EVE Online

I ask this question because I myself have tried the free trial and for one reason or another, I did not manage to finish my training properly and learn how to play, before the trial ran out.  Actually over the years, I have tried twice now, but just could not get into Eve. 

The thing is, I have always felt that if I paid more attention, and actually got through the tutorials, then a fantastic game lay in wait.  There seems to be no other game out there quite like Eve, and especially after reading some of the posts here about the on-going war, and the politics involved, I would really like to get into Eve.

My problem is that I just cannot stand tutorials in games.  If I can, I normally by-pass them, and plunge straight into the game.  I understand that this is not really an option with a game as complex as Eve.  Now please understand that I am not wishing that it was dumbed down, as I believe that part of what makes Eve so special, is the level of complexity attached to it.  I just need to buckle down, and pay more attention to get to learn the ropes.

And that is what I wish to know.  How long did it take you guys to get into Eve?  I've heard people say that after years of play they are still learning new things as they play, and that is not what I am asking.  I would like to know how long it takes to become a competent player, and also how long it takes to get absorbed into the game, and to pvp?  So there could be a couple of answers there.  After a couple of weeks of playing, at perhaps a couple of hours a day, would I be able to know most of what is going on?  Also I would like to know your experiences of when you were a newbie to Eve, or if you are currently just beginning the game, how are you finding it?

Thanks to anyone who replies.  I would like to know so that I can judge whether or not to try it again, and this time take it more seriously.  My time is limited though, so if it is aimed at mainly hardcore players, I would not be able to committ to it.

For me, it was probably a few weeks to become reasonably competent at EVE, but at the time, I was strictly a solo player.

Many people join EVE University which is a great help at overcoming the initial learning curve.  Others will join new player friendly corps that specialize in whatever area interests them.

Myself, I now belong to a PvP corp that accepts brand new players right out of the tutorial and gets them into PvP ASAP.  We have some players with characters created after Sept. 1 that got their first PvP kills last weekend.  It was great fun!

edit to add: I also have limited time due to family but I am still able to contribute to the corp killboards and participate both in solo and small gang PvP.  I've played many MMO games and I find EVE to be the most casual player friendly among them.

With little help from vet friends , for less than a 14 days i learned the basics.

over 2 years several accounts and still learning to play some role in eve

I had heard EVE had a challenging learning curve, so before I even signed up for the free trial I went out on the Interwebs and downloaded about 3 or 4  of the free new players guides (Battleclinic has a great one) along with several guides on character creation (goonswarm has a great page for this) and even some guides on common griefing tactics found in EVE.

After reading through all of them at least once I started the trial, and did the tutorial completely.

And I was good to go.  I progressed quickly forward, by the end of the tutorial I was flying cruisers and within the first month I was flying BCer's in level 3 missions.

One mistake I made was in not quickly joining a corp.  Do consider joining EVE university immediately (they take trials) and they have tons of great resources and training classes they will share with you.

I'd say, after more than two years now, i can fly all sub capitals except battleships and recons reasonably well in pvp and pve.
No, i'm not talking about skills, i'm talking about actual experience with them. I'm still missing a lot of knowledge on the industrial side, especially invention, and some small scale pvp stuff. I'm pretty good in medium fleets (yes, commanding, too), can't really deal with large ones, never commanded capitals, but i know basic fleet command stuffs and can take control of both traditional and nano fleets..

I have absolutely no idea about advanced pos things, outpost management..the list goes on..

Maybe in another two years i know a few more things about that. Maybe..

For actual piloting things..well..

Back then, when i went into 0.0, i thought i'd know how to do things. Looking back at that time, it shows me how little i knew. But i felt rather familiar with my ships and fittings after about a month i think.
(I was so wrong, though..)

I ran three trials (six weeks) before I finally understood the game mechanics and what role and race I wanted to play.

Been playing for about a year and a half now, and I'm still learning.

Figured out pretty fast that there was no point in flying a big ship that I couldn't fit worth a crap, so I stuck with frigs and cruisers. I still haven't trained Battleships for any race, I prefer the agility of smaller ships - working my way toward HACs right now.
 

When I first joined EVE I did the 14day trial and learned the basics then, however I think EVE is a game in which you nvr stop learning no matter how long you have played, theres so many diferent roles you can take and so many diferent play styles, ships, fittings, etc..

Ive been playing for almost 2 years now and Im still learning new stuff everyday.