The gameplay is totally open-ended, and there are no rules. It's pretty much player versus player all the time, and everyone and everything can be attacked from the get-go. You can play with a group of friends and start a corporation or be loner, working for yourself and your own personal gain. Now you might be wondering about whether the PVP concept will suck for newbies. Do not worry, for CCP has you covered. Each "zone" system has a security rating, with a 1.0 being the safest you can hope for. If you are attacked by other players in a 1.0 system, which are patrolled by NPC space forces, the cops will be on the attacker like a cheap suit. The space forces won't stop harassing them until they leave for a system with a lower security rating, work to repair their rating, are destroyed, or simply make a new character. Speaking of characters, you can have a total of three different ones, which frankly, are too many. Once you start a character, the Eve universe is so large and inviting that you will never be left with nothing to do, and you won't want to start another character.