Massively

EVE Evolved: Setting the universe on fire

Brendan Drain — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

This week CCP Games announced the name and focus of EVE Online's upcoming summer expansion. The Inferno expansion aims to re-invigorate PvP with some long overdue gameplay changes. CONCORD-sanctioned wars will be iterated on for the first time in half a decade, and faction warfare will hopefully be getting the updates it should have received in 2008. Following on from the success of the Crucible expansion with its hundreds of small features and gameplay changes, Inferno will also contain dozens of small gameplay changes, usability fixes, and minor improvements.

We'll hear more about DUST 514 in the coming months as CCP reveals more concrete details of the game's link to EVE Online and the motivations behind planet-bound wars. Incarna fans will apparently also see some movement, with Team Avatar focusing on avatar-based updates for this release. While Inferno is a rather uninspired name and coincidentally would make three of the last four expansions start with the word "in," the expansion's content is genuinely exciting. Fundamental changes are coming to EVE's PvP mechanics for the first time in several years. CCP hasn't revealed the exact changes, but that hasn't stopped players from speculating on what might be heading their way.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I speculate on the changes coming in the upcoming Inferno expansion and what changes I think might be coming to EVE's PvP.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Setting the universe on fire

EVE Evolved: Setting the universe on fire originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dominus reveals its bounty hunting mechanics

Jef Reahard — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items

We're not sure what it is about bounty hunters that makes them cooler than cool, but there's no denying the appeal of a profession that characters like Boba Fett, John Marston, and Rick Deckard call their own.

Dominus is hoping to capture some of that badassery in a bottle via its bounty hunting system, and a new update on the game's official website has all the details. In a nutshell, players are able to place bounties on four of their enemies at a time, and the only other consideration is the amount of money you're willing to put toward your revenge.

Hunting a bounty involves accepting a contract via an NPC, and you'll be alerted as to your target's zone location if he's online. After you make the kill, you'll be paid on the spot, and any other players who accepted the same bounty contract will find it removed from their mission log. There's more, but you'll need to head to the Dominus website to read it.

Dominus reveals its bounty hunting mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE's Council of Stellar Management chairman interviewed

James Egan — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Interviews

One of the things that sets EVE Online apart from most other MMOs running is its Council of Stellar Management (CSM) -- player-elected representatives who work with developer CCP to improve the game. Garret Fuller at MMORPG.com recently sat down for an interview with CSM Chairman Dierdra Vaal (coincidentally a man with fine taste in ships) to discuss player input on EVE Online and how the CSM helps to make this happen.

Although his comments do not confirm what's on the way in future EVE Online expansions, Vaal also discusses an interesting expansion concept CCP Games is knocking around. Vaal tells MMORPG.com: "It's basically a big expansion idea focusing on low sec and gameplay on the wrong side of the law. I feel this could tie in quite well with my proposal for a new bounty hunter system. Overall, low sec may be the most neglected part of the game [...] and I think it would be great if it got the attention and bits of unique gameplay it deserves."

Beyond this idea of better supporting underworld gameplay in the future, Vaal explains how EVE Online is evolving into a more complex environment, namely through avatar interaction in Incarna, and social networking in New Eden (formerly "COSMOS").

Have a look at the MMORPG.com interview with Dierdra Vaal for more on how the CSM functions and what the council does for EVE Online's playerbase.

EVE's Council of Stellar Management chairman interviewed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Empyrean Age details revealed in EVE developer chat

James Egan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics

MMORPG.com invited a few of the EVE Online staff from CCP Games to participate in a live developer chat this past Sunday. MMORPG.com was kind enough to provide a complete log of the chat, which was hosted by their own Community Manager, Laura 'Taera' Genender. Among the EVE Online devs present were CCP Greyscale (game designer/factional warfare), CCP Ginger (ISD manager/storyline), t0nyG (lead writer), and CCP Wrangler (community manager).

The developer chat was primarily focused on the changes that The Empyrean Age and its factional warfare will bring, but the CCP staff addressed a number of other issues and concerns as well:

Continue reading Empyrean Age details revealed in EVE developer chat

Empyrean Age details revealed in EVE developer chat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments