Anyway, this post is to introduce to all you bored muggers out there, waiting to try something different and interesting. It's an old MMORPG game, called EVE Online.
Stumbled upon it while googling "free online games" since I was so bored.. and needed something to keep me occupied.. It was actually a tough contender to WoW on a MMORPG review site, and surprisingly it was a game not many know of, so here I am to introduce this gem to you all.
Below are some features of the game you people might find of interest:
Futuristic, Space Exploration/Mining, Post Apocalyptic Setting
Pulling away from the currently very hot fantasy-Tolkien setting, EVE is a refreshing change in that instead of controlling an elf, gnome or troll, you actually pilot a small space ship (that can be changed, if you get rich enough) and explore the universe, doing whatever you want to, instead of flowing a more or less linear route of leveling to a certain level, fight certain bosses etc. Its very Star Trekkie, and you can really feel like a small frigate trying to carve out a living in a gigantic universe full of player-run corporations and pirates lurking around.
One Large Persistent Universe
Unlike in most MMORPGs e.g. WoW, EVE doesn't utilise shard servers (I think that's what they're called) meaning they do not have parallel dimensions of the same world, individual servers of approx. few hundred players each. Meaning you cannot interact with people outside of your server.
EVE works by having one huge gigantic world on a network of servers, and the world can be very aptly described as: A universe. At any one time 20,000 - 30,000 players can be playing online in the same universe at the same time. That is darn shiok. Plus you fly in this full 3D space instead of a walking 2D plane.
Freedom of Play
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, this game is nothing but linear. It all depends on what you feel like doing. For e.g. if you prefer a peaceful life, you can just be a miner and keep getting better equipment to mine ore to sell (trust me this is addictive), or be a pirate and upgrade a small and offensive ship to launch sneak attacks, or be a big transport to trade goods between solar systems. Or, you could manage a large corporation and rule an empire. The range of play is staggering.. you start from a small single-player like frigate mining little pebbles, and you see those players who've played for years fly their giant cruisers 432049893280 times bigger than your mosquito, escorted by destroyers, who are actually human players and not NPCs.
Less occurences of twits and idiots
One may complain that the learning curve of the game is real steep, and the amount of information available is insane. While that is true, but I feel that's what would appeal to gamers searching for a realistic and more complex game, instead of plain point and click. Similarly, the upside is that twits and idiots usually give up once they start their tutorials. Which is good, leaving behind a bunch of serious, and mature gamers. There are still some cocks in there, but much lesser, say, compared to Maplestory.
Wonderful graphics, sound, voice overs
For the geeks, this is a fine fine, finishing touch. Despite being a game released in 2003 where 3D graphics are still in its budding stages, the 3D textures and animations and the way they mix in the use of beautifully rendered 2D images for backgrounds, icons, portraits etc make the whole thing a visual treat. Best part is, it doesn't require a very high powered computer to play. The client's only 600MB anyway!
Also, there're very nice star-trekkie audios too. For e.g. when you are about warp to another location, you hear a robotic female voice report: "Warp Drive Activated" Then the very familiar warping sound effect as your vessel travel through space.
Free 14-Day trial
Best part is there's a 14-day free trial!! Just google "EVE Online free trial" ( you can use the Google search bar located below ) and click the first link there. Just download the client, sign up for the free trial, and yay! you're in. Please do read through the website's player's guide so you won't be so lost in the game, and the in-game tutorial is a must.
Lastly, my name in the game's Edaran. Oh, remember you can put anything for name, including a last name, which I didn't put.. Send me an EVE mail if you're in I can help you around a bit.. =)
Here's a picture of the game, and my ship mining along with my corporation mate.
Labels: eve, eve online, free trial, games, mmorpg
