Blog Banter XVI: Eve University

Welcome to the sixteenth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

The third Blog Banter of 2010 comes to us from ChainTrap of the Into the unknown with gun and camera EVE Blog. He asks us: “Eve University turns six years old on March 15th; six years spent helping the new pilots of New Eden gain experience and understanding in a supportive environment. Eve is clearly a complicated game, with a ton to learn, so much that you never stop learning. So, the question is; What do you wish that someone had taken the time to tell you when you were first starting out? Or what have you learned in the interim that you’d like to share with the wider Eve community?”

Yup – this one’s mine. And so I must participate. And so I shall…

This is going to come across like an advert. Mainly because it is.

I first played Eve in 2003, in the beta. I enjoyed myself mining, and, ummmm, mining. I mined some minerals, and then mined some more minerals. I then got bored, and wandered off to kill some more stuff in Anarchy Online.

The second time I played Eve was about a year later. I mined a bit more, got bored, confused and quit. The same with the third and fourth times (2006/2007). The problem was never the game itself, more it was getting to grips with the mechanics, and working out what to do. The much vaunted “learning curve”.

The last time I started to play, was little over a year ago. A vastly improved new player experience helped, but still, it was hard going, especially when I lost the new player help channel. Until I found Eve University.

Supportive. Enthusiastic. Generous.

Here was a corp that offered the answers to my n00b questions without the need to put up with the name calling in the NPC corp channels (really, guys, there are only so many ascii penises that you can see in a day before they become somewhat tedious). Every player in the university was there to learn. Every question answered (not always correctly at first, but then we are all learning). All this and free ships!

Not all things are perfect within the Uni. It was daunting at first to be in a channel with so many others, all keen to help, and seemingly much more knowledgeable than I – but I was soon allocated a mentor, who helped with some one on one tuition. The rules can seem harsh – and indeed they are harsh (no missioning, mining, flying about during war seems to be the one most struggle with) – but once you understand the reasons behind them they make sense. Many of the mechanisms in the Uni are less than perfect – but take a step back and admire the achievement… a nuturing home for learning, in a cut-throat winner takes all game, that’s existed purely voluntarily for 6 years; hell, most guilds in other games barely last 6 months, and they aren’t trying to swim against the tide of the game itself.

The uni is what it is. But without it, there’d be one less player of Eve. One less blogger. And I bet I’m not alone.

So, my one piece of advice to the new player in Eve?

Join Eve University. Stay for a short time, or stay for a while; but give yourself a chance to get to grips with Eve in a corp that genuinely wants to help. It costs you nothing, and the rewards are near limitless.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:

As Eve University Events Manager, I am biased. I am writing from an entirely slanted point of view; am part of the management; and so if there is a problem, I’m part of it. But… you should still join.

Post script:

I almost forgot… to join, go to http://www.eve-ivy.com/ and click “Apply to Eve University” and follow the instructions. You’ll not regret it.

List of Participants

1. CrazyKinux: The Three Pillars of Wisdom
2. The Elitist: Helping the new guy/gal
3. Hands Off, My Loots: Nothing Needed
4. Rantuket: Blog Banter 16
5. EVE Opportunist: Nooby Cluey
6. Into the Unknown With Gun and Camera: EVE University
7. Zero Kelvin: We’re the young ones!
8. I am Keith Neilson: Set Your Destination
9. Prano’s Journey: Just Like the Very First Time
10. A Merry Life and a Short One: No Seriously
11. Yarrbear Tales: Nublet 101
12. A Mule In EVE: If I only knew
13. The Planet Risk Show: Dared to be Bold
14. Diary of a Space Jockey: WTH did I get myself into?!
15. EVOGANDA: Why?
16. A Memoir From Space: 16th Blog Banter
17. Death’s Sweetest Kiss: Who What When Where Why How??
18. Freebooted: Beyond the Shortcuts
19. Learning to Fly: Noobing
20. Caldari Outcast: My First Blog Banter Post!
21. Roc’s Ramblings: Financial Survival
22. Diary of a Pod Pilot: Free Knowledge Inside
23. Nullsec Carebear: I could’ve been less of an idiot
24. Facepalm’s Ramblings: Something Smells Fishy
25. Kirith Darkblade: Do you wish to know more?
26. Autopilot Disabled: I’m still starting…
27. Finders & Keepers: Relax
28. Confounded Capsuleer: What have you got to loose?
29. Clan Oriana: Sixteen
30. Flashfresh: EVE Blog Banter #16
31. Rettic’s The Chronofile: You Make EVE
32. Diary of a Bored Spaceman: Past Imperfect
33. Chocolate Heaven: Known Unknowns
34. Victoria Aut Mors: Blog Banter #16
35. Where the frack is my ship: If I knew then what I know now…