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EVE Evolved: Staying safe in high security space
One of EVE Online's defining factors is the idea that you're not completely safe anywhere in the game. If you're not docked in a station or securely logged off, there's always a chance that someone will pick a fight with you. Many pilots opt to stay in the relative safety of high security space but even this isn't an absolutely safe area. Suicide attacks, corporate wars, can flippers and loot thieves are a common sight in New Eden and if you don't know how to handle them, you could find yourself on the business end of a 150mm railgun. In this guide for newer EVE players, I look at the main threats you could be exposed to in high security space and how to keep yourself safe in spite of them.
Latest EVE Quarterly Economic Newsletter shows effect of Hulkageddon
EVE Online is a game that's often lauded for its sandbox style and realistic economic structures. Every quarter, CCP Lead Economist Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson and his team of researchers wade through mountains of EVE usage logs to find some interesting economic statistics. In their Quarterly Economic Newsletters (QEN), CCP deliver graphs tracking in-game prices, trade volumes, ships in use and a whole host of other useful metrics. Read on for an overview of this QEN's main highlights.
EVE Community Spotlight: Helicity Boson
The setting of EVE Online is a vast galactic sandbox called New Eden, with thousands of charted solar systems and thousands more hidden in uncharted space. The title's developer CCP Games provides the expansive setting and PvE content, but beyond this it's up to the players to define what the game can really be. Although there are plenty of opportunities to take risks in the game with commensurate rewards, a large percentage of the game's playerbase are content to remain in high security space where there are less dangers. Many of these players spend their time mining in asteroid belts and ice fields, which most would admit can be a semi-AFK playstyle. After all, the process of mining is rote: lock asteroids, fire up your mining lasers, and some cycles later you've harvested ore that can be sold outright or used in manufacturing. That zen-like calm punctuated by the gentle hum of mining lasers was shaken up for many high sec dwellers earlier this month though, when the player-run event Hulkageddon II tore through the mining ship hulls of over 1000 players. The core idea of Hulkageddon II, as with the original event, was to destroy as many mining vessels as possible over the course of a week... a goal that many players pursued with reckless abandon. Indeed, there were numerous prizes awarded and 'achievements' that players racked up over the course of Hulkageddon II. Ultimately, the event injected some much-needed risk into the game -- whether some players wanted it or not -- in places where miners once felt they were untouchable by EVE's criminal population. Of course, a player-run event that pitted players eager to rack up kills against those who would prefer to avoid conflict has proven controversial. The man behind Hulkageddon II is Helicity Boson, a pirate who flies with The Python Cartel, though he was helped in large part by fellow player Garmon (aka El'Tar) and generous donations from other players. Massively caught up with Helicity to discuss his motivations behind running Hulkageddon II, his views on the game in general, and why some EVE players might be wound up just a bit too tightly.
Hulkageddon II event begins in EVE today, miners despair
A player-run event called "Hulkageddon" kicked off in EVE Online today, the second such event to be held in the game. Hulkageddon II is the brainchild of EVE player Helicity Boson, a pirate who flies with The Python Cartel, and is essentially a contest that rewards the destruction of exhumer (Hulk and Mackinaw) mining ships. The most recent Quarterly Economic Newsletter released by EVE developer CCP Games indicated that the Hulk is the most flown ship in the game, which provides plenty of targets for gankers in the contest. Hulkageddon exists much to the detriment of the game's numerous miners, seeing as it's a galaxy-wide demolition derby using the very ships they pilot, but has proven very popular with other players the first time around in 2009. Although it's only been a matter of hours since Hulkageddon II began, the event's killboard shows over 250 mining ships destroyed (along with 40 of their pilots). That number will, no doubt, climb over the course of this week. Also, the tears may be just a bit sweeter given the fact that Hulk prices rose sharply in the weeks preceding Hulkageddon II, the result of changes made to Tech II manufacturing requirements with the Dominion expansion. Whether you're interested in taking part in the contest or want to know what you're in for over the next week, here are a few details about Hulkageddon II:
