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EVE Online's The Mittani issues formal apology for crossing the line [UPDATED]

Brendan Drain — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:30:00 EST

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

Sci-fi MMO EVE Online is famed for being set in a cold, harsh universe where no player is truly safe. The line between griefing and gameplay is more subtle in EVE than in many other MMOs. Activities like scamming or Goonswarm alliance's Ice Interdiction operations could be seen as griefing in other games, but as long as it all stays in-game it's all a legitimate part of EVE's unforgiving sandbox universe and open PvP ruleset.

Yesterday we reported that Goonswarm's leader and elected CSM chairman The Mittani mistakenly crossed that all-important line during a drunken presentation at Fanfest 2012. In his talk, he gave out the name of another player and told viewers to "find him" if they wanted to make him kill himself. Today The Mittani landed following his flight home from Fanfest and reportedly was ashamed to read the transcript of what he said during his panel. He issued a full apology via the forum, describing himself as "utterly ashamed and sickened by [his] behavior."

"This has been hanging over my head since Thursday when I stumbled away from the Alliance Panel with a vague sense that I had done something horrible," he began. "Then I landed, and saw the article listing my actual quote." He told players, "It's one thing to play a villain in an online roleplaying game, but I am not that character in real life, as anyone who has met me can attest. I went way, way, /way/ past the line on Thursday night." CCP's investigation is still underway, and we'll bring you the results of that investigation as soon as we get them.
[UPDATE: This post has been updated as part of an apology for covering the story in a sensationalist manner]

EVE Online's The Mittani issues formal apology for crossing the line [UPDATED] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Why we grief - a therapy session

Jef Reahard — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Welcome to the Massively Psychiatric Center for Gamers, Griefers, and Greater Internet F-wads (link NSFW). I'm Dr. Reahard, and while I'm most definitely an armchair psychologist, psychiatrist, and MMOlogist, pay no attention to any of that. I'm more than qualified to help you determine whether or not you're a bleep (sorry, a griefer). So please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable, and let's talk about you.

Tell me about yourself. Do you relish that feeling of power you get when messing with another human being? Is there a certain sense of being alive, a rush if you will, that only comes around when you bleep with another person? Does said bleeping happen exclusively in video games where your actions carry no perceivable repercussions?

Are you secretly frustrated with a banal and disturbingly meaningless white-collar existence? Does releasing your inner bleep in a (theoretically) anonymous online environment scratch the itches made manifest by a minivan, 2.3 kids, and the otherwise inescapable confines of suburbia?

Continue reading The Soapbox: Why we grief - a therapy session

The Soapbox: Why we grief - a therapy session originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:00 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.

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 1

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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GoonSwarm alliance disbanded in EVE Online political drama

Brendan Drain — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Interviews, Lore, PvP, Endgame, Hands-on, Politics

In the sandbox of New Eden, rival alliances vie for control of vast swathes of star systems. The lawless nullsec regions of the EVE Online universe are home to violent alliances of all sizes and fleets with hundreds of ships clash on a daily basis. The political machinations of nullsec have produced many stories of wars fought over territory, stations conquered and fleets dismantled by force. Over the years, each story has become part of the game's living history. Recently, a new chapter in that history began as the nullsec sovereignty system governing territorial warfare received a complete overhaul in the Dominion expansion. The transition period has been rough on some alliances as a new sovereignty system requires new ways of thinking. Some alliances are falling, new ones are being forged to fill the power vacuum and the race is on for people to adapt to the new sovereignty system.

As we've been watching the EVE galaxy performing its Darwinian reshuffle, it came to our surprise that GoonSwarm, the game's biggest territorial alliance, had been disbanded. In the early hours of Wednesday 3rd February 2010, GoonSwarm CEO "karttoon" kicked almost every corp from the alliance, effectively disbanding it. There's more to this story than meets the eye and in this investigative piece, I delve into the thick of it to discover just what's going on with this troubled alliance.

Continue reading GoonSwarm alliance disbanded in EVE Online political drama

GoonSwarm alliance disbanded in EVE Online political drama originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online spymaster The Mittani to present at GDC 2010

James Egan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Politics

EVE Online developer CCP Games typically has a presence at major industry events like the upcoming Game Developers Conference, but the session that's caught our attention so far isn't a presentation from the devs -- it's actually from a member of the EVE community. That GDC 2010 speaker is Alexander Gianturco -- better known to most EVE Online players as Goonswarm's spymaster, The Mittani. Others may know the infamous player as the "Sins of the Solar Spymaster" EVE columnist at Ten Ton Hammer. Gianturco will give a lecture at GDC 2010 titled "Uniquely Ruthless: The Espionage Metagame of EVE Online" that will give an insider's perspective on the political machinations possible in the game's sandbox of New Eden.

His talk will hit on topics like the disbanding of the Band of Brothers alliance, how the espionage metagame has changed over time, and of course the myriad aspects of EVE's sandbox that allow players to even engage in such pursuits. The session description for Uniquely Ruthless: The Espionage Metagame of EVE Online states that Gianturco's presentation should be of general interest to anyone with a love of spies and their stories.

EVE Online spymaster The Mittani to present at GDC 2010 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The challenges and rewards of espionage in EVE Online

James Egan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews

Goonswarm spymaster The Mittani took a different approach with his latest EVE Online column at Ten Ton Hammer, and conducted an interview with a corporate saboteur titled "The Most Dangerous Agent". While it should be stated that most players in EVE do not engage in espionage, it's a career path of sorts that any player could potentially engage in, provided they have the combination of intelligence, social skills, and dedication needed to succeed. It's that aspect of dedication which often goes unmentioned -- the challenge of maintaining long-term duplicity.

The Mittani's interview with a player anonymously referred to as "Darwin's Accelerator" explains how a player with destructive aims greater than simply engaging a few enemy ships at a time can use intel to devastating effect, wiping out entire fleets. Maintaining a persona that fits in with the target organization and thus won't arouse suspicion, however, can be difficult if the infiltrator genuinely dislikes the members that comprise the corporation or alliance.

Continue reading The challenges and rewards of espionage in EVE Online

The challenges and rewards of espionage in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: One among many

Krystalle Voecks — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, One Shots

The one thing that really differentiates EVE Online from many other MMOs out there is the depth of control that players have over sectors and all the machinations that go on daily in the universe of New Eden. You never know when friend will become foe; when trusted ally will become ultimate enemy. Today's great EVE Online One Shots was sent in to us by Kel'taith of Eve Defence Force, who tells us of a recent operation he was part of.

Recently Goonswarm and Zenith Affinity, the largest alliance (and their "pet") in EVE invaded my alliance Systematic-Chaos. We have had hostile relations for quite some time so war was a easily foreseeable outcome. Lucky for us we are a well liked alliance and have many allies. This screen-shot was taken in A1-AUH during a operation to rid us of all of Goonswarm and Zenith POSes in one go. The result was a combined fleet of 900 at its height, almost 300 of which were massive capital and super-capital ships. Twenty enemy POSes were killed that night, and many are calling this the largest fleet of capital ships ever seen. You can see my tiny interceptor that was used as the warp in for this fleet of carriers. With cooperation, proper tactics, and loyalty towards allies you can achieve anything in this game.

We love to hear of cool things like this! So if you're part of a battle, please snag some screens and send them our way. Email them to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description. We'll post them out here for everyone to enjoy -- but we take no responsibility when someone decides to wardec you.

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: One among many originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why you should be playing EVE Online: One server, one universe

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion

"Why you should be playing ..." is a freeform column from Massively.com intended to inform you about our favorite parts of our favorite games. We want you to know why we're playing them, so you can know what to play.

It's been dead for too long, but now it's back. The ultimate opinion column, "Why You Should Be Playing," is making a triumphant return to the pages of Massively! For those unfamiliar with this feature, this is the space where the Massively staff gets to tell you why we play our favorite games. We try to spread the love of MMOs unknown so you get to see some of the great features of MMOs you may not play.

Today's feature has all guns locked on EVE Online and the power of the Tranquility server. EVE has a vast universe of countless star systems and now even sports gigantic areas of uncharted space, but did you know that all of that world is housed on multiple servers that act as one?

Continue reading Why you should be playing EVE Online: One server, one universe

Why you should be playing EVE Online: One server, one universe originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Has EVE's most powerful alliance fallen?

James Egan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, Endgame, Politics

Band of Brothers (renamed KenZoku) was once the most powerful alliance in EVE Online with a stated goal, even here at Massively, to control all of the game's New Eden galaxy. Now, KenZoku has reportedly left the contested, lawless frontier of 0.0 space after months of resisting the combined forces of rival alliances.

One of EVE's in-game journalists, Interstellar Correspondent ISD Clarity Brown, reports from the site of KenZoku's last holdout: "GoonSwarm and their allies deployed a camp on KenZoku's sole remaining outpost last night. A joint force of pilots from Pandemic Legion, GoonSwarm, Morsus Mihi, Razor Alliance and KIA deployed 27 titans around the station in a show of force and gave a demonstration of the sheer power embodied in such a gang."

Titans are the game's most expensive weapons of mass destruction, massive ships capable of unleashing 'Doomsday' area-of-effect attacks that melt fleets caught in the blast. To unleash 27 Doomsday blasts at once is... quite a sight, as the video footage demonstrates.

Continue reading Has EVE's most powerful alliance fallen?

Has EVE's most powerful alliance fallen? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Further developments in EVE's 'Grand Theft Alliance' drama

James Egan — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Guilds, PvP, News items

[Notify] Drama bomb hits you, wrecking for total damage.

We broke the story late last evening that one of EVE Online's most powerful alliances has finally fallen after years of continual struggle with rival player alliances. While some details surrounding the incident remain hazy, we do have some more information than we did when we published the rumor. Band of Brothers (aka "BoB"), the self-styled villain alliance in the game, have repeatedly professed a desire to control all of EVE's galaxy of New Eden. This motivation driving their collective action has made them the focal point of hatred for much of the community, and BoB wouldn't have it any other way. More enemies equates to a real challenge for them to overcome, and in this respect -- whether you love them or despise them -- Band of Brothers has been a major driver in player warfare since the early days of EVE Online.

Despite the thousands of pilots in the game fervently committed to wiping Band of Brothers from the influence map, the alliance has held on. Even though they were forced to sacrifice vast territorial control for a smaller region of consolidated strength, even when on the ropes, they remained impossible to destroy. The irony is that for all their raw military power, the alliance was ultimately cut down from within, with only a few simple clicks of a mouse. It was a bureaucratic snafu from the perspective of Band of Brothers -- a member of the alliance named Haargoth Agamar (a director with Black Nova Corp) being entrusted with too much control -- and a windfall for GoonSwarm, the major alliance rival of BoB.

Continue reading Further developments in EVE's 'Grand Theft Alliance' drama

Further developments in EVE's 'Grand Theft Alliance' drama originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keeping yourself alive in EVE with safespots

James Egan — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, PvP, Tips and tricks, Maps

Learning how to create safespots in EVE Online is an essential survival skill, but it's one that takes some time to get the hang of. The Goonfleet video tutorial to safespotting is an excellent start, but other player resources are popping up and explain how important it is to have and properly use different types of safespots.

EVE blogger Manasi has written an excellent guide to safespotting called "Getting your A$$ out of the fire" that covers the different types of safespots a player in EVE can make use of. Namely, "gate" safespots (useful for watching a gate at range while cloaked), "deep" safespots (used most often, numerous such bookmarks are needed), and "station" safespots (within docking range of a given station, allowing you to evade attackers by docking up). Manasi goes into detail about how to create each type of safespot, and -- most importantly -- how to use them. Manasi's "Getting your A$$ out of the fire" paired with the aforementioned Goonfleet Safespotting 101 are all you need to get a handle on safespotting in EVE Online. Be sure to check them both out if you're a new pilot. Goonfleet's Safespotting 101 video tutorial is embedded below the cut.

Continue reading Keeping yourself alive in EVE with safespots

Keeping yourself alive in EVE with safespots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's alliance warfare the largest virtual conflict ever waged

James Egan — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Game mechanics, Guilds, PvP, News items

Alliance warfare is an aspect of EVE Online that sets it apart from virtually any other MMO on the market. It commands a devoted following of players who continually exert their collective strength to conquer new regions of space while subjugating their numerous opponents.

Although it's been said that only a minority of EVE Online's entire playerbase are entrenched in alliance warfare over 0.0 (lawless) space, this is where much of the action in the game takes place. 0.0 is where the most valuable resources in the game are found, and where the authorities do nothing to hinder player activities. The wealth, freedom and potential for power turn EVE's vast swaths of 0.0 space into hotly contested regions... the battlefield of "the largest virtual conflict ever waged," in the words of games journalist Jim Rossignol.

Continue reading EVE's alliance warfare the largest virtual conflict ever waged

EVE's alliance warfare the largest virtual conflict ever waged originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leadership in EVE Online applicable to real-world ventures

James Egan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, News items

EVE Online has been getting increased mainstream media coverage. Recently the New York Times covered EVE's Council of Stellar Management (CSM) summit in Reykjavik, as well as the self-styled 'bad guy' alliance Band of Brother's initiative to annihilate their rivals in New Eden, wiping them from New Eden's star maps.

A new MMO article at Forbes takes a close look at the corporate paradigm of EVE Online, both in-game and out. The piece touches on the views of Goonswarm alliance leader and CSM delegate Sean Conover (aka Darius Johnson, CEO of Goonfleet) and the real-world CEO of CCP Games, Hilmar Veigar Petursson. The Icelandic CEO states: "There isn't a lot of difference between what you can apply within the game and out of it... It's more about social skills than gaming skills. It's very hard to stay on top."

Continue reading Leadership in EVE Online applicable to real-world ventures

Leadership in EVE Online applicable to real-world ventures originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's CSM summit covered in The New York Times

James Egan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:35:00 EST

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

EVE Online has cropped up in The New York Times twice this weekend. Powerhouse alliance Band of Brothers announced their plans for New Eden in one story, while the Council of Stellar Management's (CSM) summit with CCP Games also caught The New York Times' attention. A number of members of the press were in attendance at the CSM summit in Reykjavik, a first for EVE Online and for the MMO industry itself. It's refreshing to see increased mainstream coverage of the niche title that avoids the 'gee golly' tone so prevalent when MMOs are discussed in mass media.

Seth Schiesel from The New York Times reports broadly on the 12 hours of meetings between the players who comprise the CSM and the developers and executives of CCP Games. As with any democratic process, differing viewpoints on how the CSM should operate led to some internal conflicts, Schiesel writes. It's interesting to note that the American CSM delegates favored "full and total disclosure" while their European counterparts on the Council preferred to deliberate privately before going public with recommendations and announcements. Given the controversy and forum outcries surrounding the CSM in recent weeks, it's understandable that this divide in outlooks would persist. But whatever issues the CSM had with one another, they were put aside as the Council performed their elected duties, representing the interests of their constituents face-to-face with CCP. See The New York Times piece for more details on the CSM meeting in Reykjavik, and for a brief profile of some of the delegates next to their alter egos.

EVE Online's CSM summit covered in The New York Times originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GoonSwarm takes on the Beatles with the "Little Bees" video

Akela Talamasca — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, Grouping, Humor

Ahh, the Goons. As an entity, they are arguably the largest gaming collective in MMO history, with presences in Second Life, World of Warcraft, and EVE Online, with doubtless many other MMOs inhabited. EVE, in particular, is home to the GoonSwarm, or GoonFleet, which is infamous for its combat tactic of harassing larger ships with a rush of smaller, less-powerful vehicles. Cheap? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.

In a testament to the power of its alliance, they've created a music video that's sure to stir the hearts of Goon-loving forces everywhere. Entitled 'Little Bees', based on the Beatles song 'Let It Be', and featuring lyrics like 'And when the system's laggy/You could lay the blame on CCP', it's got our vote for Best New Artist Video of the Year.

[Thanks, Hortinstein!]

GoonSwarm takes on the Beatles with the "Little Bees" video originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everyone vs Everyone Online: The End is Nigh

Ben Davis — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Guilds, PvP

I'll be the first one to say it: the Great War is over. What once began as a campaign of conquest has become something none of the original participants could have conceived in their wildest imaginations. Anyone who has had any real exposure to EVE will know who the major players are; the GBC, or Greater BoB (Band of Brothers) coalition and their allies on one side, and RSF or Red Swarm -- most commonly called Goonswarm -- the "Something Awful" forumites on the other.

Now that BoB has beaten back the RSF's invasion, a sense of calm and serenity has come to New Eden. Along with it, there is a renewal of an older form of hostility. Small scale alliance warfare is springing up, which makes this peace tenuous at best.

The bonds made out of necessity during the Great War are now dissolving and a different type of peace is materializing. The peaceful shooting of one's neighbor. The universe is still at war, but the sides have blurred, everyone is involved in a great melee that in EVE is the only true peace. While it's possible, even likely, that most of the major powers that formed The Coalition (RSF) will remain as players in the broader galactic conflict, things will never truly be the same.

To exasperate matters, the North -- to quote a popular post from the official EVE message boards -- is "on fire." Wary players watch the Triumvirate's recent escalation of hostilities, which if the forums are to be believed, are drawing a lot of parallels to the ignition of the BoB/Goon war. Combine that with a growing destabilization due to the anticipated all out Mercenary Coalition / BoB conflict. (Most of the player-base has assumed this will occur since MC overtly back-stabbed BoB in their moment of need.) War once again threatens to engulf EVE, and who will win is anyone's guess.

Everyone vs Everyone Online: The End is Nigh originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Goonswarm vs BoB

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, One Shots

We threw out the call, and sure enough, we were answered by an EVE player! Today's One Shots comes from Rob, who sent this awesome picture of a group gathering up before an enormous battle in EVE. He also gave us a great back-story on just what this screenshot is all about, so I'll turn this over to him.

This is a shot, head on, of my Taranis (Interceptor) with the fleet assembled at a POS waiting for our next fight. I believe it was in 25s or FAT during a conflict (a few days before Christmas 2007) there between BoB and the Goons. It's always been one of my favorite shots because its such a mess of so many ships.

For those of you who aren't in the know, both BoB and the Goons are short form for two very large and fairly influential corporations in EVE Online. Think of it as two of the largest guilds in any other game setting up a giant war on one another, with total loss of gear, and permanent effects on the universe you play in. This is hardcore PvP.

Do you have any screenshots of your experiences in game? We take PvE, PvP, landscapes, you name it. If it's going on in a game world, we want to see it! Just grab your screenshots, toss them in a mail with whatever information you'd like to give us and send it to oneshots@massively.com. Yours could be our next featured image!

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: Goonswarm vs BoB originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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