Just wandering around

     It's hard for me to sit down and write when most evenings I'd rather be wandering around in whatever space ship fits my mood. All the same perhaps a summary of what I did the last evening is a suitable way to convey something.

     It wasn't much of busy day for me or even particularly noteworthy in my eyes but there is one interesting detail at the end. The day started off with a little bit of low sec pvp followed by my attempts to teach at least one of the unfortunate victims about the directional scanner. I wandered around a bit more, poking about a fleet of serious business types whom had their hunt ruined by my meddling. After that I messed about with fits for a while and then put together a new toy to run about testing until I was ready to log off for the evening.

     What about that interesting detail? Well while most folks stay close to their home system, a few jumps down their wormhole chain, or within jump range of their capitals, my wandering had carried me through more than a dozen regions. I didn't finish where I started and the day was virtually without planning.

     Recollecting on such a simple day it strikes me that a nomadic play style in EVE isn't something I aspire to achieve, it's just a thing I happen to do and enjoy. The problem now is how to communicate to others such an unintentional passion, to entice others to step away from the grinds and daily motions.

Wrapping things up with a corax screenshot here, while the talwar still seems to be more popular I've always been fond of this thing, one even took part in the previous days action.

Play styles in EVE and taking the sandbox too literally

     Eve online is often described as a sandbox mmo, it's accurate but many players tend to approach this perspective almost literally. A focus on larger battles by the games developers has promoted a lot of play styles focused around the figurative idea of building and kicking over 'sandcastles' in the 'sandbox'.

     The 'sandbox' is supposed to be a metaphor, EVE online is a vast universe with high degree of ship customization and deep mechanics. There's a lot more to do in the game universe beyond trying to stake a claim on any particular place, or trying to build up the biggest baddest fleet. Some players try to build up massive personal fortunes or other kinds of networks, even if it isn't the most promoted thing about the game players can still choose to do almost anything they wish.

     You don't even have to play the game with physical goals in mind at all, a play style doesn't have to be about control, power, or wealth. What makes EVE online so engaging for many players are the experiences and stories they have from doing things in this vast universe. I don't think trying to constantly measuring up against other player's 'sandcastles' is a particularly good way of making your own stories in EVE.

     This is why I've never particularly cared about how much isk I have, where I fly, or even what I happen to be doing at any particular time. When you're out to tell your own stories it's less about any particular goal or statistic and more about undocking to do something.. anything. Chasing after the big goals can blind players to all the life and adventure that surrounds them in the game universe. I don't think every one plays the game like that though, there's too much going on in them game for that to be the case.

     While they aren't the most marketable stories around I think that the countless little stories are what makes EVE such an interesting game. CCP does such players a major disservice by trying to tie their stories into grand narratives and giant space ship battles because those aren't our stories. For players like me the wanders, tinkers, and nomads of New Eden the day we inadvertently set in motion the downfall of some empire may be nothing more than a meaningless footnote in our adventures.

Wrapping things up tonight is a nifty screen shot of a tormentor exchanging energy weapons fire from back when my nebulae still displayed properly.

Perspectives on EVE Online

     I've never particularly liked the idea of running something like a blog, or typing for that matter. To avoid being pointlessly self critical it's best to consider typing a bit of a chore. However communication is important and while actions can speak louder than words they are not as easily read or understood. I've tried in the past through my actions in game to communicate my own play style, easy as that has been I don't think it's particularly meaningful to others.

     After so many years I think I'll try to add something with a bit more intent and hopefully meaning to my attempts. This isn't intended to be some grand post, some things can start small so lets wrap up the rambling with a screenshot of one of my favorite ships before things get tedious.

Between my odd graphics settings and other issues I've got discolored nebulae, this pictures shows my view of Minmatar space as a vibrant blue, the hull is a breacher. Just a little note for those curious about the image.