1. Is there some kind of 3rd party UI modifier or setting to adjust the scale of the UI - I'm thinking similar to the WOW scale UI setting. The text is so small, I realise you can alter the text size of the chat windows and the text width slightly but it doesn't really do the job.
Lower the res is the only option. CCP don't let anything hook into or modify the client in any way so you're stuck with what you've got. I've never had an issue though, the game is mroe about the mechanics and less about the graphics.
2. Its such a steep learning curve having never played the game before, is there some decent links that explain the essential stuff, or even a quick start guide - the official EVE site seems to waffle a fair bit.
Join a player corp fast, as its been said previously the ability to ask questions of experienced players is vital. This game is so complex, with the time based training system, very complex crafting and resource collection systems, even the missioning system is more than some people can cope with. There are guides for everything, google "eve new player guide" and start reading, then you can start reading guides getting into the nitty grittys of each area:
- Training
- Mining / Refining
- Missioning
- Fitting a ship
- How to fly PVP
- How to start a corp and make ISK
- Tech I, II, and III construction
- Wormholes
- Scams
- Trading
- Soverignty System
- Player owned Starbases
and the list goes on.
Good place to start:
http://www.massively.com/2009/01/19/massivelys-eve-online-new-player-guide/
3. Is it truly a 'sandbox' game? i.e when you've done all the starter bits do you have to start grouping with people etc etc, I know there is no level cap but there must come a point when you need to just do one thing repeatively to improve.
There is no true "grind" in eve, doing actions do not give you EXP, its all time based, the longer you play the better you become. This annoys some people and empowers others, the longer you play eve the more bragging rights you have and the less people want to take you on in a fight.
The only "grind" is making money, which can be a slow process at the start.
You have 3 real ways of making money.
- Mining and Crafting (Mine mins, build stuff, sell it)
- Killing NPC pirates (Money paid in bounties for each kill + for collecting loot and salvage when you sell it on)
- Playing the market (Buy cheap, freighter somewhere else, and sell for more)
If you want to get ISK fast you need to band into corporations, if everyone mines, shares the mins, shares blueprints, runs missions together etc you can get rich pretty quick, but beware that you have to be careful who you trust. Theivery and scams run rife in eve and are well within the game rules. And even to become a fully established miner / crafter / missioner can take months from the start of play due to the time based skill progression.
Also if you plan to fly PVP solo, you have a bigger pair than I, and it rarely works out at the start. Fleet battles form the main part of eve combat, its rarely 1v1, people usually have friends in fleets backing them up, its usually 20+v1, but can get seriously fun in a large alliance when its 300v300.
The true sandbox lies in 2 places, the market which is completely at the mercy of the players with an economy less stable than the New York Stock Exchange. And 0.0 space, which large alliances can take control of, fight for space, and wreak havok in. This is where I live, and this is why I love the game.
Eve Universe Soverignty map:
http://go-dl1.eve-files.com/media/corp/Verite/influence.png
theres plenty of isk grinding no ?