Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/eve-evolved-losing-yourself-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/eve-evolved-losing-yourself-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/eve-evolved-losing-yourself-in-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Of all the things EVE Online has to offer, exploration is perhaps its most attractive lure. With around 7500 solar systems to visit and seven years of history enshrined amongst them, EVE offers players a very real and tangible universe to explore. There's something inherently attractive about getting lost in the depths of space and being absorbed into the stories woven around those thousands of little points of light on the map. While the official storyline of most MMOs can be seen all across their respective worlds, the sandbox nature of EVE adds significant player-determined influences to the usual developer-created storyline. In the colossal sandbox of New Eden, key battles and events have drenched areas of the game in a player-made lore that's ripe for discovery.

In the past, several players have capitalised on EVE's potential for exploration in order to craft for themselves a truly unique gameplay experience. In 2006, a new player by the name of Innominate Nightmare went on a roaming tour of EVE's lawless nullsec regions. In his travels, he talked with the locals and reported on daily events as they unfolded. The intrepid explorer soon discovered a New Eden fraught with war but at the same time bonded by it. Every space station and alliance-claimed system held stories of the blood spilled over its liberation, the good times pilots had together there, and the monumental efforts alliances had undertaken to carve a home for themselves out of the void.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I immerse myself in some of EVE's most unique exploration experiences and look at how you can become lost in New Eden's awesome sights and stories.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Losing yourself in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>back-storyccpccp-eveccp-gamescloakCOSMOScovert-opseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeve-travelexplorationexplorerfeaturedliving-historylorelost-in-spacemark726nyphurplayer-created-contentplayer-developmentSun, 06 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/eve-evolved-a-sneak-peak-at-eve-gate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/eve-evolved-a-sneak-peak-at-eve-gate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/eve-evolved-a-sneak-peak-at-eve-gate/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Some time ago, CCP announced their unusual plans to develop their own EVE Online social networking website. Their plan was to tie it into the game, giving players a site they could visit to stay in touch with their EVE contacts and corporation while not logged in. It was expected to be ready by Winter 2009 but never materialised when the Dominion expansion was released. Now named EVE Gate, the website has been rescheduled for the upcoming Tyrannis expansion on May 18th. Recently, CCP released an early alpha version of the EVE Gate website and have begun the slow process of adding features and working out bugs. Some of the features are not active and the site is not yet tied into the active EVE server. Nevertheless, the current alpha build shows what we can expect from the site when it launches.

In this article, I give a run-down of what features we can expect from EVE Gate at launch and what we can expect from it in future iterations.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate

MassivelyEVE Evolved: A sneak peak at EVE Gate originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alphaapplicationsappsccpccp-eveccp-gamescosmosdevelopmentefteveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-fitting-tooleve-gateeve-mmorpgeve-onlineevehqevemonfeaturedkillboardsocialsocial-networkingSocialNetworkingspacebooktyranniswebsiteSun, 11 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online's next expansion revealed: Explore planets in Tyrannis]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/eve-onlines-next-expansion-revealed-explore-planets-in-tyranni/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/eve-onlines-next-expansion-revealed-explore-planets-in-tyranni/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/eve-onlines-next-expansion-revealed-explore-planets-in-tyranni/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It's been known since the last EVE Online Fanfest that the next expansion would be based around planetary interaction, but details on exactly what that interaction would constitute have been thin on the ground. In a bumper devblog today, EVE's Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson gave a first glimpse of what we can expect this summer. Following the graphical overhaul planets received in the Dominion expansion, the next expansion is set to place them in a functional role. The expansion, aptly named "Tyrannis" after the Latin for "Tyrants," will put the fates of New Eden's populated planets in the hands of pod-pilots. Players will be able to survey planets and build planet-bound industrial infrastructures to tap into previously unobtainable resources such as minerals. Planets with harsh environments such as gas giants and plasma planets will be harder to manage infrastructure on but the rewards could be well worth the effort.

Continue reading EVE Online's next expansion revealed: Explore planets in Tyrannis

MassivelyEVE Online's next expansion revealed: Explore planets in Tyrannis originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingccpccp-eveccp-gamescosmosdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-gateeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsmmofpsnew-edennewssci-fityrannistyrantsFri, 19 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GameX 2009: Mobile EVE Online app, codenamed NeoCom, and IM program in development]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-mobile-eve-online-app-codenamed-neocom-and-im-prog/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-mobile-eve-online-app-codenamed-neocom-and-im-prog/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/27/gamex-2009-mobile-eve-online-app-codenamed-neocom-and-im-prog/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

During their presentation at GameX 2009 on agile game development, Nathan Richardsson and Adalsteinn "Alli" Óttarsson revealed the slide above, showing EVE Online's many facets and how they all tie into one another. But what's this down in the corner? A mobile application and a instant messaging client?

While information was scarce, we were able to confirm that CCP is certainly interested in the mobile market, especially with EVE. Neocom is planned to be a multi-mobile platform project, going beyond the iPhone to add "interaction with EVE Online in a meaningful way."

The plan seems to be to extend EVE across multiple locations to give players the ability to access all sorts of information from places outside of the game. It was mentioned that Neocom could do things like use corporation chat, check and change trades, and introduce other methods of two way interaction.

Later in the day, we'll be putting up our video interview with Alli Óttarsson and Nathan Richardsson on a variety of topics, Neocom included. Check back for more exclusive coverage of GameX 2009!

MassivelyGameX 2009: Mobile EVE Online app, codenamed NeoCom, and IM program in development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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COSMOS is the social network for EVE Online slated to arrive with this winter's Dominion expansion, which CCP Games describes as "EVE away from EVE". Ultimately, it's a way to extend the game experience into new platforms such as web and mobile, along with voice integration -- but this is the long-term plan. In the short term, they've announced a delay with rolling out some of the previously mentioned features when Dominion launches. The initial release will focus on the new in-game mail system being tied into COSMOS and laying the groundwork for other features to come in early 2010.

EVE Online developer CCP Caedmon explained the reasons behind this delay: "We think that this delay for the web application is the right move because we have always had our sights set on the long game for COSMOS. The first release, while crammed with good stuff, was always intended to lay the basis for the ground-breaking innovations to come. Rushing COSMOS out with less polish didn't make sense in this context, we want to impress from day one."

Continue reading EVE social network COSMOS roadmap revealed, some features delayed

MassivelyEVE social network COSMOS roadmap revealed, some features delayed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>calendarccp-caedmoncontactscosmosdev-blogdev-blogsdominioneve-onlineexpansionsfacebookfeaturesmailsci-fisocial-networksocial-networkingMon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[AGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/agdc09-eves-nathan-richardsson-on-the-dominion-expansion-and-b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/agdc09-eves-nathan-richardsson-on-the-dominion-expansion-and-b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/agdc09-eves-nathan-richardsson-on-the-dominion-expansion-and-b/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,


Massively was on the ground at the Game Developers Conference 2009 in Austin this week, and had a chance to sit down with Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson, Executive Producer of EVE Online. We discussed EVE's winter expansion, Dominion, and the new dimensions to the sci-fi MMO's setting that CCP Games hopes to introduce. We also learned a bit more about the company's plans to expand EVE into other platforms, namely through the COSMOS social network which will tie in with the game from Dominion onward.

Continue reading AGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond

MassivelyAGDC09: EVE's Nathan Richardsson on the Dominion expansion and beyond originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agdc-2009capital-shipsccp-gamesconsolescosmosdominiondust-514eve-onlineexpansionsfeaturedgame-mechanicsinterviewsiphonemassively-interviewsmmo-industrymobilenathan-richardssonoveurpen-and-papersandboxsci-fisocial-networkingsovereigntywhite-wolfSat, 19 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online announces Dominion expansion, 'Walking in Stations' renamed Incarna]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/eve-online-announces-dominion-expansion-walking-in-stations-r/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/eve-online-announces-dominion-expansion-walking-in-stations-r/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/eve-online-announces-dominion-expansion-walking-in-stations-r/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


CCP Games has announced their 11th free expansion for EVE Online, called "Dominion." As the name suggests, the winter expansion focuses on territories and player control over them. We're told that the Dominion expansion focuses on conquering and holding space, and will feature a reworking of the sovereignty system of territorial control for player alliances. We don't have any further details on the sovereignty revamp yet, but according to CCP the changes have been made with subscriber feedback in mind, particularly through the player-elected Council of Stellar Management.

Given that CCP Games is tying more of EVE Online's gameplay into the planets of the New Eden galaxy, the next step they're taking with the Trinity graphics engine is to add more detail to these planets (and presumably moons).

Continue reading EVE Online announces Dominion expansion, 'Walking in Stations' renamed Incarna

MassivelyEVE Online announces Dominion expansion, 'Walking in Stations' renamed Incarna originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alliancesambulationbreakingccp-gamescosmoscouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdominiondust-514epic-mission-arcseve-fanfest-2009eve-onlineexpansionsgame-mechanicsguildsnew-edennovelpiracypiratesplanetssci-fisovereigntythe-burning-lifetrinitywalking-in-stationsMon, 31 Aug 2009 16:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Can it be? New in game web browser arriving for EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/can-it-be-new-in-game-web-browser-arriving-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/can-it-be-new-in-game-web-browser-arriving-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/14/can-it-be-new-in-game-web-browser-arriving-for-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The developers at CCP Games just dropped some good news about the new in-game web browser (IGB) for EVE Online they've been working on, codenamed "Moondoggie", one that will deliver a "tenfold performance boost" over what exists today. We've checked CNN and BBC, and even Fox News, but hell is not freezing over... pigs are not in flight. The long-awaited new browser is on the way.

EVE Online players have been screaming about wanting a revamped in-game browser since well before Massively was even born, particularly as so many useful third-party sites function as in-game utilities for players to use without the need to alt-tab out. Of course, despite the frustrations players have felt with the IGB, delivering a better one is no simple matter. CCP Games has periodically stated that it's something they're looking into or working on, but today's dev blog written by CCP Pleognost, "The Second Coming of Moondoggie", confirms the details of the project. And that it's close to being ready.

Continue reading Can it be? New in game web browser arriving for EVE Online

MassivelyCan it be? New in game web browser arriving for EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccp-gamesccp-pleognostcosmosdev-blogdev-blogseveeve-onlineforumsigbin-game-browsermoondoggienew-featuressci-fisingularitysocial-networksocial-networkingtest-serverthird-party-applicationsweb-applicationsFri, 14 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video interview focuses on emergent gameplay in EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/video-interview-focuses-on-emergent-gameplay-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/video-interview-focuses-on-emergent-gameplay-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/13/video-interview-focuses-on-emergent-gameplay-in-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Part of what's so interesting about video games, and MMOs specifically, is that players often do things the game designers never envisioned. This is especially the case with a sandbox MMO like EVE Online where the developers provide a setting and the players establish their own virtual society of sorts. The topic of emergent gameplay in EVE came up in a recent video interview from the Nordic Game Conference, where our friend Petter Mårtensson from Gamereactor spoke with CCP Games Executive Producer Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson.

Their conversation touches upon what the players are doing with wormhole exploration (with around 2500 uncharted solar systems) and CCP's excitement when player alliances clash and create their own stories of conflict. The interview also covers Walking in Stations (avatars), the COSMOS social network that will tie in with EVE, and the company's intent to alter 0.0 space with more tools to build empires and more incentives to get people out there into these lawless regions. Stick with us for a video embed of the Gamereactor interview with CCP's Nathan Richardsson.

Continue reading Video interview focuses on emergent gameplay in EVE Online

MassivelyVideo interview focuses on emergent gameplay in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccp-gamescosmosdustdust-514eveeve-onlinegamereactorgdc-europeinterviewsnathan-richardssonnordic-game-conferenceoveurpetter-martenssonsci-fisenior-producersocial-networksocial-networkingvideowalking-in-stationsworld-of-darknessThu, 13 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online social network 'COSMOS' coming with Winter expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eve-online-social-network-cosmos-coming-with-winter-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eve-online-social-network-cosmos-coming-with-winter-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eve-online-social-network-cosmos-coming-with-winter-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The EVE Online developers have released the first solid bit of info regarding the game's Winter expansion, which will include a social network called COSMOS. Unfortunately, the as-yet-unnamed Winter expansion won't bring Walking in Stations (3D avatars), to the best of our knowledge. Any announcement of the next expansion's features is still a long way off, but a dev blog from EVE developer CCP Caedmon focuses on COSMOS and what it will bring to the game.

COSMOS will debut with a limited feature set, with more added to the platform over time. However, if CCP Games can deliver on what Caedmon mentions, it should go down well with the playerbase since these features will be tied in with the game.

Continue reading EVE Online social network 'COSMOS' coming with Winter expansion

MassivelyEVE Online social network 'COSMOS' coming with Winter expansion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the first two parts of this guide on mission-running in EVE Online, I explained the basics of mission-running and went on to give a race-by-race breakdown of the most popular mission-running ships. In this final instalment of the EVE Evolved mission-running guide, I dig up my top five tips and tricks for improving your standings, mission-running speed and general mission income in EVE.

Tip #1 - Gaining faction standing
As high faction standing unlocks the agents of every corp in an entire faction rather than just from one corp, faction standing gains are very desirable and often the ultimate goal of early mission-running. In addition to a few other methods discussed later in this article, faction standing gains can be had from COSMOS missions. These are special once-only missions, like quests in the standard MMO paradigm. They are given out by special agents-in-space located within EVE's COSMOS constellations, some at designated agent sites and some hidden away at moons or sites only able to be found with probes. Each of these missions counts as an important mission for the purposes of faction standing gains and their rewards can be extremely good. Using COSMOS missions, it's possible to boost your faction standings from around 4 to up to 6 or 8 in some of these areas.

Read on as I give my top five mission-running tips to maximise your income from mission-running.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Mission-running top five tips

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Mission-running top five tips originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesCOSMOSeveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturesgrindiskjoystiqfeatureslootmissionmissionsprofessionssalvagesalvagingskillsstandingsSun, 12 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[UC Irvine to compare WoW players from America, China]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/13/uc-irvine-to-compare-american-chinese-wow-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/13/uc-irvine-to-compare-american-chinese-wow-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/13/uc-irvine-to-compare-american-chinese-wow-players/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The University of California at Irvine has been granted $100,000 to study the differences between Chinese and American World of Warcraft players, according to the Orange County Register. The study will mostly focus on explaining why American players are much more likely to employ modifications such as Cosmos than Chinese players are, but project lead Bonnie Nardi made some interesting observations outside the scope of this particular endeavor.

For example, she noted that Chinese players are for some reason more likely to talk about the aesthetic appearance of the game than are Americans. Whereas American players often play with their children, parents, or siblings, Chinese players are unlikely to do that. "The older generation dislikes video games," she said, and playing with siblings is obviously rare since most Chinese of the gaming generation have none.

"The vast majority of Chinese players are not gold farmers," she said. "They're ordinary players like anyone. The media has blown that story out of all proportion. Many people think Chinese play for a job. They play for fun." Enlightening stuff. We're looking forward to seeing what else comes out of her research.

[Via Ten Ton Hammer]
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyUC Irvine to compare WoW players from America, China originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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