The Queue: EVE
by Alex Ziebart 
Jul 19th 2010 at 11:00AM
I made an "oops" and missed out on this past weekend's edition of WRUP, so what better place is there to blather on about what I did this past weekend than The Queue? There is none, so here I go! I decided to check out EVE Online this past weekend and I was utterly shocked at how many other WoW players there were in the rookie areas of the game. Heck, they even had names like TheAshbringer and Kaelthas Starstrider. I'm really curious whether the overwhelming number of former WoW players is normal for EVE or if it's a recent thing. It's always interesting to see just how many WoW players there are in other MMOs.
Now with that out of the way, on with the show!
TAD asked:
"Have the level 20-60 quests in the newly-revamped Old World been updated with the newer mechanics brought in with BC and WotLK? Bombing missions, vehicles, etc. I know there's some of that in the new starting zones, but I wonder if it's been extended to the rest of the game up to Outland."
Those mechanics aren't used as heavily as they are in Northrend, but they most certainly are there in the old world. Every single zone has received some sort of attention in Cataclysm, and many zones have received complete rebuilds from the ground up. Every zone is much closer to being in line with Blizzard's quest design of 2010 rather than the design of 2004.
TAD also asked:
"What's the story impetus now for players to even bother going to Outland or WotLK?"
Outland and Northrend are in very strange places now that they've revamped the "old" world in Cataclysm. There's an immense disconnect in the story between levels 58 and 78 now. The quests you do in those areas technically take place in the past as far as the story goes, and you just have to roll with it and pretend it's perfectly normal. There's very little story impetus. None at all, really. It's just a victim of the fact that Blizzard is already rebuilding most of the world, they can't rebuild another at the same time. Maybe next expansion will see an Outland revamp that sets the story right. I won't lie, I loved Outland. Most people didn't, but I did. Zangarmarsh remains my favorite zone in the game even after seeing the Cataclysm beta. I'd love a reason to go back there.
tgrhawke asked:
"With Darkshore and Auberdine destroyed in Cataclysm, how do the draenei and the night elves get from their islands to Kalimdor?"
The night elves still have an encampment in Darkshore. After Auberdine's destruction, they moved further north. To actually answer your question though, you sail into Rut'Theran now, off the coast of Darnassus. Then you take a flight down to Darkshore.
Rezai asked:
"You know the thing where you complete a quest, and you can turn it in right there and get the next quest instead of going back to the quest giver? Does anyone know if that has been implemented for BC and Wrath content?"
I think people are misunderstanding this feature. Not every quest gets that treatment. Not every single quest completes automatically in the field and lets you pick up the new one in the middle of nowhere. This is only for specific quests and quest chains. The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King's content has been touched very little, so you most likely will not be seeing that in any quests in those areas. Only very specific parts of the new Cataclysm content have received it.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW.com crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments and we'll do our best to answer 'em!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 9)
biglou Jul 19th 2010 11:05AM
I played Eve for a bit....definitely a lot more of a learning curve but I did appreciate the starting area where you could ask newbie questions and actually get a polite and professional answer instead of being berated by the leetards.
Wolftech Jul 19th 2010 11:44AM
I played for about an hour of the free trial. I got hopelessly lost and off track on the tutorial and quit. I don't mind MMORPGs being more complicated, but I have played TBS/RTS and flight sims that were less complicated and had more documentation and help.
Phaelan Jul 19th 2010 11:46AM
So did I last year..it's a very steep learning curve, but it's better than it use to be (that was the second time I tried it) It's a very interesting game, with one server and EVERYONE that plays on that server. it makes you feel very small.
I would say that the number of WoW players trying it out, is very common. Both times I tried there were current/former wow players on there.
Nebalee Jul 19th 2010 12:00PM
i tried eve about 2 years ago and back then wow players where often greeted with unprovoked blatant verbal hostility. good to hear that changed.
Tremelizzer Jul 19th 2010 12:18PM
I played the trial for some time as well. Eventually I "ragequitted" since I just managed to acquire enough credits to buy myself a new space ship and some jerk came and destroyed it :/
Grovinofdarkhour Jul 19th 2010 12:40PM
I have always thought the concept of EVE was an intriguing one, but only one type of server where it's all-PVP, all the time, is definitely not the right environment for my blood pressure and vulgarian tendencies.
Chmee Jul 19th 2010 12:41PM
I play both EVE and WoW, as the mood takes me. I've found that I can be away from WoW for a while and just pick up where I left off, but if I'm away from EVE for any length of time, things will have changed an awful lot. Case in point - I'm in a corp that's been part of a null-sec alliance for some time. I've been off EVE for about a month, and last week when I logged in, I discovered that we were in process of losing our null-sec territory, and the alliance is falling apart. Managed to get most of my stuff back to hi-sec, but it was a bit scary there for a while. EVE and Wow are different enough that each offers a refuge from the other when I need it.
Griefers in hi-sec are pretty rare. I've lost ships - you have to expect it - but it was almost always me doing something stupid, like 'just one more ore cycle', or 'oh, he won't bother me', or not being aligned to the station, or .... there's a lot of ways to screw up. OTOH, being careful usually keeps you safe, or at least intact.
Chmee Jul 19th 2010 12:46PM
If you're careful where you go and what you do and how you do it, the chances of running into a PvP situation become vanishingly small.
wutsconflag Jul 19th 2010 1:18PM
@Tremelizzer:
Hence the old adage:
Don't fly what you cannot afford to replace.
Also, you've lost your ship every time you undock. If you manage to dock back up with your ship intact, you win!
@Alex Ziebart
I started playing Eve a couple months ago, and while the learning curve (really more like a wall) is pretty steep, if you can manage to get past it (and the majority of new players don't/can't), the game is wide open. The most overwhelming part, for me at least, is that there's really no "point". I mean, you aren't racing to a level cap, so there really isn't a way to gauge your progress. I have to admit, for a few days, once I realised that, I almost quit playing. I mean, what's the point, right?
But, then I got into a nice corporation, and realised that Eve Online is even more of a social game than WoW ever was. Sure, I can log in on my own and trade, mine, pvp, whatever, but when you have others with you, it makes it a lot more fun. Suddenly, shooting space rocks with lasers isn't as boring when you have a group of people with you.
Of course, the downside is that Eve is PVP all the time. High security space doesn't mean you're safe. If someone wants to blow your ship up, they probably can. There are consequences for them (they'll get blown up, too), but that doesn't really save you in the end. "Don't fly what you cannot afford to lose." That's the top three rules of Eve Online. The fourth, of course, is "Don't trust anyone."
I don't play it as much as I still play WoW, but it's a nice diversion when I get bored.
Gorgy Jul 19th 2010 3:05PM
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/208-Eve-Online go watch
Artificial Jul 19th 2010 3:44PM
"i tried eve about 2 years ago and back then wow players where often greeted with unprovoked blatant verbal hostility."
So, kinda like WoW then... :p
person Jul 19th 2010 4:41PM
Yeah wow players are pretty common. Most i've met are like me and play it during wow burnout, or while waiting for expansions. after all why be productive when you can keep playing MMOs? =]
Wulfkin Jul 19th 2010 4:45PM
The Elite/Frontier player in me REALLY wants to get into EVE, but it's just too far removed from me now. I know they've updated the starting experience since I last gave it a go, but there's still such a ridiculous grind to get anywhere cool that I'm put off. Shame tho, cos it sure is pretty.
Sanat Jul 19th 2010 4:51PM
To be honest EvE is great for a while, but the massive battles which it claims, the servers can't handle and become hour long lag fests. This is an issue which they have been trying to find a fix to for the last 5 years....
Great game in lots of ways, but things keep getting broken and not fixed.
Sl0th Jul 19th 2010 6:47PM
I tried out EVE a year or two ago for the free trial and... Well, it just wasn't for me. I enjoy sandbox MMOs, but EVE seemed almost impenetrable. Maybe it gets better if you join a player-run corporation. Maybe it gets better once you know what you're doing. It just didn't seem like a game I was going to get into.
During the big Steam sale late last month/early this month, I bought EVE for a couple bucks. Maybe I'll eventually get around to using that month of game play and trying it out again. But I get the feeling it isn't a game that's to my general tastes.
Ylei Jul 19th 2010 7:25PM
I've been playing EVE for about 18 months now, it's now my primary MMO. I will say that it does seem like more WoW players are showing up these days, I'm guessing it's because of some of the good press that EVE has been getting lately as well as some of the in game events (I was drawn to it when Goonswarm effectively dismantled the BoB alliance through corporate espionage and started taking their territory). I have a couple of suggestions for those of you who are interested in trying it out:
1 - *DO* *NOT* name your pilot anything WoW related, you will be mercilessly ganked non-stop until you emorage quit.
2 - As soon as you pop into the game join the EVE University's public chat channel, E-UNI, and ask how to join. EVE University is a non-profit player run corp that has been training new players to EVE for over 5 years now, and it is by far the best way to learn the game. They have regular classes on just about all aspects of the game, as well as a recorded media library of past classes that anyone (even non-members) can use. Also ask about the Uni Wiki, it has a ton of great info and well written guides to help you get started in the game.
3 - Keep an open mind while playing and learning. EVE Online is like nothing else you've ever played, MMO or otherwise. There are no levels, classes, or endgame. It is a true "sandbox" game where hundreds of thousands of players all play on the same server.
4 - EVE Online is not for everyone. While WoW is generally designed to appeal to a broad base of players, EVE Online is not, and it might not be the game for you. Don't feel that you have to try to like it or change to enjoy it's somewhat unique style of game design, if it isn't you're cup of tea then just take what you've learned and move on.
There are a lot of different ways to play EVE, so even if you're not big on PvP you can still play the game and have a lot of fun, though I have to warn you, EVE's mission system is nothing like WoW's quests, so if you're expecting the kind of PvE content that WoW has you'll be disappointed.
Mohsus Jul 19th 2010 11:05AM
Why on earth did that young whipper-snapper Bieber get more views than Lady GaGa on Youtube?
Drakkenfyre Jul 19th 2010 11:18AM
Better question. Why did either get any views at all?
Tirris Jul 19th 2010 11:19AM
Because not knowing what German is is sexy.
Scott Jul 19th 2010 11:24AM
As someone who taught at the middle school/junior high school level last year, I can tell you this: Most kids between 11-14 spend a majority of their free time watching youtube videos. It's all they talk about. And seeing as the Bieber's target audience falls into that demographic, it's only natural that his view count got that high. The kid still looks 12 year old girl, but that's a topic for another day.