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EVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno

Brendan Drain — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

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

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

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

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

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SOE's Matt Higby talks PlanetSide 2 resources, territory control, and more

Jef Reahard — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2

PlanetSide Universe and Auraxis Global Network got together with PlanetSide 2 creative director Matt Higby for a two-hour interview session last night. If you missed it, the full video chat is available after the cut below.

Higby and the AGN crew covered a lot of territory relating to Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming MMOFPS. Topics included the Engineer class, urban combat, and the territory and resource control systems. Higby also had plenty to say about the general philosophy behind PS2, and how the dev team is focused on refining the gameplay of its predecessor rather than reinventing the wheel.

"One of the things that we're trying to do with the game is reduce downtime, reduce a lot of the maintenance things that you had to do that were kind of inconvenient. We're not removing logistics or strategy [...] but trying to lessen those maintenance tasks that are less enjoyable as much as possible," Higby explained.

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SOE's Matt Higby talks PlanetSide 2 resources, territory control, and more originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter

Brendan Drain — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

Several weeks ago, EVE Online developer CCP Games restructured its company and announced a new laser focus on in-space features for EVE Online. Since then we've seen an absolute deluge of news updates and devblogs on features due for release in the winter expansion. In the first two of CCP's new In Development video series, CCP Guard explored the art department and showed off the new nebula effects, EVE's sharpened shadows and the new tier 3 battlecruisers.

In the latest In Development video, Guard talks to the EVE feature teams about the absolutely massive list of balance changes and features coming with the winter expansion. CCP Soundwave admits that developers have "probably done more rebalancing in the past month than we have in the past two years," before rattling off an impressive list of changes and new features.

Skip past the cut for a brief summary of the changes and to watch the video in HD.

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Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Decent challenge

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous

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.

The ancestors of modern humans had a lot to contend with, but I'm willing to bet that the seeds of MMO gamers existed even in those days. There had to have been at least one person who looked at a wooly mammoth, a titantic mass of tree-trunk limbs and tusks and fur, and announced "I bet you get great loot for killing that thing!" And as it turned out, he was right, assuming "great loot" means "meat for food and fur for clothing."

I'm exaggerating, naturally; everyone knows that ancient humanity spoke Norwegian, not English, and it's a well-known fact that the term "loot" was first coined in the Canterbury Tales along with "spawn camper." But that need for a challenge is still there, the central idea that in order to get something really awesome you have to overcome a big obstacle. Which is why challenge is such a thorny issue for MMOs and always has been, because one person's challenge is another person's irritation.

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The Soapbox: Decent challenge originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Incursion guide -- Fleet setup and tanking

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

In last week's EVE Evolved, I gave my first impressions of EVE Online's newest group PvE activity based on a cautious first night spent at an incursion in Obray. The Sansha incursions have been running for over a week now, and players have come up with some clearly effective strategies for clearing the sites. Many groups are now tackling the incursions in relative safety, and yet every incursion still sees several ill-prepared fleets decimated at the hands of Sansha's ships.

Incursions throw some difficult challenges at players, with focus fire melting vulnerable targets, energy neutralisers and ECM disabling your support ships, and bomber frigates wreaking havoc on large hulls. In some encounters, Sansha's Nation will even use deployable remote repair platforms and other structures to its advantage and will call in random reinforcement waves if your group is too slow. With the right fleet composition and strategy, however, all of those challenges can be overcome with ease. It seems that what players need most right now is a solid guide to tackling incursions.

Over the next few editions of the EVE Evolved column, I'll be smashing my way through EVE's incursions to compile a comprehensive guide from the ground up. In this week's first part of the guide, we get the ball rolling with vital information on incursion fleet composition and tanking strategies. This part of the guide is aimed mainly at those interested in Vanguard-level sites, but the fleet setup and tanking strategies described are fundamental to all encounter sizes.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I tackle the fundamentals of incursion fleet design and tanking, which should be enough to help your group jump right into 10-man Vanguard encounters.

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EVE Evolved: Incursion guide -- Fleet setup and tanking originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Incursion in progress

Brendan Drain — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

In a blaze of fire and glory, Sansha Kuvakei's fleet clashed with players in a major offensive in Yulai. Although his AI-controlled Sansha battleships numbered in the hundreds, the sheer force of capsuleer defense initiatives was brought down on Kuvakei's fleet like a hammer. With the Sansha ships under heavy fire, the fleet opened additional wormholes to call in reinforcements. Amidst the busy buzz of lasers scorching hulls, capsuleers hurling missiles, and CONCORD rescue operations, space itself warped as several massive Sansha supercarriers emerged from the incoming wormholes. Sansha Kuvakei played his biggest and most fearsome card as a show of the incredible forces he now commands. And capsuleers burned them to ashes in defiance.

Since the battle in Yulai, Sansha's Nation has begun launching full-scale occupations of constellations across New Eden. Many players dove straight into the fray without adequate preparation, and Sansha's forces were not forgiving. While most NPC pirate ships found in EVE Online are weak with a very basic AI, the new Sansha ships are both smart and deadly. They use everything from ECM and energy neutralisers to stealth bomber technology and logistic support. Thousands of player ships were destroyed in the first day of fighting as people worked out, through a system of trial and error, how best to tackle EVE's latest supervillain. As the dust settled, I began to get a solid impression of how well the feature is working and whether it really is the breath of fresh air EVE's PvE has been sorely lacking all these years.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I give my first impressions of the Sansha incursions in an attempt to demystify some of the discussion surrounding them and share some basic tips for getting involved.

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EVE Evolved: Incursion in progress originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 2: High-end healing

Brendan Drain — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, PvP, Tips and tricks, Grouping, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

In the first of this two-part guide, I looked at some of the more affordable entry level ships and modules available to dedicated healers in EVE Online. I went on to examine an effective strategy for using medic ships as part of a PvE gang, whether you need some help on a particularly hard mission or you're trying to crack one of EVE's hardest exploration complexes. This week, I look at high-end healing as I explore capital ships and the role of medic ships in both PvP and wormhole operations.

Healing in missions and exploration sites is a largely passive affair, with the healer permanently locked to the main tank. NPCs in these sites never switch targets but the same can't be said for players or the advanced Sleeper AI that roam wormhole systems. Repairing your gang-mates in PvP or a wormhole operation is a completely different affair, made all the more complicated by the fact that the dedicated medic ship is sure to come under fire.

In this article, I look at capital ships and the remote assistance strategies players use in PvP or wormhole operations.

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EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 2: High-end healing originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 1: The healers of EVE

Brendan Drain — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Tips and tricks, Grouping, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

The holy trinity of tank, healer and damage-dealer is present in every MMO, including EVE Online. While most MMOs dedicate these roles to specific classes, ships in EVE can do all three at the same time. When running missions solo, for example, a ship will need to tank incoming damage, repair it and deal damage themselves. Setting up a ship for solo PvE becomes a balancing act between the three roles. Too little tank and you'll find yourself in trouble, but too little damage and you'll take forever to kill NPCs.

As part of a gang, however, remote armour repair and shield transfer modules allow pilots to specialise into a traditional healer role. Rather than having each player repair their own damage, it can be much more effective to have a dedicated medic ship to repair anyone that gets shot at. There are even specialised ships for would-be healers in EVE, from entry-level cruisers to advanced Tech 2 Logistics ships and massive capital ships. Medic ships can be an effective part of any gang, whether you're tackling a tough level 4 or 5 mission or engaging in large-scale gang PvP.

In this first part of a two-part look into dedicated healers in EVE Online, I look at the more affordable ships and modules available and the best strategy for healing in PvE.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 1: The healers of EVE

EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 1: The healers of EVE originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics, part 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics

Brendan Drain — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

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

Although EVE Online's combat isn't twitch-based, the outcome is often swayed by strong tactical and strategic influences. Whether you're running missions, battling Sleeper AI in a wormhole site or engaging other players in PvP, chances are you've pulled off a few fancy tactical maneuvers. Over the years, we learn these little tricks and teach them to each other. From mundane ways to avoid damage from NPCs to the cat and mouse games we play with other players, tactical maneuvers are a big part of EVE's gameplay. In this short article, I look at a few of the tips and tactics players use to gain an edge in combat.

Angular velocity:
If you've ever used a turret-based ship and found yourself missing enemies a lot, there are a few tricks you can do to even the score. Open the overview settings menu and under "column" select "Angular Velocity". This shows the transverse velocity of enemy ships relative to your own in radians per second, which is the same measurement your turret tracking score uses. By checking the show-info pane on your guns, you can look up the maximum tracking speed of your guns. Ships with an angular velocity greater than your turret's tracking speed will be practically impossible to hit so having this information on-hand means you can avoid picking targets that will just waste your time and ammo. Another useful trick to do is to match your course and speed as closely as you can with an enemy ship rather than just approaching it. This will decrease their angular velocity relative to your ship, allowing you to hit some fast ships you otherwise wouldn't be able to.

Skip past the cut for four more interesting tactics and tips. Do you have a particularly useful tip or a clever tactical maneuver you use a lot? Leave a comment and let us know what it is.

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EVE Evolved: Five interesting combat tactics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthrise devs on risk vs. reward with mechas in organized ganks and looting

James Egan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PvP, Earthrise

The post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise will have PvP game mechanics tightly integrated into the sandbox game. Given the statements made by Earthrise developer Masthead Studios in the past, it's confirmed that full player looting will be both a driver and reward for PvP in this game. It's interesting to note that the inclusion of mechas in Earthrise will likely play a pivotal role in organized ganks or piracy of a sort.

The Earthrise devs explained more about this today in "Mechas, Transit, and Loot" on the game's official forums. The game's community manager Moll writes: "Goliaths of steel used for combat and transit, mechas are definitely not invulnerable to damage and destruction. It takes a bit of effort, but even carefully planned and armed attacks can disrupt a planned resource transportation route and destroy a mecha."

Continue reading Earthrise devs on risk vs. reward with mechas in organized ganks and looting

Earthrise devs on risk vs. reward with mechas in organized ganks and looting originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The art of tanking - Unusual tanks

Brendan Drain — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST

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

Although in EVE Online we tend to think of a tank as our ship's ability to absorb damage and self-repair, it makes sense to describe any strategy used to keep yourself alive as a form of tank. In the previous parts of this guide on the art of tanking in EVE , I gave some tips on choosing what type of tank to use on your ship and gave an overview of both armour and shield tanking. In this final part of the guide, I take a look at alternative strategies for keeping your ship alive. Strategies such as the spider tank, defensive use of electronic warfare and the much lauded speed-tank are put under the microscope as I look at some of EVE's more unusual tanks.

Spider tank:
When I first coined the term "spider tank" back in early 2006 (before that calling it a "squadron tank"), I was convinced we would see them on the battlefield increasingly frequently. Sure enough, spider tanks have become a staple of gang and small fleet warfare. A spider tank is a strategy in which each member of a fleet fits a remote armour repairer or shield transfer in one of their high slots and they repair anyone in the fleet who starts to take damage. When the enemy concentrate their fire on one member of the gang, the gang concentrates their remote repairers on that member to keep him alive.

Read on to find out how a logistics ship can generate capacitor out of thin air and how ECM, long range weaponry and speed can be effectively used as tanks.

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EVE Evolved: The art of tanking - Unusual tanks originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled

James Egan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Forums, Game mechanics, Crafting, Professions, News items, PvE

Behold, the Orca!

CCP Games developer CCP Chronotis unveiled the much-rumored Orca ship in EVE Online today, something industry-types have been looking forward to for a very long time. Chronotis said, "The development of the Orca has been unusual to say the least. With the introduction of the Rorqual last year Oveur immediately pointed out the remaining glaring gap in the industrial ship line and commanded us to fill it." The end result is a 'sub-capital logistical ship with a mining command focus'.

Read on below for a brief FAQ drawn from CCP Chronotis' dev blog as well as his commentary on the forums, which clarifies more about EVE's newest ship, the Orca.

Continue reading EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled

EVE Online's rumored 'Orca' ship unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look at EVE Online's sweeping alliance warfare

James Egan — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Economy, Guilds, PvP, Endgame, Opinion

A few weeks ago, Jim Rossignol kicked off a series of EVE Online focused articles with his look at the basics of combat in the game. But small-scale PvP doesn't suit all players in EVE. Some get hungry for more power. They join up with like-minded pilots and form corporations. Those corporations band together in alliances and wage war with one another over territories and the riches the others hold. Rossignol's "Alliance War" is a look at the large scale fleet battles characteristic of the constant struggle between 0.0 alliances, as well as the struggle itself.

Rossignol states what he views as the impetus for alliance warfare and how it's evolved over the years he's played. In the beginning, holding choice regions of space was important to players because of the high-bounty NPCs and choicest ores to be mined from the asteroid belts in claimed territories. Then, conquerable stations and outposts were the goals driving alliance machinations. Now, Rossignol says, it's mostly about controlling moons and the vast streams of revenue they represent.

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A look at EVE Online's sweeping alliance warfare originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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