Sunday, March 23, 2008

Finding the right corporation in EVE Online


...is crucial to enjoying the game. Of all current MMORPGs, EVE Online has got to have the steepest learning curve ever conceived. Having said that, there is a way to help new players into the game. There is ONE way to ensure that new players stick through the difficult periods of the game when you don't have a good grasp on everything, but you've got enough to glimpse at what's on the other side.

If there, one crucial step for every EVE Online player, it would be, without a doubt, finding the right corporation. And that statement carries with it a lot of consequences. The right corporation for you, will allow you to grow as a players the way you intend. The right corporation will allow you to play EVE like you always thought it should be played. As we've mentioned numerous times on The Drone Bay, the right corporation will determine how much you enjoy the game. And that corporation, that group of players exists out there. They're looking for you as we speak; as you search for them. But how do you find them?

Here follows a set of instructions that should help you find the corporation that's right for you. The steps described below will guide you through this process, in order for you to find like-minded people, with whom you'll enjoy the EVE sand box.

Ok, here we go!

1) Before you even start to look for a corporation, you'll have to ask your self what you want to do in EVE. Do you want to fight with other players? Do you want to trade with other players to gain new riches? Do you want to spend time harvesting the minerals needed to build items in demand? Or maybe you'll want to partake in the trading? Whatever it is, make sure you know what your goals are. They'll determine what you'll end up doing. So take the time to write down your personal goals, so that you'll know what to look for.


2) But where exactly do I find corporations you ask? Here are 3 ways to find a corporation:

  1. Through the EVE Forums, under Alliance and Corporation Recruitment Center. You can find corporations here, but also feel free to open a thread to advertise yourself: Let corporations come to you. Let them know exactly what you're looking for: PVP, Carebear, Mining, Trading, or whatever you're looking to do.
  2. Another great way to look for corporation is through a site called EVE Careers. Here, both players and corporations register and use the service to match-up. If you haven't found the corporation on the EVE Forum, this is a great way to find one.
  3. Finally, there's the in-game solution. Within the EVE Neocom (that's the icon bar on the left top-to-bottom) under the Corporation tab is a way to find corporations. You can look within regions, for corps in Alliances or not, with Skill Points or not, etc (see the below screenshot).

3) Now that you've found a couple of corporation you're interested in, how do you select the one for you? I've always stated that a great corporation, no matter what it does (PVP, Industrial, Mining, Trading), is first and foremost a group of dedicated player. And one of the most obvious displays of this is an active corp website.

Whether it's a forum or a full fledged website (a la Phoenix Labs) if it's well done, then at least you know you're amongst hard working capsuleers. If you want to see a list of such corporation, check out the list I keep here. The same goes for Alliances.


4) So what do you look for? I'd say look for corps that have a mission statement, or goals - just as you would in RL (real Life). Are these the same, or similar, to what you're looking to do in the long run? If so, you're almost there.


5) Most corporations have a recruitment process before you submit your application. Either on the website, in-game, or through a public channel. At Phoenix Labs we use our shopping channel, SHOP@PPL, to meet the future recruits. Before you submit your application, make sure you've read all the corporation's info. You'll most likely be asked about it by the HR Director - again, just as in RL.
Now is time to pull out that list you made earlier, the one about your own personal goals, and what YOU are looking for in a corp, because you'll have a chance to let HR know what you're looking to do. Now you're ready for the interview.

If there isn't an interview process, that's a WARNING sign. A good corp will want to weed out the bad apples BEFORE they're put into the basket. If it does not, I'd stay away!


6) Now it's time to apply, go through the interview process and make your decision. Applying for a EVE corporation is a two-way street. It's as much about you being picked by a corp, as you picking the corp. Choose wisely!


7) Ok, so you've made it. You've found your corporation. You're now amongst friends, ready to face the harshness of space, ready to back-up your corp mates at any moment. This is a new begin. This is the way EVE was made to be enjoyed. Have fun!

If you want to listen to the podcast version of this tutorial, head over to VirginWorlds and listen to our podcast, The Drone Bay Episode #2. And please, as always let me know your thoughts!

Cheers

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great article with some excellent advice, CK, which opens the door for me to plug my old corpmates at Eve University.

It doesn't matter if you're so new your clone is still wet, or a veteran of many a battle, E-UNI is a great group of folks, and one of the best ways to learn the game, imo.

Also, people with time in the UNI under their belts get recruited by other corps (including on the E-UNI forums), because they usually know what they're doing.

YOu can visit their website at http://eve-ivy.com/ for more information.

/plugoff

Unknown said...

One important thing I would add is that people should not be afraid to change corps when they feel like it's not working out the way they wanted. I've found that my needs as a player change over time and so do the needs of the corp. When it's time to move on, then don't be afraid to reach out and make new friends.

CrazyKinux said...

@Inhibitor - E-UNI has always been a great place for noobs and EVE veterans alike! Plug all you want!

@Swift Voyager - Totally agree, if you're no longer having fun with your corp mates, time to move on!

Anonymous said...

EVE Careers seems to be down lately, both the ingame and out of game versions. It seems the next best places to look for corporations are the Alliance and Corporation Recruitment Center forum and battleclinic's Corp Recruiting forum.

At least those are the most active. I tried looking at the ingame adverts, but that's one of the least useful game features ever, in my opinion :)

Anonymous said...

Eve-U is pretty good, but still takes away. Play eve to its fullest, join a smaller friendly player corp. Help build it as you grow in eve. Doing so with mine I have had the chance to try things most far older players never have, and have nothing but fun the whole way through. Use the in-game recruitment channal, or read up on ones you see often.

Katsumi1980 said...

I once joined a corp, it's been over a year since I played, Up until 4 days ago. I remember me and an online friend joined this guy's corp, only to have him quite playing a month later. He had no racial relations and etc, so our alt. chars were not able to join the corp as well. I used my alt to make preparations for a new corp. But I am beginning to wonder: just how worth it is it to create a new corporation? One problem our old corp. had was new members turning out to be unfitting, we had two instances where war was declared. Democracy ended those wars peacefully, through punishment of the offensive corp member of ours.

Is there a site which covers corps, from a management type view?


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