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[Senn Typhos]

One of my major confusions in the EVE universe, which has yet to be answered in any decent manner, is if there is any reasonable correlation between the character advancement system everyone and their momma is familiar with, namely "levels," and the system in place in EVE, "SP."

For example, in my previous dealings, there were basic levels of competency; you start out at one, don't matter until 30, guilds don't need you until you're 50, and at some level cap or another, you can qualify for anything you don't suck at.

Can some of the veterans offer some comparisons, so I can start swinging my mind's focus from the former system to the latter? Case in point, when is it appropriate for me to start seeking a corporation? When does my likelihood of being filled with superdense antimatter rounds upon entering lowsec fall from "unavoidable" to "slightly more avoidable?" (I fly an exploration ship, my survival rate ain't high).

If anyone has any advice to offer, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time. :3

[Casiella]

It doesn't really compare. One may regard that as fortunate or unfortunate (I certainly believe the former).

You should start seeking a corp right away. You may not be able to join until a character has passed the two week age limit, however, as most corps don't want trial accounts. Beyond that, lots of corps take new pilots as trainees, so find one willing to teach.

I always recommend spending lots of time in lowsec right away. You'll learn good habits that will serve you well in the future, and if you're in a frigate, most gate camps won't catch you.

[Senn Typhos]

To answer the first bit, I suppose what I can offer as an explanation of this very thread is this; I love the freedom of the EVE system, but I'm terrible with choosing a direction. That being said, I'm done with the whole "get to the last level and then start playing the game" thing. >>

My character is about 30 days old if I remember correctly. Primarily, I'm waiting until I decide on a solid character before I go looking for a corp - I'm really only interested in finding one that's at least receptive to RP, if not heavily engaged in the practice.

The lowest I've gone thus far is 0.5 in my Cormorant. What I learned in that system (the name of which I forget) is that if you feel like a pirate is watching you, you're correct. I warped out of an asteroid belt in time to see a red-skull marked Vexor warp in and deploy drones, and thank my jittery FPS sniper senses for paying off in other games.

I also let out a girlish squeak of despair, but I like to leave that part out.

[Casiella]

We won't discuss the girlish squeaking, but you'll get over that.

As you've noticed, EVE provides a "sandbox" open world experience, rather than the "theme park" of WoW and similar games. You have no prescribed path except the one you choose to blaze (or follow, as the case may be).

If you haven't taken time yet to explore the wiki, you really should -- lots of good information there. And don't feel like a character can only do one or two things: not only does EVE not have levels, it doesn't have classes. My character started out as a bit of a space trucker (something she still does because, well, the ISK is good), but since then she's developed substantial research, manufacturing, and exploration skills and can handle herself pretty well in combat as needed. Just for reference (because some folks have 3x the SP), I have just shy of 40m SP.

So, by all means, start doing something you enjoy, but don't feel like it's a choice you have to keep: we don't respec, we just train more skills...

[Silver Night]

Well, the SP-Levels comparison is an easy one to fall into, but it is largely entirely false.

Skills mostly just open up options. They give you more things to fly, maybe a bit more flexibility in what you put on them. Even the skills that increase some particular stat across all ship largely max out at 25%.

So, you can't fit every module right away, and you can't fly every ship, and you have a fraction (25% or less) less in a few stats than my character (after a length of time playing on my part that hardly bears thinking about.)  A few fairly new players in inexpensive ships can easily take on a solo vet in anything sub-capital, in most cases, and win.

What really tells - and takes time to acquire - is player knowledge and skill. What do do in a situation. How to fit a ship effectively.  Where you can go and can't go. What effective ways of making ISK are. (ISK, up to a certain point, is much closer to representing 'levels' than SP is. ISK is what decides what you can afford to fly, and what you can afford to fit it with.)

When you go to low sec (Low sec starts at .4, and goes to .1 - in .5 and up, people can't attack you with getting CONCORDed unless you do something to allow them to, like taking something out of a can that belongs to them) it isn't how old your character is that determines if you are going to survive. It is if you, the player, know how to survive there.

And not to worry: There are guides, and when you are new, the price of your mistakes is usually fairly low, though it may not always seem that way at the time. The player skill will come with playing.

As for SP, and training, you should set a goal. Decide something you want to do. A good initial goal might be getting into a Battlecruiser, for example. Find out what you need to train, and train for it.

Anyway, if you have questions or anything and I'm around IG, feel free to ask, or PM me here.

And I would try to find a *good* corporation fairly soon. A good corporation can make the game for you, and a bad one can really drag it down. 30 days in is plenty to start looking.

[Senn Typhos]

I'm only just pressing 2mil at the time of writing, and as with all games before this one, I've scanned through the wikis, battleclinic, item databases, and whatever profession guides I could find, while I'm waiting to break into the deeper millions. I've tried missioning and rat combat, hauling, and exploration.

At this point, my best success, and easily the most fun I've had in a long, long time, is wandering aimlessly though hisec with my composite Caracal, scanning down a system, and seeing what I find. In the ship I fly, I can probe, salvage, hack, break archaeology scans, and take out tiny rats around radar sites and such. I'm enjoying a self-proclaimed natural affinity for scanning.

I'm sure once I get my sea legs (space legs? >>) I'll start dipping into PvP. Even though I've heard purported evidence that the bounty system is broken, I could see my wee lil Senn being a hunter-killer with scanning under my belt. If I can find a corp that I can serve with that skill, all the better, I suppose.

Thanks for the advice again. :3

[Silver Night]

Well, BC or HAC exploration in low sec is viable. You just gotta watch out for those pesky (player) pirates. Might be something to have an eye toward. For PvP, I would recommend starting in tech 1 frigates. Be ready to lose a lot of them. (Same advice for initial forays into low sec.)

[Casiella]

You can certainly go anti-pirate without necessarily becoming a bounty hunter per se. And if you're enjoying exploration, I highly recommend joining the, um, "Exploration" channel. As long as you're asking smart questions after having done the research (like you're doing here), then you'll get lots of friendly advice and banter. And while spamming isn't allowed, asking every once in a while for exploration corps recruiting will help.

I should note that, at this point, you might not get a lot of interest from W-space corps. But K-space of any sort (including null sec) will have many organizations interested in a freshfaced young pilot like you.

[Havohej]

2m SP... I've got a bit over 30m SP at the moment, but I still look back on 2m sp as Havo's 'glory days' of lowsec solo frigate/cruiser piracy.  I died a lot.. but I killed some too and had a blast

[Senn Typhos]

@Silver, currently I'm trying to formulate a decent BC to take into low sec (actually, you can see it right here in its 8th update: http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/38771-Multipurpose-Exploration-Ferox.html). It's the least expensive, but most adaptive thing I've produced so far. There are other ships that can do the job better, but I have a soft spot for Caldari ships I just can't explain. Plus, I just prefer shield tanking and hybrid guns in my limited experience.

And to Casiella, I had no idea there was an exploration channel. :O I'm not even totally solid on how a corporation would benefit off of my exploration skills. >>

Although I've never entered a wormhole, I've found like 500 of them. Plenty of grav and ladar sites. The ones I can actually use are always the hardest to find. But when I do, I love the payoff. I've made 40mil in the last three weeks finding user manuals, tuning instructions, that kinda stuff from radar sites. Way more than I made on missions and way more fun. XD

[Vikarion]

If you are interested in exploring the industrial side of Eve, LDIS is always recruiting. 

Ok, recruitment pitch aside, if you need anything, or advice, just chat me up in-game.

[Casiella]

How an exploration corp would use you? Another hand in scanning is good. Another scout is good. An extra bit of DPS is good. An Osprey pilot with remote shield reps is good. A Blackbird pilot with some ECM knowledge is good.

You get the idea. You're not as ineffective as you think you are.

[Senn Typhos]

How an exploration corp would use you? Another hand in scanning is good. Another scout is good. An extra bit of DPS is good. An Osprey pilot with remote shield reps is good. A Blackbird pilot with some ECM knowledge is good.

You get the idea. You're not as ineffective as you think you are.

That's a switch. :O
I do have a minor infatuation with the concept of EWAR. My first choice of paths was a Rokh sniper, but I think I'll leave that alone until I actually get some PvP in and see what I'm good at in the first place.

[Vikarion]

If you have PvP in mind, I strongly, strongly suggest taking up either the Amarr or Minmatar line, and if you prefer solo fights, the Gallente line. Caldari does have some PvP-capable ships, but CCP's insistence on making shield transporters impossible to fit reduces their utility in small gangs, and in large fleets missile boats are near-worthless.

[Silver Night]

Caldari do have some of the most annoying PvP ships in the game though. Like the Falcon, or the lol220kmcloakyCerberus.