What is EVE Online?

So, a bit of background as to what EVE Online is. EVE Online is a sci-fi, space-based, sandbox MMORPG. You can, literally, given time, do whatever you wish in the game (within game mechanics of course, so no hacking or whatever).

The game is the property of Crowd Control Productions, or CCP for short. EVE is basically their baby, and has been for the past 7 years (3 of which are in development, 4 as a live MMO). More info can be garnered at a glance from the Wikipedia article on EVE Online.

Before going there, however, I have to warn you that CCP has had a "turbulent" past in regards to PR and "damage control" that results from such. This is still a hotly-debated topic in regards to playerbase trust to CCP, and doesnt mean that CCP is worse than any other MMO company out there. It just so happens someone leaked it out and thus, the public outcry (Info on this is on the aformentioned wiki article, under "Criticism"). As with everything nowadays, take it with a grain of salt. If it were really that bad, I wouldnt be playing EVE.

Other MMO companies would silence such before it even begins, and fire/sack/remove whom/whatever could cause trouble under the radar so none of the playerbase is the wiser, which is a good thing. CCP just had a case of pure bad luck.

Back to the game:
EVE Online is harsh. I will not tell it any other way. EVE's pure premise is the open-ended world in which you can play in, and the inevitable clashes with other people who are at odds with you. Other people from around the world play this game, in different ways, styles, whathaveyou. There is no "end-game" to EVE, as is there are no "levels" or "phat lewts" to obtain to be all-powerful. All you can do in EVE has a counter, and everything that you do that involves player interaction is "PvP" in a sense.

Confused? Let me explain:
-EVE works upon a time-based skill-training system. There's no need to "grind" to get better at something. Just set a skill to train and let it run. It even trains while you're offline, so you never lose any skill training time, except when you dont train at all.

-While there is direct ship-to-ship PvP in this game (which is a huge portion of the game itself), there is also the completely-player-driven market, where you compete against other rivals in the market to earnings of ISK (InterStellar Kredit), the ingame currency. This is why its called "PvP" in a sense that you still compete against other players.

-Whilst combat is an exciting (some say inevitable) game path, others have taken upon themselves to supply the combatants with whatever items, modules, ammunition, etc that they may need. Others even earn a living by mining the vast asteroid belts in space for their earnings. Others even hunt down pirates (both NPC and players) for their bounties. Some even command the market regions with an iron fist, earning by simply buying low and selling high. You can literally play without even firing a single shot.

-Because the playerbase controls many of the facets of gameplay (market, regional warfare, alliance politics), it means that there's no single dull moment involved. There's always going to be something going on, and if you play your cards right, you can benefit greatly, even if indirectly affected, by such events. In fact, such extremes of player interaction have made it out-of-game in gaming publications, as seen by this link of a now-infamous heist of a player-corporation (the "guild system" of EVE) and the subsequent shockwaves both in EVE, and out of it.

Note: the aformentioned amount of RL cash is only a measure. You cannot directly profit out of EVE Online's market with RL cash, unless you wish to do so illegally and thus, face permanent banning from the game.

These are some of the many points EVE has over other MMO's I've played in the past (and trust me, I've played a lot). EVE isnt perfect, however, and the faults are more disturbing to behold, but thats for another day, another blog...