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EVE Evolved: ISK sinks and faucets

Brendan Drain — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Game mechanics, PvE, EVE Evolved

In EVE Online's player-run economy, the flow of ISK is a vital concept. While there are many ways to make ISK in EVE, most of them only move it around from one player to another. When you mine ore and sell it on the market, for example, the mining process doesn't introduce any new ISK to the game. Only a few game mechanics can be called ISK faucets, as the game mechanics actually create ISK from thin air. Similarly, the ISK sink mechanics destroy ISK or remove it from the game in some manner.

To the individual player, the difference between something being an ISK faucet or not is largely immaterial. When you sell something on the market for a few million ISK, or get the insurance payout on a lost ship, it doesn't really matter to you where that ISK came from. Where the concept really matters is in discussions on inflation and how the game chooses to reward us in PvE. Are ISK bounties and rewards always a good idea, or could their over-use eventually lead to runaway inflation?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the various ways in which ISK flows in and out of EVE Online, and why we should care about inflation.

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EVE Evolved: ISK sinks and faucets originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: EVE Online's not-so-free market

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, EVE Evolved

One of the most talked-about features of EVE Online is its player-run economy. Due to over 330,000 players living on one server, the markets have reached a critical mass where the laws of economics play out in a very effective manner. When there's a demand for something, no matter how obscure the item or low the demand, you can be sure there are dozens or hundreds of pilots trying their best to supply it. The in-game economy mirrors real-life economic situations so closely that CCP even hired a dedicated economist to analyse the market and advise CCP of any problems that arise.

EVE's economy is often referred to as a pure free market, but that isn't technically true. At its heart, EVE is still a game designed and implemented by a team of developers. All MMO economies require some degree of control and intervention for the game to remain playable. In EVE, this comes in the form of careful balance of supply and demand via changes to game mechanics and drop rates. There are also a number of more direct passive influences on the market, such as NPC market orders and insurance.

In this economic article, I look at a few of the influences that constrain free-market economics in EVE.

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EVE Evolved: EVE Online's not-so-free market originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Insurance evolved

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Crafting, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved

The EVE Evolved column hits its second anniversary in two days on April 27th. To celebrate, last week I gave readers the chance to win an expensive faction battleship of their choice worth around 500 million ISK. You submitted a horde of great ideas for future column posts, which I whittled down to a final list of 49 fantastic ideas that would really suit the column. It was really tough to find one topic amongst them all that I liked best and wanted to write up first. Congratulations go to Massively reader Nanoko for making my personal favourite suggestion. In addition to winning a faction battleship, Nanoko's winning idea forms the basis for this week's anniversary edition of the column on the upcoming insurance changes and the impact they'll have on EVE. Special mention goes to Massively reader Aimlis who came up with a similar idea. It was unfortunately a little too close to Nanoko's suggestion, which came first. Nanoko has been contacted to arrange receipt of the prize!

At the end of March, CCP announced that the Tyrannis expansion would include a wave of changes to ship insurance. Currently, players receive insurance payouts for losing a ship based on the value of the minerals that went into its construction. The mineral values used in this calculation are as old as EVE Online itself and over the years have slowly dropped out of step with market prices. As a result, Tech 1 ships are almost free to lose under the current insurance scheme while Tech 2 and 3 losses are barely compensated for at all. Once Tyrannis hits, CCP will periodically adjust the mineral prices used in insurance calculations based on a weighted average of market prices across EVE. This has huge implications for PvP, the composition of fleets and the mineral market.

In this speculative opinion piece, I examine the effect the insurance changes could have on everything from ships used in PvP to the mineral market.

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EVE Evolved: Insurance evolved originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online ship insurance changes to come with Tyrannis

Brendan Drain — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Crafting, PvP

EVE Online's insurance system has been a hot topic of debate over the years. Under the current system, ships have a fixed base value calculated according to the minerals used in their production. Platinum insurance costs 30% of this base value for three months worth of coverage and if the ship is destroyed in that time, 100% of the base value in ISK is deposited into your wallet. It's a safety net designed to lower the cost of losing ships and promote PvP. The main drawback of the system is that the values it uses for minerals are fixed and haven't changed since EVE came out in 2003. The prices of the various minerals that go into a ship have changed drastically over the years but insurance costs and payouts have remained constant.

Skip past the cut for a breakdown of the problems with the current insurance system and details of CCP's new plans.

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EVE Online ship insurance changes to come with Tyrannis originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthrise developers seeking player input

James Egan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Earthrise

Players having more input or control over the games they play is an interesting direction some MMO companies are taking. While not every company will establish something structured as EVE Online has with the Council of Stellar Management or (as Massively reader Se7en pointed out yesterday) Star Wars Galaxies has with its Galactic Senate, the simple fact that game developers are making efforts to allow more player input is encouraging. Masthead Studios is a newcomer to the MMO scene with Earthrise, a far future post-apocalyptic title, but already they're showing an interest in getting player feedback as they develop the game. The devs at Masthead will now have a "Community Consensus" on the Earthrise forums which brings up key issues with the game's design, to learn how players feel about these aspects of the title.

It's not clear yet exactly how much input the players will really have on Earthrise but if the devs are willing to listen to the playerbase, we'd say this is a step in the right direction. The first Community Consensus deals with an issue that will likely be hotly debated -- adding additional incentive for player killing, with greater benefits at higher levels of notoriety.

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Earthrise developers seeking player input originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pirates of the Burning Sea's economic stimulus package

Shawn Schuster — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Crafting

Over at Flying Lab, they're doing their part to make Pirates of the Burning Sea an enjoyable and balanced game. It's their job! So in a recent developer log, we get word of a revamp to the economy through streamlining items, structures and the recently introduced insurance for ships.

This will all be accomplished through an extensive process of removing redundant crafting items in provision making and ship building, plus a readjustment of how insurance will work. What do you do with all of those obsolete items in your inventory? Luckily, they've created a merchant who will turn any obsolete good into its base raw material. Check out the lengthy developer log for complete information on what they plan to change.

Pirates of the Burning Sea's economic stimulus package originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The cost of failure, part 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

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EVE Evolved: The cost of failure, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The cost of failure

Brendan Drain — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

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

The harsh death penalty in EVE Online is something that's talked about a lot. I even touched on the issue myself when I compared EVE Online's style of PvP to Age of Conan and when I investigated the phenomenon of suicide ganking. In EVE, your ship being destroyed means millions of your hard-earned isk is flushed down the drain. If you're unlucky enough not to get away in your escape pod, you'll be killed and recloned, costing yet more isk and destroying any expensive implants in your head. The brutal death penalty associated with PvP in EVE is responsible for putting a lot of players off playing the game but is the taste of death really as bitter as people make it out to be?

In this article, I examine the cost of defeat in PvP and how to minimise these costs without ruining your PvP performance.

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EVE Evolved: The cost of failure originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 10 Commandments of EVE

James Egan — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE

EVE Online tends to appeal to MMO players who like the depth and complexity of a sci-fi game where players have the freedom to act as they wish in a vast galaxy. But that freedom comes with a price; EVE can be a harsh setting, particularly for newer players trying to get a handle on the game.

For the newer player who's recently completed the tutorial, EVE largely remains a mystery... one which only reading, learning from other players, and just 'going for it' can solve. Still, it's always good when someone passes on advice to newer players as many of us learned our lessons the hard way. To that end, we bring you The 10 Commandments of EVE. Truth be told, there are a lot more than ten essential things to know about the game, but this is a good start. Feel free to add your own "commandments" or lessons learned in the comments below.

Behold The 10 Commandments of EVE >>

Gallery: The 10 Commandments of EVE Online

The 10 Commandments of EVE originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Visual Guide: Before you undock

James Egan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

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

There are a few essential things any pilot in EVE Online should do before they undock from a station and get themselves into a potentially hostile situation. Come to think of it, anytime you undock there's at least some chance of hostility. Keeping that in mind, think of this as a visual checklist you should go through before entering space, as you're not only risking your ship, but your skillpoints if you bite off more than you can chew. This happens all too often, to novice and veteran pilots alike in EVE. So to help you avoid this fate...

Head to the guide >>

Gallery: EVE Visual Guide: Before you undock

EVE Visual Guide: Before you undock originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5

Matt Warner — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Patches, Crafting, PvP, News items

Flying Lab Software makers of Pirates of the Burning Sea listen to their players, the developers really do! A player survey went live shortly after the1.4 patch, and after a few weeks of data-mining the feedback FLS is responding in a big way. In this latest dev-log by Joe Ludwig, Producer for PotBS, 55% polled in the survey said they prefer to focus their playing time on PvP, 58% from that group said that most of that time is spent on missions or economic activities. Developer logs show that players are repeating high level missions to afford ships and outfitting for PvP gameplay.

To address this "time-sink" an insurance system will be added in the 1.5 patch. This means players will receive 90% of the minimum production cost and permanent outfitting when losing their ship. The other deterrent to keep players from PvP is the itemization gap. Starting in 1.5 all permanent outfitting is player-craftable, including green items and will also undergo balance changes. With these two barriers alleviated PvP will become more accessible to a broader audience.

Continue reading PotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5

PotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aviva USA uses Second Life for training, education

Tateru Nino — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life, Education, Virtual worlds

Aviva USA, part of Aviva plc, the fifth-largest insurance group in the world wants its agents to get together on their new island in the virtual world of Second Life. Not for the public, the plan is to use Second Life as a recruitment, education and training tool for life insurance and annuity agents, as Aviva joins the growing throng of companies using Second Life for communication and education.

Agents who want to get access to Aviva's private island can call toll-free 800-801-1486, option 1, extension 2396. 'Second Life provides Aviva with a rich environment for connecting with agents,' said Mark Heitz, president of sales and distribution for Aviva USA. 'Aviva's product innovations are aided by technology, and we think an island in Second Life is one way to use technology to help agents learn about Aviva and our products.'

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Aviva USA uses Second Life for training, education originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogue Signal: The unwritten rules of EVE PvP, part 1

Phillip Manning — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Guides, PvP, Rogue Signal

EVE Online is a PvP driven game. It is not merely PvP oriented, nor does it only contain strong PvP overtones. The game, its politics, and its economy, are all controlled by the ever-present PvP that takes place. No matter your path in EVE, you are participating in PvP, be it through market competition with another trader, competition for ore rights with another miner, or the time-honored tradition of turning your opponent into space dust. Staying out of the PvP environment requires a conscious effort. Even the most casual PvE enthusiast is contributing to PvP by selling loot or minerals, and may well become the target of some non-consensual combat.

Suffice to say, even though this guide will have some things that will apply only to those looking for a fight, there is something for everyone, since you will get killed, someday. Ignoring these bits of advice is a surefire way to make that inevitable ship loss that much more painful. Also, bear in mind that each and every one of the things I am going to cover here is something that I myself have done in the past. This is not just a guide for noobs, but also a cheat sheet for those of us who get so busy preparing the bigger picture battle, that we forget things that end up making us look like total noobs in the end.

Continue reading Rogue Signal: The unwritten rules of EVE PvP, part 1

Rogue Signal: The unwritten rules of EVE PvP, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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