EVE Online Review

Understanding the size of the universe is not available to everyone, many of them first begin to guess something when watching some scenes from Star Wars - the Death Star explodes, metal flies in all directions, and then you suddenly realize that the wreckage will not sink and never fall back on bottom, because there is no bottom, the universe is limitless. This “discovery” can be overwhelming, but until you try EVE Online, you have no idea how amazing life in space can be. And do not be fooled, this is not a game - this is real life in space.

“Star Trek”, “Star Wars” and related films allow you to take a quick look at the human being in the galaxy, but only EVE Online takes you to this world where you will have to fight for a place under the sun, choose your path and try leave a mark on history.

Space and EVE Online do not have a limit. No boundaries. No pity for singles. The game has more than seven thousand star systems, the journey between which can take a real time clock. The universe is huge, boys and girls, and the word “huge” cannot even describe the scale of this game. Sims have nothing to do with this game, but if you need an alternative life, but life in space, you found what you were looking for.
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In the story of the game, humanity colonized the galaxy, in which it became crowded long before the spatial anomaly was discovered, which allowed to colonize other galaxies. Fearing the closure of the wormhole (not in vain), scientists have constructed a portal for intergalactic travel. An inexplicable phenomenon led to a cataclysm that destroyed the portal and cut off thousands of settlements in another galaxy, which were forced to fight for life on their own. After thousands of years of isolation, five independent nations have emerged, each with its own unique evolutionary characteristics.

This is where the game begins. You create a character that belongs to one of the four game nations. But this does not mean that you simply choose a race, a class and get down to business. Instead, you are offered one of the best systems for creating alter ego, which perfectly shows the depth of the whole game. First you choose a race that will give you some strengths and weaknesses, depending on your choice. Then you determine your origin, education, work, which determine your skills. You should pay attention to this process, because the choice will have a serious impact on your alternative life, at least at its early stages. As a result, expect to spend at least 20 minutes to create a character, not counting the appearance settings.

Every nuance, from the height of the cheekbones and eye colors to the shape of the head and the location of the camera with which your character will be shown, is completely determined by the player. The only disappointment is that you rarely see your avatar, and other players can turn off the broadcast from your “camera”. Of course, one cannot call the process of creating an appearance a waste of time, but I would like to see this face more often.


Finally, your life in space begins. And this is really life. As you might expect after a detailed character creation, in EVE Online you are offered endless possibilities for character development and endless travel spaces. Unlike, say, the Freelancer game, which offered an impressive but limited set of story and side missions, EVE Online offers you a universe of jobs, from standard to extravagantly extraordinary. Work for a corporation as a courier or mercenary, complete the tasks of agents, start your manufacturing business, research and trade drawings, become a pirate or dig ore on asteroids so that even Stakhanov is proud of you. If you can submit any work in space - this is in EVE Online. Researchers, pirates, scientists, engineers, politicians, mercenaries, security guards, traders, brokers ... everything is there.

Ironically, but it is here that the first and main “rakes” are revealed - for the mass consumer EVE Online may turn out to be too big. Crowd Control Productions (CCP) has undoubtedly created the largest, most dynamic and interactive version of outer space. A player may spend several hours flying from system to system, but this will surely seem like an unacceptably long journey to someone. However, this is the harsh reality of the EVE universe, in which the player begins with almost nothing and it may take many hours to achieve the first serious benefits.


Fortunately, it took the time when EVE Online newcomers had to dig into cheap ore for a week to buy their first good ship. Now the game has a quick training course, at the end of which you will receive your first good “pot”. However, this does not mean that you cannot simply dig asteroids, process ore and make something useful from the materials obtained. Although it is better to postpone this lesson to a more suitable time, when you learn a number of useful skills, acquire good equipment and a company of assistants. For example, while someone mines ore, another player with a large ship can take it to the station for processing, which will give each participant of the operation large financial and technological benefits, which alone would have been achieved much later. This is an example of the stunning realism of EVE, but if you don’t want to be a squirrel at the wheel in real life, do you want it in the game?

You can accelerate the development process by cooperating with large NPC corporations and player corporations. And as in any RPG, with the development of the character and the receipt of new things, the game becomes more interesting and exciting every day in a geometric progression. However, at first you will have to suffer, but only if there are no friends in the game - experienced players are always ready to help newcomers and take them under the wing of their corporation.


Speaking of player corporations (a topic for many research volumes). Here, EVE Online especially blurs the line between reality and the game. Politics, war, espionage ... it all goes far beyond the game client and makes what is happening in the game incredibly reliable and realistic.

The local economic model is also striking with its realism - a dynamic market operates according to all the laws of the real economy, it is even being studied by real economists. Station prices fluctuate depending on supply and demand, they are affected by wars and cataclysms, blockades and speculations. Almost all virtual goods are produced by players, and the share of NPC production is constantly decreasing.

What can I say, even a banal study of skills (replacement of the system of experience in EVE) occurs here in real, not in game, time. For example, if a skill is studied for 36 hours, it will literally be studied for 36 hours. True, you can not worry, the process continues even when your character is not in the game.


EVE Online is controlled by the menu system, which is very similar to the standard interfaces of Windows programs, a major difference from space simulators. But in the end, you are not a simple pilot, you are the captain and you really give commands, and do not press on the “pedal”. Instead of the “forward” button, you specify the destination with the mouse or set up the autopilot. The windows can be minimized, and you undoubtedly appreciate this, since you are guaranteed to want nothing to block the fantastic beauty of the game graphics.

You think that a game released in 2003 cannot, by definition, please you with your picture. However, it is not for nothing that CCP is considered one of the best companies in the MMO market - developers constantly release free large-scale add-ons to the game and, among other things, maintain graphics at the level of modern standards. Therefore, regardless of whether you want to live in the world of EVE, you will certainly want to stay there for a few weeks if you like fiction. The game just fascinates with its graphics. From bright nebulae to detailed ships and moving anomalies, the picture in this game is one of the best available on the computer. And the fact that this beauty represents the gigantic world of the multiplayer game allows the creators to be given a monument for the most authentic and convincing world you believe in.

In the game there are such details as asteroids, which begin to glow under the influence of the mining rays, wreckage of ships, jets of flame engine engines, colorful explosions ... and, of course, planets. It's all grown-up, but words cannot describe it - it's better to see it once.


And where is the graphics, there is sound. All that can be said about sound is that it is made well and harmonizes perfectly with the picture. The music is great, the sounds are realistic, and the noise at the stations makes you feel in a crowded place. The game has the ability to change the melodies, but there is no reason to do it - they are good. There are all the major genres of electronic music: Industrial, Trance, Ambient, DnB ... If we are talking about sound, then it's time to sum up.

If you work, then you may not like what you have to work in your cosmic life. Of course, provided that you grow your character to an adult level. Nevertheless, EVE Online is the most ambitious project on the market. It is technologically difficult to beat this game, because all the characters are simultaneously on the same server. This is the largest and most populous game universe on our edge of the galaxy. This simulator of a fantastic life in the distant future captivates and scares with its dynamic economy and unlimited freedom of action. And the only thing that bothers us is that the game is too real. As practice shows, only the most seasoned players can unlock the full potential of EVE. But on the other hand, those who are patient enough are waiting for unforgettable impressions. And if you are married, then do a favor to your half and limit the time of the game.

PS: The editors are not responsible if during the game you forget about real life. For example, about food, sleep and shower.

Verdict: 9/10 (Great!)