You come home after a long day of roaming and spot a Battlecruiser ratting in a belt. What happens next says a lot about how you play Eve Online. And there are as many responses to this situation as there are players in our game. Some players might report the intel in channels. Some might get "eyes" on the target. Some might ignore it. Others might get a few friends together to deal with it. For me, there is only one response. I dock up and grab the exact same ship he's flying. Or, as close to it as I have on hand. That's as close as I can get to a "good fight" opportunity that I can offer.
Trust me, I don't have to do that. In fact, it might be better for me if I grab something overwhelming and crush him immediately. Because I have zero intel. This BC in the belt could be bait for a larger gang in a nearby system, the tip of the spear to a roaming gang. The "ratting" could easily be a ruse. It happens. We do it ourselves sometimes. Or, and I've seen this many times, he could have a cloaked friend next to him in the belt. I've lost ships to those myself. I could name a dozen more scenarios that would not end well for me. And only one scenario that does end well for me. And I choose that one. Because that is who I am.
When I attack someone in-game I know very little about my target. Depending on the scenario at hand, I might literally know nothing except the ship they are flying. I have to rely on my own experience, knowledge, and street-smarts to help guide my decisions. And many times, my initial determinations turn out to be wrong. And when I get it wrong someone dies. Me, my wingman, or my friends in fleet. That's how Player Versus Player combat works.
There are people in this game that do not understand this basic principle. And they will jump all over you for "killing younglings". I get the "why me?" convo several times a week. Or the comment on a video. Or a reply to a social media post. Somewhere, every few days, I get yelled at for playing the game. I find this incredibly weird. Eve isn't a new game. It has been around for over two decades now, very little of its mechanics are not well known.
And just so we are clear, I do not get "pleasure" from killing a young player. But I only know this after our fight. Not before. Age has less meaning inside of Eve than it did when the game started. People can swipe their characters now and progress quickly. Veterans hang on to alts, train alts for specific tasks (like being bait, for one example), and a characters age means very little these days. Very often I don't know who the target is ahead of time. In a system with multiple players it can be impossible to know who the ship is inside a plex or in a belt ahead of time. Until we fight.
And lastly, sometimes I lose. Every so often a younger player actually fits their ship in a way that counters what I brought to the fight. The other day I lost a close fight because the other guy brought two webs and no scram, while I brought one web and a scram. That was the only real difference in our fits. It happens. It's rare, but it does happen.
Way back when I first started the pirate life it was frowned upon to kill Noobs. And we actively tried to avoid it. Over the years this stance has evolved due to changing circumstances. Now we try to engage with them after a fight and offer advice, tips, and encouragement. But these days everything in space, in LOW SECURITY space I might add, is a valid target. Everything can kill you. We can't afford to take things at face value. Destroy first, apologize later.
But let's be clear. This is criminal space, you get a warning when you enter. At the end of the day if you are in space you are a valid target. And if you are in low-sec you should know you are being hunted. You might not know it yet. But you are. And you can't hide behind excuses. Because their aren't any. We all paid our dues, we were all young players once, and now it is your turn.
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Here is an actual in-game convo I had recently with a young player:
Harala Inkunens > For what?
Harala Inkunens > Is killing a rookie a good fight for you?
Harala Inkunens > realy?
Rixx Javix > It can be, sadly this was not one
Harala Inkunens > Yes, you are very strong, kill a week player on a cheap ship (
Rixx Javix > I kill all players, no idea you are rookie
Harala Inkunens > Dumb game with very strange players =\
Rixx Javix > do you think I carry an encylopedia around?
Rixx Javix > ship alone, attack
Rixx Javix > thats what I do
Harala Inkunens > Hope you enjoyed this EXCITING and GORGEOUS battle =\
Rixx Javix > I did
Rixx Javix > I even recorded it'
Harala Inkunens > If this is an exciting fight for this game, I shouldn't make money on omega. It will only get worse further =\
Rixx Javix > Omega is awesome. This game is awesome
Rixx Javix > I've been playing 18 yrs
Harala Inkunens > 18??? lol oO
Rixx Javix > Dude you have no idea
Rixx Javix > Use your google
Harala Inkunens > I came into this game from Google)
Rixx Javix > great and I wish you well
Rixx Javix > would you like me to compensate your loss?
Harala Inkunens > But so far all I see is the murder of newcomers for pleasure) Even without being a participant in the war
Rixx Javix > "pleasure" is a bit strong
Rixx Javix > This is my job, I'ma Pirate
Harala Inkunens > No, compensation is not needed, the ship is very cheap, and I learned how to sell LP. Thanks
Rixx Javix > I'm -10, you should have seen me coming
Rixx Javix > Look its a hard game and maybe not for you
Rixx Javix > But it is amazing if you give it a chance
Rixx Javix > And stop taking everything personal
Rixx Javix > Every death is a chance to learn something
Rixx Javix > Ive died 3,614 times
Rixx Javix > oops 3,615
Rixx Javix > anyway I must go kill other ships now
Harala Inkunens > I heard that this game is very unfriendly to beginners, that it has a large entry threshold. Now I understand why
Rixx Javix > Yeah it ain't easy
Rixx Javix > But it is also very rewarding
Rixx Javix > Good luck to you
Harala Inkunens > thanks
Harala Inkunens > your to
Rixx Javix > you just had bad luck today, to run into me
Rixx Javix > o7