What is the setting for EVE?

The game is set in part of the universe that is currently unknown. The game world consists of about 5,000 solar systems. When EVE was released in May 2003, about half of these systems were available for exploration, enabling players to more easily establish "hot spots" - centralized locations for trade, commerce and combat – based on their activities. As the population in EVE grows, more systems are made available to avoid overcrowding.

What is the premise of EVE?

EVE has a rich history and unique storyline created specifically for the game. The history, or "prime fiction," details the discovery of a natural wormhole that lead into an uncharted area of the universe. Gates were created to enable explorers to pass back and forth between the old and new worlds until the portal closed suddenly and violently, leaving the settlers cut off from the civilization of Earth’s galaxy.

Of the settlers that survived the hardship of this harsh environment, five nations rose to power, each taking on its own unique appearance, political and religious views, strengths and weaknesses. These five nations dictate the balance of power. After generations of war and strife, players enter EVE during a time when the general political situation is one of peace, albeit a strained and sometimes fragile one, between the empires. More details about the races, their empires and their history can be found in the Background section.

What defines a character in EVE?

A unique name and appearance, created by you, identifies your character. During character generation, you select not only your gender and race, but the fully-customizable character creation tools even offer you the opportunity to manipulate (or “morph”) your facial features, giving you the opportunity to create a character unlike any other. The final result is your avatar portrait, which is visible to other players in several ways, including our message boards and in-game chat channels.

The character creation process is when you begin to establish a history of sorts for your character. In selecting five basic attributes and starting skills, you determine where your character came from and what he or she has learned up to the present day. Was he a Minmatar slave child, held captive in Amarr space or is he the militant son of free-thinking Gallente parents? Who your character is and who he or she will become is all up to you. In EVE, you are the master of your character’s destiny.

Does the game contain different races and classes?

The races in EVE are all of human origin, though they have evolved and some have been genetically altered until they have become quite distinct in appearance and characteristics. Players may choose to portray a character from four of the five races in EVE. These are: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar. Each race branches off into two bloodlines. The fifth race, Jovian, is unavailable to players at this time, though players will be given the opportunity to evolve into Jovians in the future.

Each race offers numerous variations in skills and abilities, as well as adhering to its own doctrine. The Amarrians can best be described as imperialistic, bureaucratic and ruthless. The Caldari are diligent and dutiful capitalists. The Gallenteans are adventurous, free-spirited individualists. Minmatars are most frequently unscrupulous, resolute and opportunistic, though the occasional chivalrous Minmatar may appear on the scene, a sort of modern-day paladin determined to right wrongs and crush evil.

All characters have a set of basic attributes, based partially on race, and will advance through a skill system. There are no classes in EVE and no race is superior to another – at least not as far as the game mechanics are concerned. Which race is best for you is a matter of personal taste, based on which description intrigues you and how you wish to play the game.

How are characters visually represented?

The real-time 3D environment of EVE is in space. Your character is represented in-game via the spaceship you are currently piloting. It is not possible to exit your ship and walk around, explore planets or mill around in space stations.

How do characters gain skill and advance in EVE?

There is no leveling system in EVE. Instead, there is a very extensive skill system. Players choose from a wide variety of skills, each with a number of sub-levels. Characters buy skill-training kits, which are sold like any other commodity, and are rigged neurally to the character. Skill-training kits vary widely, both in price and availability. Once you learn a skill, you cannot unlearn it - but you don’t need to. There is no limit to the number of skills or skill points a single character can attain.

How is skill advancement achieved?

Character advancement is accomplished through the activation of skill training kits. Once a training kit is utilized, a certain period of time must elapse before training is complete and the skill is functional. The activation time required is measured in real time and training continues regardless of whether or not a player is connected to the game. The training time needed for skills may range from less than an hour to several days, depending on the type and complexity of the skill. You may only train one skill at a time, one character at a time per account. Time elapsed during training may be monitored through the character sheet.

You may purchase skill packs through the market either from players or NPC’s. The cost and availability will vary, based on the supply and demand of the skill.

Can characters be "maxed out"?

The likelihood of an EVE character being fully trained in all available skills is small and not something that could be easily achieved. Advancing a skill, particularly at the higher levels, takes time and new skills are introduced occasionally as the game grows and additional features are introduced. Estimates have indicated that it could take as long as three years for a character to be at the top level of all available skills.

Though it may seem like gaining skills could be a grueling process, the unique training system in EVE - the ability to advance your character when you are not logged in without macroing - is unheard of in other MMOG’s and contributes greatly to EVE’s appeal.

How do skills affect game play?

Skills have a number of functions in EVE. They dictate the type of ships, weapons and equipment characters can use. Skills can also influence how efficiently characters can use their equipment. Furthermore, skills give the character access to certain advanced or highly specialized options in the game, ranging from skills relating to researching improved weaponry to managing corporations, factories and so forth.

How important are attributes?

Attributes are directly associated with skill activation time. Skills are linked to one or more attributes and the score will modify the length of time it takes to teach the skill. The higher the attribute, the less time it takes to train a skill linked to it.

What happens if my character dies?

Being shot down in EVE doesn’t always result in the death of the character. Though not visible, your character is tucked away inside a goo-filled capsule commonly referred to as a "pod," which is then nestled into the ship. (See the story The Jovian Wet Grave to better understand this concept.) Most lost battles will result merely in the destruction of a player’s ship, leaving him floating in a pod he can pilot back to a station where he has another ship stored. If the player does not have a back-up ship, a standard, no-frills newbie frigate will be given to him by the NPC insurance corporation. (Read more about ships in Section 3)

To kill a character, the pod itself must be purposely destroyed once the ship is annihilated. The consequences of destroying a capsule are much more severe than destroying a ship. (See Section 5 for information about the legal and security systems in EVE.) If a capsule is destroyed and the character killed, or "podded," he will reappear in a cloned replica of himself.

How does the clone system work?

Players have the option of purchasing clones of their character as a precaution against an untimely demise. Upon death, a percentage of a character’s skills may be lost, depending on the value of his clone. These clones vary in quality and cost. The more expensive the clone, the better it preserves the skills of the previous incarnation. Characters without a clone at the time of death will be automatically issued a standard clone of the poorest quality. A character can never drop below its starting skill level, so death makes little difference to newly created characters, but can be devastating for those that are more advanced and not protected by a good quality clone.

What non-combat activities are available?

Some of the more popular non-combat activities include: character advancement, exploration, trading, mining, research, manufacturing or numerous other money-making ventures. For more sociable creatures, the in-game chat channels offer an excellent means of engaging others in conversation and making new friends.

Can I build my own space station and decorate it?

It is not possible to artfully rearrange the interior of a space station or your personal hangar, nor is it possible to create a town on a planet.