"It is with great regret that we report the loss of the Maller-Class Cruiser 'Obsolescence', in the Lonetrek Region, late last night. Engaged in hostile action against a fleet of Mercenary Caracal-Class Missle Cruisers, the Obsolescence fought a valiant struggle, but on her eighth attack run, did not manage to complete her exit-vector warp calculations quickly enough, and was destoryed under a withering hail of heavy missle fire. Only one survivor escaped, the captain, in defiance of several millenia of naval tradition. A small service will be held later today, and the families of all 900 crew are invited to attend. Analysts place the value of the lost vessel and equipment at around 10 million ISK..."
'pwn3d', I hear you cry, and well you might. My first really serious go at a 'proper' mission in EVE Online since re-enlisting a few days ago, and I was beaten silly. Turns out they've given the 'Agent 3' missions a serious going over since I was last there, and at the same time, jiggered about with so many bits of ship equipment, that my previously unbeatable Maller tanking setup is now, well, as I saw last night, very beatable indeed.
That's the problem with taking extended leave from an online game; getting back and finding out (the hard way) that they've patched the bejeesus out of everything, and not even gravity can be taken for granted anymore. All in all, a pain in the bum.
I have spare ships of course, so it's not quite a 'Subscription Cancelling Trauma', but 10 million ISK is, for me, rather the wrong side of 'disposable income', particularly now that my previous main income, these very Agent 3 Missions, is anything but easy cash now. I can make that money, but not in a way that suits my somewhat whimsical playstyle these days.
EVE, like all MMOs has a grind, but unlike the others, it's not xp, it's cash. Experience points, and the associated skills, come in at a constant rate, even if you're offline. You just need to tell it what skill to funnel them into, then go play the game. Or go down the pub, or whatever. Very civilised. Money on the other hand, doesn't make itself, and now I have a substantial amount of game-work to do to earn 'Obsolescence II'. I really wish I'd paid the extra cost for 100%-cover Insurance now. Still, it's good to have goals.
God only knows what 'Agent 4 Missions' are like...
(Fun Fact: In The Future, the advanced space-faring civilisations of far-flung sub-galaxies will all use the Icelandic Krona, or 'ISK' as a universal currency unit. 1 Krona (meaning 'crown') = 100 aurar, and until Oct 1st, 2003, the 5 Aurar coin was the least valued coin in circulation anywhere in the world! At current exchange rates and prices, my lost ship is worth about £81,000 GBP, or $150,000 USD! Somehow, it doesn't seem quite so bad anymore...)