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Two weeks ago, the escalating drama in EVE Online saw me drained of my normal enthusiasm as I contemplated the very real possibility that my time in the game I love was coming to an end. While the forums were filled with the most vocal and angry players, discussions with veteran players featured mainly disappointment and a distinct sadness. For those few days spent in limbo waiting for the results of the emergency CSM meeting, I and many of my in-game friends remained a hair's breadth from giving up on EVE entirely.

It was a delicate situation based more on perception and poor communication than intent or fact, and I think CCP pulled things back well with formal statements from both itself and the CSM in addition to an in-depth follow-up press conference. One of the big points to come out of the press conference was that while CCP and the CSM are both confident that none of the future microtransaction plans are game-breaking, the company did not restrict itself to vanity goods such as Incarna clothing.

While the CSM was convinced that CCP planned only to produce pure vanity goods, CCP Zulu was careful not to rule out gameplay-affecting microtransactions altogether. Both CCP and the CSM also talked about "game-breaking" sales rather than using a clearer term like "gameplay-affecting" or "non-vanity." It's reasonable then to assume that in the future we might eventually get non-vanity goods that do interact with gameplay but aren't game-breaking in terms of balance, mechanics or interaction with the in-game economy.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I show exactly why options like selling ships would be game-breaking and then let my imagination run wild as I speculate on possible non-vanity microtransactions for the far future that shouldn't disrupt gameplay.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessbusiness-modelscash-shopccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-zuluclothingconvenienceeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfree-to-playfree-to-play-is-here-to-staygrindincarnainterbusloyalty-pointslpMicrotransactionsmissionmission-runningmmo-industryneural-remappingnexnoble-exchangeplexrunes-of-magicshortcutSun, 10 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[CCP Games reveals next major Apocrypha update for EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/30/ccp-games-reveals-next-major-apocrypha-update-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/30/ccp-games-reveals-next-major-apocrypha-update-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/30/ccp-games-reveals-next-major-apocrypha-update-for-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


EVE Online senior producer CCP t0rfifrans just published a dev blog about the next major update to the game, Apocrypha 1.5. This is not a completely new expansion, just a significant update they will release in August before EVE's (as-yet-unnamed) winter expansion. While CCP hasn't released the complete rundown of Apocrypha 1.5's features and changes, they have announced a few highlights:

  • Perhaps the biggest changes in 1.5 will be factional warfare improvements. Beyond responding to the lag issues many players have been reporting with factional warfare, CCP is going to introduce Loyalty Points (LP) for kills and captures, and each militia will have its own LP store where militia players can cash in for items unique to that faction.
  • Several Level 4 epic mission arcs will be introduced, tied to specific races in New Eden. CCP t0rfifrans writes: "These captivating stories deal with moral ambiguity, intrigue, honor, and some people's lack of it. This should come as no surprise to those who know EVE and what we are about. As before with the epic arc that was released with Apocrypha, they provide a deep, interesting story, where your choices influence the outcome."
  • One of the long awaited buffs for Black Ops battleships will arrive: specialized cargo holds. The first use of this system will be to give Black Ops ships fuel bays, but this feature paves the way for similar additions to other ship classes in the future. For instance, some ships may one day be given ammo bays, freeing up valuable cargo space.
  • Rigs will be offered in different sizes, with frigate and cruiser sized rigs introduced to the game. These new small and medium rigs will be cheaper to buy or manufacture, and thus provide a lower cost way for players to trick out their ships.
CCP t0rfifrans also dropped a few hints about the forthcoming winter expansion, which will *not* be Walking in Stations. He writes: "All I can say, is that it is focused on sovereignty and you will not be able to walk in it."

We'll keep our eyes open for more about Apocrypha 1.5 as information becomes available.

MassivelyCCP Games reveals next major Apocrypha update for EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaapocrypha-1.5black-opsbreakingccp-gamesccp-t0rfifransdev-blogdev-blogsempyrean-ageepic-mission-arcseveeve-onlinefactional-warfarefuel-bayfuel-baysgame-mechanicsloyalty-pointslpmissionspatchespvprigssci-fisenior-producersovereigntyspecialized-cargo-holdstorfi-frans-olafssonwalking-in-stationsTue, 30 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE mission runners and their tormentors rejoice! New Level 4 agents added]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/31/eve-mission-runners-and-their-tormentors-rejoice-new-level-4-ag/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/31/eve-mission-runners-and-their-tormentors-rejoice-new-level-4-ag/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/31/eve-mission-runners-and-their-tormentors-rejoice-new-level-4-ag/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Mission running in EVE Online is one of the more lucrative activities players can spend their time doing, at least while in the safety of high security space. The cumulative rewards from NPC bounties, loyalty points, salvage, and loot -- in addition to the mission rewards from NPC agents -- make Level 4 missions a decent ISK/hour income for many of EVE Online's pilots. Level 4 missions are the most popular, due to their relative ease and multiple battleship (high bounty) NPC spawns which yield better loot drops and more salvage components, as well as optimal loyalty point gain. However, the grouping of agents that give the best missions leads to 'mission hubs' where hundreds of players operate in the same solar systems.

The latest dev blog by EVE's lead content creator CCP Molock is simply titled "New Level 4 Agents", and deals with dispersing the crowds (and clutter) from some of the high sec mission hubs in New Eden. CCP Games has added twenty-three new level 4 agents to the game in locations a bit removed from the heavily populated mission hubs, hopefully encourage more mission runners to fill quieter solar systems in the galaxy. Molock lists the new agents, along with their corporation and quality, as well as system security ratings for each location.

Continue reading EVE mission runners and their tormentors rejoice! New Level 4 agents added

MassivelyEVE mission runners and their tormentors rejoice! New Level 4 agents added originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bountiesbountyccp-gamesccp-molockconcorddev-blogdev-blogseveeve-onlinegame-mechanicslevel-4-missionslootloyalty-pointslpmissionmission-hubsmission-runningmissionsnew-edennpcnpcspvesalvagesci-fiSun, 31 May 2009 12:00:00 EST