Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[CCP discusses NPE in EVE Online expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/ccp-discusses-npe-in-eve-online-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/ccp-discusses-npe-in-eve-online-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/ccp-discusses-npe-in-eve-online-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With only a few weeks to go until the launch of Dominion, the EVE Online team has got to be pretty busy. CrazyKinux was lucky enough to get a bit of time with Game Designer Eris Discordia to talk about the details of the NPE - New Player Experience.

The discussion covered some interesting ground, such as how CCP is working to keep the NPE easy for players to use and understand, how far it's come since 2003 ("You started in space and you had to shoot a drone and that was pretty much it."), and how they would like to see it improve from here on out. They also talked about the reasoning behind the way the NPE is set up, as a crash course designed to get you through the basics and into the game, rather than a more scattered, drawn-out approach.

It's an interesting read for any veteran EVE Online player, and a valuable one for anyone new to the game. The full interview can be read here, and a big thanks to CrazyKinux and Eris Discordia for taking the time for it!

MassivelyCCP discusses NPE in EVE Online expansion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online can be a daunting game to get a handle on. Still, the New Player Experience (NPE) that greets rookies today is far better than the early tutorials that some of us at Massively, and no doubt a number of our readers, experienced 'back in the day'. There are many careers and mini-professions a player can choose to pursue in EVE, but conveying this in the NPE -- and guiding these new players towards these playstyles -- remains a challenge for CCP Games. This is the focus of the latest dev blog by EVE Online developer CCP Soundwave.

He explains how player feedback has made those first weeks of gameplay a much smoother learning experience for the game's rookies. However, he notes that they're continuing to improve the NPE for the next expansion. To that end, CCP is seeking input from the players on these questions:

Continue reading EVE Online devs seek your input on improving the New Player Experience

MassivelyEVE Online devs seek your input on improving the New Player Experience originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are few MMOs on the market today that can seem as intimidating to a new player as EVE Online. Some of this comes from the infamous things people have heard about the game, tales of deception and betrayal, but there is a fair amount of complexity to EVE as well and no shortage of digital villains prowling New Eden's thousands of solar systems injecting risk into the game.

The first days and weeks of gameplay experienced by many pilots has led to more than a few descriptions of the experience as an initiation of sorts, conjuring up images of hazings, an analogy that actually holds true in many respects. Anyone who sticks with the game learns through trial and error that the setting of New Eden, by design, can be quite harsh. Even if you're not into PvP, it pervades EVE Online; at the very least players who are to succeed in the game must ultimately learn to adapt and evade the more malevolent players, if not defend themselves from attackers directly.

While EVE will likely never be as easy to get a handle on as some other MMOs out there -- the game's depth and complexity actually being a major draw for its subscribers -- CCP Games has taken steps to better ease new players into New Eden with the New Player Experience (NPE) which was part of the Apocrypha expansion launch. But is EVE's New Player Experience, which does not separate rookie pilots into a safe zone to learn the ropes, the right way to introduce players to the game? This is the focus of a WarCry article by Steven Croop titled "Aura is Aura by Any Other Name".

Continue reading An angle on EVE's New Player Experience and the game's harsh realities

MassivelyAn angle on EVE's New Player Experience and the game's harsh realities originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among all the massively multiplayer online games on the market, EVE Online is perhaps the most complex game running, which is part of the title's appeal. The learning curve has, in the past, dissuaded some MMO gamers from really digging in to EVE, but that curve has been getting a bit less steep as the tutorial improves. The Apocrypha expansion's New Player Experience also aims to make those first weeks in New Eden easier. That said, the best resource available to new EVE players is the game's playerbase itself. It's always best to learn from others and when possible, with others. That's one of the unique things about EVE -- players form corporations for various purposes, one of which is to provide schools or academies where various facets of the game are taught by experienced players. Players can learn alongside others who share similar interests.

You want to learn the ropes of the game? You can join EVE University and take part in their organized classes or listen to speakers on various topics in New Eden. Want to learn how to kick ass in PvP? Take a class at Agony Unleashed and they'll turn you into a killer in no time. But EVE University and the other training-focused corps tend to focus on the more 'legitimate' aspects of the game. But what if you want a training course that lets you learn about and become part of New Eden's criminal society? There are options.

Continue reading The Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online

MassivelyThe Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>academiesacademyagony-unleashedapocryphaeve-onlineeve-universityh-lecterinterstellar-correspondentsisdisd-deacon-yorknew-edennew-player-experiencenpeoutlawspiracypiratespvp-schoolteachingthe-black-rabbits-academythe-guristas-associatesveto-corpThu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Careers Guide available as free download]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/eve-careers-guide-available-as-free-download/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/eve-careers-guide-available-as-free-download/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/eve-careers-guide-available-as-free-download/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


A major strength of the sci-fi massively multiplayer online game EVE Online is that there are no classes and certainly no professions that a player is locked into. EVE's professions are freeform, but this can lead to new players being unsure about what to do (or be) in the game. The title's developer CCP Games is attempting to remedy this. One of the resources that complements EVE Online's New Player Experience in the Apocrypha expansion is the "EVE Careers Guide", which introduces new players to the gameplay possibilities in New Eden. It's largely put together by Benilopax of Warp Drive Active: Industry podcast fame and Richie Shoemaker (aka "Zapatero"), the Editor of E-ON -- the official magazine of EVE Online -- who we've interviewed at Massively in the past. The EVE Careers Guide is a PDF file with interactive links throughout to navigate between sections, providing a comprehensive look at the game for rookie pilots.

Zapatero welcomes new players to EVE Online, explaining the game in broad terms: "Many have found their own path in EVE by taking turns that are wildly divergent from what its makers envisaged. EVE is about relationships, prejudices, trust, greed and creativity more than it's about spaceships, trade and combat. New Eden is a very human universe, and with almost 300,000 people making up the population, it's a very dynamic one. Yes, it's harsh and uncompromising, frustrating and callous, but it's also illuminating in scope, vast in stature and utterly unique."

Continue reading EVE Careers Guide available as free download

MassivelyEVE Careers Guide available as free download originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first CSM seemed to have a very difficult job, given that they had to structure their operating guidelines as they went, and of course deal with skepticism from the playerbase. Do you think the situation is different for the CSM now?

Vastly different. A lot of time during CSM1 was spent on administrative stuff which was often inefficient. We now have a structure which works fairly well, even if it leaves some things to be desired. We are yet to reach our max potential, which won't happen for another few CSMs I'm afraid. But CCP has certainly realized that the CSM is a useful concept and is useful for them. I think in the future we will see more tools for the CSM being implemented as Xhagen manages to tie up enough people at the office so that they will commit to doing these things which will benefit the CSM and community. Once we have streamlined ways of doing things, while leaving us room for being creative, there's immense potential for a CSM which will not only work great while people who have experience with being on it, but once an ENTIRELY new set of people take office and start working with this foundation that is built.

Continuity is EXTREMELY important. The idea that an entirely new set of people will take office and there's no real guidelines or continuity gives me nightmares. That's why I think it's important that CCP in the future is even more helpful towards the CSM and that there is more communication. We have build a solid foundation for now. However it's not hard to tear down if people aren't taking responsibility.

Continue reading EVE Community Spotlight: LaVista Vista part 2

MassivelyEVE Community Spotlight: LaVista Vista part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among all the massively multiplayer online games out there, with their respective learning curves, EVE Online perhaps has the deserved reputation for being the hardest MMO to get a grasp of. Much of that confusion is because the game itself is such a departure from your standard fantasy MMO, in almost every respect: open world/single server, PvP can happen everywhere, a harsh setting, and a UI that's a far cry from anything a player has seen in World of Warcraft.

The EVE in-game tutorial has been revamped a few times in order to make it easier for new players to get a handle on things. What is currently offered is a noticeable improvement over the tutorial of a few years ago, but CCP Games is in the process of completely reworking a player's first steps into the game's setting of New Eden. EVE Online developer CCP Fear's latest blog is, in his words, required reading for anyone interested in the game, new player or not. He says, "I want to get one misconception out of the way. This blog *will* concern you and everyone else. If you have played for a year, 6 years, 3 months or a week, you will want to read further than this. Chances are there will be changes that will affect you!"

Continue reading The lowdown on EVE Online's New Player Experience

MassivelyThe lowdown on EVE Online's New Player Experience originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaattributescareersccpccp-fearccp-gamescharacter-creationclassesdev-blogeveeve-onlineexpansionsforumslearning-curvenew-edennew-player-experiencenpeprofessionsracesre-specrespecsci-fiskill-trainingskillstutorialuiuser-interfaceWed, 18 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST