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[EON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/eon-magazine-issue-24-looks-back-at-eve-onlines-apocrypha-expan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/eon-magazine-issue-24-looks-back-at-eve-onlines-apocrypha-expan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/eon-magazine-issue-24-looks-back-at-eve-onlines-apocrypha-expan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Issue 24 of EVE Online's quarterly official magazine EON hit the shelves this month, bringing a fresh dose of internet spaceships to coffee tables and bathrooms everywhere. Produced by MMM Publishing and written by a growing cast of writers from within the EVE community, EON provides something solid for fans of EVE to hold on to and acts as a snapshot in time or record of the game as it evolves. Recent big news stories and nullsec wars are detailed in each issue, along with editorial pieces, fiction, interviews and guides.

The latest issue is a wormhole special, with a huge focus on 2009's incredibly successful Apocrypha expansion and the hidden wormhole systems it brought to EVE. In addition to the second part of Pottsey's background on the ancient Sleeper race locked away in wormhole systems, the magazine contains testflights of the four strategic cruisers produced from materials discovered in wormhole space. A fantastically insightful article on the making of Apocrypha also delves into the gritty details of how CCP put its entire weight behind one incredible expansion during a time of real world economic turmoil.

Skip past the cut for a breakdown of everything in EON Issue 24 and my impressions from reading through it.

Continue reading EON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion

MassivelyEON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccpccp-eveccp-gamese-oneoneveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedissue-24magmagazinenoah-wardreviewreviewsrichie-shoemakersleepersleepersstrategic-cruiserstech-3templar-onetony-gonzaleswormholeszapateroSat, 23 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/31/the-guild-counsel-to-vent-or-not-to-vent/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As we've looked at the ins and outs of managing a guild, one issue that's often overlooked is whether to vent or not to vent. No, not the Minus 50 DKP type of vent -- I'm talking about Ventrilo and voice chat in general. Ten years ago, guild leaders didn't have to worry about this, because the choice was between typing text or hosting a LAN party. But today, with the rise of voice chat clients like Ventrilo and in-game voice services like Vivox, the culture has changed quite a bit.

In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll take a look at the benefits of type vs. voice chat, and we'll look at what role each plays in guild management. Whether you sleep with your headset on or cling to your keyboard, read on for a look at why both have their merits.

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent

MassivelyThe Guild Counsel: To vent or not to vent originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredguild-chatguild-counselguild-managementmumblesleeperteamspeaktextventrilovivoxvoicevoice-chatThu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- Advanced mining]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/23/eve-evolved-mining-101-advanced-mining/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/23/eve-evolved-mining-101-advanced-mining/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/23/eve-evolved-mining-101-advanced-mining/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Because it is stigmatised as a boring and inactive activity, mining is perhaps EVE Online's most overlooked profession. While it can be a repetitive and sedate affair, mining is a good way to make ISK during low points in your game time. A lot of miners use the profession to make a little ISK while they chat with friends in-game, read the forum or do some other activity. In the first two parts of this three-part guide to mining in EVE, I looked at some of the basics of solo or group mining and how to make the most ISK for your invested time.

Over the years, I've learned a few tricks and strategies for mining that have come in handy. If the local asteroid belts are stripmined clean and you need somewhere nearby to mine, for example, it's possible to use the mission system to spawn a practically endless supply of low-end ore. If setting up camp in high-security space isn't your thing, it can also be very profitable to run a nomadic mining expedition. Using a starbase as a base of operations, you can set up ore depots and refining stations in either normal space or wormhole space.

In this final part of the EVE Evolved guide to mining in EVE, I look at spawning asteroids using the mission system, using a starbase as a base of operations in outlying systems, and running a wormhole mining expedition for massive profit.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- Advanced mining

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- Advanced mining originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedgravimetrichighseclow-seclowsecminingmissionmission-miningpospverefineryrefiningrorqualsleepersleepersstarbasewormholewormhole-explorationwormholesSun, 23 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/03/eve-evolved-group-pve-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/03/eve-evolved-group-pve-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/03/eve-evolved-group-pve-in-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Group PvE in EVE Online

MassivelyEVE 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesemergenceemergenteveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexplorationfeaturedgroupincursionmissionmission-runningmissionsnpcnpcspvesandboxsleepersleeperssoloSun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE wormhole exploit is fixed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/29/eve-wormhole-exploit-is-fixed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/29/eve-wormhole-exploit-is-fixed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/29/eve-wormhole-exploit-is-fixed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Two weeks ago, we reported the news that a new exploit had been uncovered in EVE Online. Players in a hidden class 6 wormhole system with a rare magnetar anomaly discovered that they could abuse the anomaly's effects to gain infinite tracking and range on typically short-range turrets. The exploit was uncovered when they used it to defend their home system from attack against Rooks and Kings, a corporation that wormhole-dwelling corps have learned to fear for its precision invasions of colonised wormhole systems.

On September 21st, a hotfix was rapidly deployed to temporarily remove the offending electronic warfare effects from magnetar anomalies. This prevented players from pushing the effectiveness of tracking disruptors over the magic 100% mark that caused the bug. EVE developers CCP Games have announced that after some internal discussion, they've decided to make that change permanent. Removing the effect from all magnetars and not just the currently exploitable ones ensures that similar problems don't occur in the future if new equipment ever raises the effectiveness of tracking disruptors. The only question left unanswered is what will happen to Aperture Harmonics, the corporation that has been using this exploit for some time.

MassivelyEVE wormhole exploit is fixed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexploitsleepersleeperswormholeWed, 29 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The EVE Online that could be]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/eve-evolved-the-eve-online-that-could-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/eve-evolved-the-eve-online-that-could-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/05/eve-evolved-the-eve-online-that-could-be/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Each of us has a different idea of the perfect game, whether it's an existing game with a few tweaks or something completely new. Game designers work tirelessly to make their own vision of the perfect game a reality, but there's no telling what players will think of a feature until it's finished. In the process of transforming a feature from a gleam in the game designer's eye to a finished product, something is unfortunately often lost in translation. Limitations in the technology being used or the manpower available can render the ideal implementation infeasible.

As players, we don't really see that full development process. That doesn't stop us from painting our perfect vision of an upcoming or potential feature and how awesome it could be. In the coming years, the EVE Online developers will be going through the process of making some of their most incredible visions a reality. Ideas like walking in stations and integrating the upcoming MMOFPS Dust 514 with EVE's planetary interaction feature will be put through a potentially brutal development process. We can only hope that as little as possible of those visions we've heard from EVE's developers gets lost in translation.

In this speculative opinion piece, I look at a few areas in which EVE is sure to be expanded in the coming years and discuss what I'd consider to be the ideal way they could be implemented or handled.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The EVE Online that could be

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The EVE Online that could be originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccpccp-eveccp-gamesdominioneoheoh-pokereveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfeaturedincarnaiterationmini-gamesMinigamesopinionplanetplanetary-interactionpokersleepersovereigntyspreadsheets-in-spacestationstyranniswormholewormhole-explorationwormholesSun, 05 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's the hardest boss you've ever fought?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-grind-whats-the-hardest-boss-youve-ever-fought/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The video game boss is as traditional as it is feared. From the earliest days of the console generation to our fancy-schmancy Eminem-Os, gamers have cut their teeth on challenging villains such as the Sleeper, Mallyx, Tarinax the Destroyer and the Watcher in the Water. Boss battles always seem impossible at the outset, punishing parties with a complete wipe at a single mistake. Strategies are memorized, patterns are ingrained and teamwork polished until that big baddie hits the floor, sobbing like a baby.

So what's the hardest boss you've ever fought in a MMORPG? Was it an epic one-on-one battle, a harrowing party fight, or even a raid boss so mighty that its mere gaze stopped you in your tracks? What made this confrontation so difficult -- the sheer pool of hit points, the complex strategy or the way it almost seemed to cheat to win?

And no, "Hogger" doesn't count for this Daily Grind. These memes have a statute of limitations, you know.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's the hardest boss you've ever fought? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bossboss-battlesboss-fightseminem-oshoggerhogger-raid-bossmallyxopinionraid-bosssleepertarinax-the-destroyertdgthe-daily-grindwatcher-in-the-waterSun, 15 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Medic ships, part 2: High-end healing]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/eve-evolved-medic-ships-part-2-high-end-healing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/eve-evolved-medic-ships-part-2-high-end-healing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/eve-evolved-medic-ships-part-2-high-end-healing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

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.

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

MassivelyEVE 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capitalcarrierccpccp-eveccp-gamescruisereveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedguardianguideguideshealhealerhealinglogisticsmedicmedic-shiponeirospvepvprorqualsleepersleeperstanktankingtipswormholewormholesSun, 28 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Five useful starbase configurations]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/14/eve-evolved-five-useful-starbase-configurations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/14/eve-evolved-five-useful-starbase-configurations/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/14/eve-evolved-five-useful-starbase-configurations/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Player housing is one of those features we love to see in an MMO but every game that has it seems to implement it differently. Sometimes it's limited to instanced rooms the player can decorate and sometimes it's a little more functional like shared guild halls. In EVE Online, the closest thing to widely-available player housing would be anchorable starbases, which can be configured to serve a variety of functional roles. Originally, their primary purpose was to mine moon minerals and react them to produce advanced materials for Tech 2 production.

Starbases can be very useful as tactical staging points for PvP operations. With the right modules anchored around them, they can also be configured for use in other industries, from mining and manufacturing to research and deep space exploration. Until recently, they also played a critical role in EVE's alliance sovereignty warfare as the alliance with the most starbases in a system gained control of it. With that role now fulfilled by Outposts, Infrastructure Hubs and Territorial Claim Units, starbases have mostly returned to their former industrial and tactical uses.

In this article, I look at five different starbase configurations that can be very useful to organised corporations.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Five useful starbase configurations

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Five useful starbase configurations originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdeath-stardepotdominioneveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedpiracyplayer-housingplayer-owned-starbasepospvpsafespotsleepersovereigntystarbaseterritorial-controltipstips-and-trickswormholewormhole-explorationwormholesSun, 14 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Tech 3 Strategic Cruisers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/06/eve-evolved-tech-3-strategic-cruisers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/06/eve-evolved-tech-3-strategic-cruisers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/06/eve-evolved-tech-3-strategic-cruisers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


With EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion came an entire new class of ship. Tech 3 Strategic Cruisers represent a new wave of technology in EVE. Rather than being simply improved versions of the existing Tech 2 ships, Strategic Cruisers are modular ships reverse engineered from ancient Sleeper and Talocan components. They allow players to design their own ship from a base hull and a set of five subsystems. Each subsystem has four options, with a fifth possibly in the works. Original designs called for the ship to improve as it was used, but this was replaced with a set of rank 1 skills and you lose a level of one of them if your ship is destroyed. A fully fit Tech 3 ship originally would have cost you upwards of two billion isk but prices have since dropped to around the 600 million mark and they're still falling. As these ships have become more affordable, I've had a chance to see some of them in action and see first hand what they can do.

Join me in this visual gallery article where I dish out some information on Strategic Cruisers and then examine a few of the different ways these ships can be fit to fulfill different roles. If you have a particularly inventive setup, feel free to post it as a comment.

Gallery: EVE Strategic Cruisers

4096 combinationsTech 3 productionSkill lossConcept artTalocan Cruiser

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Tech 3 Strategic Cruisers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If it seems like I've gone wormhole crazy lately, that's because I have. The wormholes that arrived with the Apocrypha expansion have infiltrated and enriched many different aspects of EVE Online, from exploration and corporate goals to small gang PvP and piracy. In previous articles, I looked at preparing for an expedition, untangled the mystery of the Sleepers and told the story of a tense week for Total Comfort alliance in the Sleeper's den. After a week spent hunting wormhole-dwellers for fun and profit, this week's EVE Evolved is dedicated to the fine art of being an interstellar cut-throat as I delve into the world of wormhole piracy.

Wormhole piracy is one of the few professions where small gang warfare is most prevalent. While many pirates have already begun including wormhole systems in their roaming gangs, our corporation (and I'm sure others) have come across a much more effective method. By setting up your own pirate staging base inside a wormhole system, your corp can use its regular outgoing wormholes to wreak havoc in systems all across EVE. Using this method, it's possible to spring attacks on people without anyone even seeing you coming. Whether you're planning surprise attacks on 0.0 systems or hunting in the 2500 new unknown sleeper systems, wouldn't you like to run your own pirate way-station?

Read on for an informative guide on using wormholes to wreak havoc around EVE and make a profit in the process.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following last week's reassuringly popular article "Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers", our little expeditionary alliance has had an extremely action-packed week. In addition to several PvP encounters with roaming gangs, there's been a POS siege, a system invasion and a lot of drama. At the end of it all, I'm left with a renewed sense of awe for the unique experiences EVE Online can deliver if you're just willing to seek them out and actively involve yourself. At times I can truly immerse myself in EVE and feel like I'm taking an actor's part in a kind of intergalactic play scene, an experience I've never come close to in any other MMO. Taking part in these events is almost like being painted into an illustrative chapter of some historic record. In this article, I hope to solidify that record and share a glimpse of what it's like to immerse yourself in this part of EVE.

What follows is a storytold account of Total Comfort alliance's deadly week in the Sleeper's den.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Just another week in the Sleeper's den

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Just another week in the Sleeper's den originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>carrierccpccp-gamescollapseeveeve-onlinefeaturedfourth circleGreater Avaricejoystiqfeaturesnyphuroperation bastardpillowsoftpospvprevengesiegesleeperstorytotal comfortwormhole-explorationwormholesSun, 26 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/19/eve-evolved-untangling-the-mystery-of-the-sleepers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/19/eve-evolved-untangling-the-mystery-of-the-sleepers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/19/eve-evolved-untangling-the-mystery-of-the-sleepers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


When EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion was released, details on how wormholes and the 2500 new systems that came with them worked were sketchy. The advanced Sleeper AI found protecting these systems were a force to be feared, unknown and mysterious. There were no guides, no stories of encounters on the forums and anyone that had mounted a successful expedition was keeping their closely guarded secrets to themselves and raking in the ISK.

My corporation (Pillowsoft) were among the first to launch their expedition, having previously prepared an Orca with a medium POS, fuel, equipment and everything else we thought we'd need. We set up in an unknown system and explored this new frontier with a cautious optimism. Over the months that followed, we learned a great deal about EVE's new wormhole systems and the Sleepers that lived in them. After striking gold many times and making each of our expedition members over a billion ISK richer, we began telling our story and giving up those secrets we had been so careful to protect. Today, a great deal is now known about the "unknown" wormhole systems and with ever more corporations launching their own expeditions, it's now more important than ever to research the Sleeper menace before venturing into the abyss.

Join me for this extensive three-page article where I dole out the fruits of my research on wormholes and begin to untangle the mystery of the Sleepers.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online patch Apocrypha 1.3 is slated for a Monday June 29 deployment. CCP Games is pushing ahead with their Need for Speed initiative, which aims to streamline the game's performance and provide a better play experience. They're making some database changes with the next Apocrypha patch that should improve what you experience in your game client with inventory management, but beyond addressing "The Jita Problem" there will be a fair number of changes in the next patch.

On that topic of speed, players should notice a huge change with starbase deployment (or hasty tear downs): players will be able to anchor, online, or unanchor offensive and defensive starbase structures in half the time it took previously. (Ninja POS deployment?) Perhaps more significant to some players than others, station reprocessing will be much faster -- apparently refining stacks of items will be up to 25 times faster than before. Also, some of those changes to Tech III production we've mentioned before are going into effect on Monday, and should ultimately be a boost for Tech III. Apocrypha 1.3's changes extend far beyond what is mentioned here; players heavily invested in wormhole exploration and the production it fuels should look closely at the patch notes to see how CCP's changes to the game might affect them.

Continue reading Apocrypha 1.3 improvements and Tech III changes coming to EVE on Monday June 29

MassivelyApocrypha 1.3 improvements and Tech III changes coming to EVE on Monday June 29 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccp-gameseveeve-onlinegame-mechanicsjitaneed-for-speedpatch-notespatchesperformancepossci-fisleepersleepersstarbasetech-3tech-iiiwormhole-explorationwormholesFri, 26 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Have wormholes revitalised EVE?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/eve-evolved-have-wormholes-revitalised-eve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/eve-evolved-have-wormholes-revitalised-eve/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/eve-evolved-have-wormholes-revitalised-eve/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,


It's been just over a week since the Apocrypha expansion went live and EVE Online is already starting to see the impact of the new content on gameplay. Wormholes in particular have revitalised gameplay for so many individuals that Apocrypha may just be the best EVE expansion to date. Everything from piracy to low security space, system ownership and exploration have been affected by the advent of unstable wormholes. But how could something as simple as unstable wormholes revitalise other areas of gameplay?

In this article, I examine the far-reaching effects of EVE's newest gameplay addition - wormholes.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Have wormholes revitalised EVE?

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Have wormholes revitalised EVE? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Several years ago, CCP released a new upgrade for EVE Online's standard system scanner. Scanner probes were deployable tools that could be used to find ships, drones and a few hidden complexes lost in the vastness of space. The system was later expanded to provide an awesome exploration experience - combat encounters, dungeons and rich asteroid belts were strewn throughout space for some lucky explorer to find.

With EVE's latest expansion, the exploration system received a complete overhaul. A new scanning system was devised, complete with new probes and probe launchers. As if that wasn't enough, a new "True Exploration" mechanic was introduced with the appearance of wormholes all throughout space. Many wormholes lead to one of the 2500 new star systems that aren't on the main system map, each of which contains lucrative but dangerous sleeper NPCs that drop components for tech 3 ship production.

In this article, I delve into the new probing system with complete strategies that have been proven to work. Read on to get an edge on wormhole exploration.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: A guide to probing in Apocrypha

MassivelyEVE Evolved: A guide to probing in Apocrypha originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaccpccp-gameseveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedjoystiqfeaturesprobeprobingpvescansleepertrue-explorationwormholewormhole-explorationwormholesMon, 16 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/eve-evolved-apocrypha-expansion-preview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/eve-evolved-apocrypha-expansion-preview/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/eve-evolved-apocrypha-expansion-preview/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,



As March 10th draws ever closer, EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion is coming more and more into focus. Information on the new game mechanics and content is being released in the form of developer blogs and the official expansion page complete with screenshots and artwork is already up. Most importantly, a test version of the expansion is live on Singularity, EVE's main test server. Like any good journalist, I took my camera crew onto the test server to get some pictures of Apocrypha in action. What I found blew me away, literally.

In this gallery article, I take a visual sneak peak at parts of the impressive new Apocrypha expansion with a whopping 37 screenshots. In each screenshot, I talk about all of the new additions to the game.

Gallery: EVE Apocrypha Preview

New introduction videoWormhole!Sleeper stationTenguLegion

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In EVE Online, large alliances of corporations lay claim to the lucrative 0.0 security rating areas of the game and smaller corporate operations generally don't stand a chance against them. Corps who want to claim a little corner of space for themselves are forced to join an existing alliance or compete with them for space. With the recent news of 2500 new star systems coming to EVE with the release of wormholes in the march expansion, small corps may find themselves able to carve out their own little corner of space to live in without being squashed by the big alliances.

How will wormholes work?
The information we have so far suggests that wormholes into one of the 2500 new hidden star systems will open randomly in all security levels of system. Wormholes will have a diameter that restricts the maximum size of ship that can enter it and a mass limit that restricts the total mass of ships that can use the wormhole before it collapses. Once the wormhole collapses, the chances of finding another leading to the same system are astronomical so choosing which ships you bring in carefully is a must.

Read on as I describe how wormholes could allow corps to more safely own systems and go on to describe what equipment and ships you'll need to take up residence in your own system.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Gear up for wormhole exploration

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Gear up for wormhole exploration originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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