What I Want from EVE

By this time in my life I think it's safe to say that I'll be playing EVE until it dies. Hopefully I'll be playing EVE as a part of Noir. until it dies, too. But I've found that as time goes on, and the game changes, what I get from it and what I want from it change too. This is only natural, of course. As humans, we grow and mature and desire things that once we had no interest in. What fulfills us changes as well, even when it comes to video games.

Back when I started seriously playing, in 2011, I was as inexperienced as anyone. I was just happy to be in fleets and to be part of Noir. Mercenary Group. Honestly I still am happy to be a part of NMG. But over the years, I realized that the traditional gameplay isn't what really excites me. I think the final piece of the realization-puzzle came at Fanfest, or perhaps a short time later when I was working in Washington DC. I came to realize that I enjoy the interaction of the people much more. Why can't I just play like this?

I've always been a natural leader, and I enjoy leading. I thought, once, that this trait would be a perfect fit for fleet commanding. I dabbled in it, never really becoming that proficient. I didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would though. It wasn't really the type of interaction that I was after. This thought struck me just a few days ago, in fact. It surprised me, since it came to me as I was playing Arma 3 as a fireteam leader. A fireteam leader, or FTL, is in charge of three other people, usually an automatic rifleman, an assistant automatic rifleman, an anti-tank rifleman.

A direct comparison can't be made between an FTL and, well, perhaps anything in EVE. An FC in EVE would be more comparable to the Commander (who is in charge of six or more fireteams and their squad leaders) than to an FTL. An FTL would be sort of like a wing commander if a wing commander had any actual duties, I guess. I haven't had the chance to lead a squad in Arma 3 (that is, two or more fireteams), but I think I'd like it too. So why do I like leading fireteams into battle but not fleets? Honestly, I don't know exactly. It's probably just the mechanical differences that I enjoy more in Arma than I do in EVE when it comes to leading.

I was talking with Sugar Kyle last night after I had been mulling it over in my head a few days. I basically told her I want to play by conversing with people more than I want to play by only shooting at them. She told me what I already knew, but was good advice nonetheless: it's a difficult way to play, and you have to be persistent. Oh, and you have to login, something I haven't been doing. Oops.

I know EVE has more to offer me. I'm not of the opinion that I've used the game up or anything. I just don't know how to jump into that area yet.

Anyway, what is it you guys want from EVE? Thinking about all this makes me wonder how other people are setting their goals and what they're using as benchmarks for achieving them.