Surfing other gaming blogs, as I do, it’s interesting to see how many other Monsterhunters are poking about in EVE Online at the moment. It seems there's a bit of a run on it currently, and indeed, check out this impromptu mini “Carnival of EVE Newbies” I’ve put together:

Buttonmashing: Learning the ropes, the hard way…

Kranky Kraut: EVE = Weird

Heartless Gamer: Joining a Corporation in EVE Online

Virgin Worlds: EVE Fails Me

Game Memes: Vaporized

And the various comment threads there show that these folks are not alone in having a go at what seems to have become the quiet ‘other’ MMO success over the last few years. Latest figures show 20,000 online players, peak and over 100,000 accounts - not huge, but steady and growing. SirBruce’s last charts showed the game slow but surely climbing popularity, here (the orange diamonds). There is no reason to believe that the trend shown there has slowed any since that chart was made, and the game was one of the few titles not to have been savaged by the release of World of Warcraft, being insulated by it’s unique appeal, style and gameplay.

I’ve ranted about EVE lots before, but it’s interesting seeing what newer folks think. Mostly the first impressions seem to be a mix of wonder and incredulity; how different it is to the more conventional MMO, and yet how hands-off it is – the training, the mining, the travel times.

One common point noted is the lack of apparent goal or direction, EVE being quite a sandboxey game, and indeed, this is what got me in the end. Looking back on my own experiences, I’d recommend that soloing is probably not the way to play EVE, and joining a big corp with big ideas is the way it should be played. I do want to play it again, but have largely burnt out the solo game, and don’t really have the time to put into being an active member of an ambitious and dynamic player corp, carving a niche on the edge.

Anyway, those looking to get more involved with the deeper gameplay elements of EVE, beyond staring at an asteroid for fourteen minutes in every fifteen, could do worse than getting in touch with Ethic, over at Kill Ten Rats, who seems somewhat further advanced and set up in the galaxy of EVE, and can probably help with advice on the Corplife side of the game.

Those looking for solo riches ought to check out Chimps In Space for some useful insider tips on how to work the significant and detailed trading side of the game to best advantage, and any number of solid ship equipment layouts can be found on the Ships and Modules official forum, here. EVE really isn’t the sort of game you can ‘spoil’, and indeed the sheer complexity of all the junk on offer means a crib-sheet is a must.

Good luck with it, new guys, and I look forward to seeing how you get on. If you’ve got an EVE blog I've missed - newbie or veteran - do spam a link in the comments below…the more the merrier!