Players start the game by either selecting a previously-created character or by creating a new one. Each Eve Online account allows for up to three characters to be made.[21] When players create a new character they start by choosing one of the four playable races of Amarr, Gallente, Minmatar and Caldari. Each race is further divided into three bloodlines that give characters different pre-defined appearances, which can be finely tuned by the player.
Unlike many other MMOs, where there are numerous copies of the game universe (called "shards" or "realms")[22] intended to run at once, Eve Online is functionally a single-universe game. There are technically three copies of the universe running (the main server "Tranquility", the Chinese-based "Serenity", and the test server "Singularity" which is subject to periodic wipes when new content is being tested[23]) but rather than starting a new "realm" when in-game population increases, CCP simply adds new features to the existing game environment, sometimes going so far as to close an entire system when necessary.
Universe
The playing environment in Eve Online consists of more than 5000 interconnected star systems,[1] as well as 2500 randomly accessible wormhole systems, taking place in 23341 AD.[2] Systems are classified by their Security Status, on a decimal scale from 0.0 to 1.0. These systems are roughly categorized into three groups, each determining the response from CONCORD (Consolidated Co-operation and Relations Command) NPC law enforcement units.[24] Star systems classed as 0.5–1.0 security are considered "high sec" and any unauthorized/unprovoked attack by a player, on another player, anywhere in the system will result in the appearance of law enforcement. These units will attack and destroy the aggressor, and are designed to reinforce in such numbers that they will always eventually win. Systems classified as 0.1–0.4 are considered "low sec", and unprovoked attacks will result in a criminal countdown of 15 minutes, during which gate and station guns will fire at them, and other players may attack them without penalty. 0.0 systems are called "zero space" or "null sec", and feature no law enforcement. Star systems contain different types of celestial objects, making them more or less suitable for different kinds of operations. Typically, players find asteroid fields, planets, stations and moons in a system. Many of the game's most profitable income sources are found in dangerous nullsec or lowsec systems, giving players incentive to engage in high-risk, high-reward activities in which they must survive the possible harassment of other players who may also enter the system.
Advancement
Unlike other massively multiplayer online games, player characters in Eve Online advance continuously over time by training skills, a passive process that occurs in real world time so that the learning process continues even if the player is not logged in.[25] Skills vary in their Rank, an indicator of how many skill points players have to acquire in order to train the skill. For example, a Rank 2 skill takes at least twice as long to train as a Rank 1 skill. Skills can take anywhere from a few minutes to several months to train. Though each account can have up to three characters created, only one of these can train at a time. Each skill that a character trains in Eve Online has a skill training multiplier. The base is ×1, and it increases by how advanced the skill is. For example, the Frigate skill (which allows players to pilot the smallest class of ship in the game) has a smaller multiplier than the Cruiser skill, a more advanced skillbook. A player's base multiplier (×1) can differ as the game's five base attributes can modify it. The base is different for every category of skills, as each category has specific modified attributes.
Economy
The in-game economy in Eve Online is an open economy that is largely player-driven. Non-player character (NPC) merchants sell skill books used by players to learn new skills and blueprints to manufacture ships and modules. The players themselves gather the necessary raw materials to manufacture almost all of the ships and ship modules in the game. NPC ships can be looted or salvaged for items and materials, Non-player created ships and equipment may be purchased from various NPC factions as a player gains status with them, and can be resold in the in-game economy. The in-game currency is called ISK, an abbreviation for Interstellar Kredits. In-game ISK should not be confused with the identically abbreviated real life Icelandic currency ISK (Icelandic króna).
The amount of money or materials in the universe is not fixed and, as such, the economy operates under supply and demand. Market manipulation is possible on a large scale, particular examples being ramping and bear raids. CCP does not issue refunds on in-game purchases. This causes scamming to become an ever present risk. The economy is balanced by automatically introducing extra materials in underpopulated areas. This encourages an even spread of players.[26]
The game provides support for the trading of in-game resources, including graphs of item price history, with Donchian Channel and daily average price. Some players operate primarily as traders, buying, selling and transporting goods to earn profits. Others operate primarily as producers, purchasing compoments or raw materials and transforming them, sometimes on massive scales, into useful items such as weapons, ships, ammunition, or various technologies wanted by players. Others still operate as miners or salvagers, collecting and sometimes processing the raw materials used in manufacturing to sell on to others in bulk. Finally, some players operate as mercenaries or pirates, earning money or being paid primarily to be battle-ready and to either attack or defend from attack profitable enterprises such as mining, salvaging or transportation of goods.
Unlike some games such as Second Life, in-game currency is not freely interconvertible with real world currency. Players may only pay real world currency to CCP for in-game items (specifically the Player's License Extension, a token for renewing one's game subscription that can be traded in-game for virtual currency). The reverse, turning in-game currency or items into real-world money, is prohibited.[27] A reason for this, related by a CCP representative at Fanfest 2010, is that free interchange of currency causes in-game banking to fall under the same regulatory domain as real-world banking. CCP would rather not place this restriction on in-game behavior, due both to the difficulty of regulatory enforcement, and the desire to allow players to create illegitimate in-game banks or Ponzi schemes if they wish to do so.
Griefing
Due to the game's focus on freedom, consequence, and autonomy, many behaviours that are considered griefing in most MMO's are allowed in Eve, such as stealing from other players, extorting, and causing other players to be killed by large groups of NPCs.
Only malicious, prolonged and concentrated harassment where no material gain is involved and a few other actions are considered to be illicit griefing by the game's developer
Unlike many other MMOs, where there are numerous copies of the game universe (called "shards" or "realms")[22] intended to run at once, Eve Online is functionally a single-universe game. There are technically three copies of the universe running (the main server "Tranquility", the Chinese-based "Serenity", and the test server "Singularity" which is subject to periodic wipes when new content is being tested[23]) but rather than starting a new "realm" when in-game population increases, CCP simply adds new features to the existing game environment, sometimes going so far as to close an entire system when necessary.
Universe
The playing environment in Eve Online consists of more than 5000 interconnected star systems,[1] as well as 2500 randomly accessible wormhole systems, taking place in 23341 AD.[2] Systems are classified by their Security Status, on a decimal scale from 0.0 to 1.0. These systems are roughly categorized into three groups, each determining the response from CONCORD (Consolidated Co-operation and Relations Command) NPC law enforcement units.[24] Star systems classed as 0.5–1.0 security are considered "high sec" and any unauthorized/unprovoked attack by a player, on another player, anywhere in the system will result in the appearance of law enforcement. These units will attack and destroy the aggressor, and are designed to reinforce in such numbers that they will always eventually win. Systems classified as 0.1–0.4 are considered "low sec", and unprovoked attacks will result in a criminal countdown of 15 minutes, during which gate and station guns will fire at them, and other players may attack them without penalty. 0.0 systems are called "zero space" or "null sec", and feature no law enforcement. Star systems contain different types of celestial objects, making them more or less suitable for different kinds of operations. Typically, players find asteroid fields, planets, stations and moons in a system. Many of the game's most profitable income sources are found in dangerous nullsec or lowsec systems, giving players incentive to engage in high-risk, high-reward activities in which they must survive the possible harassment of other players who may also enter the system.
Advancement
Unlike other massively multiplayer online games, player characters in Eve Online advance continuously over time by training skills, a passive process that occurs in real world time so that the learning process continues even if the player is not logged in.[25] Skills vary in their Rank, an indicator of how many skill points players have to acquire in order to train the skill. For example, a Rank 2 skill takes at least twice as long to train as a Rank 1 skill. Skills can take anywhere from a few minutes to several months to train. Though each account can have up to three characters created, only one of these can train at a time. Each skill that a character trains in Eve Online has a skill training multiplier. The base is ×1, and it increases by how advanced the skill is. For example, the Frigate skill (which allows players to pilot the smallest class of ship in the game) has a smaller multiplier than the Cruiser skill, a more advanced skillbook. A player's base multiplier (×1) can differ as the game's five base attributes can modify it. The base is different for every category of skills, as each category has specific modified attributes.
Economy
The in-game economy in Eve Online is an open economy that is largely player-driven. Non-player character (NPC) merchants sell skill books used by players to learn new skills and blueprints to manufacture ships and modules. The players themselves gather the necessary raw materials to manufacture almost all of the ships and ship modules in the game. NPC ships can be looted or salvaged for items and materials, Non-player created ships and equipment may be purchased from various NPC factions as a player gains status with them, and can be resold in the in-game economy. The in-game currency is called ISK, an abbreviation for Interstellar Kredits. In-game ISK should not be confused with the identically abbreviated real life Icelandic currency ISK (Icelandic króna).
The amount of money or materials in the universe is not fixed and, as such, the economy operates under supply and demand. Market manipulation is possible on a large scale, particular examples being ramping and bear raids. CCP does not issue refunds on in-game purchases. This causes scamming to become an ever present risk. The economy is balanced by automatically introducing extra materials in underpopulated areas. This encourages an even spread of players.[26]
The game provides support for the trading of in-game resources, including graphs of item price history, with Donchian Channel and daily average price. Some players operate primarily as traders, buying, selling and transporting goods to earn profits. Others operate primarily as producers, purchasing compoments or raw materials and transforming them, sometimes on massive scales, into useful items such as weapons, ships, ammunition, or various technologies wanted by players. Others still operate as miners or salvagers, collecting and sometimes processing the raw materials used in manufacturing to sell on to others in bulk. Finally, some players operate as mercenaries or pirates, earning money or being paid primarily to be battle-ready and to either attack or defend from attack profitable enterprises such as mining, salvaging or transportation of goods.
Unlike some games such as Second Life, in-game currency is not freely interconvertible with real world currency. Players may only pay real world currency to CCP for in-game items (specifically the Player's License Extension, a token for renewing one's game subscription that can be traded in-game for virtual currency). The reverse, turning in-game currency or items into real-world money, is prohibited.[27] A reason for this, related by a CCP representative at Fanfest 2010, is that free interchange of currency causes in-game banking to fall under the same regulatory domain as real-world banking. CCP would rather not place this restriction on in-game behavior, due both to the difficulty of regulatory enforcement, and the desire to allow players to create illegitimate in-game banks or Ponzi schemes if they wish to do so.
Griefing
Due to the game's focus on freedom, consequence, and autonomy, many behaviours that are considered griefing in most MMO's are allowed in Eve, such as stealing from other players, extorting, and causing other players to be killed by large groups of NPCs.
Only malicious, prolonged and concentrated harassment where no material gain is involved and a few other actions are considered to be illicit griefing by the game's developer
No comments:
Post a Comment