Eve Online

[walfreyydo]

Played it heavily circa 2010.

To me its the "world cup" of mmorpg's. Many different groups from countries all over the world. I remember we were battling against some Swede's for our little section of null sec space. (Null sec space is really where all the action and fun is). Our corp was trying to carve out a home, built a space station, defended our territory, from solo high-end players who try to lay traps for people. Many layers and ways to play the game - from support/ewar to drone boats etc.

I was part of a small corp which was part of a larger alliance which is part of an even larger alliance which boils up to basically two mega-alliances (Northern Coalition/Southern Coalition) dueling it out in insanely large space battles (large enough to crash zones). 500+ people. Massive strategy carried out by celebrity "FC's" - fleet commanders who are giving instructions to hundreds of players on discord and coordinating moves based on input from scouts and even spies embedded in the opposing alliance. Giant titan motherships (veteran players) which take months and months to build, fighting alongside hundreds of other player ships, including yourself.

By far the most complex and massive scale game I've played, but requires a lot to stay engaged, and I just lost interest. I liked the focus on teamwork and being able to have a role no matter how new or old you are to the game. Full player-driven economy, heavy focus on tradeskills and harvesting/manufacturing. Many different branches to specialize in (mining, pirate hunting, exploration, etc) with a role for each and a way to make income for each.

Not sure what the state of the game is currently, but if you like games with steep learning curves and complexity, its worth giving it a shot.