Massively

EVE Online overhauls factional warfare for cleaner systems and bigger consequences

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, Sandbox

Factional warfare isn't a part of EVE Online you hear about very often, and according to the latest design blog, that's partly because the system itself was a mess. The developers are hard at work overhauling the warfare system so that it will be easier to understand, will be more intuitive to use, and will have more substantial bonuses and penalties for factions actively participating in the war. The usability changes are small but significant, mostly centering around consolidating the system's important details under a unified naming schematic.

Turnaround time for system control is being lengthened to roughly 30 hours, but the penalties for enemy factions are also becoming more severe. Enemy factions cannot dock at stations in occupied systems, and the faction in control will be able to spend Loyalty Points to gain special upgrades so long as the system is controlled. If you like going to war in your internet spaceship but aren't really a fan of the wild frontier devoid of security, it might be worth taking a look at the newest design entry.

EVE Online overhauls factional warfare for cleaner systems and bigger consequences originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Center your sights with MechWarrior Online's latest dev Q&A

Matt Daniel — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, MechWarrior Online

MechWarriors, start your engines. It's time for another Q&A session with the fine folks at Piranha Games, the studio behind the upcoming free-to-play MechWarrior Online. Combat is the name of the game today, and developers Matt Craig, Paul Inouye, David Bradley, and Garth Eriam have taken some time to answer players' burning questions.

The Q&A covers topics ranging from the game's reticle convergence mechanics to how exactly one goes about disabling an enemy 'Mech, and just as there's more than one way to skin a cat, there are myriad methods with which to bring destruction to your foes. Players will be able to bring down an enemy BattleMech by destroying the head, disabling the torso, or literally bringing the 'Mech to its knees by crippling its legs. But of course, that's much easier said than done. The game's reticle convergence system will require players to aim their shots well and time them even better if they plan to survive for long.

The full details, for those interested in the mechanics of combat, are available for perusal at the official MWO site.

Center your sights with MechWarrior Online's latest dev Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online kicks off Mech Warfare Month

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Dev Diaries, MechWarrior Online

Driving a multi-ton battle 'Mech isn't like picking your friend up at the 7-11 in your dad's Prius; it's a massive, complicated war machine that has to be understood before it can be wielded against foes. So if you think that piloting one in MechWarrior Online will be as simple as hitting the WASD keys and the occasional 1 or 2, think again.

This is why Piranha Games has launched Mech Warfare Month on the official MWO site, giving us a full run-down of how movement and combat is handled in the game. Concepts such as 'Mech "torso twists," jump jets, environmental obstacles, and heat management have to be taken into account from the onset. To bring down the hammer on enemy 'Mechs, players will use a balance of energy, projectile, and ballistic weapons -- and they have to keep track of ammo while doing so.

Piranha wraps up the post with a lengthy list of keyboard and mouse commands that will be necessary to learn for safe 'Mech operation. While the full list of controls and HUD details may send some running for their nearest touch-screen device, this level of detail is exactly what attracts such a devoted fanbase to the franchise.

We're speaking with Piranha Games at GDC this week, so stay tuned for an in-depth interview as to how this game is shaping up!

[Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]

MechWarrior Online kicks off Mech Warfare Month originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArcheAge besieges us with a new warfare trailer

Matt Daniel — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, PvP, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox

We have no idea when the Korean-developed ArcheAge is going to see the light of day on North American soil, but that doesn't mean we can't stare at the pretty trailers and hope that it's soon. Today, the official ArcheAge YouTube page has uploaded a new video that gives fans a look at the title's siege warfare. Now, you might think that you have an idea of what a fortress siege is like. A bunch of players group up, zerg rush the fortress, and the last side standing takes the prize, right?

Well, not so much in ArcheAge's case. The video shows plenty of infantry clashing blades, but that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are catapults and siege towers and aerial attacks and more, lending a suitable sense of chaos to the entire ordeal. The objective of the madness seems to be the destruction of a crystal nestled deep within the defending fortress, though we don't speak Korean, so don't quote us on that. At any rate, it's certainly an impressive display of the large-scale PvP offered by ArcheAge, so load your trebuchets and click on past the cut for the full video.

Continue reading ArcheAge besieges us with a new warfare trailer

ArcheAge besieges us with a new warfare trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible

Brendan Drain — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

When EVE Online launched in 2003, it was a barren game without many of the comforts we enjoy today. The user interface was abysmally worse than today's (if you can imagine such a thing), players with cruisers were top dog, and practically the only activities were mining or blowing up miners. The culmination of years of hard work by a small indie studio, EVE Online sold almost entirely on its future potential. When I was introduced to the game by an excited friend in early 2004 during the Castor expansion, he encouraged me to get in on the ground floor because he believed the game was going to be huge. Years later, I find myself introducing the game to thousands of readers on the same premise.

EVE's continual success over the years transformed a fresh-faced CCP Games into a multinational game development giant. And yet, for all that growth and all the updates to EVE over the years, the fact that the game sells largely on future potential is still firmly embedded in both players and developers. Players subscribe not only because they like the game but because they want to support development to reach EVE's true potential. Two years with very little iteration on existing features sent the message that developers weren't trying to reach that potential, but it seems that trend is soon to be completely reversed. With the newly announced Crucible expansion, CCP will be adding countless small features, graphical updates and iterations that put EVE firmly back on the path to reaching its full potential.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at CCP's plans to return EVE to the crucible and reforge it into something awesome. Those waiting for the third part of my look at the new player experience can catch that in next week's column, as Kajatta is enjoying his final week in EVE before delivering his verdict.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible

EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

End of Nations unveils warfare screenshots

Matt Daniel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS

The End of Nations is upon us! Well, not really, but Trion Worlds has revealed a new batch of screenshots focusing on -- what else -- mass warfare. The screens give players a glimpse of the maps of which they'll be vying for control. Also on display are many of the units available to the game's three factions, including tanks, artillery, scouting vehicles, and more. For all of the freshly pressed screenshots, just click on through the gallery below.

[Source: Trion Worlds press release]

Gallery: End of Nations

End of Nations unveils warfare screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion

Brendan Drain — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Since EVE Online's release in 2003, CCP Games has been the center of one of the most interesting success stories in the games industry. Produced by a tiny indie development studio on a frozen volcanic rock, EVE was the perfect example of how to do things right. The game's publishing deal with Simon & Schuster allowed CCP to buy back the rights to the game several months after its initial release. With no publisher taking a cut of the profits, CCP ploughed subscriptions back into the game's development and grew the development team organically. As a one-game company, CCP worked closely with players to make EVE the best game possible for its loyal playerbase.

In a recent letter to the players, CCP CEO Hilmar laments that somewhere along the line, things changed for the worse. The CCP of today bears little resemblance to the "little indie studio that could" of 2003, not just housing over 600 employees in offices around the world but also developing upcoming MMOs DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Resources are spread thin, and EVE Online has suffered for it. Last month I looked back at the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion and asked why every expansion since then has cut down on the in-space development players want. Hilmar's letter and its accompanying devblog answered that question this week with a solid plan for iteration on flying in space features during the winter development period.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look forward to the winter expansion and explain why each of the issues being tackled in the coming expansion is a big deal to players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion

EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play, MMORTS

For all those out there who boast about how uber their show pony mount is, Steel Legions horde of tanks, artillery and other weapons of awesome mass destruction begs to differ. The free-to-play title is bringing more explosive firepower to the battlefield with its Warfare update.

In this patch, players can upgrade their tanks with a variety of new modules, starting with experience modules. These do pretty much what you'd expect: increase the rate of XP gained as you plow through the chaos of the fight.

The Warfare update is also adding a marketplace for players to purchase better goods for their machines, new weapon systems like the Kinetic Deflector and Mazer Cannon, and an oil refinery that can be fought over for control of the liquid black gold.

Steel Legions is a free-to-play browser-based MMO that takes place in an alternate timeline when steam-driven tanks clash for control over the world. You can watch the trailer for the Warfare update after the jump.

Continue reading Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies

Steel Legions opens up a can of Warfare on all declared enemies originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Building a better empire

Brendan Drain — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

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

It's often said that EVE Online is 99% endgame, with only the tutorials and epic mission arcs really providing directed gameplay. Once you get out into the open world, the game is dominated by sandbox laws and social interaction. This is most clear in the lawless nullsec regions where alliances war over territory and build their own empires in the void.

Last week I looked back at the early days of nullsec industry and examined the problems industry has developed over the years. With a massive nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter, I went on to speculate on how the game could be changed to bring back the glory days of nullsec industry. Although adequately incentivised local mining and production could transform player-created empires, those aren't the only areas of gameplay being revisited. Sovereignty mechanics, fleet warfare, small gang warfare, exploration and small-scale territorial control will all eventually be redesigned as part of the massive iterative overhaul.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the history of EVE's empire-building and territorial warfare mechanics, some of the problems faced by the sovereignty system, and how those aspects of EVE could possibly be changed for the better.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Building a better empire

EVE Evolved: Building a better empire originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Proposed changes to EVE's nullsec regions cause a stir

Brendan Drain — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries

At the end of 2009, EVE Online's vast and lawless nullsec regions were given a complete overhaul with the Dominion expansion. System sovereignty mechanics were changed, and a new infrastructure system was put in place. Through an infrastructure hub interface, alliances were given the ability to upgrade the systems within their borders. Areas of space near EVE's empire systems that were rarely fought over suddenly became prime real-estate, ripe for conquest and development. The difference in quality between the best systems deep in nullsec and poor systems nearer empire was significantly lowered.

The hope was that by increasing the carrying capacity of each individual system, CCP would cause large alliances to contract into smaller areas of space. The result hasn't been exactly as CCP had planned, since huge areas of nullsec are now being dominated by massive coalitions of alliances. In a new devblog, CCP Greyscale has explained steps that CCP plans to take in order to rectify the situation. The quality of cosmic anomalies provided by system upgrades will soon depend largely on the system's true security rating. Systems that were highly sought before Dominion will now be significantly better for making ISK.

CCP hopes that this will cause high-end alliances to concentrate in higher-end space, leaving power vacuums near empire space for smaller alliances to fill. Player reaction to the devblog has been fierce, with the comments thread reaching over 65 pages, the vast majority of it negative. Whether the changes are a good idea is debatable, but the one thing players have widely agreed on is that the changes will not achieve the goals CCP has set out in the devblog. As the changes are part of the official Incursion features list, however, it's highly likely that they'll go to the live server in a future patch deployment.

Proposed changes to EVE's nullsec regions cause a stir originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Tough lessons in corp management

Brendan Drain — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Back in November, we began the Massively Mob -- an EVE Online corporation designed to help our readers get into EVE despite the game's steep learning curve and harsh death penalty. The primary goal of the Mob was was to provide advice and assistance to new players as well as a financial safety net to help them overcome the game's notoriously steep learning curve. Free corp ships were available to help players try out the many things the game has to offer without that fear of losing a lot of belongings in one newbie mistake.

Players flocked to the corp in droves, many just starting EVE or returning to give the game another shot. One member set up a forum, another a killboard, and a third provided a free teamspeak server. Members wrote helpful guides; the forums filled with ship fitting advice and mission fleets flew almost every night. Regular events and contests kept the corp alive with activity, and for a time everything was good. We started out with the best of intentions and set our sights on the very difficult task of being a large corporation that does a little bit of everything. It's been a bumpy road; the corp has lost its way several times and we've learned some very tough lessons.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I dig up some tough personal truths and share my experiences of the difficult job of corporate management.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Tough lessons in corp management

EVE Evolved: Tough lessons in corp management originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Spotlight: Mercenary Coalition's Seleene

Brendan Drain — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Contests, Guilds, Interviews, Lore, PvP, Opinion

EVE Spotlight is a new bi-weekly feature in which we interview prominent members of EVE Online's player community or development team. Every two weeks, we'll be shining the spotlight on a player or developer who has a significant impact on EVE to highlight the efforts of EVE's most influential people.

It's said that PvP is the force that drives EVE Online, forging demand in the markets through destruction of assets and adding much of the unique political conflict that lies at the heart of EVE's gameplay. If war is EVE's driving force, then mercenaries are its swiftest vehicles. Contract killers by profession, mercenary corporations will take up arms against anyone for the right price. No mercenary group in EVE has ever been as feared and admired as Mercenary Coalition. Famed for being perhaps the single most destructive influence in EVE, MC has turned the tides of wars and shattered entire regions and alliances through brute force. At the alliance's highest point, the mere mention of its name was often enough to postpone war.

The group officially disbanded in 2008 following a drawn-out war with Band of Brothers alliance in Delve. Late last year, Mercenary Coalition made a comeback with the announcement by founder Seleene that the group was looking for new members and contracts. Although the future now seems less than certain for the infamous alliance, MC's founder Seleene has certainly had a long and colourful history in the game -- first as a player and then later as a developer for CCP Games. Under the name CCP Abathur, Seleene worked on EVE for over three years before eventually leaving the company on good terms. Having been both an EVE developer and an avid EVE player, he now has a rare perspective on the game and its development.

In this EVE Spotlight, I talk to Seleene about his career as the head of EVE's biggest mercenary outfit and his career as an EVE game designer.

Continue reading EVE Spotlight: Mercenary Coalition's Seleene

EVE Spotlight: Mercenary Coalition's Seleene originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aika Online invades Europe on February 17th

Jef Reahard — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Aika

Big things are happening in the world of Aika Online. Late last year, the title released its second expansion, and today the devs have announced a real-world expansion of sorts.The free-to-play fantasy MMORPG centered around multinational conflict is forging into the European market on February 17th, and gPotato is hosting a smattering of celebratory events to mark the occasion. Chief among them is the "Europe, We're Up" double XP promotion, in addition to a login event that gives players the opportunity to win $10,000 in prizes as well as unique in-game loot.

Aika pits five nations against each other in a neverending struggle for control of Arcan. Castle sieges, relic thefts, and customized battlegrounds are a few of the features players can take advantage of while waging large-scale warfare sans a monthly subscription fee.

Aika Online invades Europe on February 17th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online devblog discusses recent 3000-player battle and server stability

Brendan Drain — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, Dev Diaries

Recently, we reported on the largest battle ever held in EVE Online. Over 3200 pilots clashed in the lawless nullsec system LXQ2-T. What was meant to be a titanic battle between the Northern Coalition political conglomeration and its rival Russian power block from the drone regions was quickly overcome with lag. Although it's impressive that the server didn't crash, pilots reported delays of several minutes between issuing a command and the server's carrying it out. In a new devblog, CCP Veritas looks at exactly what went on behind the scenes at that colossal battle.

While we play EVE Online in realtime, the server essentially queues up our commands and processes them in order. If the load becomes so high that more commands enter the queue every second than can be processed, our commands begin to be delayed and we experience that as lag. If you've ever been interested in what goes on under the hood of EVE's massively complex server, this devblog is definitely worth a read. If nothing else, it reinforces the fact that lag is a much more complex issue than we sometimes expect and progress in combating it involves painstaking work. In a future devblog, Veritas will present a historical look at the EVE server's performance and how it's been improved in the last few months as part of CCP's ongoing war on lag.

EVE Online devblog discusses recent 3000-player battle and server stability originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Downtime deployment debate

Brendan Drain — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Earlier this week, an explosive argument broke out in the EVE Online community. Following an extended server downtime, it became known that Reddit-based alliance Test Alliance Please Ignore had used the server downtime to protect the deployment of 14 territorial claim units. Ordinarily, these claim units are vulnerable to attack for eight hours while they start up. The owner may choose to either commit a fleet to defend them for eight hours or leave them unguarded and hope nobody decides to knock them down.

This mechanic is designed to ensure that a force can't claim or attack a large number of systems simultaneously against opposition, as an alliance can't reliably defend several TCUs at once. By anchoring the structures just before the extended downtime occurred, Test Alliance made them invulnerable for their entire deployment time. A controversial debate then ensued, as GMs stepped in and Test pilots began making accusations of corruption, collusion and favouritism.

In this opinion piece, I weigh in on the latest debate to shake New Eden. I look at whether downtime deployment really is an exploit and whether there's any substance to the accusations made against EVE's Game Masters.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Downtime deployment debate

EVE Evolved: Downtime deployment debate originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE extended downtime has some unfortunate consequences

Brendan Drain — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:40:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guilds, Lore, Patches, PvP, News items

Early this morning, the EVE Online server underwent an extended scheduled downtime for the deployment of the Tyrannis 1.2 patch. The patch deployment proceeded as planned and almost exactly to schedule, with the entire downtime lasting around 12 hours. When the servers came up, however, members of some nullsec alliances noticed that something was amiss. All of a sudden, a number of systems in Delve that had been vacant before the downtime were now owned by Reddit-based alliance Test Alliance Please Ignore.

It soon became apparent that Test Alliance had placed territorial control units in the systems just before the extended downtime began. Under normal circumstances, territorial claim units must be protected by a fleet for the six hours they need to start up. During that time, enemy fleets have a chance to engage the hostile force and destroy their claim unit. If the six hours pass without event, ownership of the system is then awarded to the alliance that placed the structure. By placing the structures immediately prior to the extended downtime, enemies of Test Alliance were unable to contest the claim, which meant it automatically succeeded. What happened next has been the cause of a great deal of controversy on the EVE forums and Reddit.

Skip past the cut for a run-down of what happened next.

Continue reading EVE extended downtime has some unfortunate consequences

EVE extended downtime has some unfortunate consequences originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online blogger provides insight on alliance warfare in Dominion

Brendan Drain — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guilds, Lore, PvP, Endgame, Politics

Alliance warfare has always been a huge part of EVE Online's endgame PvP, with alliances fighting over resources, expanding their borders or just settling age-old political grudges. The Dominion expansion made sweeping changes to alliance warfare and the transition hasn't been easy on all the alliances. Since Dominion went live, it's been difficult to judge just how effective the expansion has been at revitalising territorial warfare or how alliances are using the new system. EVE Blogger Wensley has been involved in the recent war against CVA in Providence region and he's been posting some of the valuable insights he's gleaned on territorial warfare over at his blog Rifter Drifter.

In part 1 of his series "Catch 22" on the most recent parts of the war, he details the reasoning behind CVA's territorial expansion from Providence into the Catch region. In part 2, Wensley describes the details of the actual war so far and provides some useful insights into the mechanics of territorial warfare. He suggests that since alliances now get to choose the rough time their systems are fought over by way of the new reinforcement timers, they should have picked a time zone that would be inconvenient for their enemies. Instead, they had set their reinforcement timer to their enemy's peak play time, allowing them to easily amass huge fleets for the attack. He goes on to blame CVA's poor performance on a lack of preparedness, suggesting that if they had gotten their fleet together and into the threatened system first, any lag occuring when enemy players jump in would have been in their favour. If you're following the war in Providence region or just interested in how territorial warfare is fought now in EVE, Rifter Drifter's on-going Catch 22 series is definitely worth a read.

EVE Online blogger provides insight on alliance warfare in Dominion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The war for Providence rages on in EVE Online

Brendan Drain — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, Lore, PvP, Endgame, Politics, Roleplaying

The fierce wars alliances wage each day in EVE Online can undoubtedly make for some great story-telling. Each region has a history of the wars players have fought in it and each station bares the memory of a dozen take-overs and assaults. Few stations hold more significance than the outpost in 9UY4-H in the Providence region. Originally named "Unity station", the outpost has had a long and violent history since its construction by Minmatar terrorist faction "Ushra'Kahn". The significance of 9UY4-H comes partly from the fact the system is a bottleneck in logistics and trade routes leading to three empire access points, two of which are exits into high security space. For those fighting over the station in 9UY4-H, however, it holds more political meaning than strategic due to Ushra'Kahn's long history of war against the Amarrian faction "Curatores Veritatis Alliance".

Both groups have always been strong adopters of role-play, turning what would normally be a normal war into a personal vendetta. As Amarr traditionalists, CVA support the enslavement of the Minmatar race, a significant part of EVE's back-story. In retaliation, Ushra'Kahn seek liberation for all Minmatar slaves and have never given up their fight against CVA. The station in 9UY4-H has become a focal point for that war, which has lasted over three years and shows no signs of diminishing. The EVE Online "Interstellar Correspondents", EVE's in-game news team, have just finished writing up a fascinating four-part historical account of the war in Providence and what has led to its current state today. If you're interested in the complex political movements and wars in EVE Online, it's definitely a good read [part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4].

The war for Providence rages on in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE video corner: "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon"

Brendan Drain — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Guilds, Lore, PvP, Opinion

Whether you're a full-on EVE Online junkie or you don't play the game at all, EVE has undeniably produced some great stories and incredible gameplay videos. Just over a year ago in my weekly EVE Evolved column, I looked at ten of the best EVE videos of all time but since then a lot more videos have been made. In this new irregular segment, I aim to showcase some of EVE's best video productions and shine a spotlight on their creators. Once or twice per month I'll highlight a video that has particularly caught my attention, from high-class productions that play like a sci-fi film to gritty PvP videos showing real gameplay.

What better way to kick off this first edition of the EVE video corner than with the sequel to an old favourite? The original "Clarion Call: Triage Special" video came in fourth place in my top ten list last year and its sequel "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon" doesn't disappoint. Like the original, the video follows Rooks and Kings alliance as they engage in capital warfare against terrible odds. Once again the video takes an instructional tone, with Princess Aricia of Fairlight Corp providing explanation of the tactics being used as each fight progresses. In this video, Rooks and Kings unveil a new strategy they call "Pantheon", which is designed to combat the growing usage of specialised Triage tactics. Whether you play EVE or not, this is definitely a video to watch.

Skip past the cut to watch 10 minutes of scenes from this goliath 22 minute video. The full version is available for download from the video's page at the EVE forums.

Continue reading EVE video corner: "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon"

EVE video corner: "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon" originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 3

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 3

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 3 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 2

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 2

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle, page 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle

Brendan Drain — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Exploits, Forums, Game mechanics, Professions, PvP, Making money, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

When faction warfare went live with EVE Online's Empyrean Age expansion back in the summer of 2008, It was a magnificent success. It was intended as a way for newer players to get into PvP and as a stepping stone from the safe haven of empire to full-on sovereignty warfare. It wasn't long before large fleets were duking it out in low security space and for a time, it was great. Eventually, problems began to come to light that demanded developer attention. Capturing exploits and a lack of rewards were causing players to leave the war and after a year with no development, faction warfare was looking abandoned.

Rewards were eventually implemented in an attempt to revitalise the ageing faction warfare system and promote PvP. With the Dominion expansion came the most anticipated of those rewards - new tier 1 navy battleships available only from the faction warfare loyalty point store. Since the announcement that they were coming, mission-runners have been farming faction warfare missions like crazy for loyalty points. The promise of unique rewards from the missions was intended to revitalise the game and give pilots something to fight over. But did the rewards really improve faction warfare and promote PvP or was it a huge mistake?

In this three page exposé, I run down the history of faction warfare missions, from the development mistakes to the EVE corp that made almost enough ISK to build a titan. Did the mission buff revitalise faction warfare or did it put the final nail in its coffin? And just how did mission-runners make billions of ISK?

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle

EVE Evolved: The faction warfare mission debacle originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: DUST in the wind

Brendan Drain — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Endgame, Opinion, Politics, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514

A few weeks ago, we here at Massively were speculating on what the big announcement CCP Games were planning was. After they filed a trademark on a logo for something called "DUST 514", we could only guess that it was the promised EVE Online themed first person shooter. In an email with one of my regular column readers before the announcement, I suggested off-hand that it would be awesome if it were a new EVE FPS that linked in with 0.0 sovereignty. I didn't seriously think that's what they had planned. In fact, I only suggested it as a sort of idealised wish -- a hint at what heights I thought EVE could reach a decade from now.

When the announcement finally went out and I was right, my jaw hit the floor. Reception of the news has virtually polarised the EVE community, with only a small few viewing the idea with a calm, cautious optimism. Most seem either in firm support of the idea or dead set against it, with many arguments erupting around the claim that Dust will let console gamers decide the fate of EVE alliances. And yet despite all the talk of DUST 514 since the announcement, few people have speculated on what the game-play might actually be like and how it might integrate with EVE Online.

In this wish-filled article, I lay out the facts we know so far about DUST 514 and then go on to speculate on what the game-play might be like.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: DUST in the wind

EVE Evolved: DUST in the wind originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daze of Darkfall epilogue: The Siege of Andruk

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Darkfall, Culture, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion

So I thought I was done with my whole "month long investigation of Darkfall." Best way to end out the series was to include some PvP being lead by Wardragon Drow (*gasp*, a last name, and I'll get to that in a second) and then close it off there.

Well, sadly, Darkfall had one more surprise left for me. Or, should I say, the Blackrock Clan had one more surprise for me. A siege.

A complete accident lead me to logging on during the first contestation of our city, the orc themed Andruk. A siege stone had finally been dropped, sides were quickly formed, and our first war was on. No more drills, no more pathetic defense attempts -- this one was for real. We liked our city and we were not interested in losing it.

But with the siege came a conundrum. If I report the siege, it will be pretty obvious who I've joined up with. It doesn't take a genius to look at all of the sieges and come up with, "Which one was at an orc city?" So, as this is truly the last article in the Daze of Darkfall series -- the one where I get to participate in what many say is the capstone of the Darkfall experience -- I think it's time to drop the worries and be specific. This is my view of the Battle of Andruk that took place between the Blackrock Clan and the Brotherhood of the Spider.

Continue reading The Daze of Darkfall epilogue: The Siege of Andruk

The Daze of Darkfall epilogue: The Siege of Andruk originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Has faction warfare been abandoned?

Brendan Drain — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, PvP, Raiding, Grouping, Opinion, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

EVE Online's Faction Warfare system was released almost one year ago with the Empyrean Age expansion and was initially a complete success. It provided a stage on which thousands of players waged war. From fleets of over a hundred players to gangs as small as two or three pilots, everyone found their own place in the conflict. After the initial wave of success, questions began to arise on the lack of rewards to offset the cost of losing ships in PvP. In addition, while the point of faction warfare initially revolved around capturing systems, holding an enemy system provided no benefits beyond bragging rights. Almost a year on from its initial release, faction warfare has barely changed, prompting very real concerns from players that EVE's developers CCP have entirely abandoned it. These issues have even made it as far as the Council of Stellar Management.

In this article, I take a retrospective look at how faction warfare has (or hasn't) progressed in this past year and ask the question "Has Faction Warfare been abandoned?".

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Has faction warfare been abandoned?

EVE Evolved: Has faction warfare been abandoned? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online

James Egan — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion

Prolific games journalist Jim Rossignol is an avid EVE Online player, who has made regular contributions to Eurogamer focused on this particular sci-fi MMO. His latest piece, "EVE Online: Battle Reports", is a brief account of how his PvP-focused corp (EVE's version of a guild) fared in a conflict against some steep odds.

His aim is to explain a bit about how the game works while telling his story, hopefully holding appeal for those who don't play the game as well as those who do. "Because of the open structure of the game world, player-versus-player battles happen in all kinds of contexts and situations, and the sheer number of variables means they can make for a great story," Rossignol writes.

Continue reading An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online

An insider's account of galactic warfare in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - The dark side

Brendan Drain — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Guilds, Professions, PvP, Raiding, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Politics, EVE Evolved

One of the big lures to EVE Online is the fact that its PvP isn't just shoehorned into consensual duels and battlegrounds. Instead, EVE PvP can occur anywhere whether you like it or not and punishments are levied after-the-fact for engaging in unsanctioned combat in designated safe areas. In the previous three parts of this exhaustive guide on where you can take your PvP career, I described the different types of PvP EVE has to offer from small gang warfare to massive territorial fleets. In this final part, I explore EVE's evil side as I talk about piracy and corporate infiltration.

Griefing?:
In most MMOs, stealing from other players or indiscriminately killing them for fun or profit can be considered griefing and may be against the rules or worse. In the cold, harsh universe of New Eden, however, piracy and theft are just another facet of the complex player-based gameplay. From the common gatecamping pirate to the criminal masterminds behind the Guiding Hand Social Club heist, players of all kinds are drawn into the criminal underworld of EVE Online.

If piracy, theft and corporate infiltration sounds like your cup of tea, continue reading as I delve into the dark side of EVE Online.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - The dark side

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - The dark side originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Fleet warfare

Brendan Drain — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Professions, PvP, Raiding, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Politics, EVE Evolved

Fleet warfare in EVE Online is a big step up from the small, casual PvP gangs discussed in last week's PvP Masterclass article. In this guide, I explore the day to day activities of EVE's largest combat machinations, from 30-man faction warfare gangs to 300-man territorial fleets. In stark contrast to a small and highly mobile gang, a large fleet is a lumbering hulk that favours combined firepower and good co-ordination over all else. Massive fleets of hundreds of pilots routinely clash in the outskirts of EVE's lawless 0.0 space. But when they move at the speed of their slowest member and are really only as good as their fleet commander, what can you do to make sure your fleet is a success?

Fight-by-numbers:
The essence of fleet warfare is that using more ships is usually better. By focusing all attacks on one enemy at a time, a larger fleet has a very high damage potential. It also allows a more diverse range of ship types to take part in the fight such as an electronic warfare wing or sniper squadron. Forming a large fleet usually requires some planning and co-ordination, making them less suited to casual PvP and more suited to organised assaults on specific targets like POS.

Read on as I tackle the question of how to make a fleet effective from the perspective of both the fleet's individual members and the fleet commander.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Fleet warfare

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Fleet warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Gang warfare

Brendan Drain — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Professions, PvP, Raiding, Tips and tricks, Grouping, EVE Evolved

PvP Masterclass is a series of articles explaining PvP from the bottom up and showing you how to get involved even if you're a new player. In part 1 of this series, I examined the main types of PvP a player can choose in EVE Online and showed the directions players can take their PvP careers. In this second part, I explore how small gang warfare fits into the PvP landscape of EVE and help you decide what avenues you should pursue if small gang warfare is your cup of tea.

Numbers game:
A complaint I hear all too often today is that small gang warfare in EVE is dead, that PvP is a numbers game and competing on the battlefield means having the biggest blob. It almost always transpires that these people are trying to shoehorn small gang warfare into places it's not suited for like major 0.0 territorial conflicts or that they're neglecting the importance of intel-gathering scouts. Small gang warfare isn't about your gang of five ships trying to take on a blob of two hundred. It's about putting together a small, tight unit of pilots and picking your fights carefully.

Whether you're planning to pirate, fight for the Gallente Federation or declare war on your neighbours, small gang warfare is for you. Read on as I examine the small roaming gang, one of EVE's oldest and most fun avenues of PvP.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Gang warfare

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Gang warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE and Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

James Egan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guilds, PvP, Tips and tricks, Opinion, Politics

Sun Tzu: Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

The 6th century B.C. military treatise, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, serves admirably as a tract on corporate espionage and warfare in EVE Online's far future backdrop of New Eden. It is, after all, a corporation-dominated setting and game where player organizations perpetually fight for supremacy over their competitors. As The Art of War is required reading in some MBA programs, it stands to reason it could have some practical applications to a game based around military conglomerates. Warfare in EVE, while limited by game mechanics as to what's possible (as all games are of course), can have a heavy social component. Paired with the sandbox nature of the game, there are numerous possibilities in EVE that most other MMOs simply don't offer, or can't offer through their respective game mechanics.

Much of The Art of War focuses on deception, situational awareness, and overcoming your opponents through cunning rather than brute force. Of course, brute force has worked rather well for some prominent alliances, but without strategic thinking guiding their campaigns, it would all come undone at some point. Strategy is the focus of a new series of articles from Black Claw of EVE Online blog "The Travels of Black Claw." He's just kicked off the first in this series based on a guide to warfare he created for his EVE corporation. First up is "The Art of War: Laying Plans" -- which deals with assessing your own organization and the relative strength of the opposition, then figuring out how best to counter that opposition. Black Claw stated that next up will be "Waging War." Sun Tzu's The Art of War also deals with topics like stages of a competitive campaign, the importance of varying tactics, and the use of spies. Assuming Black Claw continues with his guide along these lines, it should be an interesting series of articles.

EVE and Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Introduction

Brendan Drain — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Guides, Professions, PvP, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Politics, EVE Evolved

One of the most perplexing things about EVE Online has to be the fact that although the game is essentially designed around PvP, a lot of players avoid it entirely. In this new series of articles, I will explain PvP from the bottom up, with a particular focus on helping anyone that has always wanted to give EVE's high quality PvP a try but wasn't sure what to do. In this first article, I examine the different types of PvP available in EVE Online and suggest ways to get involved in them even if you're just finishing the 14-day trial.

Types of PvP:
In most MMOs, PvP means organised battleground matches or one versus one player duels. For those games lucky enough to have open world PvP, the options are a lot more varied. In EVE Online, the exact right combination of factors come together to create what on a good day I can only describe as the best PvP experience I have ever had in a computer game. Rather than just being something fun to do, PvP in EVE arises as a natural consequence of normal play, used by players to push forward their own agenda in a harsh, dismal space-borne society.

Continue reading as I help you choose which type of PvP suits you the best and suggest ways to get involved in it.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Introduction

EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Introduction originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

TurpsterVision: Saturday Night Fever

Mark Turpin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Video, PlanetSide, PvP, Reviews, Opinion, TurpsterVision

Every Wednesday think, "That's a day late again, I hope he isn't making a habit of this" and take the "T" for Turpster and take the "a" in "day", capitalise it, remove the little bit in the middle, turn it upside down and you get a "V". Put the two together and you'll have TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Never mind that business about it being the only video podcast on Massively...)

It might be a day or so late but at least it's here! Thanks for stopping by once again to the internet's favourite almost-every-weekly MMO review show. This week gives you a little taster where you can see the game that you WILL be playing this Saturday (14th June - 6pm EST) and a slight indication of how much you are going to get owned in the face by my mad team killing skills!

If that little teaser doesn't tempt you to join us after the break then lets just pretend that there are some leaked spoilers and exclusive news - there isn't, but I wont tell if you don't.

Continue reading TurpsterVision: Saturday Night Fever

TurpsterVision: Saturday Night Fever originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

67,000 plus dead in Jita, cause unknown

James Egan — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Forums, News items, Rumors

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened...
-- Obi Wan

Something 'terrible' indeed has transpired recently in EVE Online, but the event brought more amusement than horror to fans of the brutal sci-fi game. Over 67,000 ships were destroyed in the bustling trading hub of Jita yesterday, and the pilots of EVE's galaxy of New Eden are still trying to figure out what really happened. All of the obliterated ships were shuttles, which is unusual given the nearly endless procession of freighters and industrial ships clogging the system's star gates. The Jita system is notorious for being overcrowded and is often blamed for the lag that affects the rest of New Eden. Not a day goes by without an EVE pilot, somewhere, cursing Jita and calling for the system to be nuked. It seems those rage-fueled wishes were finally granted, just not quite how most would want that retribution to play out.

Theories about the event can be found in multiple forum threads, ranging from the plausible to the absurd. A few players expressed the view that multiple convoys of freighters offloaded their cargo of ships into space at one location, and somehow ignited the mass in a doomsday-level conflagration. Some feel that it was all orchestrated by EVE Online's developers to help set the tone for factional warfare between the races, which is about to consume EVE's pilots in the Empyrean Age expansion. Others point out the most likely cause of the mayhem: it was simply a bug... a map glitch. No official explanation from CCP Games has been given for the occurrence, nor has EVE's Interstellar Correspondents covered news of the event. Glitch or not, it's a novel way to kick off the wave of destruction about to sweep over New Eden mere days from now.

Thanks Hortinstein

67,000 plus dead in Jita, cause unknown originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments