![]() The vast distances present between systems makes it difficult to find the best price for a good) (Another example of the scope of the game. (From the out-of-game wiki “EVE University”, I found that different ores are present based on region and danger (security level)) This means that certain ores are more dangerous to find in different regions, therefore increasing their price. I searched on the EVE wiki and found that there are four different starter regions that each have different ores based on the safety levels of different zones. But during the industry career path, I was confused how to find certain ores when I searched the areas around my starting region, I could not find many types of asteroids that the mission asked of me. This is important, because items have different rarities throughout different regions of EVE. When a player goes on the market, they can only see buyers and sellers that have posted in their region of space. I found that another important mechanism affects prices in EVE: the existence of regional markets. Visible are the buy orders and sell orders, each with their asking price and the amount requested) Although they are more advanced than me, we are both mining the same materials) (Another player’s ship, bottom center, peacefully mining next to me. Looking at the market, I saw that some players had priced goods 100% higher than the average price, while mostly were within 10% of the average price. By showing players the average price of goods, the game is able to indirectly reduce scams, since players can see how a price compares to the average price of a good. But the game does indirectly regulate prices: by showing players the average price of goods in their region. On the other hand, when I wanted to buy a good, I simply bought from one of the posted amounts on the market I could have also placed a “buy order” for a certain amount of a good at a certain price, which a seller can then fulfill and directly sell to me. When I wanted to sell some ore I mined, I simply put my ore up for sale with a certain price per unit. And there is no AI that prices goods or places goods on the market: all buying and selling that occurs in the game is between players. ![]() In the virtual market, I found any item, ship, cosmetic, etc. The tutorial, which only covers basic mechanics of the game, took up the first 3 hours, followed by 3 hours of the exploration career path, followed by 4-5 hours of the industry career path I was only introduced to the market in the industry career path. ![]() I began understanding the virtual market in EVE more than halfway into my playtime. The first is the most basic: the complete control of the economy by EVE players. There were three major mechanisms I found that affected EVE’s economy. I shaped this question into a more functional research question: How do prices in EVE Online function, and how do players affect them? Prices for raw materials, items, ships, and even customizations (like skins) are constantly fluctuating, and I want to know what role players take in guiding the EVE Online economy. This made me wonder: how exactly do prices fit into the player experience of EVE Online, since the player relies on currency (and therefore prices) in any aim of EVE Online. Every player in the game relies on in-game currency, ISK, as capital (for example, to have a proper ship), and every career leads to the generation of currency for the player. In the economy, hundreds of players interact every hour. But as I played and learned more, the main site of player interaction became obvious: the economy. Truly puts you in perspective and shows the scope of the game immediately)Īs I began the game, I felt alone in space, and even when people were around me, there was not any interaction. The player is but a speck of the cosmic landscape, separated by others by many kilometers at least. Even though the player does see nearby ships, and has access to the local chat, the vastness of space can be overwhelming. As I played, I relied on trial and error, outside guides, and other players to navigate the challenges facing a new player.Īt first glance, EVE Online feels like a multiplayer game that is not actually multiplayer. ![]() The game is incredibly expansive and complicated, and even after playing about 10 hours, I have barely scratched the surface of the possibilities of EVE Online. A few of the careers to which the game introduces players are industry (mining and building ships/parts), trade (profiting off buying and selling), and combat (attacking other players to seize their items). In a map that spans more than 500 million square kilometers, players are free to do as they want. In the game, the player takes the form of a pilot/astronaut that is always in their space ship. While I played, there were on average 25,000 other players online. EVE Online is a space-based persistent world that was released in 2003, and since then has continued to be updated.
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