Eve Online Continues Strong Growth (June 14, 2006)

[ChrisReid]

GameSpot reports that the Chinese debut of Eve Online has set new records for the massively multiplayer space sim. The Chinese game world is separate from the universe that's existed for the last three years, but in two days it managed to recruit 200,000 beta sign-ups and tally 30,000 simultaneous players. It'll be interesting to see how many of those ultimately convert into paid subscribers. The regular game has approximately 130,000 active members. Eve is currently the second most popular sci-fi MMO game behind Star Wars Galaxies. SWG actually has a very small lead considering the popularity of the Star Wars brand. EO seems to have quite a few more subscribers than Earth & Beyond, Jumpgate or Vendetta Online have had.

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Original update published on June 14, 2006

 

[letshavefun]

eve online seems to be overrated in so many ways to a point where for every sci-fi/space simulation forums i run into, everyone seems to either flock to it or drool all over it.

the point/click everything unfolds and the spectators view don't appeal me while my dream is for a 3d first person space flight mmo to exist along with over 100-200 players online at peak times.

my previous mmo used to be jumpgate back when it had around 200 online players. but I don't think it would be worth mentioning because when people look at EVE online, they will change their minds real quick and go to EVE since the graphics and online players look more appealing than the game I used to play.

 

[Unregistered]

Those screenshots are pretty old...

 

[Bandit LOAF]

I dont' think any of the staff actually play Eve Online -- if you'd like to submit some current screenshots, we'll be happy to include them the next time there's a story about it.

 

[Unregistered]

eve online seems to be overrated in so many ways to a point where for every sci-fi/space simulation forums i run into, everyone seems to either flock to it or drool all over it.

the point/click everything unfolds and the spectators view don't appeal me while my dream is for a 3d first person space flight mmo to exist along with over 100-200 players online at peak times.

my previous mmo used to be jumpgate back when it had around 200 online players. but I don't think it would be worth mentioning because when people look at EVE online, they will change their minds real quick and go to EVE since the graphics and online players look more appealing than the game I used to play.

I've been in fleet battles in Eve Online with over 100-200 in a single engagement. I don't understand why there aren't more WC members that play since it offers the best of freelancer/privateer and armada, since you can command carriers and launch squadrons of fighters, build outposts and starbases and arm them to the teeth, set up automated mining operations, or be a pirate and rob/ransom the spaceways on the frontier, or take the corporate road and either ply the spacelanes as a solo trader or part of a large manufacturing empire, the entire economy is player created as is the political climate, with alliances and territorial claims, and the map itself is huge, with over 5000 systems with a jumpline system where you can bottleneck systems or carve out your own little empire. The only thing it does lack is the first person view, but you are in a frigate to dreadnaught class ship, not a fighter.

 

[Death]

At a guess, the fact that you don't actually fly the ship, merely point at a certain target/destination and select the appropriate command to have the AI do the actual action is a not-insignificant turn-off for more than a few people who frequent the CIC (and these forums in particular).

Speaking solely for myself, *clickclickclickclickclickW00T!l00t!* has absolutely zero appeal. I don't want to play "Bridge Commander Online" (effectively that's what EVE is about), don't want to just click on an objective and have the game do all the work, then wait for the inevitable virtual dice roll that gets all your hours of hard work blown away by some random punk who has absolutely nothing occupying his time to distract from bulking up the character so he can be King Billy Badass.

(Getting killed isn't the problem. It's doing so to an overglorified random number generator, instead of under the guns of the better pilot, that bothers me.)

 

[letsavefun]

last time I tried this game there were some players as always to try their very best to get around the game mechanics for one main purpose to just kill newbies, first timers, or even low levels.

it happened to me once.

and when it comes to combat, with the best ship + equipment, you are very most likley to hit the "I Win" button.

otherwise it's the only space mmo out there that has a descent subscriber base unlike Jumpgate and Vendetta.

in the meantime, I am looking fowards to another upcoming space mmo called infinity quest for earth(a.k.a. FL:TW),.