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[EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/eve-evolved-preparing-for-the-inferno-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
The Inferno expansion is set to launch on Tuesday May 22nd, promising a complete revamp of EVE Online's war declaration system and a whole host of new modules. If you're in a wardec corp, you'll need to make a few adjustments to the way you operate when the patch goes live. The minimum war fee will increase to 50 million ISK even if you're declaring war on a small corporation, making very small corps less-appealing targets. The fee increases based on the number of members in the target corp, but it doesn't start increasing until around the 130-member mark. If you want to get your money's worth, you'll be best off picking a target corp with 100-150 members or selecting very high-value small targets.

Be very wary of wardeccing large alliances after the patch. While the previous war system swung in favour of the attacker, the new system has gone to the opposite extreme. Large corps and alliances are now significantly more costly and dangerous to declare war on, especially as the defender can now call mercenaries into the war at any time. Players have complained that the increasing war costs could be abused by getting all alliance members to add alts to the corp, but this would be a logistical nightmare to apply in practice and would increase fees by only a few hundred million ISK. If alt padding becomes a problem, CCP will undoubtedly step in and revise the fee structure.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new modules and gameplay changes coming in Tuesday's Inferno expansion and give some tips on preparing for the patch.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ancillaryarchaeologybhaalgornblobblobbingblueprintblueprintsccpccp-gamesdominixeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineexpansionexplorationfeaturedfleetganghackinginfernolabsmagnetometricmagsheathneutraliserpvpradarresearchsandboxsci-fishield-boostershield-tankingtanktankingtech-1tech-2wormholeSun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Player-owned structures]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/27/eve-evolved-player-owned-structures/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved title image
For much of EVE Online's life, warfare has revolved around player-owned structures of one sort or another. When conquerable stations were released at the end of 2003, they became flashpoints for PvP and goals for corporate territorial warfare. This continued even after the release of player-owned starbases in late 2004, as even the most territorial alliance didn't have the manpower to take down a well-defended large starbase. Industrialists held all the cards, and nullsec alliances made deals with them to open their moons for exploitation.

Eventually, player-built outposts arrived on the scene, and starbases were adopted to fill a military role in system defense. Whichever side in a fight could control the most starbases in a system would win the outpost, and fearsome dreadnoughts were introduced to make starbase sieges possible. Today, starbases take a back seat to wars over infrastructure hubs, territorial claim units and sovereignty blockade units. The war will eventually extend to planets, but until now planetary interaction has been an entirely industrial affair without the slightest hint of EVE's typical conflict. With the coming Crucible expansion, the starbase and customs office systems are due to be overhauled in a way that should lead to more conflict and lay the ground work for DUST 514.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the history of starbases, the impact of the coming starbase revamp, and the possibility of additional conflict brought in by the new customs offices.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Player-owned structures

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Player-owned structures originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesconflictcruciblecustomscustoms-officedustdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexodusexpansionfeaturedfleetfleet-warfarefleetsfuelnewsnormadicowning-a-planetpatchplanetplanetary-interactionplanetsplayer-developersplayer-developmentplayer-housingplayer-owned-starbaseplayer-owned-stationpospos-fuelpvpred-moon-risingrmrstarbasestarbase-fueltaxterritorial-controlterritorial-warfareterritoryterritory-controlwormholeSun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amazing EVE Online video tells epic tale of wormhole conflict]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/amazing-eve-online-video-tells-epic-tale-of-wormhole-conflict/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/amazing-eve-online-video-tells-epic-tale-of-wormhole-conflict/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/18/amazing-eve-online-video-tells-epic-tale-of-wormhole-conflict/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Clarion Call 3 title image
PvP in EVE Online is more often likened to a game of strategy than of action. If that's true, then Rooks and Kings' impressive track record for tactical genius makes the alliance undeniably a grandmaster of intergalactic chess. The group's instructional video Clarion Call: Triage Special in early 2009 was released to wide acclaim, and the tactics demonstrated in the video became core strategies replicated by military corporations throughout the game. The follow-up video Clarion Call: Pantheon evolved those strategies to counter opponents prepared to come up against triage carriers.

Massively is proud to exclusively reveal Rooks and Kings' third and undeniably most impressive video to date. Clarion Call 3 moves the stage of Rooks and Kings' normal hunting grounds in nullsec and lowsec to the undiscovered lands of wormhole space. But star Alazais says "one does not simply walk into a wormhole," noting that the tight restrictions on the mass of ships that can enter a wormhole presents new challenges. The group fought outnumbered and outgunned against an enemy possessing an ability that later became known as "the infinity gun."

Skip past the cut to learn more about the infinity gun exploit and to watch the full film. Don't forget to set it to 1080p for the full HD experience.

Continue reading Amazing EVE Online video tells epic tale of wormhole conflict

MassivelyAmazing EVE Online video tells epic tale of wormhole conflict originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1080palazaisaperture-harmonicscapitalcapital-shipscapitalscarrierccpccp-eveccp-gamesclarion-calleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeve-video-cornerexclusiveexploithdinfinite-guninfinity-gunk162newspiracypvppvp-videorooks-and-kingssandboxsci-fitriagevideowormholewormhole-explorationFri, 18 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/05/latest-eve-dev-video-talks-ship-balance-and-features-coming-this/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/05/latest-eve-dev-video-talks-ship-balance-and-features-coming-this/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/05/latest-eve-dev-video-talks-ship-balance-and-features-coming-this/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Stoffer yeoooo
Several weeks ago, EVE Online developer CCP Games restructured its company and announced a new laser focus on in-space features for EVE Online. Since then we've seen an absolute deluge of news updates and devblogs on features due for release in the winter expansion. In the first two of CCP's new In Development video series, CCP Guard explored the art department and showed off the new nebula effects, EVE's sharpened shadows and the new tier 3 battlecruisers.

In the latest In Development video, Guard talks to the EVE feature teams about the absolutely massive list of balance changes and features coming with the winter expansion. CCP Soundwave admits that developers have "probably done more rebalancing in the past month than we have in the past two years," before rattling off an impressive list of changes and new features.

Skip past the cut for a brief summary of the changes and to watch the video in HD.

Continue reading Latest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter

MassivelyLatest EVE dev video talks ship balance and features coming this winter originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anomalybalancebalancingbattlecruiserbookmarkscapitalcapital-ship-rebalancecapital-shipsccp-soundwaveccp-tallestccp-ytterbiumcorp-bookmarksdestroyersdev-diarydramielexpansionfuel-pelletlogisticsnerfnewspatchposstarbasesupercapital-nerfsupercapitalsvideowormholewormhole-explorationwormholesSat, 05 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/17/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/17/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/17/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

One of the most common things I hear from people who don't play EVE Online is that they don't like the game itself but they absolutely love the stories that come out of it. There's something inherently brutal and visceral about the stories players act out every day in EVE's colossal sandbox. Tales of high-profile thefts and political intrigue occasionally creep into the media and grab our attention, but stories of that sort are a lot more common than you'd think. Last year, we told one such story of a player's descent into criminality and revenge taken too far. In last week's EVE Evolved, I began to tell the true tale of that same player in one of his biggest heists to date. If you haven't read the first part of this story yet, head back to last week's EVE Evolved before reading on.

A matter of time

Having discovered an opportunity for theft much greater than expected, Scott recognised that he would need help to pull off a successful heist. With the wormhole corporation's assets within Scott's reach, a sense of urgency began to overtake him. Based on discussions with his new corp members, he knew that the group's wormhole tenancy had just begun and that they were still in the process of clearing the starbase up following a frantic move-in. This explained the secure containers littering space -- a temporary measure to be used until an adequate hangar permission scheme could be created.

In this week's conclusion of the story of the great wormhole heist, Scott discovers allies in some unexpected places and finds out first-hand whether there really is no honour amongst thieves.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 2

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesCCP-Wranglercorpcorporatecorporate-infiltrationcorporationcrimecriminaleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedheistjohnmilton-keynesoutlawOutlawsrichardscottspyspyingstevewormholewormhole-explorationwormhole-heistwormholesSun, 17 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 1]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/10/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/10/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/10/eve-evolved-the-great-wormhole-heist-part-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Several years ago, EVE Online's Community Manager CCP Wrangler made a statement that I felt really crystalised the sentiment behind the game. He said that "EVE isn't designed to just look like a cold, dark and harsh world; it's designed to be a cold, dark and harsh world." Although most of us are content to indulge ourselves in PvP, market games and other traditional modes of gameplay, a criminal underworld runs beneath that innocuous surface. A significant few carve their own illicit destinies from the void, stealing and cheating their way to the top.

Whether these space-faring cyber-criminals are in it for fame and riches, political influence, or their own personal goals, the stories of their actions in EVE's colossal sandbox never fail to grip us. High-profile thefts like the Guiding Hand Social Club heist of 2005, the closure of EBank, and last year's Titans4U scandal have been made very public, and smaller-scale crimes occur every day in New Eden. Last year, we brought you the true tale of one player's revenge taken too far -- a story of corporate infiltration, social deception and utter destruction. Although this was Scott's first foray into criminality, it was most certainly not his last. The events in this week's story are true, but the names of the players and corporations involved have been changed.

In this week's EVE Evolved, Scott returns as I begin to tell the true story of his huge wormhole heist.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 1

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamesCCP-Wranglercorpcorporatecorporate-infiltrationcorporationcrimecriminaleveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedheistmilton-keynesoutlawOutlawsrichardscottspyspyingwormholewormhole-explorationwormhole-heistwormholesSun, 10 Apr 2011 18:00:00 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[One Shots: Obfuscated]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/one-shots-obfuscated/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/one-shots-obfuscated/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/one-shots-obfuscated/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

While World of Darkness is grabbing headlines, life in EVE Online continues quietly for the moment, awaiting the next player-created news explosion. (Or, you know, that little Incarna thing.) However, while things may seem quiet for the moment, today's note from Manic Velocity reminds us that one can never be too sure in New Eden -- sometimes the most placid-seeming locales hold monsters. Manic writes in:

"I decided to take a road trip around EVE Online to practice my scanning skills. I picked a system at random on the map, assigned the waypoint, and set off to scan every system in the course of 36 jumps. I came home with a cargohold full of datachips and salvage from lucrative Radar and Mag sites, and plenty of screenshots. This shot depicts a lone plasma planet in an 'R051' wormhole system. The contrast of the cold blue against the fiery nebula was too perfect to resist capturing. After cloaking and scanning the system, I found no signs of player structures or other ships. Though I was completely alone, the bright red nullsec security status at the top of my screen was a constant reminder that I was not completely safe. Soon after, I abandoned the wormhole system and continued on my trip."

Been somewhere exciting and new? We'd love to see what you're up to. Email your images to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post them out here and give you credit for sending them in.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

MassivelyOne Shots: Obfuscated originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-gamescloakedeveeve-onlinenew-edennullsecone-shotsscanningscreenshotscreenshotsworld-of-darknesswormholeMon, 04 Oct 2010 14:00:00 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[EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/eve-evolved-exploration-loot-and-plunder/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/eve-evolved-exploration-loot-and-plunder/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/eve-evolved-exploration-loot-and-plunder/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Exploration is one of EVE Online's most lucrative and enjoyable PvE professions, combining complex probe-scanning with mission-style combat. Through exploration, you'll find hidden sites across New Eden, packed full of NPCs to kill and loot to grab. Exploration is a casual PvE element that spans all skill levels, with new players able to get involved from their first week in the game. In last week's first part of this guide to exploration, I explained how new players can get into the lucrative profession and examined one of the most popular scanning techniques.

A wide range of hidden sites spawn across EVE, just waiting for a lucky traveller to scan them out. Tucked away in the depths of space, you'll find hidden asteroid belts, hacking database, archeological relics, salvaging fields and unstable wormholes. Those looking for riches will be pleased to find cosmic anomalies full of NPCs to kill and dungeon-like military complexes with a chance to drop rare and expensive loot.

In this guide, I look at the different types of site you can find via exploration, what loot you can expect to find in each of them and what kind of challenge you'll face.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder!

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Exploration -- Loot and plunder! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archaeologyccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexplorationexploreexploringfeaturedgravimetrichackinglootplunderproberadarsalvagingscanwormholewormholesSun, 11 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE's Sansha live event takes an interesting turn]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/29/eves-sansha-live-event-takes-an-interesting-turn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/29/eves-sansha-live-event-takes-an-interesting-turn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/29/eves-sansha-live-event-takes-an-interesting-turn/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

On the 11th of May, CCP announced that they'd be bringing live events back to EVE Online. Later that day, the first event was set in motion with the apparent leak of private CONCORD police documents into the hands of players. The documents hinted at a Sansha NPC military build-up, and suggested that Sansha's Nation was behind the reported abduction of a Ducia Foundry expedition team. Events rapidly escalated, with players breaking the news that Sansha fleets had begun attacking the populated worlds of the four empires and abducting citizens in the tens of thousands. The most worrying part was that the navies of the four empires were unable to respond in time as the Sansha fleets were using wormholes to enter their target systems.

During the first few days of the event, locator agent traces on key Sansha slave actors between attacks revealed their presence in a system named 3-CE1R. This was quickly written off by many EVE players as a roleplaying inconsistency as that system is within the Jove Empire. Jove space is currently unreachable as the mysterious and technologically advanced race decided long ago to cut the stargate connections between their empire and the rest of New Eden. When random wormholes through space began spawning after the Seylinn disaster, none appeared to connect to Jove space. This led players to believe that the Jove Directorate possessed some form of control over wormhole formation, able to at least block it from occurring in their systems.

Skip past the cut to read the startling revelations recently made in this epic storyline arc.

Continue reading EVE's Sansha live event takes an interesting turn

MassivelyEVE's Sansha live event takes an interesting turn originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineeventeventsfeaturedjovejove-empirelive-eventlive-eventsrole-playingroleplayingsanshasanshas-nationwormholewormhole-explorationwormholesTue, 29 Jun 2010 19:00:00 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: The importance of corporate goals]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/eve-evolved-the-importance-of-corporate-goals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/eve-evolved-the-importance-of-corporate-goals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/eve-evolved-the-importance-of-corporate-goals/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

When new EVE Online players give up and quit the game, their reasons are usually very similar. A lack of drive to play the game is common, with players logging in only to change skills. Similarly, people complain that the game is boring and isn't really taking them anywhere. Most of these reasons boil down to a basic lack of motivation, purpose and goals. As a sandbox game, EVE doesn't really lead the player anywhere after the tutorials and it can be easy to get lost. This is where the EVE community steps in by providing a whole host of player-run corporations to help pilots find their way in EVE.

As a very social game, I don't think EVE truly takes off until you get into a good corporation. In addition to help and advice, a good corp with some solid corporate goals will offer players a sense of purpose and direction that can be hard to find on your own. The opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself and accomplish goals you could never hope to on your own can be a great motivator. Whether your corporation's goal is to build a freighter from scratch, run a massive industrial complex, engage in PvP or even lay claim to a system, it stands a much better chance of being achieved when pilots cooperate.

In this opinion piece, I show how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts as I look at a few of the goals corporations commonly work toward as a team.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The importance of corporate goals

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The importance of corporate goals originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the lore of EVE Online, the first pilots came to New Eden through a wormhole that collapsed, leaving them stranded on the other side. Their descendants now battle it out for whatever space they can call home, knowing Earth is well beyond their reaches. What many may not know is that while that wormhole is no longer open, there is still an anomaly where it once was. Thankfully, pilot Hallax decided to capture an image of that lore-laden spot and send it in to us. He writes:

This is the collapsed wormhole that, in happier times, led back to Earth's solar system. This is one of the truly unique sights to see in the EVE universe. I took my covert ops frigate on a field trip one evening; to depart from my normal activities and see it for myself. I had to dodge several pirate attacks on the way, but it was worth it to capture this: no fleet battles, no industrial mining operations, just a broken stargate all alone.

We love to hear about lore. If you've found a meaningful lore spot in your favorite MMO, we'd love to see screenshots of it. Just email those in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing. We'll post it here and give you the credit for sending it in!

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II


Gallery: One Shots

MassivelyOne Shots: No way home originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpeve-onlinehallaxone-shotsscreenshotscreenshotswormholeWed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:00 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.

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EVE Online players received some good news today, when CCP Games announced a free holiday gift for all active subscribers: the Zephyr, a pure exploration vessel that's unique among all ships of New Eden in both form and function. Beyond the pimp factor of this Intaki Syndicate ship, the Zephyr's primary use will be in the uncharted expanses of wormhole space. It's the only ship in EVE Online that has a probe launcher built in. This "Prototype Iris Probe Launcher"-equipped ship pairs minimal mass (and less likelihood of collapsing a wormhole) with a small sensor footprint, which makes it hard to scan down by hostiles. While the integrated exploration gear is nice, even better is that Sleeper NPCs -- the awakened and powerful guardians of wormhole space -- will not fire upon a Zephyr (EVE filmmakers take note!). What's even cooler is that it actually has sails; it's designed to soar through space on solar winds when not in warp.

The Zephyr exploration ship will be free to all players and available to be claimed between December 18th and January 6th, 2009. Redeeming the ship is easy, simply log in to the EVE client on or after December 18th and click "Redeem Items!" on the lower right of the client window. Remember it's one ship per active (non-trial) account, not per character, and this may very well be a one time offer. Have a look at CCP Wrangler's full description of the Zephyr for more on this rather unique addition to New Eden's array of ships.

MassivelyEVE Online giving players free holiday gift: the Zephyr originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:30:00 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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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's latest Apocrypha expansion has elevated the exploration profession to new heights. The addition of roughly 2500 new and uncharted solar systems, expanding the game's galaxy of New Eden to over 7500 solar systems in total, brings what can honestly be called 'true exploration' to the sci-fi MMO.

Territoriality is a major aspect of EVE and wormholes allow players to emerge in far flung regions of New Eden -- sometimes places they're not supposed to be -- leading to all sorts of unexpected near-death experiences. Players have already reported emerging from wormholes and finding themselves hunted by the local territorial powers (player alliances claiming those regions of the galaxy) or by the NPC authorities, in those cases where players are involved in factional warfare. Some pilots have found themselves deep within enemy faction territory, leading to all kinds of insane chases across the galaxy.

Continue reading Wormhole exploration hearkens back to EVE Online's early days

MassivelyWormhole exploration hearkens back to EVE Online's early days originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 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.

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With today's patch on the download for so many, we thought we'd take a quick look at something that's popped up on the EVE Online test servers - wormholes! Today's EVE Online One Shots comes to us from Faraelle Brightman, who writes in: It's vast, it's unknown and it's pretty. From "Uncharted Planet III" in a wormhole system on EVE's test server with a view of both the system primary star and a blue pulsar (something you won't see in known space) against the new hi-res backgrounds. Looks sweet.

Screenshots from all genres are welcome! Just email those in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing. We'll post it here and give you the credit for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots


MassivelyOne Shots: Beware the wormholes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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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.

MassivelyEVE 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.

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