A lot of people are making money online with Eve Online but odds are you’re not one of them. Why? It takes some skill, and even then, it takes a lot of patience. You can’t just walk into a store and buy what you want. With Eve Online, you have to create it yourself. Which is a lot of work. If you’re looking for an easy way to make money online, then you shouldn’t be here. This article is for people who are willing to work for their money.
The Basics
To get started, you will need a computer, an internet connection, and of course, software. You can download Eve Online for free from the developer’s website here. Alternatively, you can purchase a retail copy from a third-party website like Amazon. Once you have your copy, you’ll need to create an account with the developer. You can do this at the Eve Online homepage. After you log in, you will see a small menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Click on the gear icon next to “Account” and you’ll see a drop-down menu. Select “Settings” and then “Trade”. Here you can enter your account information and configure your settings. You will need to decide how much you’re willing to spend annually on gas (this varies by region and is subject to change). You can also set up a monthly budget (this is optional but can be helpful). Once you’re ready to start trading, click on the big green button next to “Make Offer” and you’ll enter a contract (this is a legally binding agreement).
Eve Online’s Gameplay
Eve Online is free-to-play and takes a somewhat traditional approach to gameplay. You will need to choose a race (human, dwarf, or elf) and then engage in combat with other players. Your goal is to wipe out the enemy team and earn as many points as possible. Points are earned by destroying enemy structures (buildings, vehicles, and weapons) or by repairing your own structures. Some structures (e.g. refineries) generate more points than others (e.g. military bases). Points are also earned by capturing key locations (e.g. solar systems) and completing certain assignments (e.g. deliver a payload to a target star system). In addition to combat and structure building, you will also need to manage your stocks (this is akin to resources in traditional multiplayer online games). You have three types of stocks: Money, Materials, and Fuel (you can think of Fuel as energy in Eve Online). You have a finite amount of money, materials, and fuel, and you need to manage your supply to generate revenue (e.g. sell equipment, parts, or services). In other words, you need to invest in factories to produce goods and offer them for sale in order to make money. As you get deeper into play, you will begin to notice two important things: 1) Most of the actions in Eve Online are not instant. You have to wait for something to cool down before you can perform an action. 2) Many actions in combat are repetitive and can be automated by your computer (e.g. shoot, move, and attack patterns for soldiers, cars, and robots, respectively). This makes combat a lot more convenient, as you don’t have to manually manage each action.
Where Can I Buy All of This?
For those of you who are curious, you can find a list of all of Eve Online’s equipment, structures, and vehicles on the Open Market. You can purchase any of these items with real money (you can’t manufacture them in-game) and you can sell them too. Naturally, you will want to purchase things in bulk (this is usually cheaper) when you can (e.g. when you’re getting started, manufacturing items is expensive). You can click on any item’s icon to see its details, including the vendor’s pricing. You can use the filter button (e.g. for vehicles) to find what you’re looking for and compare prices. When you find something you like, you can use the “Request to buy” button (e.g. for vehicles) to get a quick price quote.
Eve Online’s Structure Game
While most multiplayer online games (e.g. Minecraft, Battlefield, and Team Fortress 2) feature only combat and structure building, Eve Online expands on this concept by also including the building of structures. In Eve Online, players can plant defensible structures (e.g. bunkers and military bases) around the game world as part of the defense strategy. You have to protect your base from attack (this is what determines who “wins” a match). You will need to assign workers to resource-gathering activities (e.g. mining, lumberjacking, and oil drilling) in order to generate materials that you can use to upgrade your base. Each type of resource has its own unique gathering requirements (e.g. you can’t do mining on a planet with no dirt, or vice versa). In addition to your base structures, you can build various factories to produce certain goods (e.g. mines, refineries, and weapons factories). You can also purchase drones to help you manage your stocks (this is also something that you could do yourself but it’s a lot easier with a drone). Finally, you can build starbases (these are huge structures at the end of each solar system that serve as home bases for players) and battle stations (these are huge structures at the end of each solar system that serve as home bases for players). Together, these structures provide functionalities similar to a city (e.g. you can purchase supplies, sell goods, manufacture equipment, upgrade structures, and battle with other players). While it’s not impossible to make money with Eve Online, it’s certainly not easy either. You’ll need to put in the time to learn the game and figure out how to effectively use its different components (money, resources, and fuel) in order to maximize your earnings.