Personally, I adore both EV and EVO. They both have strong points, and areas where one is better than the other.
On EV's side, it is the definite classic. No EV, no EVO.
EV, for whatever reason, has a heck of a lot more quality plugs than EVO does. EVGE, Pale, Final Battle, Galatic Scourge, etc etc. In EVO's defense good plugs are way fewer in number, but the quality does make up for the lack of quantity (F-25, Frozen Heart/Femme Fatale). Unfortunately, I have a feeling that EVO will never equal EV in the number of great plugs made. EV's been around a lot longer, and with the release of Nova and its superb engine and the awesome R&R; editors that will make plug-making a breeze from what I've heard, only a fool wouldn't want to make his dream plug with that. The one possibility I see is that if EVO is ported/enhanced to work with Nova, additions to the galaxy could be done that way. However, again, with Nova's universe there's probably next to nobody who would want to do a huge project in EVO's "old" galaxy when there's Nova to play around with (I could very well be wrong, however). That being said though, expanding EVO's plotlines massively under Nova's epic engine has the potential to be EXTREMELY cool in its own right. If done well, such a thing could be legendary and truly great. If no one else does it, perhaps I'll take on the task myself one day.
By itself, EV's galaxy and scenario are pretty simplistic. Its the classic Rebels vs. Evil Confederation conflict, very similar to Star Wars in some regards. I don't agree with David Arthur about the good vs. good assertion; I tend to believe that Matt Burch built the EV universe with favorable tendencies toward the Rebellion, and goes slightly out of its way to cast the Feds in a tyrannical light (see game opening, where you are introduced to the galaxy for the first time). Its a very simple plot with only a little depth to the plotline; you either take sides with the Rebels or the Confeds, go through that set, and then there's little else to do. The Independent/Pirate areas are limited to basic militia defense and easy smuggling missions, and not a lot is made out of the obvious trade wars between ConEx, Starbound Shipping, Astex, etc. Therefore EV depends majorly on plug-ins to keep people busy....which has worked very well.
In contrast EVO's Galaxy is a lot larger, with several plotlines that are a bit deeper than what you get in EV. At the same time the galaxy becomes a bit more "serious." EV was full of slight little spoofs, funny gags, and the sort. (Zaphod beeblebrox from Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, the ads you see in the holovid, and so on). EVO's tone isn't as light as EV's....its like EV and yet different, which is why people tend to think that EVO isn't as "EVish" is it could or should be. For the life of me I don't know why, but it feels different to fly around in EVO than it does in EV. Very strange.
Personally, I like Override's stock scenario a lot more than EV's. The downside is that there aren't as many expansions to it as there is for EV, which I think is really a shame. If you look hard you can really see a lot of possibilites that could be exploited in EVO, but which are not. No one has followed up the Zachit's escapades, developed a string for the ST Gades, or expanded on the NPD breakthrough (save for F-25, which is related). Worst of all, not a soul has tried to resolve the strand wars or explain the cryptic mysteries and purpose of the Council. Despite all of this and the fact that the engine is better than EV's, Override's possibilites simply have not been exploited as well as they could have been. Maybe in the future....but maybe not.
Ships, graphics, etc. I have to give the nod to EVO here. EV's Kestrel and Rebel Cruiser are nice, but EVO's are better done. IMHO, there's no comparison between EV's simplex Confed Cruiser/Frigate with those little blue dots on the wings and the rendition of the UE Cruiser. I don't know, I just think Override as the slight edge here.
I will acknowledge one major pain about Override's galaxy: the fact that depending on the ship you have, if you stray out of the area of space you got it from its impossible to re-arm your ship without taking a long trip. This can get very tedious. EVO's technology is way more diverse, but that special technology is only available in select places. EV's technology is way more centralized; you can get almost anything anywhere (except for the proton turret, which unbelievably is only available on Earth). That is one advantage of EV having a simpler galaxy. I personally reduce this hassle of EVO's by using a fast-jumping ship or using the lightningJump plugin, but its still a pain. You can't have everything though, and aside from this I like Override's galaxy quite a bit.
So, to summarize my thoughts:
Initinal plot: EVO wins
Galaxy/technology etc: EVO wins
Plug-ins/expanded scenarios: EV wins
Graphics: EVO wins
Convenience/user-friendly simplicity: EV
Funny value (EVish jokes, etc): EV wins
Engine: EVO wins (even if it isn't much exploited, the possibilities are there)
Conclusion: Quite frankly, I still play EV and EVO. I find value in them both. With no disrespect to the original, I'm going to say EVO is better, ever so slightly for the reason that I find Override's scenario and story to be a lot more intriguing to me. EV, however, is not to be missed. If there's anyone out there who's played only Override, play EV as well. You are missing some great things if you don't.
UEC
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(This message has been edited by UE Crusader (edited 05-29-2001).)