Blogger Profiles #8 - Hallan Turrek

One of the things I enjoy about Hallan's blog is that he's a pirate - and a Star Trek fan. Just like me!  (Picard is the best captain, but DS9 is the best show!)  And I love reading the blogs of other pirates, 'cause you can learn from them as to how they engage in piracy. Whether you're a pirate too, or you want to avoid pirates, there's always something to learn.  Please enjoy.

PS. Don't forget to send me YOUR profile if you haven't already. The questions to answer are here. I look forward to hearing from you!

What is your character's name or handle?

I play by the name Hallan Turrek.

What is your blog's URL?

http://amerrylifeandashortone.blogspot.com/

How long have you been blogging?

Almost two and a half months ago. Never really been into blogging before that. I started blogging when I started pirating.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?

I range from Metropolis to Heimatar. If I want to play solo, I'll hang out in Eifer/Gusandall. If I want to do group piracy, I'll hang out closer to Evati.

When did you start playing EVE?

July of his year.

What do you enjoy about EVE?

The pure expansive universe. The ability to do anything you want. PVP is alot of fun, but I like the fact that should I choose, I can just go shoot rocks all day. Just flying is inspirational to me.

What is your playstyle?

You might have to ask my corpmates about that. I've been told I'm a bit crazy or reckless. "Hard on my ships." I have 120 fits and 80 something rifters, most of which are in one station that I base out of. I like to use my ships like ammo. Alot of people will never realize this, but there is actual utility in a fleet situation to losing your ship. Almost none of what you accomplish couldn't be done better by keeping the ship, mind you, but then again you might not risk it in something tougher but more expensive. 

I like to distract people, I like to get people out of formation and looting my wrecks. Sic those ECM drones on me cause I was first in, forget the Hurricane. As I've said in my blog before, it's something of a motto for me: "It ain't suicide if you live." Oh, and more importantly, I kill things. I like the image for the gunslinger in the eve personality test, but a little secret: It pegged me as a carebear.

Do you play any other games?

Not much. I used to play Nationstates as Douria. I'm pretty sure my nation's gone now, but the resolutions I passed are still in effect. 

What do you blog about, and why?

I blog about my piracy and some short stories. I recently did a new feature called Karaoke Corner, where I rewrite lyrics to songs in a comedic eve related way. Why do I do any of it? It's fun, I get to flex my writing muscles and more importantly I get to refine my writing style.

What are your other interests?

Politics. Economics. As much as they can be interests for me. I'm a rather educated un-educated fellah, at least I like to thinks so. I really enjoy astrophysics, quantum physics and science in general. 

I'm a huge fan of sci-fi, Star Trek and Star Wars more than others. I'm not a trekkie or whatever you'd call a star wars fanatic, but I don't forget much about anything so you could probably peg me as one if I went off on a tangent as to how whinyness seems to run in the Skywalker family or why Sisko was the best captain. Actually lets not.

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?

Do something crazy. Stop caring about whatever it is you hold dear and just go. Get a cheap ship and try some different things. Don't plan it, don't scheme, just do whatever you want. That's the beauty of the game, you can do whatever you want. Don't let artificial restraints hold you down, there's enough of that in the real world. Or you could join The Bastards. We're always having fun.

Anything else to offer?

For December I'm doing a marathon of 31 posts in 31 days, I hope to bring in traffic with that, but who knows. I'm trying to get installed into the eve blog pack as well, and I'd like your votes for that. One more thing: Happy Holidays.

Blogger Profiles #7 - Selenalore

I'm running short of Blogger Profiles, so I need your help. Please answer the questions here and then send them to me if you're an Eve Blogger, and not in the Eve Blog Pack. Thanks!

Today we have the lovely Selenalore! She's a carebear, but one of the nicest carebears I've met. (Anyone who's not into pvp is a carebear in my book ;) Please enjoy reading her profile.

What is your character's name or handle?

Selenalore (Michigan)

What is your blog's URL?

http://ralphadogs.wordpress.com - this is our corporation blog, and I've got one myself but I HARDLY EVER use it. I post mostly on The Ralpha Dog's Blog.

How long have you been blogging?

Since about October, and I'm really new at it. Not been doing it as long as Erbo has.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?

I hang mostly in the Metropolis, the only time I even venture out past this point is if I go with Erbo, only to guard his ass if he gets into an encounter. :)

We also got offices scattered all over the galaxy of Eve. More than I can count. Hehe

When did you start playing EVE?

August, so I'm still a baby IN a way :), but yet I was flying battle cruisers within a month :) That makes me sound like I've been playing it a long time, but nope :) hehe :)

What do you enjoy about EVE?

I enjoy everything that is about EVE, and it is a breath of fresh air from all the other things I do game wise :)

As Erbo says, "I LOVE to KILL", and I can be a menace if I wanted to, but I'm not going that far.

Erbo, the man in my life, is the hauler of our corp, I'm the security or guard dog (bitch) of the corp, while Lexx and Petros are like the miners, while with Kit and Zan, they both mine and haul, but kit also likes to do missions and Zan does with him from time to time.

I enjoy the missions that Erbo and I do, and if I really have to while training and waiting for him to come home from work during the week, I'll get on EVE and mine some, but I usually just get on to change training when my one training is done. EVE has a lot of possiblities that will be even more fun as they expand and grow.

What is your playstyle?

You know that's kind of strange, the EVE personality poll also called me an "Industrialist with teeth" also.

Yet I don't know if I'm the industrial type, now Erbo yes, but me, I'm more of the teeth I guess, I bite and don't let go until I'm satisfied. HEHE :)=

I might be in the carebear area, but lets put it this way, you fuck with me and the ralpha dogs and you'll find our bite far worse then our bark and will regret it. We fight when we need to and in missions, but as for actually fighting, it only happens when someone decides to steal or more from us and then it goes down. Our ships might be get destroyed in the process or the perpatrators, but we'll have the pleasure of showing that we are carebear with very sharp claws and teeth.

Do you play any other games?

Yes I do. I meet Erbo through Second Life(SL), and had been there for over a year, and all went well with us as you can tell :). I also play Pirates of the Caribbean Online(POTC) and I'm a sea bitch on a ship and at battles at sea, as well as killing bitch on land, I guess you can say it has helped me transition to being a space bitch that loves to kill :).

I also play the 360 as well as my birthday gift that Erbo got me recently over the weekend last week. That gift was a playstation 2, and I've got a number of games with it from golf to bullriding :). Yes I love playing the bull cause I get to buck off the cowboys and then run them over as well as the clowns or bullfighters before I go back to my pen in the back :).

I also play Shaiya from time to time but not to often, but that is also what got me into being a killer :) and loving to kill :). LMAO and before that, I use to be on Runescape :). So I've played a number of online games that has given me my lust for killing online :).

What do you blog about, and why?

I mostly from time to time blog on the Ralpha's webpage, and it usually deals with what we have been doing on EVE, with the missions and the mining and such. As Erbo says, it's still a new website and still needs to be worked on more, but we will eventually be up there with the other bloggers. :)

What are your other interests?

Well lets see, I love reading romance novels, watching movies, listening to music, play online, which is the one thing I do lots of. I also enjoy reading poems, going out to commune with nature, as in fishing and swimming and such, but that might take a lil while here since I just recently moved to Denver and winter is fast approaching us. I also enjoying playing my PS2 and just cuddle and snuggle with Erbo.

If I had a job and was working, I'd be working with data processing and word processing, since that is what I'm trained in real life, and from time to time, I'll have the need to write some stories or some poetry, but mostly it's to stay home and relax. Oh yeah and one other thing, Erbo doesn't always do the cooking, I do my share as well at times, umm when I feel like it *laughs to herself*.

Anyways there is a lot more I enjoy that would take forever to write about. :)

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?

Umm as for this, all I can say is, don't give up, and keep going forward, hell everyone loses ships and such, but eventually you'll learn how to fly and protect yourself and get out when you know you've been beaten, but don't let that lower your head, just hold that head high, or as I say here pod high, and keep going forward and tell yourself, I'll get things right soon enough and I'll be back and when I come back I'll eventually blow you to space dust like you did me and when I do, I'll have the last laugh.

Also, just be strong and enjoy the game, cause geeze people it's only a game and not RL.

Anything else to offer?

Hmm...anything else aye....well lets see.....Not Really, just be safe and have fun and enjoy Eve and as well as RL. Sending shout outs to our friends and family out there on Eve and out in RL. :) Enjoy your time you are on EVE and let the good times roll and the bad ones will soon be limited to only a few :).

Blogger Profiles #6 - Erbo Evans

Erbo Evans is the latest of our Blogger Profiles for you to enjoy. He and his partner Selenalore spend a lot of their time running missions, doing their bit to save Empire space from those rat pirates! (Between you and me, I'm hoping Selenalore will send her profile in soon too...)

What is your character's name or handle?
Erbo Evans.

What is your blog's URL?
http://ralphadogs.wordpress.com: this is our corporation blog, the other two authors of which are LexxEva and Selenalore.

How long have you been blogging?
On the Ralpha Dogs blog, since the beginning of October. Blogging as a whole, for somewhat over 2 years.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?
We're primarily in Metropolis and Heimatar, with some jaunts into Sinq Laison and other nearby empire regions.

When did you start playing EVE?
April of this year; I was introduced to EVE by a friend who had been playing it for a couple of years before that.

What do you enjoy about EVE?
Mainly the limitless possibilities of the environment. I feel like it may take me years to thoroughly explore the potential in here. My girlfriend (who plays as "Selenalore") likes to kill. :-) I can do with some of the pew pew action, but I also like figuring out how to make money through manufacturing and marketing, and I've also been doing scout operations on lowsec regions, which will hopefully allow us to start working those regions, eventually.

Also, the depth of the backstory is amazing for this game. It all hangs together at least as well as Star Trek or Babylon 5 does.

What is your playstyle?
The EVE personality poll called me an "industrialist with teeth." Generally, in the Ralpha Dogs, we mine, we build stuff, and we run missions. (Selenalore and I run a LOT of missions together.) We don't PvP or pirate people, but we will fight back when attacked. And we don't engage in smacktalk; as the saying goes, "Loose lips sink ships!" If that puts us on the "carebear" end of the scale, then so be it. Whether we go farther than that in the future is basically up to Lexx, who runs the corp.

Do you play any other games?
I'm in Second Life, and have been for around 2 1/2 years (see also my SL blog, http://evansavenue.wordpress.com). In fact, I used my SL name to name my EVE character. :-) I also have other PC games, and Xbox game consoles (both an original and a 360). The last other PC games I enjoyed recently were Hellgate: London and Portal. On the consoles, I've played Halo 2 fairly extensively, and a scattering of others.

What do you blog about, and why?
Since the Ralpha Dogs' blog is still new, it kind of needs to settle down and find its "legs," as it were. In terms of intent, I plan to talk about various aspects of the corp and of EVE as a whole. Certain posts on the blog are written in "storyline" mode to chronicle some of our adventures in the world; Selena has shown something of a knack for writing those.

What are your other interests?
I'm a programmer by trade, and fairly well versed in aspects of virtual communities. I'm also a fan of science fiction. And I'm developing more of a talent for cooking these days, since Selena generally has me fixing dinner. :-)

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?
This is a complicated game; one of the most complicated I've ever seen. It's a little like learning to fly a 747. But you CAN make sense of it all, eventually. Selenalore only started a couple of months ago, and now she's totally hooked. If she can do it, so can you.

Also, it helps to be in a good corporation. We're trying to make ourselves into a good corporation, for just that reason.

Anything else to offer?
Shout-outs to Lexx, Selena, and my other fellow corp members, to our friends in the Hauling Hogs, to Slif and Valandriana over in Chilled Solutions who helped us get our start in EVE, and, to our patron saint, Jeff Duntemann (http://www.duntemann.com), author of The Cunning Blood, the science-fiction novel from where we get our name and many of our titles and traditions. Fly safe, everyone, and clear skies to you!

Blogger profiles #5 - Pegleg Punk

Thank you to those who are sending me their Blogger Profiles, I really appreciate it. If you haven't sent me yours yet, please fill out the questions here and send it back to me.

Here's the latest profile from Pegleg Punk. He hasn't updated his blog in a couple of weeks, but I'm looking forward to his next lot of posts!

What is your character's name or handle?
Pegleg Punk

What is your blog's URL?
http://peglegpunk.blogspot.com/

How long have you been blogging?
Since May 2008.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?
Classified (My blog readers have a pretty good idea).

When did you start playing EVE?
The first time I climbed into a pod was a little over two years ago.

What do you enjoy about EVE?
I enjoy EVE because New Eden is shaped by the game's subscribers. EVE offers a sandbox environ that I was not accustomed to in previous MMOs'. This non-linear universe provides players with boundless and unique oppurtunities and game experiences. The fact that citizens of New Eden may lie, cheat and swindle their fellow citizens (within game mechanics) reinforces a player's ability to affect the landscape of New Eden. This makes EVE very refreshing to me.

What is your playstyle?
I enjoy PVP. Some would classify me as a griefer by the means that I engage, or initiate pvp. I prefer to think that what I do is create player driven content for citizens of New Eden. I may irritate any number of pod pilots, but none will argue that I don't create a measure of excitement to an otherwise bland or boring aspect of EVE.

Do you play any other games?
Yes, although I have played a number of MMOs in the past, EVE is the only MMO I am currently subscribed to. I recently finished Star Wars: The Force Unleashed- and loved it! Generally, I am not a fan of console games, but Unleashed kicked ass. I have played Spore and really enjoyed the ability to make and share critters. I recently started playing Sins of a Solar Empire. Sins has proved to be a fun game, but I will admit that had I read CrazyKinux' blog entry about Homeworld, I would have chosen HW over Sins. I am waiting in anticipation for CoD 5 World At War and Fallout 3.

What do you blog about, and why?
I blog about my alter-ego's experiences in New Eden. One day I had a particularly harrowing experience with a fellow pod-pilot, while doing what it is that I do. It was such that when I posted the killmail on Battleclinic.com, I included a descriptive forum post, in-character, describing events that led up to my opponent losing his ship. That post was greeted with such a positive reception from forum readers, that I began translating my in game experiences as quasi-stories told in the character of my alter-ego, Pegleg Punk. I enjoy interacting with the EVE community in this manner. Some of my experiences deserve to be shared with others- they are just that damned funny.

What are your other interests?
Friends, family and athletics: I enjoy a great run every morning…New words- one can never have too many words at their disposal.

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?

• Do something new. If your current activities are growing stale, perhaps it is time to try a different aspect of the game. There are so many different activities to discover and participate in to keep a pod-pilot engaged for years.
• Express yourself, artistically: Write about the game. Draw, paint or animate about the game. Create music inspired by the game. Player driven content fuels EVE in a very unique way, which in turn inspires fellow subscribers to similar forms of self-expression. This is obvious by the number of active EVE bloggers.
• Flip a bitch! No, not that Amarrian tart that gyrates her hips at the Clap Trap. I mean try an activity opposite of what you normally do while inhabiting New Eden.

Anything else to offer?
Save Darfur.

Blogger profiles #4 - Geaux Tiger

I'm really pleased by the response I've got from people who have been happy to send me their profile. If you would like to send me yours too, please fill out the questions here and send it back to me. I really would love to hear from you, and so many other bloggers and Eve Online players would love to know more about you.

Here's the latest from Geaux Tiger. I really like his blog. Even though he says he's not into roleplaying in the game, his posts are certainly flavoured that way, which makes it such an enjoyable story.

What is your character's name or handle?

Geaux Tiger is my main character. Varnoka is another character which sometimes helps Geaux Tiger out. Not sure if she is my character or not.

What is your blog's URL?

http://tigersspacejourneys.blogspot.com/

How long have you been blogging?

Five weeks I believe. It started with my ascension to the noble occupation of Pirate.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?

Essence is my current region of activity with jaunts into Verge Vendor, Sinq Laison, and the FW regions of Placid and Black Rise.

When did you start playing EVE?

*Thinks back* I believe it was 6 months ago maybe. Not sure and I’m too lazy right now to check.

Why do you enjoy about EVE?

Tough question here. The freedom is probably the thing I like the most. Coming from a RPGMMO background, the whole space ship thing was intriguing to me. Then finding out that nothing is restricted to you play wise I fell in love with EVE instantly. Being able to not only PvE and delve into the industrial side of things, but also being able to concentrate on PvP, exploration, and 0.0 politics are the types of things you just don’t find in other games. Everything is player driven, for the most part, and this only works to add to the sense of accomplishment in whatever you choose to spend your time on while playing.

What is your playstyle?

A bit of an open ended question here; I guess you would label me as a pvper. Though to be honest, I started the game as a carebear initially. I have never been much of a pvper in any game I have played. EVE, with all its freedoms, allows players to change playstyles easily if they wish. Now I am a dedicated pirate and don’t see myself changing from that anytime soon. The EVE personality test labeled me as a “Gunslinger”, go figure.

Do you play any other games?

Currently, no I do not play any other online games. I choose to run multiple accounts on EVE instead. Warhammer looks intriguing, but with the current implementation of it I’m waiting a while before starting an account. Offline games I enjoy occasionally are D2 (yes its ancient but still a blast), Titan Quest, Oblivion, and Crysis.

What do you blog about, and why?

I choose to blog about my pirating adventures from an incharacter point of view. This allows me a chance to work on my fiction writing skills, though that has been lacking lately. I like to think of it as a starting point for a possible future novella or maybe even a full blown book. I know I have a lot to learn about writing fiction, but it has always been a dream of mine. This explains why many of my post are “walls of text” as others would put it. I plan to occasionally have out of character commentary on various aspects of EVE once I gain a little more experience playing the game.

What are your other interests?

Currently my 15 month old child takes up most of my time. I’m a stay at home Dad, but currently looking for a job. If anyone needs an out of work researcher/historian let me know. Just kidding there. *shakes his head no* Yes I am. *shakes his head no again.* Other than that I enjoy rockclimbing, backpacking, fishing, hunting, playing rugby, watching American college football, and Renfest.

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?

Newer players just have to find an aspect of the game they enjoy. There are plenty of guides and information out there to help you along your way. Older players that are becoming unmotivated may just need to take a slight break from the game. Everyone gets burned out sometime. I personally found what keeps me motivated is trying new things, even if it is something I think I’ll hate doing. You just never know.

Anything else to offer?

Just that I enjoy reading just about anyone’s blog or stories. They all give me ideas for directions in which to take my own character and writing. Keep up the good work guys.

Blogger profiles #3 - Gigaer

One of the things I enjoy about getting to know people in real life is how everyone has a story. I'm enjoying the same thing with these Blogger Profiles; everyone has a story, and I'm really enjoying reading the stories that bloggers tell. Here's the latest blogger to honour us with his stories.

What is your character's name or handle?
Gigaer (primary) and Howlynn (alt), but my online handle is PsycheDiver.

What is your blog's URL?
psychediver.blogspot.com

How long have you been blogging?
About 5 years, on and off. I had a livejournal account in college and tried to blog on IGN after that. The problem with IGN is that the community is really only about video games and I want to write about more than that. My weekly comic book reviews (that I put a lot of work into) went unnoticed.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?
Metropolis (Hakeri for mission work, though I may be making a second home for lvl.3 missions) and Curse (CL-85V, which is where my corp usually hangs).

When did you start playing EVE?
I had an account back around 2005 (I think) and was part of the ACSN's "Training" corp, which ended up being a scam to rip off noobs and I got kicked from the corp when I started asking questions, which got me depressed and I quit because of it. Luckily ACSN went down soon after so I was actually quite lucky... and happy. I started a new account after making sure I was fully prepared for the intricate nature of EVE and have been playing for almost 9 months now.

What do you enjoy about EVE?
Complex gameplay, deep story, originality. It's the most hardcore game ever and I enjoy the challenge. Plus it's the coolest place to RP!

What is your playstyle?
My primary is combat-focused, either PvP or PvE. My alt is a miner/refiner/etc... that I'll be handing over to the wife when everything is set.

Do you play any other games?
Plenty of 360 games in the RPG, action, adventure and FPS genres. Getting a PS3 soon. The only PC game I play right now is EVE, but I might get Spore after I do some upgrades. Games I'm playing currently (or will in the near future) are Gears of War 2, Team Fortress 2, Penny Arcade Adventures ep.2, Mass Effect 2, Too Human, Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII (and all its variants), etc... (Don't know if I want Fable 2, and I hope to pick up Rainbow 6 Vegas 2, Ninja Gaiden 2 and a few fighting games when they drop in price).

What do you blog about, and why?
Games, anime, comics, TV, movies, RL, politics, novels, writing, etc... I blog about these things because they are the foundation of my life. I write about everything about me because I feel the purpose of having a blog is to connect with people on a personal level. If I wanted to just keep a journal of my thoughts for myself I wouldn't bother publishing it for others to see. I also make a real effort to comment on other blogs when I can because I think others see blogs in the same way and communication between bloggers is half the fun!

What are your other interests?
Everything above and more.

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?
If you can't stay motivated in such a deep game, EVE is not the place for you. Go back to WoW you noob. EVE is a complex game with a complex community, some of whom rely on you for one reason or another, so if you're going to go offline for a few weeks, let people know. If you need to go AFK for longer than you're subscribed for, then I don't think you should expect to progress for free, and so I'm happy that ghost-training is gone.

Blogger profiles #2 - Jenni Concarnadine

Thank you to our second blogger for submitting their profile! I really like Jenni's style. 'Cute' comes to mind, and I really love cute.

What is your character's name or handle?
Jenni Concarnadine

What is your blog's URL?
http://jconcarnadine.blogspot.com/

How long have you been blogging?
On EVE, a month. Generally, about 3 years

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?

Heimatar and Metropolis

When did you start playing EVE?
About a year and a half ago

Why do you enjoy about EVE?
The open-ness -- you can, within reason, try anything

What is your playstyle?
carebear

Do you play any other games?
Not at present

What do you blog about, and why?
Life, I suppose

What are your other interests?
Reading, writing, sundry TV shows

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?
Have goals, short, medium and long term, and be flexible with them

Anything else to offer?
Not really -- I haven't enough experience.

Blogger profiles #1 - Eve Chick

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm doing profiles of all the OTHER bloggers that aren't in CK's Blog Pack, so that we can get to know just about EVERYONE who blogs! Well, everyone that honours us with their profile, of course.

If you're a blogger, please contact me so that we can organise your profile too!

The very first to honour us is the Eve Chick! What a great person she is for starting the ball rolling, and she seems like a great person just in general! Here's her profile...

What is your character's name or handle?

Anyka Celeste is my play-nice alt and Gankis Khan is my yarring main!

What is your blog's URL?

www.evechick.com

How long have you been blogging?

I've had several false starts (unrelated to EVE), and I don't think they count, so about *gasp* three weeks.

What region of EVE do you mostly operate in?

We (Ken, my husband, and our RL cronies) hang out in the Citadel Strip. There are lots of pirates there who squish us and so show us how to better fit our ships.

When did you start playing EVE?

We started about a year ago.

What do you enjoy about EVE?

I love how everything is player-driven: the market, the politics, the whole shebang!

What is your playstyle?

Well, according to the EVE Personality Test, I am an "industrialist with teeth." However, I am currently trying on the pirate shoes to see how they fit.

Do you play any other games?

I play Warhammer Online (come to Wolfenburg and be Order with me!) and console games with my kids. They love the PS2, GameCube, etc. but aren't allowed to play the new stuff unless a grown up is around, so I've been getting a lot of Rock Band and Fable 2 in. :)

What do you blog about, and why?

I blog about whatever comes to mind, though it's mostly been EVE. My husband ran into Mynxee one fateful EVE night and through her I found out about the world of EVEblogs. I wasn't sure anyone I didn't know would read it but I thought it would be fun for our friends.

What are your other interests?

I love to read. Lots of people say they love to read but I read all the time. I read the backs of cereal boxes and milk cartons at breakfast and I take books in the bathtub and read for hours. Reading's such a habit that I read things even before I mean to, and end up spoiling a movie or something for myself. :P I also hang out with my kids a bunch (Kenny, 7 and Robert, 11). They're totally fun and we have a blast! I also am hooked on lots of the realityish shows. Not really the Survivor kinds but totally the highbrow ones like "A Baby Story," "What Not To Wear," and "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."

What advice do you have for EVE players who are struggling to stay motivated?

It DOES get better. At first, the learning curve is pretty steep and it seems like you'll never be able to beat those missions or fit your ship right or catch up to those people who've been training for years before you. But if you can hold out, you'll find your place and EVE will make your heart race and your palms sweat and you'll forget about any other games while you're playing it. Unless you're all about the PvE... I don't know how that turns out. ;)