Massively

EVE Evolved: Have wormholes revitalised EVE?

Brendan Drain — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

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?

EVE 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview

Brendan Drain — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, PvE, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

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.

EVE Apocrypha preview gallery > >

Gallery: EVE Apocrypha Preview

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Apocrypha expansion preview

EVE 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Gear up for wormhole exploration

Brendan Drain — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Crafting, Professions, PvP, PvE, EVE Evolved

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

EVE 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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.

Brendan Drain — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, Professions, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, EVE Evolved

A little under five years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a new online game he was playing called EVE Online. A key part of his pitch was that the game was less than a year old and I should get in on the ground floor. My friend correctly anticipated the massive success that EVE would be and that it would be good to get involved as early as possible. Over the years, that decision to start playing EVE in early 2004 has afforded me a lot of opportunities, not least of all being able to contribute to EON magazine and finally become a columnist here at Massively.

Getting in on the ground floor:
Five years down the line from EVE day one, it's easy for new players or those that want to sign up to feel like they've missed the boat and can't achieve what the older players have. In the same way that my friend introduced me to EVE, it's my turn to try and convince people that they can still get in on the ground floor of something new and immense. With two major expansions coming soon, including the revolutionary "Walking in Stations" expansion, I firmly believe that right now could be the best time in five years to get in on the ground floor of the incredible on-going journey that is EVE Online.

In this article, I discuss the reasons why EVE will continue to endure for the foreseeable future and how getting involved now could be just as good as getting involved from day one.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time.

EVE Evolved: Why EVE Online will be around for a long time. originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments