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EVE Evolved: Risk vs. reward in lowsec

Brendan Drain — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

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

In EVE Online's early years, one of its core design philosophies was adherence to a strict risk vs. reward balance scheme. There were riches out there to be found, but to get them, you had to put yourself in the firing line. Police ships patrolled high-security space to keep players safe from piracy, but the only resources available there were low-bounty frigate NPCs and inexpensive ores like Veldspar, Scordite and Omber. In the lawless far-reaches of nullsec, huge NPC bounties and rare ores containing Megacyte and Zydrine tempted hundreds of pilots to head out and make their fortunes.

Nullsec offered absolutely no protection against player attacks, and the only safety to be found was in sheer military force. The biggest and best corporations hoarded these gold mines for themselves, locking down the few entrances into the regions and patrolling the skies for unwanted visitors. Low-security space offered a middle-ground between these two extremes, a place where the everyday pilot could enjoy increased income and pirates were easier to spot. At some time in the past nine years, lowsec lost its place in the game and became simply not worth the effort. But how did that happen, and what can be done to fix it?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why lowsec systems are now ghost towns and suggest an alternative design philosophy that I think could revitalise these under-used areas.

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EVE Evolved: Risk vs. reward in lowsec originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The new player experience, part 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

Two weeks ago, I began an experiment to look into EVE Online's new player experience from the perspective of someone who has never played the game before. I convinced my friend Kajatta to try the game for the first time, with his only prior knowledge being the same stories, videos and screenshots that anyone will have seen before signing up to give the game a shot. In the first part of this investigation into the new player experience, Kajatta delivered a harsh first impression of the user interface and character creation.

A common story I've heard when I'm talking to current EVE players is that many didn't really get into the game the first time they played. As happened to Kajatta, some found adapting to the UI and control scheme a jarring experience and were put off as a result. It was usually the second time they played EVE that seemed to make the game stick, whether that was restarting a new character immediately or giving the game a second try up to a year later.

Could it be that EVE is most likely to appeal to new players the second time they play it? To put this theory to the test, this week Kajatta took a fresh second stab at EVE Online and played through all the career agent content. But has his first attempt provide the equipment necessary to scale EVE's famous learning cliff, or did the UI and control scheme prove as impenetrable a barrier as ever?

In this week's EVE Evolved, Kajatta delivers his verdict on whether EVE is better the second time around and delves into the Cash Flow For Capsuleers combat missions.

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EVE Evolved: The new player experience, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone

Brendan Drain — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

Several weeks ago, EVE Online developer CCP Greyscale published possibly the single most important devblog of the past two years. Titled Nullsec development: Design goals, the blog laid the ground rules for high-level discussion on EVE's upcoming nullsec revamp. For those who live in nullsec, territorial warfare and nullsec life represent the true endgame of EVE. It's in these massive lawless regions of space that players forge alliances, build their own empires, and lead massive fleets of ships into enemy territory to kick over some space sandcastles.

Over the past two weeks, I've been delving into the discussion surrounding the upcoming nullsec revamp and speculating on what changes we might see. I started with a look back at the early days of nullsec industry and went on to give some ideas aimed at reclaiming those glory days. I followed that up with last week's summary of EVE Online's empire-building history, the problems faced by today's territorial warfare mechanics, and further speculation on how the system could be radically changed for the better.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I conclude this series of articles on the upcoming nullsec revamp with an examination of the discussion surrounding PvE, the local channel, and the potentially revolutionary smallholding system that could give even casual and solo players a taste of nullsec.

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EVE Evolved: A new nullsec for everyone originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions

Brendan Drain — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

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.

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EVE 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.

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EVE Online's new agent finder detailed [Updated]

Jef Reahard — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, PvE

Hey capsuleers, did you take the day off work to sample the wonders of Incarna? We hope not, because CCP has extended the downtime for EVE Online's latest update. If you did take a day, or if you're simply in need of some juicy New Eden-related reading material, you'll want to have a look at the newest CCP dev blog.

The entry examines the new agent finder functionality, and CCP Punkturis has some interesting tidbits to share along with a few interface screencaps. The goal, as outlined in an earlier agent-related dev blog, was to simplify the convoluted mission-running system and allow players to more easily find agents of an appropriate skill level, faction, and activity.

The new finder filters agents by faction standing and also sorts them by distance (meaning you'll get info on the closest contacts first). Players may also filter various agent-related searches like mission types, and you can read all the details and leave feedback at the official EVE website.

[Update]: CCP's dev blog gnomes are apparently working overtime today, as the company has just released an extensive look at the making of Incarna's turret system renovation.

EVE Online's new agent finder detailed [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Building a better UI

Brendan Drain — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

It's no secret that EVE Online has a poor user interface. With its drop-down menus for interacting with objects and text lists to show information like market orders and nearby objects in space, EVE has thoroughly earned the nickname "spreadsheets in space." The UI has changed drastically since I started playing in 2004, but in recent years, it's fallen behind the development curve. In a new devblog this week, CCP Snowlax suggested that the UI developers at CCP have lacked the framework necessary to do what they wanted with it. The existing framework had become bloated with eight years of development, and the underlying rendering engine wasn't even capable of using custom shaders.

With Incursion 1.6, CCP pushed live a completely new UI framework that makes cool features like holographic UI elements possible. With the new Carbon UI framework in place, developers are taking another look at redesigning the EVE user interface. Screenshots of the new features being used in the upcoming Incarna expansion are impressive, but that's all taking place inside stations. I can't help but wonder how these new technologies could be applied to the space-faring portion of EVE and whether there are more fundamental challenges to overcome in UI design than adding flashy graphics.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I give some thoughts on the development of EVE's UI, from the necessary evil of the overview to some things I'd like to see change.

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EVE Evolved: Building a better UI originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Massively Mob Mission Mash

Brendan Drain — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Guilds, PvE, Massively Meta, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

In last week's EVE Evolved, I released details of the brand-new Massively Mob corporation in EVE Online. Although the Massively Mob corp is a great place for readers to congregate, chat and play together, its primary purpose is to provide a financial safety net for new players. Anyone can join the corp and gain access to a stockpile of modules, skillbooks, implants and pre-insured ships that can be used to explore everything the game has to offer. The idea is to take the harsh fear of death and learning curve out of EVE for new players and so encourage them to try new things. To help with that, the Mob will be running regular themed event nights during which we explore different aspects of EVE's gameplay.

Over the coming months, we plan to run events on mission-running, skirmish PvP, exploration and more. Once January hits and the Incursion expansion's final feature is released, we'll begin actively taking part in battling the Sansha menace. Each event will be geared toward showing newer players what they can expect from the game if they continue to play, and having a bit of a laugh while doing it. There will be prizes, medals and special mentions on Massively for older players who help organise these events or younger players who perform well in them. To take part, you don't even need to be a part of the Massively Mob corporation!

With just over a hundred pilots signed up to the corp and more sure to come, there's no time like the present to kick off the first big event night. Skip past the cut to find out how you can get involved in the Massively Mission Mash, and leave us a comment if you have an idea for a future event.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Massively Mob Mission Mash

EVE Evolved: Massively Mob Mission Mash originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Joining the Massively Mob

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

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Guilds, Massively Meta, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

At the end of last week's article on preparing for EVE Online's Incursion expansion, I mentioned that part of our expansion preparation here at Massively would involve opening a Massively corporation in the game. This is something I've always wanted to do but haven't had the time to properly launch. I've been running the Pillowsoft corporation in EVE for the past six years or so, during which time the corp has been involved in almost every major game expansion. In two and a half years of the EVE Evolved column, I've had countless readers ask to join my corporation and have had to turn them all down.

With Incursion rapidly approaching and Pillowsoft's latest wormhole expedition coming to an end, we now have the perfect opportunity to start a proper Massively corporation. In addition to providing financial help and some solid guidance to newer EVE players, the corp will be running frequent contests and event nights for any readers who want to participate. If you don't want to leave your current corporation but still want to hang out with other Massively readers and take part in our contests and events, don't worry. We also have an option just for you!

In this week's EVE Evolved, I introduce the EVE Online Massively Mob and explain how you can get involved.

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EVE Evolved: Joining the Massively Mob originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Preparing for Incursion

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

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

Several months ago, pirate faction Sansha's Nation began invading the populated systems of New Eden in force and abducting colonists from the defenseless planets. Using a frightening new technology, Sansha's forces have been able to open controlled wormholes directly in orbit of their target planets. CONCORD and the local faction navies have been unable to defend against the incursions, leaving the fate of EVE Online's planets solely in the hands of capsuleers. EVE players immediately began to organise intelligence networks and corporations dedicated to detecting and fighting the Sansha threat.

In the upcoming Incursion expansion, Sansha's Nation will be stepping up its attacks to full-scale invasions of entire constellations. Having converted the millions of colonists they've abducted to mindless drones of the Nation and even having moved a conquered Jovian space station into their hidden wormhole home, Sansha's forces have never been stronger. When the Incursion expansion's main feature goes live in January of next year, players will find themselves on the front-lines of a war. We'll group up in fleets of 5-10, 10-20 or 20-40 players to tackle the various incursion sites and ultimately destroy each invasion wave's mothership. With the first Incursion release scheduled for this month and less than two months to go until the constellation-wide Sansha attacks begin, now is the perfect time to prepare for the expansion.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the ways you can benefit from the upcoming expansion and what players can do to prepare for the war against Sansha's Nation.

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EVE Evolved: Preparing for Incursion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

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

EVE Online is often thought of as a strongly PvP-based game, with player conflict and competition at the heart of practically every activity the game offers. Competition for resources, power, and notoriety routinely drive players to disintegrate each other's ships, but this effect isn't limited to just PvP. Miners compete with each other for ore on a daily basis, for example, and traders fight for market supremacy. EVE's competitive sandbox element is such a headline feature that PvE often takes a back seat in discussions about the game.

EVE's combat-based PvE comes in the form of repeatable agent missions, hidden exploration sites, and deadly Sleeper encounters. While most of these can be completed solo by experienced pilots with a well-designed ship, they're often much faster and more fun when done in groups. The lack of a limit to how many pilots can be brought on PvE expeditions even makes it feasible to take newer players along to tough missions, something that doesn't happen in most MMOs.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why EVE's PvE is so inherently soloable, which types of PvE encounters are well suited to group play, and what the future holds for EVE's possibly neglected group PvE content.

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EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The Industrial-Sized Knowledgebase

Brendan Drain — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Professions, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Guides

The EVE Evolved column has been home to dozens of in-depth guides on various aspects of EVE Online. Over the past two years, I've written multi-part guides to many industrial and PvP-oriented topics. On the topic of research and development, we've covered tech 1 research, invention, reverse engineering and five top tips for researchers. Perhaps more useful was the three part series on trading, which first covered the basics before delving into advanced trading strategies and a few useful tips. Other guides which have proven popular among newer players included our three-part guide to mission-running, and the recent three-page guide to exploration.

Members of the EVE community regularly produce new guides and tools to help players make the most of their time in New Eden. This week, EVE player Laci surprised the EVE community with the release of an impressive new guide aimed at new players and industralists. The comprehensive 416-page Industrial-Sized Knowledgebase (or ISK for short) covers practically everything a new player could want to know about the game. Until now, the guide had been available only in Hungarian. After intensive translation and design work, the full guide has been released in English.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I take a look at this impressive guide and ask its creator Laci a few questions about it.

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EVE Evolved: The Industrial-Sized Knowledgebase originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Changes and improvements to Epic Mission Arcs in EVE Online

James Egan — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST

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

When EVE Online players think of what's changed in the game with the recent Dominion expansion release, the game's PvE content may not be the first thing that comes to mind. (Although Dominion introduced Epic Mission Arcs -- branching storylines -- for both the Guristas and Angel Cartel pirate factions.) The Atlanta-based content team at CCP Games has put a lot of work into Epic Mission Arcs for this expansion, though, which is the subject of the latest EVE dev blog. Developer CCP Big Dumb Object walks readers through the changes in game mechanics with the Epic Arcs and gives a breakdown of their adjusted rewards (plus the introduction of faction standings rewards), while paying homage to Led Zeppelin throughout the blog.

New mission content is also beginning to reflect how player actions in factional warfare affect the game's setting, specifically the Caldari militia's overwhelming victory over the Gallente. CCP Big Dumb Object mentions two new Gallente storyline missions, adding that "each mission stems from the past year's Faction Warfare results, Heth's resultant sale of key Gallente systems to the Caldari megacorps, and the Federation's reaction."

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Changes and improvements to Epic Mission Arcs in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games drops more details on EVE's new mission arcs for pirate factions

James Egan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

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

We recently wrote a bit about the new PvE content coming to EVE Online in the Dominion expansion -- Epic Mission Arcs for the Angel Cartel and Guristas pirate factions where your speed will help you survive. Now CCP Games has dropped more info on these branching pirate missions; the Guristas arc is called "Smash and Grab" while the Angel Cartel arc is "Angel Sound". A dev blog written by CCP Jasonitas walks readers through the standings requirements -- if your Angel Cartel standings are horrible but you have decent standings with either the Minmatar or Amarr, you can still run the Angel arc. Likewise with the Guristas, your Caldari or Gallente faction standings will let you embark on the Guristas pirate arc.

In some respects, these arcs will open up pirate faction mission running for many players, given that completion of an arc will impart a 30% standings gain towards that faction. Players have long wanted a way to repair their negative standings towards New Eden's pirate factions and this seems to be the first step towards that. Still, that standings gain won't benefit players who are particularly loathed by a given pirate faction unless the arcs can be repeated some months down the line as with standard Epic Mission Arcs.

Continue reading CCP Games drops more details on EVE's new mission arcs for pirate factions

CCP Games drops more details on EVE's new mission arcs for pirate factions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Lead Content Creator explains epic mission arcs for pirate factions

James Egan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, Quests, PvE

One of the new content additions coming to EVE Online this December are Epic Mission Arcs for two of New Eden's pirate factions -- the Guristas and the Angel Cartel. Scott Holden (aka CCP Molock) is the Lead Content Creator at CCP Games who has overseen the inclusion of the new pirate missions into EVE. Holden recently discussed some of the specifics of pirate mission running with Mondes Persistants.

The epic arcs for the Guristas and Angel Cartel will offer up roughly 10-12 branching missions, says Holden. The Guristas arc will largely be based in nullsec space in Venal, but players will be able to begin in Orvolle (high security) or low security starting points like Taisy. The Angel Cartel epic mission arcs will mostly be based in the Curse region, the stomping grounds of the Cartel. Would-be devotees to the Angel cause (of sabotage, extortion, and general mayhem) will be able to embark on the faction's mission arc from solar systems like Sendaya or Konora in low sec. Surprisingly, it seems that a player doesn't need high pirate faction standings to access either the Guristas or Angel Cartel epic mission arcs. Players with good standings with empire factions will be able to jump into the pirate mission arcs via mission agents found in low security space.

Continue reading EVE Online Lead Content Creator explains epic mission arcs for pirate factions

EVE Online Lead Content Creator explains epic mission arcs for pirate factions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epic Mission Arcs in EVE Online add new dimensions to game's PvE

James Egan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Lore, Quests, PvE, Races

There are so many reasons we love to play MMOs, but for most of us, repetition isn't one of them. Although EVE Online differs from most other MMOs on the market in a number of ways, it still has some of those PvE pitfalls that have long been part of massively multiplayer online games -- specifically, repetitive missions (quests). As with any game where there are only so many quests that NPCs can give out, a mission runner in EVE will play through the same stories multiple times.

Granted, many players who run Level 4s all week are doing so for the ISK, not to enjoy the story. There are only so many times you can rescue The Damsel or blow up another Zor before you've stopped paying attention to the story that's presumably taking place around you. Although this issue of quest repetition in MMOs certainly isn't limited to EVE Online, the developers at CCP Games want to address this problem in their game, and their solution to creating more engaging PvE content is the Epic Mission Arc.

Continue reading Epic Mission Arcs in EVE Online add new dimensions to game's PvE

Epic Mission Arcs in EVE Online add new dimensions to game's PvE originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

James Egan — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:00:00 EST

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

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

EVE 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.

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Telling more engaging stories in EVE Online

James Egan — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Lore, Quests

One of the greatest strengths of EVE Online is its lore, which chronicles generations of struggle between New Eden's races and their continual political and ideological upheavals. Not everyone will agree with that opinion, of course, just as not all players seek out immersion in New Eden. For those who do, EVE has been building up short stories to flesh out the lore over the past six years -- all nicely collected on their site -- gritty tales of New Eden's technological heights and moral depths. It's already led to a novel titled Empyrean Age authored by Tony Gonzales, which will hopefully lead to a follow-up work.

Given all the attention CCP Games has given to adding these dimensions and layers to the game's backstory, the truth is that EVE is as much a virtual setting as it is a game; as such, there's always a need to expand and refine that setting. A solid backstory is important but it's equally important to EVE's players to be able to interact with it, feel like they're really a part of New Eden in some way. Live events and storyline missions (quests) have been used in the past to this end. However, in the case of missions, a player's role in New Eden's story hasn't quite matched up with what many feel it could be. CCP's efforts to make EVE Online's storylines more engaging is the focus of their latest dev blog, titled "Telling Stories: Evolution of the Atlanta Content Team".

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Telling more engaging stories in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online's first Epic Mission Arc to arrive with Apocrypha expansion

James Egan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Quests, PvE

It's no secret to EVE Online players that running missions in high security space is pretty much a guaranteed path to wealth, even if only because of how predictable the scenarios are. Speak with an agent and accept a mission, look up the details by pointing your in-game browser to EVE-Survival: Mission Reports, gear up properly and watch the ISK fill your wallet as you down NPC pirate after pirate. Profitable, sure, but doing this for weeks on end will probably have you craving some more variety in your PvE gameplay.

Hopefully EVE players will be getting that variety through more engaging storylines beginning next month, as developer CCP Molock explains in his latest dev blog. The Apocrypha expansion will introduce "Epic Missions", a departure from the standard rinse-and-repeat when accepting agent missions. These new missions will be linked together in an ongoing storyline, played out across a number of missions. Players will make choices that determine the outcomes of Epic Missions via the new branching system that will accompany these missions. The rewards will be on par with standard agent missions, but the completion of a chapter and especially an arc will provide some exceptional rewards, CCP Molock says.

Continue reading EVE Online's first Epic Mission Arc to arrive with Apocrypha expansion

EVE Online's first Epic Mission Arc to arrive with Apocrypha expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A trader's mindset in EVE Online

James Egan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Game mechanics, Guilds, Crafting, Professions, PvE, Opinion, Education

In EVE Online, it's usually the harsher side of the game that gets the most attention and has the greatest allure. Piracy, large-scale alliance warfare, and in general the dark side of EVE are what most players find interesting. But still, there are many players who engage in non-violent gameplay and find it rewarding. While hardcore PvP-ers lambast them as carebears, some corporations and individuals have attained considerable wealth and influence in the game through their own form of PvP applied to finance -- market warfare.

Among the player-created corporations and alliances in EVE Online that are devoted to helping newer players attain their goals in an often complex system, EVE University and Agony Unleashed are the most prominent. However, there are other corporations in the game that help their members along the way, which are more focused in their pursuits. One such corporation is Trader's Academy, corp ticker: [TRACE], formed in 2005 and devoted to helping pilots maximize profits from trading, mining, and mission running.

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A trader's mindset in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:00:00 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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EVE Lead Content Creator discusses new missions

James Egan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, News items, PvE

The Empyrean Age expansion has been a significant content update to EVE Online for players interested in factional warfare. Of course, many players aren't willing to enlist in a militia and be under a constant wardec by their factional enemies, and simply prefer to mission run for their agents. CCP Games announced that new content was in the works, back in June, but the latest EVE Online Newsletter has an updated announcement on this from Lead Content Creator, Scott Holden.

CCP is getting closer to releasing new PvE mission content, Holden says, with Content Creation now based in Atlanta. This will be sped up by new staff on the Content Creation team in addition to the existing freelance writers already turning out EVE mission content. Holden says that new types of missions are coming to New Eden, and hints at 'epic mission arcs'.

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EVE Lead Content Creator discusses new missions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Main Man

James Egan — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, Tips and tricks, Opinion

EVE Online is a game where collective action trumps individual action. It's certainly a game that can be played solo although nowhere near as effectively as when your main's activities are supported or enabled by an alt. CCP provides 3 character slots per account, but skillpoint training can only progress on one character at a time. So where the real alt-play comes in is with dual boxing -- running two accounts at once to facilitate an activity. The main/alt duo can take a number of forms, by no means limited to the following basic examples:

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The Main Man originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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