of the highest order, someone aptly farted into their mic leaving hundreds of otherwise “normal” individuals with lives, careers, wives, husbands etc. in a fit of laughter. I know a fart joke but seriously it was a pretty damn good one. This is what I missed most about Eve, a well-timed fart joke. Goons being Goons, incompetence, and organized chaos, filled with moments of grandeur on a scale no other MMO can provide.
I won’t bore you with the details of the BPC bank robbery that went bad and the killmail as I am not here to tell the story of the failed “heist” but on the way home something else happened. I was thinking about how much fun the fleet was but nothing we came to do was accomplished there were no gains, the blueprints were lost, all Jay’s work was for nought but it didn’t matter. In any other game it would have been a complete waste of time but for many of us it was “content.” It was a failed raid boss attempt that was really a success, it was a failed enchant on an item that was really an achievement. The plans didn’t matter it was the fleet that mattered. To cap it off, as we got close to home somehow a chorus of “hmmms” broke out in comms that more people than I would like to guess at took part in and it lasted at least a minute. It was chaos, it was fun, it was just doing something in a game for the sake of doing it, and while we did not achieve our goal I realized what I missed so much about Eve.
