isd
Latest
CCP bringing back EVE's volunteer moderator program
CCP's community outreach continues, and the latest feel-good EVE Online PR salvo takes the form of a news blurb about the recommissioned volunteer moderator program. Applications are now being accepted for EVE's ISD (Interstellar Services Division) outfit, though there are some noteworthy changes to the program since it last saw service (most of which are designed to alleviate fears of metagaming). New Community Communication Liaisons (CCLs) will basically serve as CCP's first line of defense when it comes to moderating the official forums and forwarding important discussions on to the community team and the devs. If you'd like to apply, head to the official EVE website for more information and further instructions.
EVE Online's volunteer program compromised
CCP Games, makers of EVE Online, announced that they've discovered wrongdoing on the part of an individual or individuals within [correction: in relation to] their volunteer program, and are investigating the matter. The Volunteer Manager for EVE Online, CCP Ginger, explained the situation earlier today: "Last weekend external resources related to the Interstellar Services Department (ISD), EVE's volunteer program, were compromised which led to the theft of some volunteer program related data but also information about specific volunteers. As a result, we are being extra careful here, as this first and foremost pertains to the volunteer program and has no effect on our EVE Online operations or any customer data whatsoever." CCP Ginger stressed that information stolen came from "areas operated outside of CCP's infrastructure and is therefore not related to anyone's EVE player account data. Player billing information, personal information, and character/game information all remain completely secure and unaffected, as well as CCP corporate pathways and e-mail, Tranquility, databases, etc."
CCP Games to revamp the lore of EVE Online
The sci-fi MMO EVE Online has a rich backstory that now spans 6 years. That backstory is coupled with the many contributions of (volunteer) in-game journalists who report both on the actions and machinations of EVE's players and alliances, and who also write news-style fiction that helps drive the game's storylines forward. EVE Online's Lead Writer CCP t0nyG (aka Tony Gonzales, author of Empyrean Age) has made some major announcements this week regarding changes to EVE's storyline and lore, in a dev blog titled "The Rediscovered Scrolls". The dev blog focuses on how CCP plans to address some of the issues players have noted in terms of the backstory and how it relates to them as 'capsuleers' in the setting of New Eden, given that official fiction and lore are now being released quite frequently. Gonzales says, "Unfortunately, we haven't been perfect in the execution of this effort. A balance had to be maintained between keeping the storyline fresh and dynamic while also holding fast to the core attributes of foundation material. That led to mistakes, contradictions, and general inconsistencies in the canon. We took that personally, and decided to do something about it."
EVE player-run contest rewards 'human trafficking' of mission commodities
Well, it's true, but it's not nearly as bad as whatever you're thinking. I considered toning down that headline, but in terms of EVE Online's game mechanics, essentially you can engage in (or choose to reject) such practices. You see, in EVE Online people can be considered commodities and are used as mission items: marines; exotic dancers; slaves; and perhaps the lowliest of the low -- tourists. In fact, anyone who's been running missions in EVE Online for a while likely has many of these commodities sitting in their hangars unused. EVE player Siri Blue decided to run an unusual contest of sorts, the "People for Stuff" Raffle where players can convert their "people" into a chance of winning prizes. What do EVE players need to do to enter? Siri Blue writes, "In order to participate you contract 1000 people to me (location or type does not matter - homeless, slaves, exotic dancers, tourists, marines - everything is ok.)" For those easily confused, Siri adds, "Cows do not count as people!"
The Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online
Among all the massively multiplayer online games on the market, EVE Online is perhaps the most complex game running, which is part of the title's appeal. The learning curve has, in the past, dissuaded some MMO gamers from really digging in to EVE, but that curve has been getting a bit less steep as the tutorial improves. The Apocrypha expansion's New Player Experience also aims to make those first weeks in New Eden easier. That said, the best resource available to new EVE players is the game's playerbase itself. It's always best to learn from others and when possible, with others. That's one of the unique things about EVE -- players form corporations for various purposes, one of which is to provide schools or academies where various facets of the game are taught by experienced players. Players can learn alongside others who share similar interests. You want to learn the ropes of the game? You can join EVE University and take part in their organized classes or listen to speakers on various topics in New Eden. Want to learn how to kick ass in PvP? Take a class at Agony Unleashed and they'll turn you into a killer in no time. But EVE University and the other training-focused corps tend to focus on the more 'legitimate' aspects of the game. But what if you want a training course that lets you learn about and become part of New Eden's criminal society? There are options.
EVE Careers Guide available as free download
A major strength of the sci-fi massively multiplayer online game EVE Online is that there are no classes and certainly no professions that a player is locked into. EVE's professions are freeform, but this can lead to new players being unsure about what to do (or be) in the game. The title's developer CCP Games is attempting to remedy this. One of the resources that complements EVE Online's New Player Experience in the Apocrypha expansion is the "EVE Careers Guide", which introduces new players to the gameplay possibilities in New Eden. It's largely put together by Benilopax of Warp Drive Active: Industry podcast fame and Richie Shoemaker (aka "Zapatero"), the Editor of E-ON -- the official magazine of EVE Online -- who we've interviewed at Massively in the past. The EVE Careers Guide is a PDF file with interactive links throughout to navigate between sections, providing a comprehensive look at the game for rookie pilots. Zapatero welcomes new players to EVE Online, explaining the game in broad terms: "Many have found their own path in EVE by taking turns that are wildly divergent from what its makers envisaged. EVE is about relationships, prejudices, trust, greed and creativity more than it's about spaceships, trade and combat. New Eden is a very human universe, and with almost 300,000 people making up the population, it's a very dynamic one. Yes, it's harsh and uncompromising, frustrating and callous, but it's also illuminating in scope, vast in stature and utterly unique."
Massively speaks with Crovan about EVE Alliance PvP Tournament VI Part 2
Beyond being competitors in the tournament, what are some of the ways that players watching the event can get involved with Alliance Tournament VI? Down the road in a future tournament, you could try to become a commentator the way that we have. There's other things as well -- the volunteer program that CCP runs, ISD. They've got people on the field watching the matches and doing coverage live to post on the forums for people who missed the matches. If you want to actually be part of helping produce the alliance tournament, that's an option that's available to you. Also EVE Radio and the EVE-related radio stations do quite a bit. EVE Network News were liveblogging the entire tournament. If you can't listen to the live audio stream you can still read up on it and contribute to the conversation as it's happening. There's also IRC on the Coldfront server which is the semi-official EVE IRC server where all the people hang out. I'm in there a lot of the time, some of the other experts are in there sometimes. You can get a lot of conversation both during, between, and after matches about what's going on. There are a lot of different ways you can get involved, even if you're not flying. Obviously there's no live video feed until the last weekend. But there is live audio, and the videos tend to go up on YouTube pretty quick. I was very impressed with the turnaround.
First titan class ship in EVE to be destroyed by non-capital fleet
Yesterday marked a first in EVE Online -- the first time a titan supercapital ship was destroyed by an opposing non-capital ship fleet. For those less familiar with EVE, titans have been a sensitive issue for many players in the game, as they're New Eden's closest equivalent to the Death Star in Star Wars. That is to say, they can unleash a doomsday area-of-effect weapon blast that typically annihilates whatever it washes over. Only in EVE, there isn't just the one titan. There is a growing multitude of them. Given the titan proliferation in EVE, when a titan dies, players on the other side of the conflict rejoice. A titan is the ultimate weapon in alliance warfare. Typically only an array of opposing capital ships -- the biggest and baddest -- have the firepower to bring a titan down. But on Friday, November 21st, a concerted effort from the following alliances destroyed a titan with a sub-capital ship fleet: Triumvirate, G00DFELLAS, Atlas Alliance, Axiom Empire, ParadoXon Alliance, Bionic Dawn, HUN Reloaded, Skunk-Works, Eradication Alliance and Band of Brothers. (If you think that's quite a number of involved parties, you should see how many pilots made it onto the killboard.)ISD Clarity Brown, one of EVE's in-game reporters, states, "This kill was -- as far as we know at present -- unique, in that the killing force contained not one capital ship." The downed Erebus-class titan was flown by Shizah, from Cutting Edge Incorporated, which is part of RAZOR Alliance.
EVE Online interview discusses players determining storyline
Split Infinity Radio, a gamer-run internet radio station (with a noticeable sci-fi MMO bent) recently interviewed Scott Holden, Lead Content Creator of EVE Online at Gen Con 2008. Holden has been integral in building up all the mission content that's about to drop in the upcoming Empyrean Age expansions over the next few months. Split Infinity asks Holden a question that's been on the minds of a number of EVE players: Can player actions really influence the storyline? Holden's answer is 'yes'... to a point. He discusses the initiative at CCP to create a system where events are announced in contested parts of space, prompting players to get involved. Their actions would be reported on through the in-game news, and in this way affects (or creates aspects of) the storyline. Participants in factional warfare, or anyone who reads the Interstellar Correspondents news pieces, know that this already exists to some extent in EVE, but Holden states that CCP would like to take the idea further as time goes on.
EVE alliance circumvents factional warfare restrictions
Factional warfare became a part of EVE Online in the Empyrean Age expansion, which ushered in a time of backstory-driven militia conflict for players aligned with one of the four races of New Eden. What promised to be a new avenue for EVE's roleplaying community ended up being inaccessible to roleplaying alliances. CCP stipulated that alliances cannot enlist with factional militias, as their sheer numbers could streamroll their opposition and create overwhelming odds for the disadvantaged side in the conflict. The only recourse EVE's alliances have is to form splinter corporations outside of the alliance, for the sole purpose of allying with a given racial faction. That is, until recently. An article from ISD Magnus Balteus, one of EVE Online's in-game reporters, states the Star Fraction alliance "has openly declared war on corporations that have joined the Caldari milita; the State Protectorate. For over a month, Star Fraction has been selectively targeting the corporations of fleet commanders in the Caldari militia."
EVE Online player establishes new profession
Players in EVE Online pursue a wide variety of professions or careers, but are not locked into any given role at character creation. This flexibility allows a character to change their play style over time, or to capitalize on niches no one else has filled. This is the case with Dylon Xavier, an enterprising Caldari pilot with Ascendant Strategies, Inc.ISD Magnus Balteus reports that Xavier "has decided to try something different; create a product that is both time and resource consuming to build, and offer it for auction to the alliance that has the funds and space to deploy it." The niche item in this case is an Outpost Platform. When launched, it will create a space station for an alliance that can handle the minimum 20 billion isk bid on his auctions. This substantial pricetag includes a freighter for transporting the Outpost Platform and materials, and turns what is normally a time-consuming collective effort into a (comparatively) rapid-deployment. He's also willing to have Chribba, perhaps EVE's most trusted player, broker the transactions, mitigating the risk involved with such large amounts of currency. With the neverending ebb and flow of territorial control in New Eden, and if alliances continue to express interest in Xavier's venture, he may well have created a new and lucrative profession in EVE Online
Morality and legality in EVE Online
One of the strengths of EVE Online is that the game's professions can be freeform. Many players take the standard route of being a miner or a mission runner. However, new and deviant professions have arisen in a kind of symbiosis with the more established trades in the game. This is the focus of an article called 'Morality and Legality', written by ISD Magnus Balteus of CCP Games. 'Morality and Legality' looks at two of the sketchier professions that sprang from EVE's more standard career paths. Mining has given rise to ore theft, which boils down to theft that has the side benefit of potentially baiting the victim into combat, even in high security space. If the ore thief or 'can flipper' is successful, he or she can make off with the ore that someone else mined plus the modules looted from the miner's ship wreck. The morality of this type of career doesn't even enter into the equation... this is EVE. CCP's unwillingness to change the game mechanics involved in can flipping means that this is not an exploit, it's a valid profession, albeit not in the mind of the miner victim.
EVE Online's embedded reporters track tides of war
EVE Online's volunteer press corps is called Interstellar Correspondents (IC), some of whom are embedded reporters on the front lines of the war between the races in New Eden. IC has put together a site dedicated to tracking death tolls, victory points, territory captures and re-captures, as well as militia activity in contested solar systems. The resource provides a decent assessment of how the tides are shifting in the warfare of the Empyrean Age expansion. The war's top pilots and corporations are ranked by their successes in the last seven days, alternately 'All Time' stats are listed as well. A nice feature is the personal statistics search, where you can see the performance record of any pilot or corporation active in factional warfare. On a side note, the corporation Massively columnist and Drone Bay podcaster Phillip Manning recently joined, The Dead Parrot Shoppe Inc., is ranked in the top ten in all three categories: Overall Ranks, Kill Statistics, and Victory Point Statistics. Way to go, Crovan. Via CrazyKinux
EVE Online dev blog details new player resource
Massively touched on the CCP Games announcement back in April of having a 'Wikipedia' of EVE Online, definitive and accessible from within the EVE client. We also mentioned that a new volunteer Interstellar Services Department (ISD) branch, known as YARR, would be responsible for setting up and maintaining the player-driven wiki, which bears the unwieldy moniker "EVElopedia." EVE Online developer CCP Fear has updated the community on EVElopedia's status and the phases it went through on the way to becoming a useful resource. While EVElopedia isn't quite ready to be rolled out for general use, it's very near completion and will feature an updated item database. CCP Fear states that the database will automatically be updated with each new patch, ensuring that players have up-to-the-minute information at their fingertips upon logging in on patch days. Lastly, it's been confirmed that EVElopedia will be compatible with the in-game browser (IGB) for viewing text and images within the wiki. However, CCP Fear says that editing the wiki will need to be done in a browser out-of-game. Check out this latest dev blog for the full rundown on the EVElopedia project, which is already being discussed on the EVE Online forums.
EVE Online's 'Empyrean Age' a first step towards something greater
EVE Online's latest expansion, The Empyrean Age. has largely been a success, both from the standpoint of a number of EVE's players and what it will allow the game to evolve into from the perspective of CCP Games. EVE developer CCP RyanD's recent dev blog confirms that CCP is excited about the directions the game will now be able to take in the future. He writes that throughout EVE Online's five year history, there was a rift between developer-created storytelling and player-driven roleplaying. There were a few prominent storyline events run in tandem by the devs and volunteers in ISD, but while such events succeeded in some respects, they failed in others. The mixed response to the events made them a rarity in the game. But those initial faltering steps have given way to greater storyline interaction in Empyrean Age, as player created content and efforts begin to mesh with the developing story of EVE. CCP RyanD writes, "The path we are on now is really unprecedented."
EVE Online's war journalists report from the front lines
The creators of EVE Online are going all-out with their storyline-driven factional warfare in The Empyrean Age expansion, which is less than a day away from launch. They're injecting the coming struggle with as much gritty realism as they can muster. Massively has already covered the formation of EVE Online's in-game news organization, called Interstellar Correspondents, but it looks like the staff at CCP Games is setting their sites a bit higher. In a recent dev blog, CCP Ginger discussed the concept of embedded reporting in New Eden. Specifically, there will be war correspondents who report on the events that transpire during the clashes between factions. These members of Interstellar Correspondents will be in the thick of the action and report on world shaping events to the populace of New Eden.
EVE Online: play test factional warfare, June 4-6
CCP Games announced a new series of factional warfare playtests for EVE Online's imminent Empyrean Age expansion, and are seeking help from all available pilots in New Eden. EVE dev CCP Tanis stated that the first release candidate for the Empyrean Age is being put on the Singularity test server, and that CCP is now focusing its attention on the gameplay mechanics of the long-anticipated factional warfare system. The playtest will focus on the offense and defense of capture points and the conquering of solar systems. Players will be divided into either Caldari or Gallente factions; each faction will have an offensive and defensive team. The ultimate goal is to capture as many systems as possible while preventing the opposing faction from gaining any territorial control. CCP developers and ISD will be on hand to answer questions and guide players. When: June 4 to 6 (Wed., Thurs., Fri.) from 11:00 to 14:00 EVE time (GMT).Where: Singularity test serverWhy: "We really cannot stress how important your feedback is to us." Another Why: Each day the players on the winning side will be given a stock of officer modules !! ... *dramatic pause*... on the test server only. (Sorry.) Also the player who submits the best bug report will be given maxed out skills on the test server. How: Join the in-game channel "Faction Testing" for instructions.CCP Tanis also reminds players that the latest Singularity test server patch is required to participate in the playtest. The patch should ONLY be applied to a second copy of the EVE client, and NOT the main client used for everyday play on the Tranquility server. That is, unless you'd prefer to call the test server "home" from now on. Further details can be found in the official announcement; EVE Online account login is required to access this information.
New Eden's virtual reporters
Volunteer organizations directly involved with MMO's isn't a new idea, but the Interstellar Services Department (ISD) of EVE Online is rather unique in the industry. ISD actually works with CCP Games to create and enhance several aspects of EVE. ISD has several branches, including Support Team and Resources (STAR), which provides new player support; Mercury (M), responsible for creating New Eden's fiction; Equipment Certification and Anomaly Investigations Division (ECAID), tasked with solving technical issues; and Interstellar Correspondents (IC), an in-game news organization. The last of those divisions, Interstellar Correspondents, is one that is often misunderstood.
The Wikipedia of EVE Online
CCP Games has officially announced a player-driven wiki project called the EVElopedia which is to be integrated into EVE Online, as well as a new division of the ISD volunteer program, The Yulai Archives & Record Repository Team (YARR). YARR will oversee the upcoming EVElopedia- a project which aims to create the definitive EVE wiki. Although there are already a number of sources of EVE-related information available to players, the EVElopedia is CCP-sanctioned. The woefully outdated item database will be revamped through this project, and numerous player resources will be added, essentially creating a Wikipedia for the EVE universe.
