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: Preparing for the Inferno expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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The Inferno expansion is set to launch on Tuesday May 22nd, promising a complete revamp of EVE Online's war declaration system and a whole host of new modules. If you're in a wardec corp, you'll need to make a few adjustments to the way you operate when the patch goes live. The minimum war fee will increase to 50 million ISK even if you're declaring war on a small corporation, making very small corps less-appealing targets. The fee increases based on the number of members in the target corp, but it doesn't start increasing until around the 130-member mark. If you want to get your money's worth, you'll be best off picking a target corp with 100-150 members or selecting very high-value small targets.

Be very wary of wardeccing large alliances after the patch. While the previous war system swung in favour of the attacker, the new system has gone to the opposite extreme. Large corps and alliances are now significantly more costly and dangerous to declare war on, especially as the defender can now call mercenaries into the war at any time. Players have complained that the increasing war costs could be abused by getting all alliance members to add alts to the corp, but this would be a logistical nightmare to apply in practice and would increase fees by only a few hundred million ISK. If alt padding becomes a problem, CCP will undoubtedly step in and revise the fee structure.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new modules and gameplay changes coming in Tuesday's Inferno expansion and give some tips on preparing for the patch.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ancillaryarchaeologybhaalgornblobblobbingblueprintblueprintsccpccp-gamesdominixeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineexpansionexplorationfeaturedfleetganghackinginfernolabsmagnetometricmagsheathneutraliserpvpradarresearchsandboxsci-fishield-boostershield-tankingtanktankingtech-1tech-2wormholeSun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Risk vs. reward in lowsec]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/eve-evolved-risk-vs-reward-in-lowsec/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/eve-evolved-risk-vs-reward-in-lowsec/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/eve-evolved-risk-vs-reward-in-lowsec/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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In EVE Online's early years, one of its core design philosophies was adherence to a strict risk vs. reward balance scheme. There were riches out there to be found, but to get them, you had to put yourself in the firing line. Police ships patrolled high-security space to keep players safe from piracy, but the only resources available there were low-bounty frigate NPCs and inexpensive ores like Veldspar, Scordite and Omber. In the lawless far-reaches of nullsec, huge NPC bounties and rare ores containing Megacyte and Zydrine tempted hundreds of pilots to head out and make their fortunes.

Nullsec offered absolutely no protection against player attacks, and the only safety to be found was in sheer military force. The biggest and best corporations hoarded these gold mines for themselves, locking down the few entrances into the regions and patrolling the skies for unwanted visitors. Low-security space offered a middle-ground between these two extremes, a place where the everyday pilot could enjoy increased income and pirates were easier to spot. At some time in the past nine years, lowsec lost its place in the game and became simply not worth the effort. But how did that happen, and what can be done to fix it?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why lowsec systems are now ghost towns and suggest an alternative design philosophy that I think could revitalise these under-used areas.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Risk vs. reward in lowsec

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Risk vs. reward in lowsec originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balanceblast-miningbooster-manufacturingboostersccpccp-gamesconcordcriminalcriminalitydrug-manufacturingdrugseveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedhighsecillegallowsecmission-runningmissionsnullsecopinionrewardriskrisk-vs-rewardsandboxsci-fismugglersmugglingSun, 13 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Nine years of EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/eve-evolved-nine-years-of-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/eve-evolved-nine-years-of-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/eve-evolved-nine-years-of-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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Last week I celebrated the fourth anniversary of the EVE Evolved column with a competition to win one of two 30-day pilot's licenses. Congratulations to winners Dong Yi and Atrameides Denard, whose prizes have been contracted in-game. Today EVE Online itself turns nine years old, and so this week's EVE Evolved column takes a look back at the top EVE stories of the year. It's been a rollercoaster of a year for CCP, with the infamous monoclegate scandal hitting subscriptions hard during the summer and only recently starting to recover.

The drama kicked off as the much-touted Incarna expansion drew close and CCP revealed that it would contain no multiplayer elements and would introduce a microtransaction store for vanity items. Players didn't seem to mind the cash shop as long as it contained only vanity items, and CCP had previously promised that microtransactions would be limited to those types of items. When the Incarna expansion finally launched and players got a first-hand look at the cash shop, however, it became apparent that something was fundamentally wrong.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the top EVE stories of the year, from the incredible videos and scams to the story of how CCP brought EVE Online back from the brink of disaster.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Nine years of EVE Online

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Nine years of EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversarybirthdayccpccp-gamesconsolecrucibledustdust-514eveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfpsincarnainfernommofpsnine-yearnine-year-oldnine-yearsplaystationplaystation-3ps3sandboxsci-fishooterSun, 06 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Four years of EVE Evolved]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/eve-evolved-four-years-of-eve-evolved/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/eve-evolved-four-years-of-eve-evolved/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/eve-evolved-four-years-of-eve-evolved/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
On April 27th, 2008, I joined the Massively crew and published the first edition of a new weekly column dedicated to the world of EVE Online. It's hard to believe that the EVE Evolved column is now four years old, spanning nine major expansions and predating CCP Games' transformation into an industry giant with three games in development. Since the column's first crude scribbling about shuttles, I've written over 200 in-depth articles, guides, stories, and opinion pieces. With its free expansions and iterative updates, EVE is a rapidly changing game that provides a constant supply of things to write about.

To celebrate the fourth anniversary of the column, I'm giving away two 30-day Pilot's License EXtensions to two lucky readers. To enter the competition, leave a comment stating which EVE Evolved article from this year is your favourite, and why it's your favorite, and what topic you'd like to see covered in the coming year. You will need an active EVE account to claim the prize, so be sure to include a character name with your comment if you want to be able to win a prize. If you're not comfortable with giving out your character name, use an alternate character or sign up a new trial account. The winners' names will be revealed in next week's column.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at some of the highlights from the column's fourth year.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Four years of EVE Evolved

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Four years of EVE Evolved originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversaryapocryphaccpccp-gamescolumnconsolecontestcrucibledustdust-514eveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfour-yearfour-year-anniversaryfour-yearsfpsincarnainfernommofpsnyphurplaystationplaystation-3plexps3sandboxsci-fishooterSun, 29 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/eve-evolved-mining-returns-with-inferno/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/eve-evolved-mining-returns-with-inferno/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/22/eve-evolved-mining-returns-with-inferno/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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Inferno is right around the corner, with the Escalation to Inferno patch due to hit in two days on Tuesday, April 24th. The patch prepares EVE Online for the coming PvP apocalypse with titan balance tweaks, a new interactive status effect bar, and two very important changes to the NPC drop tables: Manufacturable tech 1 modules will be removed from NPC drop tables, and Rogue Drone NPCs will have their mineral drops replaced with ISK bounties. These are changes players have been suggesting for years, and together they have the potential to bring back mining as one of the most profitable professions in EVE.

If someone asked you where all the minerals come from to build the thousands of ships destroyed in EVE on a daily basis, you might say that you assume most of it comes from mined ore. Mining was originally the biggest source of minerals in the game and one of the most profitable professions, but over the years, that's changed. When level 4 missions added an infinite source of battleship-sized NPCs to high-security space, mission-running quickly overtook mining as the most profitable profession, and bizarrely, as a very good source of minerals. When the drone regions were later released, ratting there also became a huge mineral faucet far in excess of that produced through mining.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the problems faced by mining as a source of minerals and speculate on what will happen to mining as a profession when the Inferno expansion hits.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesescalationescalation-to-infernoeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedhulkindustrialindustryinfernologisticsmineralsminersminingnullsecopinionorerorqualsandboxsci-fizydrineSun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Fixing the wardec system]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/eve-evolved-fixing-the-wardec-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/eve-evolved-fixing-the-wardec-system/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/15/eve-evolved-fixing-the-wardec-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

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EVE Online's new Inferno expansion is almost here, bringing with it a massive PvP revamp. CCP will try to resurrect the dead faction warfare system, and new modules will be introduced to significantly shake up the PvP landscape for the first time in several years. The war declaration system is also getting a complete overhaul, with the goal of forcing the aggressor to commit to the war and making wars more structured and meaningful. Unfortunately, the implementation described at Fanfest doesn't look like it will achieve that and doesn't fix any of the system's other problems.

The attacking corp can no longer stop a war mid-week, and the defender can hire mercenaries to join his war, but this doesn't add any risk for the attacking corp and doesn't force it to commit. The attacker can always stop paying the war bill, and the war will then finish at the end of the week. As most empire wardecs are initiated by small shell corps full of PvP alts, the attacking players won't mind logging out for a few days if the war backfires. The current war system is plagued with issues, from a complete lack of victory conditions to the fact that the attacker can pay for the war indefinitely. It allows bizarre asymmetries, like tiny alt corps declaring war on major military alliances, and offers no way for even the most militarily powerful defender to win the war.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I lay out some of the problems with EVE Online's upcoming wardec revamp and propose an alternative system that fixes them.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fixing the wardec system

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Fixing the wardec system originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Monday the story broke that EVE Online's new CSM 7 chairman The Mittani said something extremely controversial during the Fanfest alliance panel. The story rapidly spread across the major games industry blogs, and in true telephone-game-style, it got progressively more bizarre with each version. The most disheartening part of it all was the absolute deluge of comments suggesting that the EVE community is made entirely of sociopaths and griefers. If you think that EVE has a poor community, start a trial and ask random people to help you out. You'll be surprised by what I think is the friendliest and most tightly knit MMO community on the planet.

Jester's Trek wrote an article attributing part of the whole Fanfest debacle to the various different personas that The Mittani embodies. Jester described how The Mittani wears three hats: EVE spymaster and ruthless Goon leader The Mittani, CSM chairman Mittens, and the real-life person Alex. Jester asserts that these three personas clash terribly and may be incompatible and that the alliance panel talk slip-up was made from the perspective of The Mittani and not his CSM persona.

In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I drill down into some of the details of the recent drama, from the proliferation of media coverage to exactly what line was crossed.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Setting the record straight

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Setting the record straight originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blogblogsccpccp-gameseveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedgaming-mediainfernomittanisandboxsci-fithe-mittaniSun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-extra-revamping-pvp-in-inferno/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-extra-revamping-pvp-in-inferno/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-extra-revamping-pvp-in-inferno/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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When Inferno arrives on May 22nd, it will introduce a whole new wardec system, war UI improvements, and iteration on faction warfare. We'll also see a ton of new modules released over time to completely mix up how people currently fit ships for different roles. For those who started playing EVE Online after 2007, getting new modules and having to rethink all your ship setups will be a very unusual state of affairs. For older players, it signals a glorious return to the way things were before Empyrean Age expansion -- players will have to learn to adapt to a constantly changing PvP landscape or stagnate and die.

The only people immune to wardecs will still be those in NPC corps, and all current loopholes like EVE University's infamous decshield will be removed. The number of wars the target corp is fighting will no longer be factored into the war cost, but the base cost is rising to 20 million and an additional 500,000 ISK will be added for every active member in the target corp. The number of wars the aggressor is fighting will still factor into cost, so you can sort of do a reverse-decshield by having alt corps wardec the target and waiting a week for his bill to recur. There are flaws with the system as presented, but those may have been at addressed at the roundtable, which was not streamed.

In this special EVE Evolved Extra edition, I delve into the information revealed at Fanfest on revamping PvP as presented at those talks that were streamed live.

Continue reading EVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno

MassivelyEVE Evolved Extra: Revamping PvP in Inferno originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesconsoledustdust-514eveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfpsinfernommofpsopinionplaystationplaystation-3ps3pvpsandboxsci-fishooterwarwardecSun, 25 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-new-info-from-fanfest-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-new-info-from-fanfest-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/eve-evolved-new-info-from-fanfest-2012/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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The annual EVE Online Fanfest is starting to become a major event in the gaming calendar, thanks to CCP's partnership with Sony and the addition of DUST 514 and World of Darkness talks to the event schedule. This year, CCP flew gaming journalists to the event to give the press hands-on time with DUST and demonstrate the game's impressive realtime integration with EVE Online. Massively, unfortunately, is not permitted to accept such travel stipends, which meant that we couldn't produce in-depth coverage and interviews as we did last year, so instead we've pieced together information from the talks that were streamed to viewers at home.

The theme of this year's Fanfest was unmistakably DUST 514 and its integration with EVE Online. Attendees got first-hand experience with DUST 514 and a free pass to enter the beta in April. There was even a live demonstration of the EVE-DUST link during which a battleship delivered an air strike directly into a DUST match in realtime. There were several talks on EVE's upcoming Inferno expansion and its PvP revamp, with details of new modules and gameplay designed to shake up the PvP landscape for the first time in several years. Players report leaving Fanfest this year with a very real sense that CCP is back on track and recovering from the aftermath of Monoclegate.

In this week's colossal EVE Evolved, I piece together some of the information from EVE Fanfest 2012 and consider what it means for EVE players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012

MassivelyEVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesccp-veritasconsolecrucibledustdust-514eveeve-evolvedeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2012eve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfanfestfanfest-2012featuredfpshilmar-peturssonincarnainfernolagmmofpsplaystationplaystation-3ps3sandboxsci-fishootertime-dilationtorfi-frans-olafssontrailertrailersvideovideosSun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Rebalancing EVE's ships]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/eve-evolved-rebalancing-eves-ships/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/eve-evolved-rebalancing-eves-ships/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/eve-evolved-rebalancing-eves-ships/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

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Recently we heard the glorious news that CCP will be overhauling EVE Online's entire roster of tech 1 ships as part of the Inferno expansion. The overhaul will start with changes to the skill requirements for destroyers and battlecruisers and culminate in the complete removal of ship tiers and the introduction of new structured ship lines. Countless new ship types have been released since EVE launched in 2003, but there has never really been a unifying design policy on ship skills and combat roles. Now, eight years down the line, adding new ships has become a struggle in avoiding making older ones obsolete. Drastic change is needed, and when the Inferno expansion hits, that's exactly what we'll get.

When a new EVE player is ready to get into something larger than a frigate, he's currently faced with the choice of training for a destroyer or skipping it and heading straight to cruisers. Similarly, players often skip from cruisers straight to slow, bulky battleships even though battlecruisers are probably the most effective ship class for new pilots. A new system is on the way this summer, one that aims to fix this problem by introducing new racial versions of the destroyer and battlecruiser skills that must be trained on the way to bigger ships. This change should make training progression much clearer for new pilots and is just the tip of the iceberg of awesome plans in the works for the summer expansion.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I examine EVE Online's upcoming ship revamp and tell you how you may be able to get free skillpoints when the patch goes live.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Rebalancing EVE's ships

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Rebalancing EVE's ships originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebalancingbattlecruiserbattlecruisersbuffccpccp-gamesdestroyerdestroyerseveeve-evolvedeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedinfernonerfopinionrebalancingsandboxsci-fiSun, 18 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/eve-evolved-csm-7-candidate-roundup/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/eve-evolved-csm-7-candidate-roundup/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/eve-evolved-csm-7-candidate-roundup/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE Online is unique among MMOs, and nowhere is this more evident than in the political struggles that take place every day in New Eden. Just this weekend, I spent long hours negotiating the surrender of a friend's wormhole starbase with an Elysian Empire diplomat, only to have his CEO overrule the decision because he wanted to get the killmail for blowing the starbase up. For EVE's more ambitious political machinists, perhaps the greatest challenge of all is to be part of the democratically elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM).

The council functions as an advisory board to CCP and a mechanism through which players can get their views and ideas across to developers. Last year's CSM was instrumental in forcing CCP's hand and making the company refocus development on EVE Online. With this year's ambitious plans to revamp all ships and forms of PvP, and DUST 514 due for a summer release, the stakes for this year's council are even higher. Voting is now underway to select the team of players who will represent the EVE playerbase to CCP for the coming year.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of this year's candidates to help you choose whom to vote for.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup

MassivelyEVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>candidateccpccp-gamescouncilcouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcsm-7csm-chairmancsm-delegatecsm-electioncsm-summitelectioneveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedopinionroundupsandboxsci-fivotevotingSun, 11 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Five scams to avoid]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/eve-evolved-five-scams-to-avoid/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/eve-evolved-five-scams-to-avoid/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/04/eve-evolved-five-scams-to-avoid/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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Anyone who's familiar with EVE Online will have heard stories of the game's criminal underworld, from devastating corporate infiltration to the daily grafting of common con artists. Most players will never perpetrate a scam, but those who do are constantly coming up with new tricks to part you from your hard-earned ISK. For every genuine smooth-talking con-artist who comes up with new schemes and socially engineers his way to a fortune, you'll find dozens of copycats who flood popular chat channels with scams they've seen perpetrated in the past.

On an average day, over 90% of the chat in Jita's local channel is people posting copycat scams, with legitimate offers completely drowned out. There may not even be anyone at the helm with these scams, as a script could easily paste the scam message every few minutes for an entire day. Not confined to Jita, these scams are often replicated across all of the game's main trade hubs and popular mission-running systems. Knowing how these scams work is the first step to protecting yourself from making an expensive and extremely embarrassing mistake.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explain the trick behind five of EVE's most common copycat scams and how to protect yourself from them.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Five scams to avoid

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Five scams to avoid originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescontractseconomicseconomyeveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedguidemarketopinionsandboxscamscamssci-fiSun, 04 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Setting the universe on fire]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/eve-evolved-setting-the-universe-on-fire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/eve-evolved-setting-the-universe-on-fire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/eve-evolved-setting-the-universe-on-fire/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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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

MassivelyEVE 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]]>apocryphabounty-hunterbounty-huntingccpccp-gamesconsolecrucibledustdust-514empyrean-ageeveeve-evolvedeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2012eve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfanfestfeaturedfirefpsgame-mechanicsincarnainfernommofpson-fireopinionplaystationplaystation-3ps3pvpsandboxsci-fishooterspeculationsummerwarwardecSun, 26 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: How to fit the Enyo and Ishkur]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/eve-evolved-how-to-fit-the-enyo-and-ishkur/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/eve-evolved-how-to-fit-the-enyo-and-ishkur/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/eve-evolved-how-to-fit-the-enyo-and-ishkur/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
When tech 2 ships were first introduced to EVE Online, the first models off the production line were interceptors and assault ships. Interceptors served as agile tacklers with unmatched speed and maneuverability, while assault ships provided a slower but tankier option. Each race's assault ship had a bonus to its racial resistances, making it an incredible tank against certain damage types. This made it great for ninja-ratting in nullsec or tackling larger ships of a particular race. When subsequently released ships were also given this racial resistance bonus, the assault frigate lost part of what made it so useful. Players have begged for an assault ship buff for years, and in Crucible, it finally arrived.

The Gallente Ishkur and Enyo have always been capable PvE ships for speed-running low-level missions or ninja-ratting in nullsec, but with Crucible, they've become absolute monsters in both PvE and PvP. With the maneuverability and signature radius of a frigate but more tank and damage output than a tech 1 cruiser, both ships are incredibly fun to fly. Drone users will probably prefer the Ishkur, but the Enyo's raw damage output and buffer tank are truly terrifying.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I offer PvE and PvP setups for the Gallente Ishkur and Enyo to help you get the most out of these incredible revamped ships.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: How to fit the Enyo and Ishkur

MassivelyEVE Evolved: How to fit the Enyo and Ishkur originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescrucibledamagedpsenyoeveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfrigateguideishkurpvepvpsandboxsci-fishipship-fittingSun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: New tools for the community]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/eve-evolved-new-tools-for-the-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/eve-evolved-new-tools-for-the-community/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/12/eve-evolved-new-tools-for-the-community/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
Earlier this week, CCP Games released a much-needed complete overhaul of the official EVE Online website. Having been in operation for nine long years, the old website had become a mismatch of marketing information aimed at new players and tools for the existing player community. The overhaul split the page into two awesome websites, with a new community site to cater to existing players and an impressive new main page to attract future players.

The main page uses HTML 5 to deliver incredible interactive views of the EVE Online galaxy and dozens of in-game ships right there on the website. The community website houses all of the news, devblogs, knowledgebase articles, fictional chronicles, and support tools that existing players use, but with a much neater layout than the old website. In web developer CCP Alice's recent In Development video, she revealed that the team would be working on new community tools following the launch of the new websites. With the community site completely de-cluttered, there's now room to incorporate a lot of the tools players want or currently use, opening up some interesting possibilities.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I discuss the new EVE Online website and community portal and speculate on awesome new community tools we might possibly see in the future.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: New tools for the community

MassivelyEVE Evolved: New tools for the community originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescorpcorporationdotlanefteveeve-evolvedeve-fitting-tooleve-onlineevemonfeaturedforumforumsgame-designguildguild-forumshtml5icscincarnamapmarketmarketingopinionsandboxsci-fitoolswebsiteSun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
In last week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I tackled the question of whether it would be possible to make EVE Online free-to-play and then devised a viable hybrid freemium business model based on other apparently successful free-to-play conversions. While this was largely a thought experiment exploring the viability of a conversion, the fact that other subscription games have made the change recently makes it more than just theoretical. The possibility that executives at CCP Games have investigated the same options makes this debate an important one to hash out in a public forum.

We've established that a free-to-play EVE could potentially be viable, but this week I'd like to take the debate one step further and ask whether EVE is actually doing the right thing with its current subscription model. Subscriptions may no longer appear to be the dominant business model in the MMO landscape, but they have some major advantages that are rapidly becoming apparent as more and more games drop their monthly fees. The sale of cosmetic enhancements will only net so much money, and if a game expands into selling convenience items that circumvent grind, there's a strong financial incentive to develop grindy gameplay and then sell shortcuts. This produces a conflict of interest between developing fun games and making money that isn't present with the subscription model.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the benefits of the subscription model, the unique position CCP is in with its PLEX system, and the hidden dangers of convenience-based microtransactions.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online title image
When EVE Online was released in 2003, the subscription model was the dominant business model for MMOs. Subscriptions have dominated Western MMOs throughout most of EVE's reign, but in the past two years we've seen the market push toward alternative models. Although the Incarna expansion controversially introduced a cash shop for cosmetic items, EVE Online has remained a subscription MMO in the face of tremendous market pressure to change. Although CCP plans to use microtransactions heavily in World of Darkness, and DUST 514 will not have a subscription fee, no plans to significantly modify EVE's current business model have been announced.

There's no sense in trying to deny it: The market is changing, with microtransaction-supported free-to-play games producing far more money than subscription titles. Hybrid models that give players the choice between microtransactions or a regular subscription have turned the industry on its head. When Turbine first implemented a hybrid model in Dungeons and Dragons Online, not only did profit shoot up from the free players but subscriptions rose. When the studio gave Lord of the Rings Online the same treatment, profits tripled almost overnight. The money is firmly in microtransactions, and it would be disingenuous to assume CCP won't chase that kind of financial reward. But could EVE even support a free-to-play business model, and what alternatives are there?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether it would be possible for EVE Online to adopt a free-to-play business model, and I suggest a simple alternative model that could really work.
[UPDATE: World of Darkness has not been confirmed as free-to-play, and though DUST 514 will not have a subscription fee, it will have a cover charge for initial purchase]

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Could EVE Online go free-to-play?

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Could EVE Online go free-to-play? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamesddodungeons-and-dragons-onlineeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineeverquest-2everquest-iif2pfeaturedfreefree-to-playincarnalord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionsandboxsci-fiturbineSun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

EVE Online title image
EVE Online received some big graphical overhauls with the recent Crucible expansion, and every ship will have its graphics iterated on in future patches as part of with the ongoing V3 project. A great deal of time and money is poured into keeping EVE's graphics at the bleeding edge of the industry, and yet the game's music has barely changed since launch in 2003. Warped ambient compositions like Red Glowing Dust gave a feeling of depth and scale to early EVE's empty universe, and the electronic beats of tracks like Below the Asteroids and Merchants, Looters and Ghosts have become iconic sounds of EVE. The music still manages to impress new players, but with so much of EVE being overhauled, I think it's time to give the music another look.

Very few game studios pay as much attention to music as to graphics, the user interface, or gameplay, but the right music has the power to completely transform a player's experience. Just like in a movie, music can evoke an emotional response and so alter a person's perception of events. Fighting monsters in a fantasy MMO or shooting down pirates in EVE might not be a terribly epic activity, but throw in some epic music and suddenly it feels a lot more real. I wrote about the psychological effect of music in MMOs several years ago, and the topic is as relevant today as it was then.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at three different types of music that could improve EVE and suggest how CCP could take advantage of each type to give EVE the soundtrack it deserves.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ambientbackground-musicccpccp-gamescombat-musiccrucibleeqeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieraeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineeverquesteverquest-2everquest-iifantasyfeaturedmusicopinionpvppvp-musicsandboxsci-fisyncsynchronizationSun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

EVE Online title image
I think it's safe to say that most EVE Online players have never tried their hands at faction warfare, the state-sponsored bloodbath that pits Minmatar and Gallente pilots against their Amarr and Caldari rivals. When the system launched almost four years ago during 2008's Empyrean Age expansion, it was an immediate and colossal success. CCP ran news stories leading up to the expansion to show the growing tensions between the four nations, with several videos highlighting major flashpoints like the Malkalen incident. The stage was set for the war to end all wars, and players were brought to the front lines to die for their nations.

Faction warfare was originally designed to be a stepping stone for empire-dwellers who wanted to get into nullsec and to give fleet-based PvP to pilots without nullsec contacts. The first few months saw some spectacular action, with fleets of over a hundred rookie pilots happily smashing each other to bits. For over a year, faction warfare provided practically instant-action PvP on any scale you could want, from solo roaming and small gang warfare to full-on fleet battles with several capital ships. Unfortunately, CCP didn't iterate on the feature, so after a year with broken capture mechanics and no real purpose or reward for fighting, faction warfare began to grind to a halt.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I speculate on how faction warfare could possibly be resurrected.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfactionfaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfleetfleet-commandfleet-warfaregame-designgang-warfareopinionpvpresurrectresurrectionrevampterritorial-warfareSun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
Following the summer drama that came to be known as monoclegate, the past six months have been challenging for EVE Online's players and developers alike. When players learned that cash-shop clothing was priced higher than its real-life equivalent, the quirky story of the $80 monocle swept across gaming blogs like wildfire. The story's tone soon turned a great deal more sinister with the leak of an internal company newsletter titled Greed is Good, and a second leaked memo from CCP's CEO added more fuel to the flames. Ultimately, players spoke with their wallets; subscriptions fell by at least 8%, and with no financial backup plan, CCP was forced to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide.

The staff members who remained were faced with the task of turning things around, and with the feature-packed Crucible expansion, they did so spectacularly. In just a few short months, hundreds of high-profile features, graphical overhauls, and quality of life improvements breathed new life into a neglected universe. I think most players recognise that this has been a genuine turn-around from within CCP, but some are still skeptical that the company has really reformed. The question on everyone's mind is whether CCP can really keep up this quality of development in the coming year as it delivers two full expansions and integrates EVE with DUST 514.

Perhaps nobody is better qualified to assess that than CSM delegate and former CCP game designer Mark "Seleene" Heard, who recently attended the December CSM summit and witnessed first-hand the aftermath of monoclegate and Crucible's development.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into Mark's CSM Summit report to find out how development at CCP has changed, what we can expect in 2012, and how monocle-gate has affected CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20122012-predictionsccpccp-abathurccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcsm-delegatecsm-summitdecemberdevelopmentDominiondust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfeaturedgame-developmentgraphicshilmarhilmar-peturssonhilmar-v-peturssonhilmar-veigar-peturssonmark-heardmmofpsmonoclegatesandboxsci-fiseleeneSun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Global Chat: January 1-7, 2012]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/global-chat-january-1-7-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/global-chat-january-1-7-2012/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/08/global-chat-january-1-7-2012/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Livestreaming!
We love hearing what the Massively community has to say. What better way to salute the smartest reader opinions and posts than by sharing them in a weekly column? Join us every Sunday morning for Global Chat, where we do just that!

This week we've got a poke at the lighter side of game bugs, some thoughts on development costs and how they affect us in the end, and some compliments (we always love those). Ready to see what they are? Click past the cut and let's get started!

Continue reading Global Chat: January 1-7, 2012

MassivelyGlobal Chat: January 1-7, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>baby-choo-choobigginbiowarecommenterscommentsdust-514ea-biowareeve-evolvedfeaturedgetdownglobal-chatlaunch-timinglivestreammv-tvnibbanaopinionopinionssoapboxstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorswtor-dance-bugthe-soapboxSun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime.

With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

MassivelyEVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artilleryccpccp-eveccp-gamescustomisationcustomizationdrop-suitdropsuitsdustdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinef2pfaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfpsfree-to-playmmofpsnuke-them-from-orbitPlayStationPlayStation-3playstation-vitaPlaystation3ps-3ps-vitaps3pvpskyfiresonytanksSun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
Among the hundreds of changes brought by EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion, the new tier 3 battlecruisers certainly rank as player favourites. Rather than giving each race a bigger, tougher battlecruiser, CCP gave the new ships the ability to fit battleship-class weapons but heavily limited their defensive capabilities. All four tier 3 battlecruisers are turret-based, letting them output massive damage with close-range guns or hit for solid damage at battleship sniping distances.

As with all new ships, it can be difficult to figure out how to fit the new tier 3 battlecruisers to make full use of their unique combination of high damage output and high mobility. Last week I looked at three viable setups for the Caldari Naga, which proved to be an absolute monster with 1,000-1500 DPS when using close-range blaster setups and a terrifying 650 DPS when sniping at 100km-130km. This week I take a similar look at the Gallente Talos, a ship designed specifically for close-range combat. I explore a traditional armour-tanked blaster fitting with dual webs, a shield-based variant that packs a huge 1,500 DPS punch, and two long-range blaster fits that give the Naga a run for its money.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore four solid PvP fittings for the Talos, with both shield and armour setups.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved title image
While EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion brought us over a hundred small features, balance tweaks, and graphical updates, its headline feature was undoubtedly the four new tier 3 battlecruisers. It's been several years since a new combat ship was added to EVE, and combat had begun to get a little stale. Most of EVE's ships follow a logical design progression, with larger ships having more tank and higher damage output. CCP turned that concept on its head with the new tier 3 battlecruisers, which deal battleship-class damage but have both the agility and paper-thin tank of a tech 1 cruiser.

The Caldari Naga is the very definition of a glass cannon, able to output more damage than a Megathron or Rokh but at the cost of having practically no tank. It can be sniper-fit to deal around 650 DPS at ranges of 100-130km, blaster-fit to output a raw 1,500 DPS at ranges below 10km, or even set up to fight effectively with blasters outside web range. Its high top speed and cruiser-like agility add new gameplay options to existing sniper and heavy damage-dealer fleet roles, providing battleship-class damage for roaming cruiser gangs. It's a potential game-changer for nullsec alliances engaging in hit-and-run style warfare, but as with all new ships it can be difficult to figure out an effective ship fitting.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore three solid fittings for the Naga designed to fill common PvP roles.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved title
EVE Online recently celebrated the release of its incredible Crucible expansion, noted as one of the most feature-heavy expansions in the game's history despite the majority of its features being produced in a period of just a few weeks. Two years' worth of graphical upgrades, features, balance upgrades and quality-of-life fixes hit Tranquility all at once, and the response from players has been incredibly positive.

Last week I rounded up all the information there is to know about the Crucible expansion, but reading articles and news posts is no substitute for hands-on experience. This week I took a tour around parts of New Eden to explore the incredible new graphics Crucible delivered. As I have a background in graphics programming, the graphical upgrades are obviously the most exciting change for me. The astounding background nebulae are even more impressive when you know just how difficult it would be to build a nebula system that looks this incredible from any location.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore a reborn galaxy and catalogue my adventures in a massive HD gallery.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amarrcaldariccpccp-eveccp-gamescrucibleengine-trailseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsexplorationexplorerfeaturedgalaxygallentegallerygraphicsgraphics-enginegraphics-programminggraphics-updatehands-onhighseclowsecminmatarnebulanebulaenebulasnew-edennullsecscreenshotscreenshotsspacewarpwarp-drivewarpingSun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
This summer's lackluster Incarna expansion and the ensuing microtransaction drama took a massive toll on EVE Online's player community and development staff. Players were quitting in droves, and CCP eventually had to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide. Two years of half-implemented expansions, broken features, and "first steps" that were never iterated on left players begging for a content-heavy expansion like Apocrypha or those released in EVE's early years. EVE is known for being practically a new game every six months, but since the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion, daily life in New Eden hasn't changed much at all.

To pull things back from the brink, CCP refocused development on EVE Online and gave developers a free pass to work on hundreds of small features and improvements. The company began flooding us with details on new ships, graphical updates, new gameplay mechanics, and desperately needed balance tweaks, and we loved every bit of it. Although it's mostly small features and gameplay tweaks, the Crucible expansion feels like a genuine rebirth for EVE Online. The types of changes made show that CCP knows exactly what players want from EVE and that the company is now willing to deliver it. With CCP's renewed focus on internet spaceships, the Crucible expansion feels like the start of a new era in the sandbox.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I pull together everything there is to know about the Crucible expansion that went live this week, from its turbulent origins to the awesome features and PvP updates it contains.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebattlecruiserbattleshipblasterscapital-shipcapital-shipsccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-pannceocruciblecustoms-officedev-diarydevblogdubstepengine-trailseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedgdc-2011graphicshilmarhybridhybrid-weaponslayoffsnaganebulanebulaenerfnewsoracleplayer-owned-starbaseplayer-owned-stationpvproundupship-spinningstarbasesupercapital-nerfsupercapitalstalostime-dilationtornadotrailervideowubwubwubwubpewpewpewSun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Player-owned structures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
For much of EVE Online's life, warfare has revolved around player-owned structures of one sort or another. When conquerable stations were released at the end of 2003, they became flashpoints for PvP and goals for corporate territorial warfare. This continued even after the release of player-owned starbases in late 2004, as even the most territorial alliance didn't have the manpower to take down a well-defended large starbase. Industrialists held all the cards, and nullsec alliances made deals with them to open their moons for exploitation.

Eventually, player-built outposts arrived on the scene, and starbases were adopted to fill a military role in system defense. Whichever side in a fight could control the most starbases in a system would win the outpost, and fearsome dreadnoughts were introduced to make starbase sieges possible. Today, starbases take a back seat to wars over infrastructure hubs, territorial claim units and sovereignty blockade units. The war will eventually extend to planets, but until now planetary interaction has been an entirely industrial affair without the slightest hint of EVE's typical conflict. With the coming Crucible expansion, the starbase and customs office systems are due to be overhauled in a way that should lead to more conflict and lay the ground work for DUST 514.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the history of starbases, the impact of the coming starbase revamp, and the possibility of additional conflict brought in by the new customs offices.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Player-owned structures

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Player-owned structures originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesconflictcruciblecustomscustoms-officedustdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexodusexpansionfeaturedfleetfleet-warfarefleetsfuelnewsnormadicowning-a-planetpatchplanetplanetary-interactionplanetsplayer-developersplayer-developmentplayer-housingplayer-owned-starbaseplayer-owned-stationpospos-fuelpvpred-moon-risingrmrstarbasestarbase-fueltaxterritorial-controlterritorial-warfareterritoryterritory-controlwormholeSun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/eve-evolved-returning-eve-to-the-crucible/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/eve-evolved-returning-eve-to-the-crucible/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/20/eve-evolved-returning-eve-to-the-crucible/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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When EVE Online launched in 2003, it was a barren game without many of the comforts we enjoy today. The user interface was abysmally worse than today's (if you can imagine such a thing), players with cruisers were top dog, and practically the only activities were mining or blowing up miners. The culmination of years of hard work by a small indie studio, EVE Online sold almost entirely on its future potential. When I was introduced to the game by an excited friend in early 2004 during the Castor expansion, he encouraged me to get in on the ground floor because he believed the game was going to be huge. Years later, I find myself introducing the game to thousands of readers on the same premise.

EVE's continual success over the years transformed a fresh-faced CCP Games into a multinational game development giant. And yet, for all that growth and all the updates to EVE over the years, the fact that the game sells largely on future potential is still firmly embedded in both players and developers. Players subscribe not only because they like the game but because they want to support development to reach EVE's true potential. Two years with very little iteration on existing features sent the message that developers weren't trying to reach that potential, but it seems that trend is soon to be completely reversed. With the newly announced Crucible expansion, CCP will be adding countless small features, graphical updates and iterations that put EVE firmly back on the path to reaching its full potential.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at CCP's plans to return EVE to the crucible and reforge it into something awesome. Those waiting for the third part of my look at the new player experience can catch that in next week's column, as Kajatta is enjoying his final week in EVE before delivering his verdict.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebomb-launcher-iibubbleccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-soundwavecommand-shipcrucibledreadnoughteveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedfleetfleet-warfarefuel-blocksgraphicsmothershipnebulanebulaenewsnyphurpatchpvpsiegesiege-modulesiege-module-iistarbasestarbasesstealth-bomberssupercapitalsupercapital-nerfsupercapitalssupercarriersupercarrierstech-2tech-3tech-iitech-iiititantriagetriage-module-iiwarfarewarfare-linkswarp-disruption-field-generator-iiwinterSun, 20 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The new player experience, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/13/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/13/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/13/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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Two weeks ago, I began an experiment to look into EVE Online's new player experience from the perspective of someone who has never played the game before. I convinced my friend Kajatta to try the game for the first time, with his only prior knowledge being the same stories, videos and screenshots that anyone will have seen before signing up to give the game a shot. In the first part of this investigation into the new player experience, Kajatta delivered a harsh first impression of the user interface and character creation.

A common story I've heard when I'm talking to current EVE players is that many didn't really get into the game the first time they played. As happened to Kajatta, some found adapting to the UI and control scheme a jarring experience and were put off as a result. It was usually the second time they played EVE that seemed to make the game stick, whether that was restarting a new character immediately or giving the game a second try up to a year later.

Could it be that EVE is most likely to appeal to new players the second time they play it? To put this theory to the test, this week Kajatta took a fresh second stab at EVE Online and played through all the career agent content. But has his first attempt provide the equipment necessary to scale EVE's famous learning cliff, or did the UI and control scheme prove as impenetrable a barrier as ever?

In this week's EVE Evolved, Kajatta delivers his verdict on whether EVE is better the second time around and delves into the Cash Flow For Capsuleers combat missions.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The new player experience, part 2

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The new player experience, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auracash-flow-for-capsuleersccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfrigategallerykajattamissionmission-runningmissionsnew-playernew-player-experiencenew-playersscreenshotscreenshotstutorialtutorialsSun, 13 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Gallente and hybrid balance]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/06/eve-evolved-gallente-and-hybrid-balance/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/06/eve-evolved-gallente-and-hybrid-balance/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/06/eve-evolved-gallente-and-hybrid-balance/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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It's been another week filled with announcements and positive news for EVE Online, with CCP showing off EVE's new nebulae and revealing the Amarr and Caldari tier 3 battlecruisers. For Gallente pilots, no news was celebrated more than the rebalancing of hybrid weapons and ships that specialise in their use. Short-range blasters can technically deliver the highest damage output of any turret, but their extremely short optimal range means they deal a smaller fraction of their maximum damage in most fights than other ships. Blaster ships have to spend valuable travel time closing into weapons range, and once up close, targets are hard to track.

Although railguns were designed by the Caldari, they're hybrid weapons just like blasters, and so they are the long-range weapon of choice for Gallente sniping and mission-running ships. They have good range and tracking speed but have always suffered from slightly worse damage output and alpha strike than beam lasers and artillery cannons of the same size. Countless suggestions for fixes to blasters and railguns have appeared on the forum over the years, but until now they've remained unchanged. As a Gallente pilot and avid Thorax and Dominix fan, I'm very excited by the hybrid balance changes coming this winter.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I take a break from the new player experience experiment to take a look at the impact of the upcoming hybrid balance patch and why the announced changes are needed.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Gallente and hybrid balance

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Gallente and hybrid balance originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebalancingblasterblasterscaldaricaldari-nagaccpccp-eveccp-gamesdominixeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedgallentegallente-taloshybridhybrid-weaponsmegathronnagapatchpvepvprailgunrailgunsrokhsnipersnipingspreadsheets-in-spacetalosthoraxSun, 06 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The new player experience]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/eve-evolved-the-new-player-experience/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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Ever since a graph showing a downward trend in daily peak concurrent logins started to make the rounds on blogs, players have insisted that EVE Online's recent Incarna expansion has been a complete failure. I mentioned in an earlier article that we should really have expected this as the captain's quarters were primarily designed with new players in mind. Starting the game as an avatar, even one who's been grounded in his space-room by his space-dad, helps people identify with their characters in a way that bridges the gap between EVE and traditional avatar-based MMOs. By introducing a player to his character as a person rather than a ship, the new player experience may also help make the loss of a ship not such a big deal.

It's all fine and well to theorise about Incarna's success or failure, but ultimately it's only new players who can make that determination. If the captain's quarters do their job of flattening that initially jarring part of EVE's learning curve, the expansion's effect on subscriptions would be to convert more free trials into paid accounts -- an effect that wouldn't be immediately noticeable until another exciting and heavily advertised gameplay expansion brings in large numbers of new players. To help figure out if the captain's quarters have been successful in that regard, we have to turn to people who have never played EVE before.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I finally convince my friend Kajatta to try EVE for the first time. I delve into his first experiences with the game to find out what EVE does right and wrong in the new player experience.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The new player experience

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The new player experience originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescommunitycorpcorporationseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedincarnainterveiwinterviewkajattanewnew-playernew-player-experiencenew-playerstutorialuser-interfaceSun, 30 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The human casualties]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/23/eve-evolved-the-human-casualties/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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This time last year, EVE Online developer CCP Games was an untouchable powerhouse in the games industry. In addition to servicing around 350,000 EVE subscribers, the company was also developing the World of Darkness MMO and the full scale MMOFPS DUST 514 set on the planets of EVE. Everything seemed to be going fine, but with the release of Incarna at the end of June, CCP faced the biggest crisis in the company's history. Due to a series of missteps and internal leaks that has come to be collectively known as Monoclegate, player confidence in CCP plummeted to record low.

Following the CEO's recent letter of apology promising a refocusing of development on in-space EVE features, news of highly requested features due for inclusion in EVE has gone a long way toward restoring confidence in CCP as a developer. With the return of ship spinning earlier this week and news of updates from hybrid turret rebalancing and implants being added to killmails to the release of the player-designed Tornado battlecruiser, the process of refocusing on EVE is well underway. Unfortunately, the good news of upcoming gameplay updates has been marred by the sobering reality that over 20% of CCP's worldwide staff have been laid off as part of the refocusing effort.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the human casualties of the recent EVE drama and speak to an insider at CCP about what's going on within the company. Unless quotes or facts in this article are specifically attributed to this insider, they are my own views and opinions based on publicly available information.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The human casualties

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The human casualties originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdeveloperdevelopersdevelopmentdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedhilmarhilmar-peturssonhilmar-veigar-peturssoninsiderjobjob-lossjobsmmo-industrymonocle-gatemonoclegateopinionwodworld-of-darknessSun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: EVE isn't the only game with PLEX]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/16/eve-evolved-eve-isnt-the-only-game-with-plex/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/16/eve-evolved-eve-isnt-the-only-game-with-plex/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/16/eve-evolved-eve-isnt-the-only-game-with-plex/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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The past several years have seen a complete revolution in the online gaming market, and with it the MMO industry as we know it. An industry once dominated by monthly subscriptions is now rapidly giving way to games with free-to-play, freemium and hybrid payment models. EVE Online developer CCP Games has repeatedly expressed concern that EVE could go the way of the dinosaurs if it doesn't adapt its business model to this new market. While I'm forced to agree with the general sentiment behind that statement, I don't think the developers at CCP recognise just how far ahead of the curve they've been with their own business model since the introduction of the 30-day Pilot's License EXtension (PLEX).

PLEX essentially allow players to pay for an EVE subscription with in-game ISK, and it provides a legitimate way for players to buy ISK in a way that doesn't harm the in-game economy. It's a clever system that undercuts illicit RMT business, generates additional revenue for the company, and has even been used for charity drives, but EVE isn't the only game to use the system. The success of PLEX in EVE has spurred several other MMOs to follow suit over the years, both in the subscription-based and free-to-play arenas. Runes of Magic, TERA, Star Trek Online and even World of Warcraft have borrowed a page from CCP's book in one way or another, and it's paying off for them big time.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I put the PLEX system under the microscope to find out exactly what makes it tick, and I look at other MMOs implementing similar systems.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: EVE isn't the only game with PLEX

MassivelyEVE Evolved: EVE isn't the only game with PLEX originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentbusiness-modelsccpccp-eveccp-gamescrypticcryptic-studiosdiamondsdilithiumeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfree-to-playfreemiumgoldguardian-cubiskplexrunes-of-magicstar-trek-onlinesubscriptionWorld-of-WarcraftSun, 16 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/eve-evolved-looking-forward-to-the-winter-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/eve-evolved-looking-forward-to-the-winter-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/eve-evolved-looking-forward-to-the-winter-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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Since EVE Online's release in 2003, CCP Games has been the center of one of the most interesting success stories in the games industry. Produced by a tiny indie development studio on a frozen volcanic rock, EVE was the perfect example of how to do things right. The game's publishing deal with Simon & Schuster allowed CCP to buy back the rights to the game several months after its initial release. With no publisher taking a cut of the profits, CCP ploughed subscriptions back into the game's development and grew the development team organically. As a one-game company, CCP worked closely with players to make EVE the best game possible for its loyal playerbase.

In a recent letter to the players, CCP CEO Hilmar laments that somewhere along the line, things changed for the worse. The CCP of today bears little resemblance to the "little indie studio that could" of 2003, not just housing over 600 employees in offices around the world but also developing upcoming MMOs DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Resources are spread thin, and EVE Online has suffered for it. Last month I looked back at the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion and asked why every expansion since then has cut down on the in-space development players want. Hilmar's letter and its accompanying devblog answered that question this week with a solid plan for iteration on flying in space features during the winter development period.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look forward to the winter expansion and explain why each of the issues being tackled in the coming expansion is a big deal to players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assault-shipsbalanceblastersCaptains-quartersccpccp-eveccp-gamesestablishmentseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfonthilmarincarnalagmmo-industrymothershipmothershipsnerfnullsecomg-a-new-fontopinionpvepvpship-spinningsovereigntysupercapital-nerfsupercarriersupercarrierstime-dilationtitantitanswarfarewinteryaySun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Time dilation and the war on lag]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/02/eve-evolved-time-dilation-and-the-war-on-lag/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/02/eve-evolved-time-dilation-and-the-war-on-lag/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/02/eve-evolved-time-dilation-and-the-war-on-lag/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

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When EVE Online launched back in 2003, it quickly gained a following of over 40,000 subscribing players. With around 5,000 solar systems for players to explore, those players spread themselves throughout the galaxy rather than gathering in one place. Players would often come together to trade or make war, but the server generally kept up with the action. As the number of subscribers rose, the size of the average PvP fleet increased and CCP upgraded the EVE server to handle the additional load. 2005 saw EVE's subscriber numbers explode from just over 50,000 to around 100,000 players. Server upgrades suddenly didn't cut it any more, and lag began to set in during large fleet battles.

Ever since then, CCP has waged a largely unseen war against the impossibility of keeping all of EVE's players in one single-shard universe. Holding on to that core ideal that's made EVE the successful sandbox game it is today, developers have pursued every avenue in the fight against lag. While funding research into Python's Stackless IO and constantly optimising code, CCP built the biggest supercomputer in the games industry to house New Eden's growing population. With over 400,000 players now inhabiting the same world and a typically weekly peak concurrency of over 50,000 characters, CCP has been forced to develop some big guns in the war on lag.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the biggest developments CCP has made in the war on lag, including the new Time Dilation feature that literally slows down time to let the server catch its breath.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Time dilation and the war on lag

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Time dilation and the war on lag originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-atroposccp-eveccp-gamesccp-veritascutting-edgeeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedhardwarelagmmo-industryrad-game-toolsserverserverssupercomputerteam-gridlocktechnologytelemetrythin-clienttime-dilationwar-on-lagSun, 02 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Ship spinning and Incarna]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/eve-evolved-ship-spinning-and-incarna/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/eve-evolved-ship-spinning-and-incarna/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/25/eve-evolved-ship-spinning-and-incarna/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

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Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games released a devblog about an upcoming patch designed to re-introduce the ship hangar removed as part of the recent Incarna expansion. The old system involved docking into a ship hangar in which players can spin their ships around to look at them from any angle. With Incarna, the hangar was replaced by a new captain's quarters interface in which the player gets out of his ship and walks about his quarters in a full-body avatar of his character. Amidst a flood of complaints from players whose computers couldn't handle the Incarna environments, CCP reluctantly built a temporary disable switch into the system.

Developers repeatedly stated that they had no intention of letting players opt out of Incarna forever as the company wants it to be a seamless part of the game world rather than a separate game in and of itself. The announcement of the ship hangar's return has effectively overturned that statement by giving players a way to stay out of Incarna environments indefinitely if required. This is a big deal for current EVE players, but most of my friends and colleagues who don't play EVE don't see the importance of what is on the surface a purely cosmetic change.

In this week's short EVE Evolved column, I discuss the plans to bring back ship-spinning in EVE and explain why this change is a big deal for players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Ship spinning and Incarna

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Ship spinning and Incarna originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedincarnaopinionship-spinningSun, 25 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Too early to judge Incarna]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/18/eve-evolved-too-early-to-judge-incarna/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/18/eve-evolved-too-early-to-judge-incarna/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/18/eve-evolved-too-early-to-judge-incarna/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

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Amidst talk of EVE Online's upcoming nullsec revamp, the Council of Stellar Management voiced legitimate concerns that CCP may not be assigning enough development time to in-space EVE features. Last year, CCP Zulu revealed that of over 400 developers at CCP Games, 124 were assigned to EVE Online. Of those, a whopping 70 were assigned to develop EVE's new avatar-based Incarna feature, several others were assigned to core technologies going into Incarna, and only 22 were focused on developing in-space features.

Last week I looked into the issue of EVE's development time being reduced over the years, but it has been pointed out to me that I largely dismissed the development time that went into Incarna as if it weren't development on EVE. This is a common line of thought among current veteran players, who typically don't care about Incarna and want time to be spent on in-space features instead. Incarna has eaten up a significant amount of development time for very little tangible benefit, but is it too early to judge the efficacy of this massive addition to EVE?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at what the future may hold for Incarna and how the work invested so far may not become valuable to players until certain features hit.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Too early to judge Incarna

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Too early to judge Incarna originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedgameplayincarnanexnoble-exchangestationstationsSun, 18 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/11/eve-evolved-expansions-not-excuses/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/11/eve-evolved-expansions-not-excuses/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/11/eve-evolved-expansions-not-excuses/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

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Over the last few months, the phrase "Flying in Space" has been increasingly used by both EVE Online's developers and its players to describe features other than those of Incarna. It seems like a redundant phrase as all of EVE's gameplay currently takes place in space, but the distinction has become necessary when discussing the allocation of development resources. Members of EVE's player-elected Council of Stellar Management have recently spearheaded a wave of new complaints about the level of resources dedicated to EVE's in-space features, claiming that developers have been left without the resources necessary to do a good job.

In the previous three EVE Evolved columns, I discussed the upcoming nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter and the incredible new gameplay players might get as part of it. Members of the CSM know exactly how many people will be working on that revamp, and although those numbers haven't been made public, several delegates have gone public with their disapproval. EVE's subscription fees are currently paying for the development of CCP's upcoming fantasy MMO World of Darkness and its ambitious console MMOFPS DUST 514, leaving few resources for new EVE gameplay and content.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the success of EVE's first blockbuster expansion and ask why development on EVE Online has dramatically decreased over the past two and a half years.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccpccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdominioneveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedflying-in-spaceincarnaincursionmark-heardpeak-concurrent-usersseleenespacesubscription-numbersthe-mittanityrannisSun, 11 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/04/eve-evolved-a-new-nullsec-for-everyone/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/04/eve-evolved-a-new-nullsec-for-everyone/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/04/eve-evolved-a-new-nullsec-for-everyone/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

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Several weeks ago, EVE Online developer CCP Greyscale published possibly the single most important devblog of the past two years. Titled Nullsec development: Design goals, the blog laid the ground rules for high-level discussion on EVE's upcoming nullsec revamp. For those who live in nullsec, territorial warfare and nullsec life represent the true endgame of EVE. It's in these massive lawless regions of space that players forge alliances, build their own empires, and lead massive fleets of ships into enemy territory to kick over some space sandcastles.

Over the past two weeks, I've been delving into the discussion surrounding the upcoming nullsec revamp and speculating on what changes we might see. I started with a look back at the early days of nullsec industry and went on to give some ideas aimed at reclaiming those glory days. I followed that up with last week's summary of EVE Online's empire-building history, the problems faced by today's territorial warfare mechanics, and further speculation on how the system could be radically changed for the better.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I conclude this series of articles on the upcoming nullsec revamp with an examination of the discussion surrounding PvE, the local channel, and the potentially revolutionary smallholding system that could give even casual and solo players a taste of nullsec.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone

MassivelyEVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alliancecasualccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-greyscaleeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexplorationfeaturedfleetfleet-commandfleet-warfarefleetshomesteadintelintelligencelocalmissionmission-runningnullsecplayer-owned-starbasepvepvpsandboxscoutscoutingsmallholdingsmallholdingssolostarbasewarSun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Building a better empire]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/28/eve-evolved-building-a-better-empire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/28/eve-evolved-building-a-better-empire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/28/eve-evolved-building-a-better-empire/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image: Building a better empire
It's often said that EVE Online is 99% endgame, with only the tutorials and epic mission arcs really providing directed gameplay. Once you get out into the open world, the game is dominated by sandbox laws and social interaction. This is most clear in the lawless nullsec regions where alliances war over territory and build their own empires in the void.

Last week I looked back at the early days of nullsec industry and examined the problems industry has developed over the years. With a massive nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter, I went on to speculate on how the game could be changed to bring back the glory days of nullsec industry. Although adequately incentivised local mining and production could transform player-created empires, those aren't the only areas of gameplay being revisited. Sovereignty mechanics, fleet warfare, small gang warfare, exploration and small-scale territorial control will all eventually be redesigned as part of the massive iterative overhaul.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the history of EVE's empire-building and territorial warfare mechanics, some of the problems faced by the sovereignty system, and how those aspects of EVE could possibly be changed for the better.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Building a better empire

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Building a better empire originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alliancealliance-warfareccpccp-eveccp-gamescolonisationdreadnoughtempireempire-buildingeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedhistoryinfrastructureinterstellar-starbase-syndicateissmapmostly-harmlessnullsecoutpostplayer-owned-starbaseplayer-owned-stationpvpsovereigntystarbaseterritorial-controlterritorial-warfareterritorywarwarfareSun, 28 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST