Massively

EVE Evolved: Bringing back the glory days

Brendan Drain — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

In years gone by, exploring the unknown far reaches of the EVE Online universe meant setting a course for nullsec. With no way to install a permanent residence in the most lucrative far-off systems, players would launch dangerous expeditions into the deep with the hope of striking it rich. Nullsec was the only place to mine rare ores containing megacyte and zydrine, and piracy wasn't as common as it is today. For putting themselves at the risk of pirates, miners were rewarded with an income stream greater than that of any other profession in the game. It was a golden age in exploration that wasn't to repeat itself until March 2009's Apocrypha expansion opened 2500 hidden wormhole systems for exploitation.

Things have changed considerably since those early days of EVE. Player-built starbases and outposts have transformed the face of nullsec, allowing alliances to build themselves an empire in the void. December 2009's Dominion expansion brought a complete revamp of the nullsec sovereignty mechanics, allowing alliances to upgrade their space but dramatically increasing the cost of system ownership. Despite all of these updates and improvements, over the past several years we have somehow lost a lot of what made nullsec great in its glory days. Local industry has been replaced by risk-free logistics, and nullsec's risky but rewarding mining profession is now greatly overshadowed by safe highsec mission-running.

With a new iterative nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter, I use this week's EVE Evolved to speculate on what can be done to bring back the glory days of nullsec industry.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Bringing back the glory days

EVE Evolved: Bringing back the glory days originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Corporate benefits and new players

Brendan Drain — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, EVE Evolved

In a recent article, I explored the effect that power players have on EVE Online's subscription retention. In particular, I suggested that CCP has stopped developing features with EVE's power players in mind and that this could be the cause of a worrying downward trend in new player retention. It's the responsibility of corp leaders and organisers to give players a place in EVE, to provide them with something to do and to instill them with the ambition to continue playing in the long term. I believe that CCP has let those organisers and leaders down by failing to provide the updated tools necessary to give players a purposeful place in the universe or give them a good start to the game.

A similar issue I've touched on before is the importance of corporate goals in EVE. I've always been amazed at the willingness of EVE players to donate their time and effort to achieve a collective goal rather than a personal one. People are far more likely to join a corporate mining op, for example, if the proceeds will be donated to the corp funds or the minerals will be used in a corp production scheme. Similarly, I've found players to be much more enthusiastic about a mission night or wormhole op if the intent is to fund the production of a corp capital ship or the purchase of starbase fuel.

With CCP's summer focus aimed at helping new players get into good corporations, this week's opinion-filled EVE Evolved examines some of the developments necessary to make that goal possible.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Corporate benefits and new players

EVE Evolved: Corporate benefits and new players originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earthrise reveals complex crafting screenshot

Jef Reahard — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, News items, Earthrise

While the information flow from the Earthrise beta is a bit slower than we'd like, the team at Masthead is occasionally letting tidbits slip out into the wilds of the internet. In addition to last month's interview with studio head Atanas Atanasov and lead writer Momchil Dilov, Masthead has posted a beta screenshot showing off the sci-fi MMORPG's robust crafting interface.

As ever, details are sketchy, but a thorough look at the shot reveals what seems to be a fairly complicated crafting system, with information on three separate processes (disassembling, recycling, and manufacturing) and a fourth, engineering, barely viewable at the bottom left of the main window. The screenshot also shows four variants of the item being crafted, in this case a Fasetech Rifle Chassis.

While we don't yet have many details as to how the system works, we can say that the shot whets our appetite for the kind of in-depth crafting system that seems to have deserted the MMO scene in recent years, and we'll be keeping a close eye on the Earthrise beta.

Gallery: Earthrise

Earthrise reveals complex crafting screenshot originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more

Brendan Drain — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Professions, PvE

For the last few weeks, EVE Online players have been getting excited about the up-coming Tyrannis expansion with its Planetary Interaction feature. We received our first taste of what Tyrannis will hold last month when the expansion was announced and since then we've speculated on how its planetary interaction feature might work. Although CCP haven't answered our interview questions on Tyrannis yet, we caught up with EVE Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson at GDC 2010 to get the inside scoop. Torfi was keen to point out that a lot of what CCP are doing in Tyrannis is laying the foundation for future updates and expansions. He calls Tyrannis "a stepping stone toward something even bigger."

In addition to providing some inside info on the upcoming Tyrannis and Incarna expansions, Torfi revealed that there are more people working on EVE today than ever before. In contrast to MMOs that cut down their development team sizes once the game is out, CCP's ranks have been increasing at a huge rate in recent years. The ever-increasing revenue generated by EVE subscribers allows them to fund a large development team dedicated to making the game better for EVE players. "We've never had as many subscribers as we have today", says Torfi, "330,000 subscribers, like actual paying subscribers, not counting trials." It's thanks to all those subscribers that CCP are beginning to realise dreams they were never able to achieve when the game was less popular.

Skip past the cut to see what Torfi Frans Olafsson had to say about Tyrannis, Incarna and more.

Continue reading GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more

GDC10: Torfi Frans Olafsson gives details on Tyrannis, Incarna and more originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Masthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise

James Egan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

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

Earthrise is an upcoming sandbox MMO that will have strong emphasis on guild-vs.-guild conflicts and PvP. The game will also have a deep crafting system, something that may interest players looking for more than PvP in a sci-fi MMO. Earthrise developer Masthead Studios has stated in the past that it'll be possible for players to craft unique, customized items and perhaps even establish a reputation for producing certain wares. The latest Question of the Week answered by the Earthrise developers sheds a little more light on how crafting and mass production will work in the game. Specifically, Masthead Studios explains how mass production will apply to some of the game's rarest craftable items.

Moll, Earthrise's Community Manager, explains how a blueprinting process creates Designs which are used by crafters; these are essentially templates combined with ingredients/materials to create items. Each Design will have a finite property called Edge which gets burned off over time through the manufacturing process. The limited use of Design Edges mean that the game's rarest or most elite items can't be created in large production runs, in other words keeping them rare and elite in a game where mass production is possible.

Continue reading Masthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise

Masthead Studios explains crafting and mass production in Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise

James Egan — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Previews, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Earthrise

The futuristic game Earthrise is one of the upcoming sci-fi massively multiplayer games that we can see on the horizon. It's the first MMO developed by Sofia-based Masthead Studios and features the post-apocalyptic setting of a world divided between utopian idealism and revolution. Massively had a chance to sit down with Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov at the Game Developers Conference 2009 where he gave us a walkthrough of Earthrise, shedding some light on what this new title may bring to the MMO world.

Gallery: Earthrise

Continue reading GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise

GDC09: Massively previews Earthrise originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online developer explains how to build Tech III strategic cruisers

James Egan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Crafting, Making money

For many players of massively multiplayer online titles, the crafting side of these games is especially appealing. Quite a number of EVE Online's players are drawn to the crafting side of this particular sci-fi MMO, and those in large corporations and alliances have learned how their collective efforts can allow them to produce vast quantities of items and reap equally vast sums of ISK.

EVE's crafting system is also very much the backbone of the game. Almost every ship and module used by players in the game was created by another player. Those who are into the combat aspects of the game are reliant upon the producers to supply their tools of destruction, and that destruction in turn creates demand (and fuels profits) for EVE's industrialists. It's an interesting bit of symbiosis (despite that animosity towards those on the other side of the fence) that keeps New Eden thriving.

Continue reading EVE Online developer explains how to build Tech III strategic cruisers

EVE Online developer explains how to build Tech III strategic cruisers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE's Quantum Rise expansion features page is live

James Egan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, News items

The feature page for the forthcoming EVE Online expansion, Quantum Rise, is now live. The ninth free expansion for EVE will officially launch on November 11th, and brings with it some new features we've been reporting on in recent weeks, such as the long-awaited Orca and industrial ship changes, not to mention the guaranteed-to-spark-forum-rage speed rebalancing, and alchemy -- which is invention applied to minerals used in Tech II manufacturing.

According to the Quantum Rise expansion's feature page, there are also some previously unmentioned features like new additions to the RealX in-game soundtrack, new stargates, a host of improvements for industry players like assembly array upgrades, ammunition cost changes (namely for bombs), and a more flexible user interface. See the new Quantum Rise features page for more on what's in store for EVE Online players in the expansion geared towards the game's industrialists.

[Via Winterblink]

EVE's Quantum Rise expansion features page is live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP Games introducing new economic measure in EVE

James Egan — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST

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

CCP Games generally takes a hands-off approach to EVE Online's economy, letting the collective actions of players determine what happens. But at times there are bottlenecks in terms of supply. CCP Greyscale cites the example of how the limited number of T2 blueprint originals (BPOs) decreased availability of items while driving up prices. CCP stepped in by introducing 'invention', where players can attempt to create higher-end items via R&D, eliminating the issue of supply and normalizing prices.

CCP Greyscale's latest dev blog is called "Alchemy" and looks at the newest issue they've identified with EVE's economy, the inflated price of rare moon minerals. Greyscale says, "In particular, two rare moon minerals - dysprosium and (to a lesser extent) promethium - are becoming ever-more expensive as increased demand puts pressure on a limited supply. This is likely to become an increasingly large issue as time goes on, with prices for these minerals continuing to rise due to demand, and the increased price being passed on to the consumer of the final product." As we've mentioned in the past, these rare minerals in New Eden are something that the largest, most powerful alliances have sought to control and thus has been one of the drivers of conflict in lawless 0.0 space.

Continue reading CCP Games introducing new economic measure in EVE

CCP Games introducing new economic measure in EVE originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?

James Egan — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Crafting

One of the interesting features of EVE Online is that it has a drug trade in which players are actively engaged. Rather than merely being an illegal commodity, drugs -- called boosters -- enhance the performance of EVE's pilots, albeit with some potential side effects.

To understand boosters though, we'll need to look into the game's setting a bit first. The thing to remember is that as a player, you're a capsuleer. You're not standing on the bridge of your ship barking orders at subordinates. Rather, you're floating inside a metallic capsule deep within your ship. Your mind is interfaced with the ship you pilot via neural implants, thus your vessel is an extension of your body and its senses; you regulate the ship's activities merely by thinking about them. Not all people in EVE's setting of New Eden have the raw potential to become a capsuleer, making your character one of the elite. However, when faced with others of your caliber in combat, every possible edge you can gain over rival capsuleers helps. That's where boosters come in... they're your edge. Boosters augment aspects of your mental processes and thus provide certain bonuses when piloting your ship.

Continue reading Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?

Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rogue Signal: The wonderful world of alts

Phillip Manning — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Guides, Professions, PvP, Making money, PvE, Rogue Signal

With EVE Online's time-based skill system of character progression, multiple accounts are pretty commonplace amongst the hardcore and even semi-casual player. CCP even occasionally holds special discounts for the opening of new accounts, called the Power of Two program. EVE is unique in the way that it handles alts, in many ways. Since only one character can be training at a time, and, unlike other MMOs, there is no real end to the training a character will do, if you want to start something new from the ground up, you're going to need to either scrap your existing character, or open up a new account. Today, we'll take a look at how to go about creating an alt.

Continue reading Rogue Signal: The wonderful world of alts

Rogue Signal: The wonderful world of alts originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments