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EVE Online's new agent finder detailed [Updated]
Hey capsuleers, did you take the day off work to sample the wonders of Incarna? We hope not, because CCP has extended the downtime for EVE Online's latest update. If you did take a day, or if you're simply in need of some juicy New Eden-related reading material, you'll want to have a look at the newest CCP dev blog. The entry examines the new agent finder functionality, and CCP Punkturis has some interesting tidbits to share along with a few interface screencaps. The goal, as outlined in an earlier agent-related dev blog, was to simplify the convoluted mission-running system and allow players to more easily find agents of an appropriate skill level, faction, and activity. The new finder filters agents by faction standing and also sorts them by distance (meaning you'll get info on the closest contacts first). Players may also filter various agent-related searches like mission types, and you can read all the details and leave feedback at the official EVE website. [Update]: CCP's dev blog gnomes are apparently working overtime today, as the company has just released an extensive look at the making of Incarna's turret system renovation.
EVE's Incursion 1.5 patch goes live
Capsuleers attempting to log in to EVE Online today will be greeted with the familiar "new build available" popup. Yep, it's patch day, and CCP is updating Incursion to version 1.5 (although it's only a 16-megabyte download, so you won't be out of commission for long). Nonetheless, the update does bring some significant change to New Eden. As we told you earlier this week, agents are getting an overhaul, as are associated connection skills. Another helpful bit in today's patch is the new visual differentiation between blueprint originals and blueprint copies. Onboard ship scanners have had their ranges extended to 64 AU, and of course, the changes to jump bridge-capable ships are now in effect as well. There are a few more tweaks courtesy of Incursion 1.5, and you can read all about them via the official patch notes.
Incursion 1.5 patch bringing agent changes to EVE
Significant changes are in the offing for NPC mission agents in EVE Online. A new CCP dev blog details the tweaks, which are currently on the Singularity test server and scheduled to go live on Tranquility with tomorrow's Incursion 1.5 patch. Prior to the patch, each NPC corporation had up to 21 divisions (security, distribution, etc.), each with agents that gave out different types of missions. CCP Molock notes that "these divisions and values did little other than adding complexity to an already complex game," and the devs have condensed said divisions into a more manageable set of four: distribution, mining, security, and research. The tweaks necessitated the removal of the game's seven connections skills, which were then replaced with three new skills (distribution connections, mining connections, and security connections). Players who had previously trained connections skills will find their skill points refunded. EVE's agent quality system was also a bit of a puzzler for both players and devs, and Molock says its "effects were not particularly meaningful." CCP is reassigning both a -20 and a +20 value to all the game's agents, which will effectively make it easier to access many of them as well as raise their payouts. Further details are available via the full dev blog at the official EVE website.
