I have been playing Eve since Beta.. and continue to do so.
The most important thing to about Eve..is 'non-consensual combat' , to clarify unlike other mmo's nowhere is safe, you can be engaged in any area of space. We have our version of 'police Npc' but they tend to turn up after the incident occurs.
Eve replaces the general grind of other mmo's with the 'time-sink'.. slight variation in that you can train up skills for ships, modules while your offline. Bear in mind however, that being able to fit a module or pilot a ship, doesn't make you actually any good.
There are varuious classes of ships in Eve, and each have pro and cons. Having a Battleship isn't any good if your attacked by smaller , nimbler ships tear you a new one . Think stone/paper/scissors as a rule of thumb in Eve.
Advice: do some missions, get your head around the general mechanics.. don't be afraid to get into pvp,sooner the better tbh.. as it is very very very enjoyable! Dont rush into the biggest baddest ship, as you will lose it, start smaller and cheaper. I am a vet of Eve and longterm Veto member (pirate corp), and the amount of new players who make the mistake of bigger is better, end up losing a fair amount.
Also, just because your a Vet with huge skill points, doesn't make you 'uber' L33t , because a prepared few month old player can still take you out just by having knowledge of the basics.
Furthermore, specialise, specialise SPECIALISE!!!...that is the way with proffesions in Eve, find your playstyle and focus on getting there.. pick a goal and head towards it..No point being able to pilot all the cruiser class ships in game, when you cant manage to fit the ship to it's optimal ability.
Bear in mind Eve is a slow-burner..I assure you that you won't see all there is to see within 6 months of playing.
You gain a sense of loss when you lose your ship and all your modules (items) are taken as loot by the winner.
I heartily recommend Eve University, they are a corporation that teaches you pvp combat, they will show you the ropes in combat. Eve subtly forces you to play with other, and even though I miss my solo days in my Vindicator, the group ethic really shows through .
Eve kinda filters out new players within the first 6 months...If your after instant gratification I would suggest Jumpgate Evolution as Eve won't be for you.
It's complex dark, occasionaly mature.. but hugely satisfying.
On a final note, it's only hard because it requires you think about what your doing...you need a certain amount of maturity to play.. it'll never be as easy say WoW or WAR or GW..( although new player experience has helped with this) but it does have a good bunch of like-minded fairly twisted community, who will rip you apart and generally discuss with you what you did wrong, and give you pointers.
Oh and even after all this time.. It is the most beauitiful game to look at.. epically beautiful!!
See you in space.. and remember If I catch you, and ransom..It's always honoured by our corp.. SO PAY THE MAN!!
