Happy New Year!

I am, as you may know, a first time Blogger.

I feel that has perhaps led to a back to front approach. I thought therefore that perhaps I should dedicate some time to explaining who I am (in game) and a little about how I've come to where I am in the very short time that I've been roaming in New Eden.

Zraltori was 'born' on 15 September 2010. Not long ago. He's my first foot in New Eden having come from WoW. I moved over having decided to try EvE after hearing about it on 'The Instance' - a WoW related Podcast (an excellent one at that!)

What was to be a brief 'look see' turned into something else though when I saw just how intricate and absorbing the world of New Eden is. Something else which attracted me was the seeming intelligence and friendly nature of everyone I met. I initially thought I'd been lucky but to be fair all my subsequent meetings have been with similarly amicable, articulate and welcoming people.

Of course me being me I immediately went on the hunt for EvE related podcasts. I immediately found two which gripped me. A huge shout out to 'Lost in Eve' (LiE) and 'Fly Reckless'. If you've not listened then get over to iTunes and try them out. You won't be disappointed. A 'new' arrival from Blackhuey is 'Srs Bzns' again on iTunes and an excellent show. The information I gained from listening to these guys (who really know their onions) has added exponentially to my enjoyment of the game. I'll go into that later.

So - first day... everyone remember it? I know I do. I felt like the king of the world as I cautiously piloted my Tormentor (Amarr through and through!) into the 'roid field and lit up my Civilian Miner I. Zrrrrp..... Zrrrrp..... Zrrrrp - Ha! I thought, this will make me rich in a flash! Just settling down to fill my woeful cargo space I noticed another ship warp onto the field. It was slightly bigger than me and was labelled 'Hulk'. As I watched, three powerful beams of light crashed into the rocks around me. They didn't blink on and off like mine but shone brilliant as they sliced through the stars. Even then I knew I wanted one. Then, to make matters worse, five mining drones also went to work just as an Orca landed in support. I decided then and there that as soon as I could possibly manage it - that would be me. I was bitten. Yes, that's right, bitten by mining!

So, earlier I mentioned how listening to LiE framed my future? A few weeks after beginning to play I was listening to the show when mention was made of a corp known as 'Eve University'. I decided to look it up. The next post will explain a little about the Uni and how I consider it to be the best thing that could have happened to me in New Eden. The reasons for this are plenty but suffice it to say that, for me, Eve is a social experience and from the off the couple of Corps I'd tried had been less than active. I was tired of a silent chat channel and wanted something different. I got what I was after in spoonfulls...