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NASA's RASSOR robot shape-shifts to haul lunar soil, help make fuel and water
NASA believes our return to the Moon could be sustained by extracting water from the lunar soil to produce air and even fuel. But how to get large amounts of that soil without bringing heavy, failure-prone machinery? The agency's RASSOR (pronounced "razor") excavator robot might do the trick. Rather than wield big scoops, it has a pair of arm-mounted drums that can change the robot's profile and dig with far more efficiency than RASSOR's 100-pound weight would usually allow, using one drum as a grip. The robot's sheer flexibility is also key to its working for the estimated five years of NASA's plans: if the crawler ever overturns or gets caught, it can flip over and keep the main treads out of the ground while clearing out soil-related jams. There's enough refinement needed that a RASSOR 2 follow-up should be in testing around early 2014, but the sequel will be close enough to the ideal design that long-term Moon missions could have the little hauler as a passenger.
All EVE players to receive free Primae planetary industry ship
Following the unscheduled extended downtime caused by the recent EVE Online server move, CCP Games has promised to reimburse players for the lost play time with a small pool of additional skill-points that they can distribute any way they like. CCP went on to hint that they'd been working on a different gift for all players, a cryptic remark that had players both excited and bewildered. In a new devblog, CCP Zinfandel outlined exactly what this gift will be and how players can claim it. To be released on the 29th of June, the Primae joins the ranks of the Apotheosis and Zephyr as another one-time gift ship delivered to all EVE players. Supplied free of charge by NPC industrial corporation Outer Ring Excavations, the Primae is a ship designed to help in planetary industry. This lightweight hauler features a low signature radius and significant hit-point buffer, making it a more defensible ship with which to haul materials between planets. To ensure it doesn't displace its paper-thin industrial cousins in the general hauling scene, the majority of the ship's cargo space is reserved for planetary equipment and processed materials. Two special bays able to hold only those materials ensure that the ship remains a tool for the planetary industrialists among us. For more details on the Primae and how to claim it after June 29th, read the latest EVE devblog.
EVE Evolved: One account is good enough
In a typical MMO, players will have one main character that they dedicate most of their time and effort to. They may also have alternate characters on the same account that they use to try out different classes or starting areas. EVE Online is different in that it's not really feasible to play multiple characters on the same account. While each EVE account has three character slots, only one can be actively training skills at one time. Taking a break to train up another character means losing training time on your main one. And since any character can learn any skill, it's often better to just train those skills on your main character rather than making a dedicated alt for it. Many players suggest getting a second account but is that really necessary? And what do you do with those two extra character shots on your account?In this article, I look at some nifty things you can do with your main account's two extra character slots without paying for a second account.
EVE University explains benefits of cooperative mining
Dee Carson is a Director at EVE University, a corporation in EVE Online devoted to showing newer players the ropes of the game. Budding industry-types in EVE (as well as players interested in other professions) will want to refer to Carson's recent post at the Miner with Fangs blog -- he's made his 'EVE University Co-Operative Mining Guide' available as a pdf, and is definitely worth a read.The guide walks a newer player through all aspects of mining in groups, from the skills required to the different ship choices and their relative merits. Most importantly, he lays out why players should mine cooperatively rather than it simply being a solo pursuit, namely that it's more profitable and adds a social dynamic to the activity. Of course there's safety in numbers, particularly when you've got a good mix of the different professions in EVE represented in the operation -- an ideal operation being comprised of miners, haulers, salvagers and 'top cover' damage dealers. Given that the guide was originally intended for EVE University students, the terminology and information imparted in the guide are accessible to most any pilot in the game, regardless of their familiarity with the industry side of EVE Online. It serves as an excellent introduction to the mining profession, and a stepping stone to more advanced guides like Halada's 'The Complete Mining Guide'. You can find the link to EVE University's guide in Carson's post over at Miner with Fangs.
PAX08: Hermann Peterscheck interviewed on all things Jumpgate Evolution
On the last day of PAX08 we stopped by the Jumpgate Evolution booth, which was full of people with glazed-over eyes as they blasted away at enemy ships in space. After some time with the game, we sat down with the NetDevil producer Hermann Peterscheck. In-between our questions and his answers we also got to watch him blow up some space pirates, fly through a huge asteroid and battle above a super-volcanic planet with chunks of land -- that had a city on it -- floating in orbit around the planet. It was a lengthy look at a game that's already come a long way and is still showing some real promise, too.%Gallery-18375%
EVE Evolved: Freeform professions
EVE Online is a game often lauded for its sandbox style open-ended gameplay. Some of the best parts of the game have been entirely developed by the players and this trend continues in the field of professions. At launch, CCP advertised the professions miner, trader, bounty hunter and pirate. Little did they know that players would add double-agent, stock broker, artist and many others to that list.What makes a profession freeform?:Put simply, a freeform profession is any job a person can fill that wasn't explicitly created by the game's developers. While mining and mission-running were deliberately created by CCP, there are plenty of professions that the players themselves came up with. In EVE's hyper-capitalistic world, everything and everyone has a price and if there's a demand for something, you can make a career out of it.In my early days in EVE, I noticed a shortage of research labs in the game and decided to capitalise on it. I flew around the fringes of empire space renting all the available labs and then sold them on to players for a huge profit. Going from a run-of-the-mill miner to a self-made real estate agent made me realise that EVE was something really special.Find out what innovative professions the players of EVE Online have come up with over the years.
