Massively

CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions

Jef Reahard — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox

CCP has been pretty quiet on the subject of microtransactions since last summer's monoclegate and the ensuing Jita protests. EVE Online creative director Torfi Frans Olafsson recently spoke up about the trendy new business model, and while he acknowledged that it is popular, he also said that CCP is "very reluctant to do that in EVE because it's so established. It's like changing the DNA of a living organism after it's born. That didn't work in Blade Runner," he tells PC Gamer.

Olafsson also repeats the anti-pay-to-win mantra that comes standard in just about every developer interview these days. He says that CCP will sell cosmetic items in EVE, including makeovers for your avatar, ship, and starbase. Given the fact that players will be purchasing weapons and gear in DUST 514 (which will interface directly with EVE's pre-existing economy), we've no doubt it will be interesting to see how CCP maintains that delicate balance.

"I think we have to be very careful in introducing such mechanics into EVE. And I personally think that we shouldn't be doing it in the near future," Olafsson says, "because it's such a vulnerable little flower in a vulnerable little ecosystem. You make minor changes to an ecosystem and you can introduce hostile things and the whole system breaks down."

Check out the video interview after the cut.

Continue reading CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions

CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest videos viewable on YouTube

Jef Reahard — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox

We didn't go to EVE Online's annual fanfest this year, and more's the pity. Aside from the unfortunate noise generated by Mittanigate, CCP released quite a bit of interesting info related to EVE, DUST 514, and even World of Darkness.

Fortunately, the company has also thrown a bone to those of us who weren't able to attend (and who may have missed out on the extensive livestream coverage). A new post on the official EVE website has links to CCP's YouTube page, and there you'll find footage from CCP Presents, the EVE keynote speech, the DUST keynote speech, and the Tesselation tech demo. You can also check them out after the cut. Happy viewing!

Continue reading EVE Fanfest videos viewable on YouTube

EVE Fanfest videos viewable on YouTube originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP investigates player panel amidst controversy [Updated]

Brendan Drain — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Sandbox

EVE Online's annual Fanfest is an opportunity for players from across the world to share stories of the year's big events, political actions, and epic battles won and lost. Each year, player speakers from the game's biggest and most influential alliances are invited to take part in the Alliance Panel at Fanfest, where they can talk about their organisation and what it's done over the preceding year. GoonSwarm alliance speaker The Mittani gave a talk on some of the year's most memorable alliance activities, from shutting down Ice Mining operations across several regions to scamming people with fake supercapital ship trades.

During a Q&A session after the presentation, he said something that has become the focus of a great deal of controversy. Massively got a hold of a copy of this year's Alliance Panel to find out what all the controversy is about.

[UPDATE: The Mittani has issued a public apology for his behaviour during the Alliance Panel and has vowed to make all restitution necessary.]
[UPDATE: This post has been updated as part of an apology for covering this in a sensationalist manner]

Continue reading CCP investigates player panel amidst controversy [Updated]

CCP investigates player panel amidst controversy [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

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

EVE 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.

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DUST 514 presented at EVE Fanfest 2012

Brendan Drain — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox

While Massively isn't at this year's EVE Online Fanfest, those who are in attendance have been treated to a wealth of new information and reveals on upcoming console MMOFPS DUST 514. During the DUST 514 keynote speech, developers demonstrated orbital bombardment of a DUST match by EVE players in realtime. We saw the orbital command center and surface command centers that enable communication between the two games; we also saw the orbital artillery that let DUST players retaliate against players in orbit.

Earlier today, during the CCP keynote, the DUST crew revealed some exciting new information based on questions repeatedly asked throughout Fanfest. In addition to PvP matches organised by NPC corporations, there will be co-op PvE survival missions in which players fight off hordes of rogue drones -- living machines with a collective consciousness. The PvE mode will be released in 2012, and there are some exciting plans for expansions scheduled for the year after.

2013 will bring in e-sports and competitive gaming, with gladiator arenas in which players compete in capture the flag, deathmatch and custom game modes. The matches will be a true spectator sport, with live viewing from both the EVE and DUST game client and even betting on matches. Battles on hostile worlds are also due for release in 2013, with tactically different terrain that may require vehicles to get around. CCP confirmed that the highly requested MTACs (mechs) will also be introduced in 2013.

DUST is currently in closed beta, with additional waves due to be released in April and June in time for E3. Read on to watch the first incredible trailer for the game in HD.

Continue reading DUST 514 presented at EVE Fanfest 2012

DUST 514 presented at EVE Fanfest 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World of Darkness presented at EVE Fanfest 2012

Brendan Drain — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, World of Darkness, Sandbox

Ever since CCP Games merged with White Wolf, it has been developing the World of Darkness MMO. The game is nowhere near complete, and fans worried that last year's heavy layoffs at the Atlanta office had slowed the game's production. We haven't heard much about World of Darkness since then, but today at the EVE Online Fanfest, a few new details were revealed. Attendees were shown some early in-game footage of a city and given a mix of information we already knew and snippets of new information.

CCP wants to draw in the largely female World of Darkness fanbase. The game will have a focus on fashion, and CCP will control the theme of that fashion rather than letting players design their own clothes. The game will be based in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe, with an initial focus on vampires before the introduction of the other factions. Vampires will use human blood as a currency; it will be the resource they'll compete over, making human cities the central locations they will inhabit. When mages and other character types are released, they will compete for different resources.

The game will have a single-shard world, with sandbox territorial warfare for control of cities mirroring EVE Online's nullsec warfare. Developers investigated using real cities for the game but found that "real cities were generally boring." Presenters told fans that the team will "be using stylised versions, but they will be named after real cities." Each city will be lorded over by a player prince, who will under rare circumstances be potentially subjected to permadeath. The world's original vampire clans will be available on release, and CCP confirmed that it won't be using vampire generations as a form of leveling system but instead will be doing something different with it.

World of Darkness presented at EVE Fanfest 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest talks Inferno, World of Darkness panel later today

Jef Reahard — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, World of Darkness, Sandbox

Day two of EVE Online Fanfest 2012 had a lot to offer fans of CCP's sci-fi sandbox. First and foremost was the announcement of Inferno's official launch date and the fact that EVE's latest expansion will roll out to Tranquility on May 22nd. As we told you yesterday, the patch is heavy on PvP tweaks, and everything from faction warfare to a new specialized mercenary marketplace is on the way.

The official EVE website also received a ton of updates yesterday, the better to catalogue all of the breaking news direct from Fanfest.

Today's docket is equally fascinating, and CCP devs are scheduled to speak about EVE-related game design topics that include war decs, concept art, and growing the game's infrastructure. Also on the menu is a presentation on World of Darkness that we'll be following with great interest. You can follow it too via our EVETV Livestream channel. Be sure to look for our expert analysis of all the Fanfest happenings in this Sunday's EVE Evolved column!

EVE Fanfest talks Inferno, World of Darkness panel later today originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's Inferno expansion launches May 22nd, precursor patch April 24th

Brendan Drain — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Sandbox

EVE Online aims to revamp PvP in its upcoming Inferno expansion. In addition to continuing the good work that started with Crucible, Inferno will revamp the wardec system, iterate on faction warfare, and introduce new ships and modules for players to smash to pieces. It sounds like the perfect PvP expansion, and today at the EVE Fanfest, CCP revealed some firm details of exactly what the wardec and faction warfare revamps will entail.

A new wardec interface will make wars easier to follow; loopholes like the wardec shield used by EVE University will be closed; and a new mercenary marketplace will be introduced. Faction warfare system ownership will be given more consequences, such as making it impossible for enemy militias to dock in the system. During the EVE Keynote speech today, CCP announced that Inferno will be hitting on May 22nd and that it will be CCP's first ever expansion preceded by a precursor patch. CCP intends to introduce new content with the patch that will prepare the way for the main expansion, but exactly what form that preparation will take has been kept a secret.

EVE's Inferno expansion launches May 22nd, precursor patch April 24th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's 2012 Fanfest kicks off with free livestreams

Brendan Drain — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:50:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, DUST 514, Livestream, Sandbox

It's that time of the year again, when thousands of EVE Online fans from across the globe fly to Iceland for the party at the top of the world. Every year, Fanfest is packed with high-profile reveals, sneak previews at what's to come, panels discussing hot topics, and round tables giving players the opportunity to discuss their ideas directly with developers.

For EVE players, Fanfest is more than just a party with some reveals thrown in; it's a place to meet players as enraptured with the game as they are, to share epic stories of battles won and lost, and to be a part of a truly global game community. Fanfest is three days of living in a world where the virtual universe of New Eden is real and the online exploits of its inhabitants are legend.

Last year, Massively attended the EVE Fanfest and brought you in-depth first-hand coverage of the event, but this year we take a back seat to the live reporting of EVE TV. Live streaming of the event has just begun and will continue for three full days. A full list of the talks, panels, speeches and events that will be streamed is available on the official EVE TV schedule. Each day's events will also be repeated during the night for those viewing from the US. Head over to our official Fanfest livestream page to watch the action!

EVE Online's 2012 Fanfest kicks off with free livestreams originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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EVE Online announces an impending Inferno

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, DUST 514, Dev Diaries

EVE Online Senior Producer Jonathan Lander says now that some of the nitty-gritty reorganization within CCP has been completed, the devs "are back in the serious business of making EVE better and better."

Citing several small releases over the next few months as proof, Lander lets loose with the announcement of the game's next big expansion: Inferno. Inferno will hit EVE "just before the summer" and will attempt to bring EVE's conflicts to a whole new level. Concord-sanctioned warfare and factional warfare will be getting tweaks as a result of this focus. More specific details about Inferno will be revealed at the EVE Fanfest in March.

And while he won't go into specifics (yet), Lander says that CCP will reveal "more concrete steps" of how both EVE Online and DUST 514 are connected in the next couple of months.

EVE Online announces an impending Inferno originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP lays out the path to attend the EVE Fanfest

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, News items

At the end of March, it's time for EVE Online players the world over to once again come together in their shared love of backstabbing, corporate management, and monocles. Yes, the EVE Fanfest is approaching swiftly, and if you're planning to head over to Iceland for the event, now is probably the time to start making some plans about how to get there. Fortunately, CCP Games has made some accommodations for players so that getting to the event and in the door can be a wee bit easier.

Tickets to the event can be purchase from the game's account management page, with a special early bird discount available through the end of January and bulk discounts on groups of 5-10 tickets. You can also book Fanfest activities through the same purchase page, allowing you to save time when you actually get on the ground. There are also deals available for players flying in via Icelandair, making it easier than ever to get to the convention -- a welcome change for the legions of fans not already based there.

CCP lays out the path to attend the EVE Fanfest originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2012 tickets on sale now

Matt Daniel — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, News items, Sandbox

Hold up there, space cowboy. We know everyone's excited about that other sci-fi game, but EVE Online fans have something to look forward to as well. CCP has announced that tickets are now on sale for the 2012 EVE Online Fanfest. The event will be taking place in Reykjavik, Iceland from March 22nd to the 24th. Tickets cost 100 USD until January 31st, at which point the price rises to 125 USD.

The Fanfest will play host to many events such as roundtable discussions with the devs, contests, auctions, tournaments, and of course, a pub crawl with the devs. To get more information and/or purchase tickets, just head on over to the 2012 EVE Online Fanfest official site.

EVE Online Fanfest 2012 tickets on sale now originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Final video roundup

Brendan Drain — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry

Just over a month ago, the EVE Online Fanfest was in full swing and some exciting new information on EVE's future was being released. Massively was there to bring you all the big news as it came out, but most EVE players were unable to attend the event. Thankfully, most of the Fanfest panels and events were filmed and the main ones were even streamed live to viewers at home. For those who missed all the Fanfest excitement, CCP Games has spent the last few weeks preparing those videos for launch and uploading them to YouTube. The team has also sent us 150 professional photos from the event to include in our Fanfest gallery.

In this final Fanfest roundup article, we've put together a handy list of every video from the Fanfest along with a handy summary of each. Not included in the list are the very technical Dev Tracker workshops designed to inform third-party app developers. Many of these videos contain swearing and some are definitely not safe for work. Talks definitely worth watching include the CCP panel, the EVE keynote, the content panel, incursions, words words words and live events. Things you absolutely don't want to miss are the hilarious but not work-safe alliance panel, the PvP tournament finals, the war on lag talk, guest lecture "Who Needs a CEO?" by Battleclinic founder Chris Condon, CCP Sreegs' talk on security, and of course, the EVE: A Future Vision trailer.

Skip past the cut for a full roundup of all the videos from this year's EVE Fanfest.

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Final video roundup

EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Final video roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more

Brendan Drain — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, PvE

Some fantastic news came out of this year's EVE Online Fanfest. CCP Soundwave's talk on Incursion provided some insight into past and possible future development of EVE's often-neglected group PvE activities. We also got a first look at the captain's quarters coming this summer as a first massive step toward full-blown avatar-based interaction with Incarna. Finally, CCP presented the company's vision for the future of EVE -- a video showing the potential interaction between Dust514's ground combat, Incarna's station environments and EVE Online's typical space-based PvP.

In his keynote speech, EVE senior producer Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason brought together all the new information that had been released at Fanfest over the last year. We caught up with Arnar at the EVE Fanfest to ask some followup questions to his speech. In an EVE Spotlight article last week, he answered questions on the role of live events in future expansions and other topics. In this second interview, we asked Arnar about incursions, the future of PvE, captain's quarters, the new player experience, Incarna gameplay, and more.

Skip past the cut to read our full interview with Arnar Glyfason, a man in whose accent the word "awesome" sounds seriously awesome.

Continue reading Massively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more

Massively interviews EVE senior producer Arnar Gylfason on Incarna, PvE and more originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu

Brendan Drain — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry

EVE Spotlight is a new bi-weekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Twice each month, we'll be shining the spotlight on a player or developer who has a significant impact on EVE to highlight the efforts of EVE's most influential people.

It's almost an unwritten rule of game development that someone from quality assurance should never be promoted into a game design role. Game testing and QA are said to be so fundamentally different to design that it's argued the roles require incompatible skillsets. Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason has definitely proven that this isn't the case, successfully migrating from QA to game design and finally being promoted to senior producer on EVE Online. Taking over from CCP T0rfifrans, Arnar has become a very public figure for CCP in the EVE community.

Older players will remember Arnar as CCP Zulupark, that horrible guy who nerfed their carriers back in 2007. Alternatively, you may remember a fantastic forum thread from 2008 in which he personally answered countless player questions on game design and balance issues. Since becoming senior producer on EVE, Arnar has been a strong advocate of this kind of heavy communication with players. Through devblogs, interviews and interactions with the Council of Stellar Management, he's helped to fill the information vacuum players have become accustomed to.

We caught up with EVE senior producer Arnar "CCP Zulu" Gylfason several weeks ago at the EVE Fanfest. In this EVE Spotlight, I ask him about communication with players, the role of live events in future expansions, and other topics.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu

EVE Spotlight: An interview with CCP Zulu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 142: EVE Fanfest 2011

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 142 is back this week "live-ish" from EVE Fanfest 2011. EVE Evolved columnist Brendan Drain joins Shawn to record on location from Reykjavik, Iceland, where they cover interviews with CCP Manifest, CCP Shadow, a glacier and a few volcanoes.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Massively Speaking is the official podcast of Massively.com. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer, Massively Speaking takes on the week's biggest news and dev interviews with plenty of opinion, rants, and laughs thrown in for good measure. Join us every Wednesday afternoon to listen in and see what we'll say next!

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 142: EVE Fanfest 2011

Massively Speaking Episode 142: EVE Fanfest 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 3

Brendan Drain — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

The third and final day of festivities at the massive EVE Online Fanfest has come to an end, and it was definitely worth waiting for. There were several round-table discussions and events going on today, but the event everyone was looking forward to was definitely the "CCP Presents" talk in the afternoon. With yesterday's keynote speech wrapping up all the awesome plans CCP has for EVE this year, it wasn't certain exactly what had been saved for today's show. Yesterday we heard details of the Incarna captain's quarters, server upgrades, new turret effects, new nebulae and more.

Highlights of today included a round-table discussion on how CCP would be linking EVE with DUST 514, the hilarious finals of the Fanfest PvP tournament and the CCP Presents feature. This was followed by the CCP panel, in which developers answered questions from the audience. Having spent three days watching developers talk about the future of EVE, I get the distinct impression that many of them have as much passion for EVE as even the most fanatical EVE players.

Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today and the Fanfest in general.

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 3

EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 3 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest 2011: Closing ceremony video cluster shows off the future of the sandbox

Jef Reahard — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, DUST 514

Lots of super-cool stuff is coming out of this week's EVE Fanfest, much of it making sci-fi sandbox fanboys (and girls) weak in the knees. Possibly the slickest thing to date is a new video dubbed A Future Vision, in which CCP tips its hand for tying together the whole of New Eden across multiple gaming platforms.

The clip is just under three minutes in length and shows off the integration of EVE Online's internet spaceships with DUST 514's ground-based mercs, war machines, and morally grey mayhem. While the footage is scripted and hand-made for the trailer, it was produced using CCP's proprietary Carbon graphics engine toolset (and is intended to represent what players will see and do in future versions of the EVE universe).

A Future Vision is necessarily focused on expanding New Eden beyond ships, wormholes, and star gates, but CCP isn't neglecting its bread and butter either, as evidenced by an additional new trailer featuring turret upgrades to existing ships, as well as one featuring new nebula graphics.

Check in with Massively all weekend as Brendan Drain, our resident EVE expert, weighs in on A Future Vision as well as all the exciting tidbits from EVE Fanfest 2011. In the meantime, you can view the trailers after the cut.

Continue reading EVE Fanfest 2011: Closing ceremony video cluster shows off the future of the sandbox

EVE Fanfest 2011: Closing ceremony video cluster shows off the future of the sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2

Brendan Drain — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage

It's day two of CCP's enormous party at the top of the world, and Massively is right here to find out what the future holds for EVE Online. In yesterday's day 1 roundup, we covered a fantastic presentation on Incursion by CCP Soundwave, an enlightening question-and-answer session with EVE's Council of Stellar Management, and the hilarious (but absolutely not work-safe) alliance leader panel. Today has been similarly packed with activity. We've seen some great presentations on what's to come in the summer expansion, and the keynote speech discussed some very exciting developments due to hit EVE in the near future.

Highlights of today included a video of Incarna's "captain's quarters" that we'll be getting as part of the summer expansion, details of massive server upgrades heading to Tranquility, and details of some awesome quality-of-life changes coming soon thanks to Team Best Friends Forever. There was so much awesome information to share that we unfortunately had to miss the chessboxing match to get it out in a timely manner. We missed Icelandic game developers punching each other in the face to write this up, so I hope you find it interesting!

Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today's festivities and what we can expect to come later.

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2

EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Keynote from the top of the world

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Previews, News items

It's an exciting time to be an EVE Online capsuleer, especially if you have the ability to make it to Iceland or are checking out the livestreams. For the rest of us desk-bound mortals who weren't able to hop across the pond to make it to Fanfest 2011, well... there's always next year! Even now, pilots are partying down with the CCP development team and talking all things internet spaceships while others are networking. We'd bet there's probably even a bit of setup for an in-game scam or two going on as well. We are talking about EVE Online, after all.

Thankfully, we here at Massively have sent two of our own intrepid adventurers to get into the thick of the action: Shawn Schuster and Brendan Drain. These two brave souls are facing the crowds at the top of the world to catch all the myriad events this weekend and have sent us some ~~Quafe t-shirts~~ field reports of all the action going on at Fanfest 2011. First up, it's a tasty overview of this year's opening keynote. So grab your drink of choice and join us after the break for more!

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Keynote from the top of the world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 1

Brendan Drain — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage

Once per year, EVE Online developer CCP Games throws a colossal party in its home country of Iceland. EVE players from around the world fly to Iceland to meet up with other players, talk about internet spaceships and usually get completely drunk. CCP hosts a series of events, round-table discussions and presentations all about EVE, showing what the team has been up to over the past year and revealing plans for the game's ongoing development. Fanfest has typically catered to EVE's most dedicated fans, or at least those motivated enough at the prospect of an EVE convention to brace the Icelandic weather. This year, the focus is much wider, with over 3,000 players in attendance and a huge contingent of press.

Day one of the EVE Fanfest has come to a close, and the event is now in full swing. Read on for a roundup of what happened today, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today's festivities.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 1 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Planning for the EVE Fanfest

Brendan Drain — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Every year, the developers at CCP Games host the truly massive EVE Online Fanfest. Players from all walks of life and countries will soon gather in Iceland for the world's biggest event dedicated entirely to internet spaceships. Fanfest originally started as a small gathering for the game's most dedicated fans, but over the years, it has grown both in size and in its importance to players. CCP often uses Fanfest to give EVE players a sneak peek of what's to come and to showcase what the company has been working on. We look forward each year to CEO Hilmar's keynote speech, in which the year's big reveals typically take place.

Over time, the EVE Fanfest has become an integral part of CCP's feedback-gathering mechanisms. Developers run a series of presentations on game design, work being done at CCP, and the lessons learned from previous projects or expansions. Round-table discussions give players the opportunity to raise questions directly to developers, and Fanfest in general gives players a way to mingle with developers in a very informal way.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how to prepare for the EVE Fanfest and how you can get involved even if you won't be in attendance.

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EVE Evolved: Planning for the EVE Fanfest originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Schedule posted for the EVE fanfest livestream

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Previews, News items

If you're a fan of EVE Online, missing this year's fanfest is unpleasant... but unless you're taking a trip out to Iceland, it's also a sad reality. However, the livestream of the important events does at least help to take the edge off, giving players watching from afar a taste of what's going down at the gathering. The official schedule for the stream has just been posted, which gives everyone an idea of what to expect from the event.

Players can either watch the stream free in normal quality on EVE TV or purchase the HD version for a nominal fee. (Purchasing the HD version also offers players a small promotional item for their characters by way of an additional carrot.) The livestream service currently is not planned to be recordable, so if you're considering shelling out money to watch the latest EVE Online gathering, there's that much more reason to check the schedule and make sure you won't be missing anything.

Schedule posted for the EVE fanfest livestream originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Package deals for EVE Online Fanfest released

Brendan Drain — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry

Every year, the EVE Online crew put on a massive celebration of the game and its players. Players from across the world fly to Iceland to take part in the largest gathering of EVE players in the yearly calendar. Fanfest attendees often get a sneak peak at what CCP has in store for the future of EVE. Through a series of development talks, trailers and announcements, players get a deeper look at upcoming expansions. The fanfest has always been late in the year, which has unfortunately limited the number of players that could attend and the amount of information CCP could deliver on the upcoming summer expansion.

This year's fanfest runs from the 24th to the 26th of March 2011 and is expected to give players a deep look into Incarna, which is scheduled for a Summer 2011 release. The official Fanfest 2011 webpage has been online since early last month, and this week CCP has released details of the various travel plans, accomodation packages, fanfest tickets and Icelandic tours available to players. Of particular interest is the "PLEX for passes" scheme, which lets players pay for fanfest tickets with PLEX that can be bought in-game for ISK. The normal price for tickets is $99 USD, but anyone buying their tickets before the 26th of December will get them for only $75 USD. As the fanfest is in Iceland, however, flights and accommodation are sure to account for most of the cost.

Package deals for EVE Online Fanfest released originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE fanfest pushed back due to work on Incarna

Brendan Drain — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry

The EVE Online fanfest is the biggest annual gathering for EVE players from around the world. Each year EVE fans pour into Iceland and take over the seaside town of Reykjavik, home of the game's developers CCP Games. In addition to enjoying the usual Reykjavik night life, attendees can watch a whole host of events and talks from CCP's development teams and notable players. The fanfest often gives players a sneak peak at what's to come in EVE, with expansion announcements and trailers often screened for the first time. For many players, it's also a chance to meet the members of their corporation or alliance in a neutral setting and make new friends that play EVE. CCP have even organised bands, orchestras and other entertainment in previous years. If there's one thing the developers over at CCP know how to do, it's throw a party.

The fanfest normally occurs late in the year, around September. This has presented CCP with problems in the past and limits the number of players that can spare the time to attend. Last Thursday, CCP announced that this year's fanfest is to be pushed back to March 2011, which seems set to become the new month for the annual event. In addition to being easier on CCP, the cost of flights and hotels should be lower around this time. CCP will also have more information on what they're currently working on to share and more sneak peaks at future expansions to release. Most importantly, pushing the fanfest back this year gives them some added time to work on Incarna, the absolutely goliath expansion that will introduce full body avatars and in-station environments. This hints that Incarna could be slated for a Summer 2011 release.

EVE fanfest pushed back due to work on Incarna originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's animated hangar backgrounds available as high-def downloads

James Egan — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online

EVE Online players who were fortunate enough to attend Fanfest in 2009 kept raving about a collection of animated video backgrounds that were running on screens during panels and presentations. Players were so taken with these that they'd been pressing CCP Games to make them available for download. CCP delivered on their promise this week, making these sweeping tours of the Gallente, Caldari, Amarr, and Minmatar space station interiors available for download in HD.

Once you see them, you'll probably understand why the EVE Fanfest attendees have been wanting them ever since. Those are some fairly hefty file sizes though, so for a quick look you can also see all four of the hangars and a nice selection of each race's ships in HD on YouTube. Stick with us past the jump for a look within an Amarr hangar which shows off the theocratic race's golden fleet.

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EVE's animated hangar backgrounds available as high-def downloads originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE soundtrack performed by 16 string symphony orchestra

James Egan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world

The "HTFU" video by CCP Games employees Permaband got all the attention around EVE Fanfest 2009, but there was something else a bit different that attendees of the annual player gathering were treated to -- a live performance of EVE Online's in-game music. The performance was given by DJ Margeir and his Symphony Orchestra; unlike the game soundtrack, some songs have accompanying vocals. It's a very different take on the familiar sounds many of us have been flying with for years in EVE.

CCP Games made the Fanfest performance available on YouTube, and we've got the video of this embedded for you after the jump.

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EVE soundtrack performed by 16 string symphony orchestra originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest 2009 videos are up

James Egan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry, DUST 514

We mentioned some highlights from EVE Fanfest 2009 in Reykjavik the other day and Permaband's "HTFU" video went down very well with a lot of our readers. Now CCP Games have made video of some of the Fanfest panels, presentations, or general madness available on their YouTube page as well. Of course there's the main keynote that included DUST 514 info and gameplay footage, but the CCP Panel gave players in attendance the opportunity to ask the EVE Online developers whatever they felt like.

The responses from the devs explain quite a bit about the choices CCP Games has made with both EVE and DUST 514, and there are some hints of what's to come. More than anything, it's interesting to see this kind of direct interaction between the players and the people who create the game. (Obligatory disclaimer: The CCP Panel video is a bit NSFW with the language in parts, but if you're watching something like this on the job... you probably don't care.)

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EVE Fanfest 2009 videos are up originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights

James Egan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, DUST 514

The biggest player gathering of the year for EVE Online fans is EVE Fanfest, held annually in the CCP Games hometown of Reykjavik. Some interesting announcements of what's to come have been made over the past few days, as well as more details or clarification on previously announced aspects of both EVE Online and DUST 514.

Read on for a few highlights of the info revealed at EVE Fanfest 2009 for the game and the IP beyond the Dominion expansion (slated for a December 1st launch):

Continue reading EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights

EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest streaming in live video Saturday, Oct 3

James Egan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Expansions, MMO industry, News items

Are you disappointed you couldn't attend EVE Fanfest 2009 in Reykjavik this week? If so, there's some good news. CCP Games announced today that they're going to stream live video of the Fanfest presentations on Saturday, October 3rd, from 12:00 - 17:00 GMT. The live video stream can be viewed at the EVE Fanfest 2009 site and will feature keynotes on the future of CCP Games and EVE Online -- namely DUST 514 -- and Senior Producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson's keynote on the Dominion expansion (recorded Friday evening). CCP Games will also stream video of the finals from this year's Fanfest PvP tournament with its free-for-all and Tech III matches.

If you're unable to view the video stream, you can also listen in on the keynotes through the EVE Online Facebook page thanks to Vivox. Information will be made available on the EVE Facebook page tomorrow, and this audio will stream from 15:00 - 17:00 GMT.

EVE Fanfest streaming in live video Saturday, Oct 3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Summer Buddy Program concluding, chance to win a trip to Fanfest

Lesley Smith — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, Events, real-world, News items

September is just a few days away and so the folks at CCP Games are keen to remind players that their Summer Buddy Program for EVE Online will conclude on September 1st. Why is this so important? Well, aside from introducing your pals to the world's biggest sci fi MMO, you are also in with a chance to win a trip to this year's Fanfest in Iceland for you and your friend as well as a trip to CCP's head office. The full prize is the following:

Two return flight tickets from any destination that Icelandair flies to for you and your EVE Online buddy.

Hotel Accommodation in Reykjavik from Sept, 30, 2009 to Oct, 04, 2009

Airport - Hotel transport in Reykjavik

Two Fanfest VIP passes

Organized visit to CCP HQ offices in Reykjavik

All you need to do is have an active EVE account and start spreading the word, just get them signed up with a buddy account and then cross your fingers. If you do win, you can choose who you take with you, either a friend you introduced to the game or any of your online pals on Tranquility. So enter now before it's too late!

EVE Online Summer Buddy Program concluding, chance to win a trip to Fanfest originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest PvP tournament to have free-for-all and Tech III matches

James Egan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, PvP

The Drone Bay podcast returned recently with an EVE Online Fanfest preview. The podcast's hosts Crovan and Alsedrech got air time with EVE developers CCP Tyr and CCP Claw, as well as StevieSG from EVE TV. In addition to dropping more info about the sixth annual Fanfest and some of the options players will have for excursions in Iceland beyond the player gathering itself (which will be October 1 - 3), they discuss the Fanfest PvP tournament.

The Fanfest PvP tournament is a major draw to the event. The Fanfest tournament differs from the Alliance PvP Tournament (which will be held earlier in the year, in September) in some noticeable ways. Where the Alliance tournament is taken very seriously by most competitors who spend weeks in preparation -- after all, a substantial part of the game's playerbase are watching or listening to the event live -- the Fanfest PvP tournament is meant to allow for more impromptu, spontaneous match-ups. Indeed, some winning teams at the Fanfest tournament were comprised of virtual strangers who joined up at the last minute, and the rules can lead to some... unusual scenarios. In keeping with this spirit of mixing it up, CCP has decided to hold free-for-all PvP matches at Fanfest 2009.

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EVE Fanfest PvP tournament to have free-for-all and Tech III matches originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games launches new EVE Fanfest 2009 site

James Egan — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, PvP, News items

EVE Fanfest is the annual gathering for the internet spaceships faithful, held in CCP's hometown of Reykjavîk, Iceland. CCP Games opted to move up the date for Fanfest this year, the sixth annual meetup, to October and hopefully give visiting EVE Online fans a better (read: less frigid) time to see Iceland. To make things easier, CCP has launched a Fanfest site that's a one-stop destination for all news and information surrounding the capsuleer pilgrimage to 'the top of the world.' Of course they've announced that there will be a PvP tournament taking place during Fanfest as well, which should come as no surprise to past attendees. Plus they've put together a Reykjavîk survival guide that highlights the city's dining options and nightlife.

EVE Fanfest 2009 will last from October 1-3, and as always CCP Games has worked out package deals for attendees with Icelandair that also include accommodation. A notable change this year is that EVE fans can purchase their Fanfest passes using PLEX, which is CCP's method of converting real world cash into an in-game item, sold in-game for ISK and redeemable for buyers as actual playtime. They give more detail on their new PLEX for Passes program: "In honor of our recent 6th anniversary, we decided to allow people to use PLEX to pay for their tickets to Fanfest, gathering as many players as possible. For the first time ever you can buy your Fanfest 2009 tickets with in-game Pilot License Extensions (PLEX). Using PLEX, attendees can attend Fanfest simply by playing EVE!"

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CCP Games launches new EVE Fanfest 2009 site originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2009 dates and travel packages announced

James Egan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

The annual EVE Fanfest is the largest player gathering of the year for fans of the sci-fi MMO. It's held annually in Reykjavik, Iceland, the home of CCP Games, and is a major event for die-hard fans of the game. EVE Online dev CCP Tyr announced the sixth annual 'Party at the Top of the World' this week: "It is time once again to start marking your calendars and making your reservations for the 2009 Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland! Get ready for another weekend of PvP tournaments, hanging out with the developers, and partying in a sea of fellow EVE Online fans. As always, Fanfest attendees will be treated to videos and announcements on the future of EVE and what players can expect in the upcoming expansions."

Rather than holding it in November as in all previous years, they've moved up this year's Fanfest dates to October 1- 3, when the weather should hopefully be a bit warmer. CCP Games has worked with Icelandair to put together airfare and hotel travel packages by country, the details of which can be found on the EVE Fanfest 2009 announcement page. For a peek at what EVE Fanfest is like, we've got a video embed of the Fanfest 2009 teaser trailer:

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2009 dates and travel packages announced

EVE Online Fanfest 2009 dates and travel packages announced originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online interview confirms details of retail release

James Egan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry

One of announcements that came out of EVE Online's most recent Fanfest was news that the game will be sold on retail shelves this March, with the release of the Apocrypha expansion. A publishing deal struck between EVE's developer CCP Games and Atari means that the game may well see an influx of players in the coming months.

MMORPG.com's Managing Editor Jon Wood caught up with Ryan Dancey, Chief Marketing Officer at CCP Games, and the two discussed how EVE's shift away from being a purely digital product will affect the game. Also notable is that Dancey gives the details of what that $39.95 (€39.99) for the box will buy: Mac and PC versions; a Career Guide for new pilots; 60 days of game time that can be converted into PLEX; automatically have needed standings for factional warfare; a VIP pass which functions like the Buddy Program; and a shuttle with expanded cargo capacity. These extras were previously rumored to be included with the EVE retail purchase, but Ryan Dancey's comments in the MMORPG.com interview would seem to confirm those rumors.

Have a look at the rest of the interview focused on EVE Online's retail release for more on how the publishing deal between CCP Games and Atari is shaping up.

EVE Online interview confirms details of retail release originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you attend specific MMO fan conventions?

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

A hot topic for yesterday's news was the details on two newly-announced fan fests for 2009. One being the long-time favorite BlizzCon, and the other being a new North American location for EVE Online's developer meet and greet, usually held only in Reykjavik, Iceland each year. In addition to these, we have conventions such as Sony's Fan Faire and various one-time meet-ups for various games or companies.

So for this morning's TDG, we thought we'd get some reader opinion on these specific MMO get-togethers or corporate events. While they might not be able to bring in the numbers of the larger conventions like PAX (with the exception of BlizzCon), the specific target audience tends to be more of the "hardcore" or dedicated fan. So as our favorite hobby grows in popularity, would you rather see more of these specified meet-ups, or should they just remain part of the larger conventions with a broader appeal?

The Daily Grind: Do you attend specific MMO fan conventions? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE developers to hold a meet and greet in Las Vegas

James Egan — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Previews

The major player gathering for EVE Online players is Fanfest, which is held in Reykjavik each year. However, the fact is many players can't make the trip to Iceland, and a number of North American players have hoped for an event that's more accessible to them. It looks like this is going to happen, and what's more accessible than Las Vegas? (Bonus: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.")

The 2009 EVE Developers Meet and Greet in Las Vegas was mentioned very briefly during the recent (and excellent) Alliance PvP Tournament, but more info is available now. EVE Vegas is a two-day event that will be held on May 8th and 9th at the Imperial Palace (on the Strip). It kicks off on a Friday with the Meet and Greet, followed up by a conference on Saturday.

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EVE developers to hold a meet and greet in Las Vegas originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games releases EVE Fanfest 2008 videos

James Egan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Humor

Most EVE Online players didn't have the opportunity to attend EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik earlier this month, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have to miss out on what was revealed. CCP Games and EVE TV have made good on their promise to release video footage of Fanfest presentations and panel discussions. While they did make live audio of some of this available in-game over EVE Voice, it was difficult to follow without the visuals to tie it all together.

Now, they've put up a new video page dedicated to EVE Fanfest 2008, with both low res and high res downloads. They culled roughly 30 hours of raw footage down into 12 videos. We've listed them below, accompanied by the CCP descriptions and video links, for both YouTube (when available) and high resolution versions:

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CCP Games releases EVE Fanfest 2008 videos originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP reveals Tech 3 coming in EVE's March expansion

James Egan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry, Professions, News items

CCP Games revealed some details on the as-yet unnamed EVE Online expansion, slated for release in March of 2009. "The unnamed expansion will introduce 'Tech 3' modular ship designs, branching epic mission arcs, further improvements to the new player experience, and exploration of uncharted space through unstable wormholes," writes Oli Welsh, reporting from EVE Fanfest 2008 for Eurogamer.

Welsh also reports that the exploration system of EVE Online will be revamped dramatically, now allowing for 'true exploration' where EVE's pilots will use "new skills and modules to travel through wormholes into all-new, unconnected space. There they will find unique stellar phenomena and the resources and artifacts that will lead to the third level of technology in the game universe, Tech 3 -- the first such update since Tech 2 was introduced back in 2004," Welsh adds.

Continue reading CCP reveals Tech 3 coming in EVE's March expansion

CCP reveals Tech 3 coming in EVE's March expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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