Does race (faction? what is it called?) and bloodline actually mean anything? Are there bonuses I'm not aware of for being one of the four races? What about being, say, a Gallente character using Gallente gear...any reward for that? I'm just not really seeing any advantages or disadvantages to the different races/factions/whatever when it comes to actual gameplay...something I thought would surely be included in such a lore-based game. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that as a Gallente character I'm not limited to Gallente gear or at least penalized in some way (high prices, higher CPU usage, etc.) for using another faction's gear.

Thoughts on this? Something I'm totally missing?

Does race (faction? what is it called?) and bloodline actually mean anything? Are there bonuses I'm not aware of for being one of the four races? What about being, say, a Gallente character using Gallente gear...any reward for that? I'm just not really seeing any advantages or disadvantages to the different races/factions/whatever when it comes to actual gameplay...something I thought would surely be included in such a lore-based game. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that as a Gallente character I'm not limited to Gallente gear or at least penalized in some way (high prices, higher CPU usage, etc.) for using another faction's gear.

Thoughts on this? Something I'm totally missing?

Characer selection is just for roleplay - aestethics reasons.

What you use and how well you use it depend on the skills you invest SP in.

That being said, you can have an Amarr character with Minmatar suits using Gallente weapons.

I got a friend that's Minmatar but uses all Amarr gear. He roleplays as an Uncle Tom.

Not at all, I play it as an FPS, I take no heed of the EVE heritage or lore whatsoever.

Then it's as I suspected. I'm not complaining, I guess, but I always wonder why I spent all that time reading about the different bloodlines and how they're "technical this" and "fierce that" when I get no starting skills or anything from picking one or the other.
No worries. Plenty of other things to balance out, I'm sure, but on the other hand it seems like it might be cool to be "restricted" in that wayGÇöthough I would see it as an enhancement. Like, if I picked Amarr Amarr, I would have a little extra armor and maybe come built in with certain skills like megacorp control or dropship control or something (I know jack about the lore so that might not make any sense, but you get where I'm headed I think). I don't know, just seems like something the game lacks, almost, since that whole part of character creation is essentially worthless.

I wouldn't really want any restrictions. The thing about us is that we are Mercs. Mercs go where they want, use what they want. Same for Capsuleers.

Remember the Battle for Caldari Prime event a couple of months back where that huge ship was in the background and flaming wreckage fell from the sky. That's what lore gives you. You might want to pay attention. Also, if you read up on each race, you get little tidbits about their combat philosophy in terms of dropsuit fittings, weapon damage types, and how to make use of racial bonuses. Lore matters whether you choose to ignore it or not.

Nah, I'll just keep playing the game as normal, and I can figure out racial bonuses and so on by, reading the forums so I don't need to bother trawling through walls of text of sub-par lore that I have no interest in. The EVE Universe doesn't interest me, the idea of an FPS that plays like Dust, does.