EVE Online's nominal end-game in the lawless regions of space is intensely competitive. So much so, that it can sometimes seem like all the non-sociopaths have decided to stay in high-sec. Well, null-sec is a strange place, and despite the ultra-Darwinistic nature of the place, nice guys do not necessarily finish last. Some players forget that EVE Online can be so, well, nice.

This article explores some of the ways that not being a jerk can forward your progress and increase your profit-generation as an EVE player.

#5 Courtesy Costs Nothing

EVE Online is a game for mature players. The thirteen-year-old crowd usually favors something less complex. Indeed, according to CCP, most of their players are in their mid-twenties. Somehow, that does not keep the average in-game conversation above the level of spatting teenagers.

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style="font-style: italic;">Cooperation is better than "got mine" the vast majority of the time.

For some unknowable reason, players that spend their time PvPing, in particular have a strange internet machismo, with behavior patterns that include bragging, insulting and trolling other players, and just generally being unpleasant. Especially when they blow up someone's ship, or even fleet of ships.

This is hardly unique to EVE Online's PvP-specialized populace. But what reason is there for these bad manners? What gain is achieved by trying to seem like a tough guy on the internet, aside from setting yourself up for others to lambast you for even the smallest of losses? The answer is none, and nothing.

If you are polite, respectful, and charitable, those that have dealings with you will mentally categorize you that way, and be less likely to try rubbing egg into your face when things eventually do not go as planned. It doesn't cost a thing, and you will be acting less like a thirteen year old, and more like an adult. This is both within a corporation, and without. Be gracious when others' plans backfire, and you can expect the same courtesy in return. This is especially true as a CEO or fleet commander, who can reasonably expect something to go wrong, every day, in an active and thriving corporation.

#4 Diplomacy Trumps Force Of Arms

It is critical to network and cultivate friendships. Not just on a personal level, but also on an organizational level. If your corporation's profile is high enough, and your activities lucrative enough, then eventually somebody will try to displace you, whether it is from your location or your market niche. When that happens, it is better to have the other players in your area helping you to hold the line, rather than siding with the aggressor.

With regards to PvP, having a nigh-unbeatable fleet is great, but if you do not manage your public relations and ties with other organizations, it will all be for naught. Having good force projection can even be a drawback, if it causes your neighbors to band together to try and expel you from the area. This applies equally well to high-sec, low-sec, and null-sec.

This "if you are not with us, you are against us" mentality is part and parcel of a competitive MMO game, and enemies will accrue on an organizational level despite the best intentions otherwise. So do not just make friends with groups of players that are already strong, but also try to cultivate strong allies by giving help and sheltering corporations that seem like they have a shot at eventually being a functioning peer.

Egotism in the worst quality in a diplomat, which is why CEOs generally make terrible diplomats. This is why successful corporations have an active diplomat or even team of diplomats, who work more or less full-time (within EVE) to develop and leverage friendships with other groups. It is essential, and the chief personal quality is to not be a jerk.

#3 Charity Pays For Itself

Kindness to other players is rare in EVE Online. Beggars in public corporations or local chat channels are shouted down, nine times out of ten. Requests for help with missions or game mechanics are sneered at or dismissed as attempts to lure people into a vulnerable position. And worst of all, shouting for help in local chat while under attack by pirates is probably worse than keeping silent, and is more likely to additional gankers than it is any kind of assistance. Which is why it is so special when players do any of these things. Players that go out on a limb for other players are likely to see that kindness repaid, with interest, because it is so rare.

If you give a newer player (preferably in your corporation, so that you will remain in contact with that person) some ISK or items, they will remember it for the rest of their EVE career. A couple million ISK is not so much for someone that has been around for a few months or years, but for a new player it is as if a brick of solid gold fell out of the sky. That player may be in a position to do you a good turn, sometimes down the line. Even if it takes months or years. The same goes for any other show of kindness that you make.

Nor is gratitude limited to new players. By sharing time or expertise, you can make friends with a much older player, who is then likely to reciprocate in your time of need, whenever that may be. It is also an excellent way to network: if you scout ahead for somebody that is moving expensive goods, they may be inclined to give you a bargain if you want to buy some of those goods, or on other goods at a later time. And if you save somebody's ship from pirates, forget it, you will never see a happier or more grateful player. Just like in real life, every chance encounter is an opportunity to make a friend and network. Think of every act of kindness as an investment.

#2 The Power Of Positivity

By keeping a positive outlook and encouraging others to do likewise, you strengthen your corporation in good times, and bolster it in the bad. As any player that has been on the losing end of a war or territorial struggle in null-sec can tell you, defeatism is contagious. Optimism and positive reinforcement are the best cures. When times are tough, help other players to stay in the game by accentuating the positive.

Everything is better when you are optimistic. Your successes shine brighter, and your defeats are less bitter. Negativity can be a self-reinforcing cycle in EVE Online. I find that the best way to deal vexing situations in EVE is to type it all out: I outline my goals in a text document, then list the steps needed to achieve them. When it's all there in black and white, solutions tend to make themselves apparent. In EVE Online, as in life, there are always lateral solutions available --even to the most insurmountable seeming problems.

When others complain of similar problems, be it gankers preventing ISK-generation, an inability to defeat a pirate corporation that has declared war, or what have you, there will always be people that have faced that problem before. Like the man says, there is no new thing under the sun. Use eve-search or google to try finding what others have done to deal with the problem. You would be amazed at how much information is available, out there, to fix even the most insurmountable of problems. And keep your chin up!

#1 Kindness Conquers

Loyalty and kindness to fellow members of your corporation will get you promoted more than any backstabbing or skulduggery ever will. The former makes people recognize your great talents, while the latter is more likely to fracture your corporation into obsolescence than it is to get you into the command structure of your group. Viewed from even the most realpolitik of perspectives, general popularity will elevate you faster than some tedious machiavellian scheme.

Speaking of Machiavelli, in EVE Online it is much better to be loved than to be feared. Fear will not motivate people to log in and help attain corporate goals. Fear will not make corp-members donate ISK and materials for building an outpost or capital fleet. Fear will not make a player stick around in a corporation for years at a time, when there are more friendly corporations just over yonder hill. So: in EVE Online it is far better to be loved than to be feared.

Entire careers and corporations have been made purely off of honesty or service to others, and there is no reason that you cannot do the same.


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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