Eve On line - Pirates
Eve On line - Pirates, games 1:46 π.μ.EVE Online's Community Manager CCP Wrangler once said that "EVE isn't designed to just look like a cold, dark and harsh world; it's designed to be a cold, dark and harsh world." That sentiment sums up the core philosophy behind the game, which permits such nefarious gameplay styles as thief, smuggler, scam-artist, pirate and market manipulator. Underhanded deals go on every day in EVE, with bounty hunters hired to ruin someone's day and spies tearing corporations apart from within. Many are drawn to EVE because it's one of the few MMOs that allows players to embrace their darker side. The opportunity to be a real villain in a sandbox universe can be intoxicating.
Perhaps more intoxicating is the notion that the presence of tangible villains affords players a rare opportunity to play the role of hero. For every pirate gang lurking at a stargate in low security space, there's an anti-pirate squad somewhere planning an attack. For every thief ready to empty their corporation's hangers, there's a security specialist weeding out spies. The true outlaws of EVE are people who have earned their infamy through acts of ruthlessness in their chosen field.
Over the years, we've interviewed and examined some of EVE's most notorious outlaws. In this article, I look back at four of EVE's most wanted, how they earned their infamy, and what they're doing today.
Verone -- King of the pirates
Verone takes a very active approach to piracy, preferring to roam through an area and search for targets rather than camp a stargate to prey on traffic. During my time in the Gallente Milita, our fleets ran into Verone and his buddies on multiple occasions. Few encounters ended in our favour, as they pulled off complex fleet tactics with ease. Verone prides himself on being able to turn anyone into an effective part of his pirate team. Through the Veto Academy, new recruits are selected for a six-month Veto training programme. Recruitment only opens once or twice per year, and competition is fierce among pilots who to be part of the Veto crew. Most recently, Verone put his combat experience to good use as a guest commentator on EVE's eighth alliance tournament.
Miz Cenuij -- Confidence scammer
Not content to simply own a mothership, Miz used it to perpetrate an incredible series of confidence scams. As motherships were unable to dock at a station, players had to trade them by meeting in space and transferring the ship manually. Miz's Nyx was "sold" several times, but never actually changed hands. Each time it was sold, the excited buyer was convinced to hand over some or all of the money in advance. Before long, Miz had enough ISK to buy a titan and "sold" it several times too. If there's a way to convince someone to hand over piles of ISK, you can be sure Miz Cenuij has done it a dozen times. He was last seen selling titan blueprints on the forum and causing less of a stir than he used to.
Mynxee -- Pirate queen and ruthless diplomat
Today, Mynxee is most well-known for her role as the chairwoman of this year's Council of Stellar Management. Putting her notoriety to good use, she campaigned to join the CSM on a platform of reforms to low-security space and criminality. The same brash qualities that made Mynxee a good pirate have served her well on the council. Not afraid to give CCP a piece of her mind, she spoke out about the council's treatment during the CSM summit and helped us interview several council members on the recent community backlash to CCP.
Istvaan Shogaatsu -- Corporate infiltrator
The story of Istvaan's successful heist has made the rounds on popular gaming blogs over the years as one of the most uniquely criminal events in MMO history. The story even made it into a huge feature in PC Gamer magazine. Years after the event, Istvaan and his corp are still well known for their famous theft. Today, he can still be found waist-deep in EVE's criminal underworld. Although he's made a lot of enemies over the years, he appears to have mostly escaped vengeance. He's stolen enough ISK to pay for his EVE subscription with PLEX for years to come, but still spends his time plotting and scheming to steal more.
Summary
Few games afford players the opportunity to accrue true infamy without breaking the rules. In EVE's sandbox universe, players are free to do as they wish and create their own story. Whether you want to be an agent infiltrating an enemy corporation or a hero heading the fight against piracy in your region, it's all made possible by the self-determinism that goes hand-in-hand with EVE Online.
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