I finally managed to score my 12,000th kill in Eve Online last night.
After playing my regular session yesterday I was still 8 short of the goal. I was fine with that and it would have to wait until after our trip this week. No big deal. It has taken 14+ years to get this far, it could wait until next weekend. But then last night my wife needed some time alone to pack her things for the trip and asked me how many kills short I was. I told her and she said, "Well, why don't you take an hour and go get those kills!"
So I did. It often helps to log into Eve at a weird time where fewer people know me and run off. Although I am always surprised at the names of players still logged in from 6-8hrs earlier, for the most part players at this time had little interaction with me inside the game. And I could tell right away it was going to be a good night. Pretty much immediately I ran into a Merlin that didn't run away from me. Turns out his Merlin was rather fancy fitted, with T2 rigs and a green armor plate. Took longer than expected and he hung in there and gave me a good fight. His buddy in the Punisher was also there, so this was a 2v1, but I just kept switching the web from one ship to another and eventually the Punisher also exploded.
Then in Abune I found a Kestrel and a Punisher together and once I slid I discovered they were fighting each other. So I pointed the Punisher and then killed the Kestrel, I figured the Punisher already had him pointed. Which is when the Hookbill arrived on the scene. So I overheated the guns on the Punisher to bring him down and got my web and drones on the HB. Which is when the Tormentor arrived. So I repeated the steps from before, but this time I was careful to keep my web ready for the HB if needed. It wasn't. Sadly the Tormentor warped off before I could get point on it, even though it was almost ready to explode. I wanted it warp towards the Oin gate and reloaded my ammo before warping off.
I jumped into Oin and for some reason the Tormentor was just sitting on the gate at about 26k off. Not moving. I did not have a limited engagement with him, not yet. So I aligned to the nearest point and popped a round of ammo into him and warped off. Now I had a limited timer with him and could freely shoot him on the gate. I warped back at 20k and took the last of those ships (and the entire system of Abune at that time) down. And that was, as it turned out, my 12,000th kill in Eve.
Look I know there are pilots out there with more kills. And that's great. I also know that I am a sometimes an extremely casual player and that this journey is a very personal one. Mostly, for me, it is about tenacity and determination. And not giving up. So yeah, it means something. We all play a different game inside of Eve and your own journey is just as valid as anyone else's. And so is mine. Always remember that, no matter what you do inside the game - as long as you are enjoying it - that is all that really matters.
For me, my next goal is to extend the difference between wins and losses to 10,000+. Right now I need 893 more kills to make that happen, but obviously it'll be more eventually because I do explode from time to time.
It means nothing. It means something. It is just another step on the journey.
PS: I'll be away all week so this will be my last post until next weekend. Have a great week and enjoy Eve without me in it for a few days. :)