Monday, July 29, 2013

Happy 5th Birthday to Drackarn

Just over five years ago I upgraded my computer at the time. I wanted to get a new game to try it out. It was a brand new gaming PC I'd spec'd myself so wanted to try it out with something new.

It was at this point I finally downloaded Eve Online.


I say finally, I'd read about Eve before in gaming magazines and being a fan of Elite, Wing Commander, Privateer, Homeworld etc it sounded like a great concept. But one thing always put me off. At the end of almost each and every review I'd see the same line. This was roughly along the lines of.....

".....as skill points are learnt at a set rate in real-time and as there is no grinding and no gaining of XP, those new players joining now will never catch up to those who started one, two or five years ago."

You will never catch up! Those five words always put me off. I'd started MMOG's in the 90's with Everquest. Then moved onto Star Wars Galaxies. Yes I'm afraid, WoW was in there, as were Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. So the thought that I'd never catch up in terms of 'levels' to older players really put me off. I was thinking in terms of most normal MMOG's. You need to level up to max so you can join the raid groups as that is the 'end game'. Just imagine explaining this to your average WoW player......

Any toon you start now will never reach the same level as those already playing.

Most will question what is the point of playing such a game.


Anyway, I thought I'd just give it a try as it was free and would be something different to try on my new shiny PC. I guess at the time I fancied a bit of sci fi too. So I downloaded the game, created a character and jumped straight in.

Like most people at the time I started with the tutorial, got a short way through and then stopped it as I was bored and went off and did my own thing!

I started flying Caldari frigates. Then I was really excited to get into a Cormorant. Next up was the Caracal! I thought I was uber then with my missile spitting bird of prey type ship. A few months in and I was still going strong solo.

After a chat with a old mate who I discovered also played, I joined my first player corp and was given a Drake by some rather generous chap in corp. Soon I was carebearing in Ravens. Slowly Revelation Space Corp turned me from a carebear to a "one weekend per month" werebear when we joined faction war for two or three days a month.

Then in 2009 -RS- merged into Shadows of the Federation and I went full time PvP. After a few months I was made a Director. CCP fixed the standings hit bug for repping a pirate when in militia and then we started to shooting everyone. I was soon pushing -10. We tried some NPC Null-Sec holidays and bashed the bears that inhabit that space. We got invited to join a bloc in null sec sov holding, we built a station, went ratting, pressed F1 in massive 500-a-side BS blobs that needed no skill and got bored.


By 2012 SoTF was becoming "l33t". Stargates were an inconvenience compared to Titan bridging. Stand corp fittings ran in the billions of ISK. Small mistakes caused raged.

During that summer I moved to QCats and back to informal fun PvP. And here I am.

5 years of playing Eve.
97m skill points.
4164 important internet spaceships killed
467 important internet spaceships lost
Over 500 billion in ISK assploded
Made a lot of good friends.

So if you got here by searching "Is it too late to start playing Eve?" or "Can a new player ever compete in Eve Online?" then the answer is yes. It can be a hard game to get into, but the rewards are worth it.

Whilst it is usual to receive presents on a birthday, I'm actually going to give one away. Post below what your character would give my character as a birthday present if Eve was real and we were friends. It can be in-game items but where is the fun in that? Think out the box, and the best theoretical present can have a T2 rigged Cynabal cruiser fully fitted and armed. I've had it ages gathering dust in my hanger and TBH I'm too scared to fly it myself! Expensive ship + poor, drunk piloting don't mix!


So just post a comment below, something similar to "If Eve was real and my character was friends with your character I would get you for your 5th birthday a......". I'll choose my favourite just before Wednesdays usual post which will be around noon Eve time. Remember, in-game items are unlikely to win. Think out of the box! If you were an immortal with enormous wealth and power, what would you buy as a birthday present for someone?

P.S. Oh yes, and winner collects the Lorenabal..... from Nisuwa!

P.P.S. I get a lot of spam on this blog from Eve Online ISK to webcam 'performers' so I moderate as I hate captcha. There can be 8-10 hour delays in your comments appearing if I'm asleep.

16 comments:

  1. For your 5th birthday, I'd buy you a cat-sized fluffy little 'mini-pod' so Evie could join you in your capsule and help assplode those nasty plex farmers.

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  2. "Hey Drackarn... yeah, its me Kirith... Kodachi. How many Kiriths do you know? So happy pod-day. Five years is it? Heh, I remember my fifth, I went back to Teonusude and saw a girl and her friends for a couple weeks. I made sure to get that clone killed soon after, ha ha ha... Any big plans? Oh yeah, that sounds fun. I'll see if I can get away from the fighting. You know the State, always clogging up Nenna. So I got you something, five years as an immortal is a big step. A lot of people burn out, you know? So I got you a special present. According to the site it should be arriving... right... now. Yeah I'll wait."

    "You got it? Open it up! You like? Its 1200 years old, awesome Matari brandy, I think Krusualian. I had five bottles I bought from a guy going broke back in Molden Heath's ass end one time. Drank one, lost one in a bet a couple years back, and now one to you. No no, I insist. Save it, sell it, whatever. Enjoy it. You deserve it. Happy pod-day."

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  3. A full scale rifter built from skittles.

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  4. If eve were real and our characters were friends what would I get you for your fifth pod day? There's the problem because in game our characters couldn't be friends. My character would see you as one of the lowest forms of life. Not only are you a frog but you are also a traitor to the State. Therefore, my gift to you would be a single Caldari Navy Scourge rocket with your name on it. It would be an invite so I could give you the rest of them, with the warheads active this time of course.

    Here's to seeing you on the battlefield,

    Shahai Shintaro
    CEO Caldari Colonial Defense Ministry
    Executor Templis Dragonaors

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  5. If Eve were real and I gave you something for your birthday...

    I would get you a cake that said "It's a Trap!"

    As we all know the cake is a lie, but it could be a trap.


    Dak'Karon

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  6. For you, I would develope a very special piece of gear. It would be something highly coveted by all, especially the Gallente Militia. Something that would make all others envious. Something that would be unheard of in our struggle against the farming menace. What could possibly make any and all others so jealous? A tech 1 frigate class warp disruption field generator (scripted). As a pilot amongst the greatest killers ever to serve it FW...this would make you "the cat's meow" :D

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  7. It is hard to compete with Kirith Kodachi or Croms comment. But to be honest happy 5th birthday in Eve and other than giving you a freindly corp ass kicking and shaving your head for your birthday (old army rituals). I would give you the most important present of all. This is one that you need in real life and in Eve, a Fucking working Microphone!!! Even though you respond faster than most of us with a microphone, always ready to provide backup and grap the fleeing squids who run rather than fight. Its been a pleasure flying with ya. Happy birthday brother, hope you have a good one!

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  8. If Eve was real and my character was friends with your character I would get you for your 5th birthday a plaque with a piece salvaged from the very first ship you exploded. It would be engraved with it all started here.

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  9. Since I am an industrialist first, PvP'r second... We would have probably met when I was selling the latest batch of Thrashers (most likely), or maybe some T2 arty. So, as a gift to a steady customer and friend, I would give you a Mammoth loaded with Thrashers and a full selection of fittings (ASBs/Arty/AC/10mn & 1mn AB/ - you get the idea). As a joke, I would probably leave the ammo out so you would have to come buy some, or at least haggle for it. And then complain about how dangerous it was to fly a fully fitted and rigged mammoth out to your Low sec station (definitely toss in a comment about putting a stab or two on it).

    Happy Birthday, Drakarn!

    RHunter 13

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  10. For your 5th birthday as an immortal, Drackarn, I would give you the ultimate in Federation technology, though you would never fly it, a Megathron Federate Issue. Seeing, however as I don't have one, a plexing, stabbed Incursus will have to do. That's more in my budget, and you won't fly it either.

    Fly deadly, and Happy Pod-Day.

    Cecil Arongo

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  11. Bronto Scorpio

    If my character was friends with Drack I would totally get you a miniature Cockbag alarm clock radio :)

    You can set the alarm to a radio station, or the guns firing sillystring at you while you're asleep !


    because we all know you <3 cockbags


    (that sounds wrong :/ )

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  12. 5th birthday present? Based on his alter-ego, I'd say Drackarn is a closet screenwriter, so I'd lash out with a 100 mil or so ISK to invest in a pilot episode for one of his creations. (Hot tip: Buy some shares in Echelon Entertainment now while they are cheap - they could be worth a lot in a few months. :) )

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  13. If Eve was real and my character was friends with your character I would get you for your 5th birthday a genuine, antique Lego Rifter. Thought to have been originally brought through the Evegate, this is a one of a kind in New Eden. Suitable for ages 5 and up.

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  14. I would buy you a copy of Earth Online.

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  15. You know that indestructible little black box on airplanes? I would build you an entire pod made out of that because after 5 years, it's time to stop needlessly losing implants.
    It would also come wrapped in calamari and delicious farmer tears. ;)

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  16. I'd give you a Militia Issue Catalyst with built in 75km Warp Disruption Field Generator* so you can get a fight every time you land on grid in a plex. It would be crewed by clones of Catherine Zeta Jones in nothing but suspenders (the different colours would be used to tell what rank they are) and high heels (the different colours would be used to tell what department they belonged to).


    *Warning will get you insta-popped when on a gate or station.

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