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: 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<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances-part-2/#commentsContinue reading EVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances, part 2

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>0.0ccpccp-gameseveeve-onlineexpansionfeedbackinfrastructurepatchsingularitysovereigntytestingwarSun, 20 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/20/eve-evolved-the-road-ahead-for-0-0-alliances/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,


A lot of MMOs rarely (if ever) revisit old gameplay mechanics or areas, focusing instead on new expansions. EVE Online is different in that the developers go back and re-visit old aspects of gameplay rather than just focusing on new mechanics and content. Even Blizzard have seen the wisdom in redevelopment of old content, and in their next planned World of Warcraft expansion "Cataclysm", the entire game world is being given a revamp to bring everything up to their most recent development standards.

CCP Games have been using this development strategy for years and coupled with player-based development in the community, EVE Online is truly a game that evolves over time. Player-managed political states shift allegiances, entire empires can rise, span the galaxy and fall within a year and the emergent gameplay that typifies EVE's sandbox style is constantly being expanding on by players. The game we know now is very different to the one we had a year ago and if recent devblogs are any indication, EVE is about to undergo a major evolutionary leap. The entire sovereignty system and the state of capital warfare is about to undergo a complete revamp.

In this article, I take a more in-depth look ahead at the changes that are coming to 0.0, capital ships and the sovereignty system and how I think they could turn out, given my experiences in EVE.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The road ahead for 0.0 alliances originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>0.0alliancecapitalccpccp-gamesdominioneveeve-evolvedeve-onlineevolutionexpansionfeaturedinfrastructuremothershipopinionpoliticsrevampsandboxsovsovereigntytitanSun, 20 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Masthead Studios announces GNi as worldwide server host for Earthrise]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/masthead-studios-announces-gni-as-worldwide-server-host-for-eart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/masthead-studios-announces-gni-as-worldwide-server-host-for-eart/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/masthead-studios-announces-gni-as-worldwide-server-host-for-eart/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Masthead Studios is a relative newcomer to the massively multiplayer online game industry and is presently developing the post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise, a sandbox game where players will vie for control over finite resources in a large, open world. As players of another prominent sandbox MMO know very well, ensuring smooth operations in an unsharded game requires a substantial investment in server technology. To this end, Masthead Studios has partnered with server infrastructure provider GNi to host Earthrise.

GNi's 'Infrastructure as a Service' (IaaS) offers "dedicated storage, network, and server capacity on a pay-as-you-grow model." With this week's announcement, Masthead Studios joins companies like Vivox and Frogster Interactive Pictures AG as a GNi client.

[Via IGN]

MassivelyMasthead Studios announces GNi as worldwide server host for Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business-modelsearthrisefrogstergniiaasigninfrastructureinfrastructure-as-a-servicemasthead-studiosmmo-industrypost-apocalypticsandboxsci-fiserversvivoxTue, 21 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jagex developing new MMO, seems not to care]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/jagex-developing-new-mmo-seems-not-to-care/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/jagex-developing-new-mmo-seems-not-to-care/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/jagex-developing-new-mmo-seems-not-to-care/#commentsFiled under: ,

Here's a strange one for you Runescape fans. Geoff Iddison, CEO of Jagex, said that the company is working on "Nextscape", a new MMO to be released March 2009. This news, revealed at the GameHorizon Conference in Newcastle, England seemed almost beside the point compared to what Iddison really wanted to say about his company.

"We've got an infrastructure behind Runescape which is the real silver of the Jagex, the value of the company," he said. "It's not the game, the game is going to come and go." Now, granted, this was at a developer's conference, so he's not there to hype the next big project necessarily, but talking up your infrastructure is like saying "Forget about my personality and skills, my skeletal and circulatory systems are where it's at!" While we're sure things are great at Jagex, we'd like to have heard a little more about the game -- you know, the reason that infrastructure exists.

MassivelyJagex developing new MMO, seems not to care originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamehorizon-conferencegeoff-iddisoninfrastructurejagexnextscaperunescapeThu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST