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CCP Considering Mobile Apps For EVE Online

Posted by Soulskill on from the universe-in-your-pocket dept.

Massively reports on statements from EVE Online developer CCP Games indicating that they'll be working with MIT students to see if they can create mobile applications that will interact with EVE . They specifically mention things like skill trainers, route planners, and transaction viewers, but they leave the door open for other apps as well, saying they are "eager to hear what ideas MIT students might come up with."

52 comments

  1. I might throw in a few bucks. by east+coast · · Score: 2, Informative

    As a new EVE player (a little over a month now) it would be fantastic not having to be at my laptop every time a skill training expires. That's the whole thing about EVE; it's great that you can train for skills while off line but the time it takes makes it a regal pain in the ass any time you need to switch to a new skill but aren't at your machine. I actually take the time to plan my skill training around my real life schedule.

    I understand that it's part of the appeal of the game and takes away from the grind a bit but still, I want to play when I went to play, not when my training tract says I should. I find myself putting time into lesser skills because they have large time cycles and I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

    --
    Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    1. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by AnonGCB · · Score: 1

      I definitely agree with you, on the fly switching of skills would be an excellent addition, and if you could also add in buy/sell orders, that would be awesome. Really, when I think about how much CCCP have made and how much is directly player controlled, like the economy, I can't help but be awed. It's amazing what they've done, and a blast to play. The shooting doesn't hurt either, and the plotline is great (if you follow it).

      --
      http://CryoLANparty.com/ A lan I'm staff on!
    2. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 1

      They have specifically stated that they don't want to give the ability to change skills out-of-game, as that would remove one of the incentives for logging in.

      --
      - These characters were randomly selected.
    3. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by KnuthKonrad · · Score: 1

      You are aware of the fact that you can switch to another (=longer) skill whenever you want without losing any skill points of the current skill?

      It's common practice to change to a longer skill right before going offline. If you log in again, switch back to the shorter skill you were training before.

    4. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by ptbarnett · · Score: 1

      I actually take the time to plan my skill training around my real life schedule.

      Get EveMon. It will help you with your skill training plan.

      And don't worry -- in a short time, you'll be training skills that take days, weeks, and even up to a month.

    5. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by Nezer · · Score: 1

      The skill setting is much, much worse in the beginning. I think it's one way, whether intentional or not, the developers get you to login and play a lot in the early days of a character.

      Once your basic skills (really, put a priority on learning and strong defense skills) are finishing, you will have more and more options for longer skills to train and fewer options with the short skills. Of course, by then, you're sucked-in and it doesn't matter if you login all the time.

      One other item that may help, get the second account now so you can have some training done by the time you realize why you need it. While you can totally get by without a second account, it makes life in the game soooo much easier. Adding a third account is useful still but not nearly as much as the second.

      Welcome to Eve, enjoy your stay and fly safe (but not too).

    6. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a new EVE player (a little over a month now) it would be fantastic not having to be at my laptop every time a skill training expires. That's the whole thing about EVE; it's great that you can train for skills while off line but the time it takes makes it a regal pain in the ass any time you need to switch to a new skill but aren't at your machine. I actually take the time to plan my skill training around my real life schedule.

      Give it another month or two... You'll be training skills that run for multiple weeks. It isn't such a pain to have to switch to a new skill when it only happens once a month, or less.

      You can also use something like EVEmon to plan out your skill training around your life. You tell it when you're able to log in and switch skills...give it an end goal...and it figures out which skills you need and when you should start training them.

      If all else fails, you can always switch to a different skill with no penalty at all. If you've got a skill that'll finish training while you're at work and unable to start a new one, just start a new one before you log off. You can pick up the first skill again later.

      CCP has talked a bit about giving players the ability to queue up multiple skills... But, from what I've heard, they don't want to let you do too much without logging in.

    7. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a new EVE player (a little over a month now) it would be fantastic not having to be at my laptop every time a skill training expires. That's the whole thing about EVE; it's great that you can train for skills while off line but the time it takes makes it a regal pain in the ass any time you need to switch to a new skill but aren't at your machine. I actually take the time to plan my skill training around my real life schedule.

      I understand that it's part of the appeal of the game and takes away from the grind a bit but still, I want to play when I went to play, not when my training tract says I should. I find myself putting time into lesser skills because they have large time cycles and I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

      These apps have been around for a while EveMon being a key app that helps shape your character, like other MMOs the best tools for Eve are not created by CCP. Also this announcement was made at FanFest a few months ago, why are they saying it all over again with the sparse detail? I mean it was a cool idea before has been, why do they keep looking for excuses to talk about things they haven't done yet? Are many people dropping subscriptions?

    8. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by zerocool^ · · Score: 1

      And in the case of things like Gallente Carrier V, which my alt is training now, something like 65 days. =P

      But yeah, evemon is a MUST for eve. Used to be you'd put your eve username and password into evemon to retrieve your skills (that or download your xml skill sheet every few days), something that CCP tell you never to do, but because of the utility of the program, it was the only 3rd party tool that I know of that they officially endorsed. It was almost certainly the major reason that they implemented the API key system.

      --
      sig?
    9. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by MBraynard · · Score: 1
      I'm still looking for the app that will log in FOR ME and hit the train button.

      It really stinks that CCP can't let me just stack out my training plan. It's one reason I haven't bothered to log back in since I can really only get on once a week or so.

    10. Re:I might throw in a few bucks. by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      They have specifically stated that they don't want to give the ability to change skills out-of-game, as that would remove one of the incentives for logging in.

      Okay, step back and consider what they said.

      One of the big reasons to login is to change skills? Not to have fun? Or run a mission? Or engage in combat? That feels like clear evidence of "vision over reality" where you put the customers through a PITA procedure just to maintain a pure vision.

      (I have a love/hate relationship with EVE Online; played for about 18 months. There are some really wild and neat things in it, but I got tired of logging in, spending 3 hours at a gate-camp, and seeing maybe 10 minutes of action.)

      If I could have changed skills out-of-game, or queued up a week's worth at a time, I might still have been a subscriber. Which is like the perfect customer for a company like CCP. Someone who pays their monthly fee, but barely puts any load on the servers.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
  2. Yet another way... by NeoSkink · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to not play the game? ;-)

    1. Re:Yet another way... by Sibko · · Score: 1

      Ha! Jokes on you, I play Eve.

      ...Well, not right now. Soon as I finish training Amarr Battleships III. [17 hours remaining!] But I do still play!

      P.S. Someone please bid on my 29 million ISK Harbinger. [Just look for it under contracts.] What a horrible mistake I made with that ship. : (

    2. Re:Yet another way... by Burnhard · · Score: 1

      So true!

    3. Re:Yet another way... by XMode · · Score: 1

      As much as I love Yahtzee I don't think he can review MMOs (any MMO, not just EvE). Most MMOs require you to play for more than 30 seconds to get the idea of whats going on. EvE gives you 15 days to work it out. I've been playing for over a year and I still haven't worked it out.. Its complex. Very complex.

      Not joining a player corp in eve is like buying a car without any wheels. I'm sure it'll look nice and not get the paint scratched, but its pretty useless. Player corps in eve are about the only way to get anything even remotely meaningful done and not get blown up a bajillion times while doing it.

    4. Re:Yet another way... by Sobrique · · Score: 1

      He played what's IMO the best Massively multiplayer PvP game out there, and in doing so neither interacted with anyone, nor PvPed. His review was an accurate one, provided you realise he's only talking about 5% of the game.

    5. Re:Yet another way... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed, stipulating that he never even bothered to look at or play the other %90 of the game.

      While I love his reviews for the comedy value - they don't exactly align with the real life of anyone I know who hasn't "had their sense of joy scooped out of their skull with a rusty spoon."

      <//me ends their feeble angst driven statements with an improbable quote from the author.</me>

    6. Re:Yet another way... by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1

      > Agreed, stipulating that he never even bothered to look at or play the other %90 of the game.

      To be fair though, that's all you'll ever see in the trial period.

      Except maybe for Goonswarm... which does favor insane masses of disposable frigates and clones... and even there you have to already me an established member of Something Awful... a new character is isn't worth more than a bucket of warm spit to anybody anywhere. No one wants anything to do with you until you hit at least the 2-3 month mark. It's practically suicide to enter loSec during the trial period, to say nothing of 0.0. And what little PvE there is in the game is little more than an afterthought. So the other 90% of the game that he didn't review was completely closed off to him anyway... it's completely closed off to ANY new player.

      cya,
      john

      --
      Imagine all the people...
  3. Duh. by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've long thought that MMOs should try to haul in players outside of the actual game engine. Example, WoW: why do I have to spend 30 minutes in game repairing armor, checking mail, checking auction house prices or guild messages? Why can't I do that through some web browser interface? The benefit is two-fold: I don't feel like I'm spending so much time grinding, and the developers have another way of hooking me into the game. Next website that I have input on, I'll make that suggestion to the developers.

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    1. Re:Duh. by sleeponthemic · · Score: 1

      I've long thought that MMOs should try to haul in players outside of the actual game engine. Example, WoW: why do I have to spend 30 minutes in game repairing armor, checking mail, checking auction house prices or guild messages? Why can't I do that through some web browser interface?

      Because you'll pay a subscription fee regardless of whether the mechanic to do as you wish you could exists. That type of feature wouldn't overly attract new players, it would simply appease the customer base.

      Not to mention the fact that the mechanics of such a service would probably be somewhat difficult to achieve in real time and with impossibly flawless functionality (as the wow userbase demand).

      --
      I record my sleeptalking
    2. Re:Duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I've long thought that MMOs should try to haul in players outside of the actual game engine. Example, WoW: why do I have to spend 30 minutes in game repairing armor, checking mail, checking auction house prices or guild messages? Why can't I do that through some web browser interface? The benefit is two-fold: I don't feel like I'm spending so much time grinding, and the developers have another way of hooking me into the game. Next website that I have input on, I'll make that suggestion to the developers.

      I'm sure the developers of various MMOGs have a whole pile of reasons why they don't want to allow out-of-game access.

      Maybe it would be too hard to hook the game data into a web page... Maybe they're worried about cheating... Maybe they just want to make sure people are actually logging in...

      But developers are starting to hear that people want to be able to do more with their games. Look at the functionality that's slowly being integrated into the WoW Armory. You can now check a character's calendar from the Armory and accept/decline invitations to events.

  4. can't because it's been done? by 800DeadCCs · · Score: 1

    Disclaimer:
    I don't play EVE-O.
    I'd like to, it looks good; leveling up looks better than other MMORPGs.
    I'm not even that interested in the RPG part... I've been having fun with capitol ship fighting in megamek recently (and I dug out Homeworld to play again a couple of weeks ago).

    I've read here about one needing to be logged in when a skill update happens or it's wasted,,,
    This is wrong... If it's progressed, you should get it.

    My idea for EVE-off-line would include some kind of tamogatchi-type thingamajigger... something you synched up via USB with a few simple games on it to play, that would then be authenticated and uploaded, helping you when online.

    1. Re:can't because it's been done? by Ixokai · · Score: 2, Informative

      You don't have to be logged in when a skill update happens exactly, but you can't schedule a -new- skill to be updated after.

      So if you're training your Frigate skill and it takes two days to complete, after those two days you have it if you're logged in or not-- but you have to log in then to set what skill to start training next.

      There's already some iPhone utilities fans made (in addition to some great Windows ones for planning your future skill update path in the most efficient way possible), but they're just plans-- they can show you your current status with the API Eve provides, but once one is trained you have to log in again to get started on the next step.

      If Eve provides the way to initiate training over their web API... that'd be awesome.

    2. Re:can't because it's been done? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Posting anon because I've modded here.

      You can switch skills without losing any points. There are never any skill points lost in training, the only loss is the potential points that are lost by not training anything. If a skill is going to end over night, simply change it to a longer one and pick up the first one in the morning.

    3. Re:can't because it's been done? by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      You don't lose anything that you were already training. The only time wasted is between when the skill finishes (you get the skill whether you're logged in or not) and when you start the next one (there is no way to start a new skill train automatically).

      Not wuse where you read otherwise, but it was either misunderstood or outright wrong. Until just recently, you could even start a skill train, cancel your account, wait for the training to finish, re-activate and log in again, and you'd have the skill. CCP has now removed this "ghost training" for non-subscribers, but as long as your account is active you only *need* to log in to finish skill training, not to start it.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  5. Email outside Eve by mknewman · · Score: 1

    I want IMAP/POP3 mail outside Eve for Eve mail. The ability to send to character@tranquililty.eve-online.com would be awesome also. Skill training changing would likely defeat their protectionisim against robots building characters and such. I'm sure if they have MIT on it they will come up with something useful. I currently use EveSkillPocket on my cellphone which is a great way to keep up with skills, including multiple characters.

    1. Re:Email outside Eve by zAPPzAPP · · Score: 1

      This sounds awesome, but it would also result in a lot of spam incoming. Your charactername is visible to anyone, so your evemail-address is an easy target for any spam bot. And I dont think the current ingame evemail-system can handle spam as good as my Thunderbird can. It would be a mess. This goes for any out of game app by the way. The interface needs to be very carefully designed, so that macros/bots cant exploit the hell out of it.

    2. Re:Email outside Eve by TheThiefMaster · · Score: 1

      How about if they lock it so that only other EVE email addresses could mail EVE email addresses?

      With an automatic marker on the account for excessive mailing, to help them stop spammers. They probably have something similar for the in-game mail already, as they have had trouble with currency-buying spam, which they have cleared up.

    3. Re:Email outside Eve by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      I like this idea, with one caveat: you need to use CCP's own SMTP server to send the mail, using your account credentials (or perhaps API key). This prevents the otherwise trivially easy spoofing of the sender name, since CCP's own server could verify that the credentials used match the username the mail is supposedly from.

      Even better, this then allows use of the in-game anti-spam mechanism, the CSPA charge (CONCORD Spam Prevention Act, basically a user-configurable fee that a player pays using in-game currency in order to send a private message). It might even be possible to set CSPA differently for email vs. in-game EVEMail.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  6. EVE Online is really just crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Your first 6 months are spent training to get into decenttly-fitted Tech2 frigates, or (if you're the smart type that actually plans your skill training), maximizing all your support skills so you'll be doing OK in a Tech 1 cruiser and plowing through missions.

    It's incredibly hard to make decent money to get your fittings, unless you're a market wizard or you have a second account where you have characters dedicated to be either market whores or invention monkeys. Missions and mining are just too time-consuming to justify the rewards.

    As a single player, you're toast, so you end up joining a corp, which more often than not, ends up having some kind of drama or similar bullshit.

    PvP is the only redeeming factor in EVE, but unless you have decent skills and/or the money to replace your losses, you'll quickly burn out. Yes, you can go ratting in low-sec or 0.0 to get the bigger bounties, but good luck not getting popped in one of the choke-points or hunted by whatever corp/alliance controls the system(s), unless you bring friends.

    I had a couple of characters (one PVPer with max skills in Gallente HACS/Command Ships/BS and almost dread-ready, and a Caldari invention whore) with about 65Mil SP between (40mil PVP, 25 on market/invention), and after watching all the drama with the CCP dev helping out his in-game alliance and a few other episodes of blatant in-game bias, I just decided it wasn't worth it.

    But hey, if you feel the need to have a second job where you're the one paying to get shat on by the company, go right ahead.

    1. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Someone is probably going to mark the AC as a troll, but his assessment is quite similar to mine. EVE is an extremely long-term investment. You don't just jump into EVE, you have to actually *work* a long time to get anywhere. It's great for really hardcore number-crunching players that are hooked on the metagame (spying, so forth) and PVP wars than anything else. But to have to play so long to compete at all--and do anything of value, other than slowing other ships down? It's really not worth the time.

      Worst of all, EVE's skill points system, while it does clearly have some really big upsides, unfortunately encourages the worst type of min-maxing imaginable. Want to specialize in a few things, maybe work a bit in production and fighting? Waste of time. You have to specialize completely to really start off on a good footing. They don't separate ship production or item production etc against fighting skills, so you can't really be a producer or inventor and a really effective fighter unless you joined a long time ago and blew points into them anyway, and even then you'd be less effective than if you'd just gone into specializing one of them from the get-go.

      And, of course, the infamous fact that CCP devs have been known to buddy up to certain guilds and give them freebies, as the AC mentions as well.

    2. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by tibman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have heard many people say what you're describing. That it takes years to get equal to players already in the game. I have two Characters that are several years old (one PVP+Capital, the other a Carebear), what you describe is exactly true. But i also think people are stuck in this mindset of "He's older so he's rich and stronger and i can never beat him." Which is very untrue. EVE is like rock-paper-scissors with spaceships on steroids. Get into a BlackBird (t1 cruiser) and your buddy in a Rupture (t1 cruiser) and you can take down more than you thought possible.

      Anyways, I very much like the fact that someone can't max their PVP skills AND max their carebear skills... that adds so much to the game.. actual character Classes that aren't selected as much as created over time. Honestly, i PVP with my Carebear in a rupture far far more than with my PVP alt in his Battleship (lvl5) & T2 everything ships.

      --
      http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
    3. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by Skal+Tura · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There are worse (or better, depends upon your point of view) than EVE, for getting a second job where You pay to get shitted all over you.

      It's called Second Life, a virtual world of "ultimate freedom" and kind-of real currency, and demands a HUGE time investment, and eventually money investment to get anywhere, and all the skills you use are your own personal skills.

      You work for Second Life in a form or another, if you use it, you most likely increase the value of their service, and you have to pay for it.

      and for god's sake, IF you buy any land, Linden Lab (maker of Second Life) won't stop at anything to fuck you over upside down sideways. There's people who's lost literally fortunes in Second Life by direct actions of Linden Lab, and no one is willing to do shit about it, and those who would be willing to do shit about it are already too damn broke to hire even the cheapest lawyer there is.

      It's an excellent business plan to ass rape their customer's wallets indeed. Afterall, when they realize that the business Linden Lab condones is blatantly illegal (creating a market place, and then manipulating it freely to maximize their own profitability by utilizing a monopoly status which cannot be challenged), they won't have any money left to fight back!

      Nevermind that Linden Lab has literally an money printing press, they even pay some of their salaries using the inworld currency L$, and when converted to USD other user's of SL will be the payors, and Linden Lab never ever buys a single L$ back, they only confiscate(steal) L$ and charges you L$ for some things. and naturally every L$USD exchange has a fee collected by Linden Lab (3.5% + 0.50$).

      Yes, it seems to be insanely good business plan, where they can loose only by having mass exodus to a better service.

      --
      Pulsed Media Seedboxes
    4. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone is probably going to mark the AC as a troll, but his assessment is quite similar to mine. EVE is an extremely long-term investment. You don't just jump into EVE, you have to actually *work* a long time to get anywhere.

      One of the things that I really enjoyed about EVE was that I didn't have to put in as many hours playing to have a good time. I could queue up a skill and be making my character better while I was at work, or out with my wife, or whatever. I didn't have to sit in front of my computer and kill badguys for an hour or two just to get anywhere.

      It's great for really hardcore number-crunching players that are hooked on the metagame (spying, so forth) and PVP wars than anything else.

      I love the fact that there is a metagame. Most MMOGs declare stuff like spying and fraud as against the ToS. It's great to be able to play the game virtually any way you want to. Including piracy and scamming. Good stuff.

      But to have to play so long to compete at all--and do anything of value, other than slowing other ships down? It's really not worth the time.

      This isn't really true. Sure, I guess if you're looking at going toe to toe with someone who's been playing for years... Yeah, you aren't going to win. But nobody plays like that. You get yourself a corp and then you're working with a team. In big fleet engagements the little ships are just as important as the big ones. I was participating in some great fleet battles after only a couple of months of playing.

      Worst of all, EVE's skill points system, while it does clearly have some really big upsides, unfortunately encourages the worst type of min-maxing imaginable. Want to specialize in a few things, maybe work a bit in production and fighting? Waste of time. You have to specialize completely to really start off on a good footing. They don't separate ship production or item production etc against fighting skills, so you can't really be a producer or inventor and a really effective fighter unless you joined a long time ago and blew points into them anyway, and even then you'd be less effective than if you'd just gone into specializing one of them from the get-go.

      I had this same complaint myself, at first... And then I realized what the problem was.

      Other games pick your specialization for you, when you make a character. In WoW, if I pick a Warrior, that's my specialization. That automatically forces me down a certain path. Now I can't cast spells or heal people - just smack things around. In EVE you pick your own specialization. You don't click a button that says "Warrior", you pick your own skills. So...yeah...you can learn a couple spells and a couple heals and a couple weapons... But the end result doesn't work well. Just like it wouldn't work too well in WoW if you did that. It's just the EVE doesn't keep you from making those stupid mistakes.

      If you really want to do a lot of different things in EVE you can just roll up another character.

    5. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by luther349 · · Score: 0

      as a eve player i disagree. yes to fly large ships or mine tons of ore you needs skills. but even a small cheap frigate ship can be used in pvp. in fact there needed as large ships cant hit them well at all also large ships are expensive to lose. we call em tacklers they scramble the ship so it cant escape wile the large pilots take it down. not happy with that a good size fleet or frigs can get the jump on a large ship and win. large ships act like large ships there slow moving there big guns cant hit small fast moving things like frigates. in fact we had eves first titen kill without cap ships just a few weeks ago a large fleet of battleships used numbers vs power to kill the biggest baddest ship in eve. so you dont need elite skills to kill a elite in eve. the skill system is alot better then grinding levels.

    6. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 1

      I don't really disagree with your points. Yes, with EVE, you don't have to stay logged in 24/7 to get anywhere. But to get anywhere, you have to have an open account MUCH longer than in other games...

      The metagame in EVE is great, I agree, and it is probably, for some, larger than the game itself.

      As far as the big ship battles, what you're really going to be doing for a long while is using your frigates or cruisers or such to simply slow the enemy ships down or make it so they can't warp away. That's not really riveting battle, IMO.

      The problem with the specialization is that you can't be a producer/inventor AND someone who does battles at the same time. I don't care about the specializing in drones/energy weapons/missles/whatever thing, that's cool, the problem is the fact that you have to pick between battle power and building power. If you want to compare to WoW, it would be like having to chose between "Warrior" and "Blacksmith" or "Warlock and "Alchemist".

    7. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by WeeLad · · Score: 1

      My biggest grief with Eve Online is that, although you don't have to be logged in all the time, only one of your three character slots can be training skills.

      If you want to create an alt on the same account, you have to do so at the expense of another character's development. I know they do this so they can get people to sign up for multiple accounts, but it makes it really makes the other two character slots almost pointless (except for throwaway gate scouts and such).

      --
      Seriously, Don't take anything I say seriously.
    8. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except WOW doesn't have a completely player-driven economy. Tradeskill growth is completely separate and can run parallel with other character development. The results of most tradeskills aren't required for the rest of the WOW universe to continue functioning. The gp post is more on comparing two different classes.

    9. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 1

      But what many people do is run two accounts: one for a PVPer, the other for production and invention or such. It's functionally similar to simply having both PVP and Invention skills trained in some aspects (not all, but generally, it is) except that CCP just makes more money out of this arrangement.

      I don't see why the a player-driven economy necessitates that people give up the main part of the game--ship PVP--just to keep said PVP running for others. IMO, WoW would be better off with a more robust economy as well.

    10. Re:EVE Online is really just crap by Crumplecorn · · Score: 1

      The number of posts saying that you 'have' to do anything in terms of skill specialization really shows that EVE's biggest problem is players who think they are playing WoW.

      Yes, if you specialise in two different areas it will take twice as long. That's how division works.
      EVE does not care that you cannot make decisions, and does not care that you want instant gratification. This is a feature, not a flaw.

  7. Oldnews by ShakaUVM · · Score: 0, Redundant

    This is oldnews. I think they mentioned wanting cell phone apps for Eve since, well, it launched.

    I think the ideas I heard were: ability to switch skill training without needing to log on, and updating your auctions.

    So, yeah.

    Personally, I'd just love an EVE plugin for Excel. "Ooh, I just killed 2 space pirates! See! Rows AA1 through AA7 confirm it!"

  8. OOG Client: by Sobrique · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Here's some ideas that I'd be glad to get:
    • OOG EVEMail client. Actually, how about just POP/SMTP access and let me do it myself
    • Market/Contract/Industry management - let me use my 'remote access' skills to full effect whilst I'm at work
    • Corp Management stuff. (Actually, that doesn't have to be mobile only either)
  9. But Microsoft... by Quarters · · Score: 2, Funny

    already created Excel for mobile devices.

    1. Re:But Microsoft... by Mascot · · Score: 1

      If only I had mod points.. Anyways.

      When I read someone describing Eve as "a very pretty spreadsheet", I couldn't have agreed more.

      Not that I think there's anything wrong with Eve. It just isn't my cup of tea. But even so it's pretty enough that I have logged two months of subscription time since release. I'll probably make it a third month once ambulation arrives.

  10. I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by NinthAgendaDotCom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Interesting premise, the thing with everyone on one server. But it's a grind. I found myself just waiting for the next skill to complete. What they really need is skill queueing -- queue up multiple skills to train sequentially. I have no idea why this isn't in place. Lots of players want it.

    --
    -- http://ninthagenda.com/
    1. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by LodCrappo · · Score: 1

      not trying to be fanboy here, but you can barely scratch the surface of Eve in two weeks. once you get farther into the game, there is far to much going on to stand around waiting on a skill to train (which soon end up taking days or weeks to complete anyway). for me the vast majority of the fun centers around corporate activities, and you're not even going to see that side of the game at 2 weeks or probably even 2 months. sure Eve has it's issues, and one of them is that it starts out slow, but compared to a traditional mmo where gaining skills or levels usually means actually grinding quests or other boring repetitive tasks i much prefer the Eve system.

      --
      -Lod
    2. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting premise, the thing with everyone on one server. But it's a grind. I found myself just waiting for the next skill to complete. What they really need is skill queueing -- queue up multiple skills to train sequentially. I have no idea why this isn't in place. Lots of players want it.

      Honestly, if you only played for "a little over two weeks" you didn't get to experience most of EVE. I'm not going to tell you that you have to play for years for the game to get fun... But it's easily a couple of months before you get into the good stuff.

      Skill training stops being much of an issue after a few months. Initially, sure, you're swapping skills every hour or so. But after a little while you'll have skills training for weeks or even months.

      Yes, lots of players want to be able to queue up skills... But that's largely so that they could put a second skill behind the first one, so they don't have to worry about it finishing while they're at work. I haven't heard many people say they want to be able to queue up a whole pile of skills.

      What really makes EVE fun isn't so much the game mechanics... It's the playerbase, and community, and metagame. It's hooking up with a good corporation and actually being able to conquer sections of space. Spying on your enemies. Scamming people who are too greedy for their own good and then running away to fight another day.

      It reminds me of the kind of gritty, no-holds-barred world that Gibson wrote about.

    3. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      My suggestion, if you want to really get into EVE, is start out with somebody who already plays. Get them to mentor you a little, and more importantly to sponsor you for a corp. Some of the main advantages:

      1) They've been through the learning curve already (and it was harder when they did it - CCP keeps making the new player experience smoother) and they know the tricks like how to make collecting loot really pay off on the market.
      2) They can help you specialize your character for maximum short-term potential, or to reach one of the top-level abilities (say, carrier pilot) quickest. Even if it's little more than letting you knwo what the options are and pointing you at EVEMon, you'll be a better player potentially months ahead of the curve.
      3) They might be willing to toss a little cash your way. New pilots now start with enough skill points they can immediately pilot tier 3 frigates and can get tech 2 weapons in under two weeks, so cash is usually the main barrier to capability unless you either get lucky or mission like no other. However, a fully-fitted frigate plus all the skillbooks you will need for your first month costs well under what an experienced player can make in 20 minutes.
      4) You have an immediate in-game community. This is a big one - EVE is a social game, and taking advantage of that makes it much more fun. It also provides a probable avenue for joining an experienced corporation, possibly even if you don't meet the criteria for normal recruits (such criteria are usually in place to ensure you know what you're doing - which your mentor will ensure - or to prevent spies, which is one area where a inside supporter really helps).
      5) You have a wingman. Maybe it's an experienced character who rips through level 4 missions in his battleship and invites you along for the ride and to keep scrambler frigates off his back, while letting you stuff your cargo hold with loot worth as much as your whole ship. Maybe it's an alt the other player made just for you, resulting in two "newbie" characters who can work together to bring down overconfident solo pirates... or pull a bit of tag-teaming piracy themselves.

      Don't forget, trials are now 3 weeks. Even with the prohibition on t2 ships for trial characters, that's enough time to build a decently powerful cruiser, sufficient for moving to 0.0, farming all the cash you could need, and joining on PvP roaming or defense operations.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    4. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by MatthewAnderson · · Score: 0

      Eve characters are worth a fair amount of money if you sell them. Removing the manual aspect of training enables people to abuse (though it seems really light if you ask me) the game for resale purposes.

    5. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by Mascot · · Score: 1

      Honestly, if you only played for "a little over two weeks" you didn't get to experience most of EVE.

      That all depends on your perspective. I would say two weeks is more than enough to experience pretty much everything in Eve from a single-player point of view.

      It's also enough to realize that roleplaying and taking part in the in-game politics, economics and wars is where the actual game is. Apart from a handful of missions there *is* no single-player game to speak of. What it is is a huge wonderful sandbox for the players to shape as they will.

      Two weeks is plenty to realize this, and decide whether that seems like fun to you or not.

    6. Re:I tried EVE for a little over two weeks by Crumplecorn · · Score: 1

      Apart from a handful of missions there *is* no single-player game to speak of.

      I found trying to make it on my own in 0.0/lowsec to be quite an entertaining single-player game.

  11. CCCP by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 1

    In the CCCP, Mobile Apps consider YOU.

    --
    Huh?