“At heart, I consider myself an explorer”
July 13, 2019 6:36 PM Subscribe
Humans thrive with a frontier, so either we go to space, or we create our own.
posted by phenylphenol at 7:14 PM on July 13, 2019
posted by phenylphenol at 7:14 PM on July 13, 2019
I love the idea of Signal Cartel and the Rescue Caches. And this exploration mission requires huge dedication. And, um, fortitude. Despite how cool the idea sounds in theory in reality most parts of Eve Online space look exactly like other parts of Eve Online space. There's not a lot of diversity to really discover. I hope they had fun ticking off the systems though. (Really I hope they also had a sideline running some sort of trade operations; one way there is some texture to the Eve Universe is prices are quite different in different parts of space).
Eve remains one of the few games that really strives to let players create their own content, set their own goals. Signal Cartel and Katia Sae seem like some of the best of that, particularly for the less bloodthirsty contingent.
posted by Nelson at 7:17 PM on July 13, 2019 [5 favorites]
Eve remains one of the few games that really strives to let players create their own content, set their own goals. Signal Cartel and Katia Sae seem like some of the best of that, particularly for the less bloodthirsty contingent.
posted by Nelson at 7:17 PM on July 13, 2019 [5 favorites]
Note that their goal included going everywhere in wormhole space.
There are no permanent connections between w-space systems. It's not just uncharted; the map changes daily, at random. Also, the wormhole-passageways are hidden and need to be effortfully scanned down each time they appear. Residents of w-space deliberately collapse connections to restrict traffic, and they shoot strangers on sight.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:03 PM on July 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
There are no permanent connections between w-space systems. It's not just uncharted; the map changes daily, at random. Also, the wormhole-passageways are hidden and need to be effortfully scanned down each time they appear. Residents of w-space deliberately collapse connections to restrict traffic, and they shoot strangers on sight.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:03 PM on July 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
and they shoot strangers on sight.
Truth.
Citation: I've been there.
I also remember at least one interaction where we, PINTO itself I thing, were involved in a wormhole battle (maybe we were even being evicted, I honestly don't recall) and there being a discussion in the local chat about who was doing what and it came to be known that there was an extra person in the hole who wasn't on either side of the squabble. Once it became known it was Signal Cartel doing his/her thing, both sides basically gave them safe passage through the maelstrom/melee for no good reason at all besides, well, those folks do what they do and you never could tell when you might be the person lost, completely lost with no way out except self destructing ship and pod, and a lucky Signal Cartel mapper/link leading you and your ISK/nural implants (if you were bold enough to have any) to salvation.
Still miss you PINTO folks that played with the Mefightclub corp years ago, I've never gamed with better folks even if we were in a harsh and troublesome place.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:24 PM on July 13, 2019 [12 favorites]
Truth.
Citation: I've been there.
I also remember at least one interaction where we, PINTO itself I thing, were involved in a wormhole battle (maybe we were even being evicted, I honestly don't recall) and there being a discussion in the local chat about who was doing what and it came to be known that there was an extra person in the hole who wasn't on either side of the squabble. Once it became known it was Signal Cartel doing his/her thing, both sides basically gave them safe passage through the maelstrom/melee for no good reason at all besides, well, those folks do what they do and you never could tell when you might be the person lost, completely lost with no way out except self destructing ship and pod, and a lucky Signal Cartel mapper/link leading you and your ISK/nural implants (if you were bold enough to have any) to salvation.
Still miss you PINTO folks that played with the Mefightclub corp years ago, I've never gamed with better folks even if we were in a harsh and troublesome place.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:24 PM on July 13, 2019 [12 favorites]
So, having heard a lot about EVE, but never having played it, I’m quite curious: is it worth getting involved in? I know it’s rather dated now, but is it viable as a new...er...obsession for a gamer looking for his next gaming experience?
posted by darkstar at 8:59 PM on July 13, 2019
posted by darkstar at 8:59 PM on July 13, 2019
o7, Roland.
I haven’t played for years and content like this reminds me of what I loved about the game. I always tell myself that maybe I’ll go back one day, although I don’t have the chunks of guaranteed uninterruptible time that I used to, and it always was a tough game to casually drop in and out of. But I’ve never had so much fun with a game as I have with EVE.
posted by Catseye at 10:09 PM on July 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
I haven’t played for years and content like this reminds me of what I loved about the game. I always tell myself that maybe I’ll go back one day, although I don’t have the chunks of guaranteed uninterruptible time that I used to, and it always was a tough game to casually drop in and out of. But I’ve never had so much fun with a game as I have with EVE.
posted by Catseye at 10:09 PM on July 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
Every glorious vista from A1 to IV65536.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:18 PM on July 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:18 PM on July 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
Ditto here about wanting to try EVE for the first time. Articles like this make it sound like a worthwhile gaming experience. I'd love to be with the Signal Cartel.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:39 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:39 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Another Eve oh-so-interesting-wanna-be that reads a bit, gets excited, reviews hardware requirements, then sees "the spreadsheet I update everyday totally...." at some point in every article and just nopes right out.
posted by sammyo at 6:50 AM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 6:50 AM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
I think that Elite: Dangerous is probably still the place to try to get this sort of interaction and experience without an absurdly high level of commitment? ED isn't generally the most thrilling game, but there do seem to be a good bunch of genuinely community-minded players and developers who are interested in keeping it alive as a worthwhile place to play.
posted by howfar at 7:47 AM on July 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by howfar at 7:47 AM on July 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
Signaleer checking in; we're all hugely proud of Katie Sae and her accomplishment! She's been an inspiration to a lot of new explorers. The system she started from, and where her statue stands, now holds a corporation office, and you'll often see Signaleers there.
If you're at all interested in learning more about Signal Cartel, please check out our About page, and read our Credo, which lays out the conduct expected of every Signaleer. We take our non-aggressive and neutral stance very seriously! Our two co-founders, Mynxee and Johnny Splunk, gave a talk at EveVegas a couple years ago that describes their philosophy in building and guiding this unique community within Eve.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 8:34 AM on July 14, 2019 [15 favorites]
If you're at all interested in learning more about Signal Cartel, please check out our About page, and read our Credo, which lays out the conduct expected of every Signaleer. We take our non-aggressive and neutral stance very seriously! Our two co-founders, Mynxee and Johnny Splunk, gave a talk at EveVegas a couple years ago that describes their philosophy in building and guiding this unique community within Eve.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 8:34 AM on July 14, 2019 [15 favorites]
> So, having heard a lot about EVE, but never having played it, I’m quite curious: is it worth getting involved in? I know it’s rather dated now, but is it viable as a new...er...obsession for a gamer looking for his next gaming experience?
From a comment on the related Hacker News thread:
> Having played Eve for the better part of 6 years (2003-2009) I can tell you that it's a lot more fun to read about than to play. In some ways the game is way too close to real life. You typically have to put in a lot of work in-game to support your in-game fun time. PvP combat itself is plenty fun, but there were many times I spent all day (18-20 hours straight) logged in and participating in fleet ops in order to get perhaps 15-20 minutes of actual combat.
I've also heard it said (probably either here or on Hacker News), if you love playing with spreadsheets, this is your jam.
posted by bunbury at 10:40 AM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
From a comment on the related Hacker News thread:
> Having played Eve for the better part of 6 years (2003-2009) I can tell you that it's a lot more fun to read about than to play. In some ways the game is way too close to real life. You typically have to put in a lot of work in-game to support your in-game fun time. PvP combat itself is plenty fun, but there were many times I spent all day (18-20 hours straight) logged in and participating in fleet ops in order to get perhaps 15-20 minutes of actual combat.
I've also heard it said (probably either here or on Hacker News), if you love playing with spreadsheets, this is your jam.
posted by bunbury at 10:40 AM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]
I played for a few months years ago, and joined Brave Newbies right when it started. The few battles I participated in were a blast, and I enjoyed exploration, but having just recently quit WoW due to high-level raiding burnout, I could see that Eve could easily become a second job the way WoW was.
After losing a couple of low-end ships and seeing how much ISK I would have to generate to keep replacing and fitting them, I decided I didn’t want to fall back into that grind. I knew that I could trade real-world money for in-game money to avoid this but that seemed like a bridge too far somehow.
But man I love reading about Eve, even though I haven’t played in over 10 years.
posted by good in a vacuum at 10:57 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
After losing a couple of low-end ships and seeing how much ISK I would have to generate to keep replacing and fitting them, I decided I didn’t want to fall back into that grind. I knew that I could trade real-world money for in-game money to avoid this but that seemed like a bridge too far somehow.
But man I love reading about Eve, even though I haven’t played in over 10 years.
posted by good in a vacuum at 10:57 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
I like to think that Eve is as mundane and tedious as real space exploration will be.
(I hope that real space exploration has fewer battles.)
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:06 AM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
(I hope that real space exploration has fewer battles.)
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:06 AM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]
is it worth getting involved in?
Playing solo? I wouldn't bother.
If you try it, join a corporation. EVE University or Brave Newbies are good places to get started, and good places from which to be recruited elsewhere.
It's interesting because unlike most games I've played it's not a power fantasy. Expect it to be clear from the start that you are not the chosen one of prophecy. You are worse than weak; you lack the basic knowledge you need to survive. So, meet people. Learn how to fight in a fleet. Before long you will notice that a few people are starting to rely on you. Being trusted in an environment that rewards deception and betrayal is a prize I value; play if that sounds good.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:51 AM on July 14, 2019 [6 favorites]
Playing solo? I wouldn't bother.
If you try it, join a corporation. EVE University or Brave Newbies are good places to get started, and good places from which to be recruited elsewhere.
It's interesting because unlike most games I've played it's not a power fantasy. Expect it to be clear from the start that you are not the chosen one of prophecy. You are worse than weak; you lack the basic knowledge you need to survive. So, meet people. Learn how to fight in a fleet. Before long you will notice that a few people are starting to rely on you. Being trusted in an environment that rewards deception and betrayal is a prize I value; play if that sounds good.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:51 AM on July 14, 2019 [6 favorites]
Wormhole Space reminds me of Gateway (Fred Pohl).
posted by doctornemo at 6:25 PM on July 14, 2019
posted by doctornemo at 6:25 PM on July 14, 2019
The Katia Sae's blog steals a quote from Moby Dick, which was also used to great effect by Carl Sagan. Some of the visuals reminded me of Wanderers, which is also an homage to Sagan: https://vimeo.com/108650530
posted by endotoxin at 2:41 PM on July 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by endotoxin at 2:41 PM on July 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
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