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EVE Evolved: Making ISK from the Crius release
EVE Online's economy has been studied over the years for its resemblance to the real world, and it is often cited as an example of a hyper-capitalist society with no laws or regulation. But underneath the emergent interplay of supply and demand that has fueled everything from freighter businesses to virtual investment banks, EVE is ultimately a game. The biggest influence on the markets by far has always been CCP Games and the changes it deploys in expansions, which shake the universe up and force players to adapt to new circumstances. There's always money to be made from major gameplay changes, and accurately predicting how an expansion will impact on the market can put you on the head of a short-lived but very lucrative gold rush. Though EVE's updates now come in the form of ten smaller releases per year, the upcoming Crius release scheduled for July 22nd has practically a whole expansion's worth of changes to industry and research. That gives you just over two weeks to prepare for the change, train any skills you might need, and figure out how to cash in on EVE's industrial revolution. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I run down some tips for how to prepare for the upcoming industry revamp in Crius and make some ISK.
EVE Evolved: The top five most dangerous solar systems
EVE Online is a PvP game at its core, with conflict built in at a fundamental level. Pirates lurk around key trade routes and stand ready to pounce on unsuspecting victims, while vast nullsec alliances protect their territories with watchful vigilance and never-ending bloodlust. Wander into the wrong solar system as a new player and your precious ship and cargo will be turned into molten slag and a few points on a killboard quicker than you can say, "Hello, new friend, and what does that red square on your ship mean?" The original map of EVE was generated one evening by an Icelandic developer who could scarcely have known he was deciding the fates of thousands of gamers for years to come. New systems have been added to the game over the years, and a few manual changes have been made to the stargate network, but most of the universe has remained the same for over a decade. In all that time, a few solar systems have stood out as brazen bastions of bastardly behaviour and made their marks on EVE's history. In this week's EVE Evolved, I run down a list of the top five most dangerous solar systems in EVE's long history and delve into why each has earned its reputation as a no-fly-zone for newbies.
EVE Evolved: Top ten ganks, scams, heists and events
It's been called "boring," "confusing," and "the world's biggest spreadsheet," but every now and then a story emerges from sci-fi MMO EVE Online and grabs the gaming world's attention. Tales of massive thefts, colossal battles, high-value kills, record-breaking scams, political dirty deals, and controversial player-run events never fail to grip us. Perhaps it's the fact that these events have such huge impacts in the EVE sandbox that captures our imaginations, or maybe we just want to watch with morbid curiosity as a virtual society self-destructs. Whether it's innocent interest in quirky stories or a secret sense of schadenfreude that keeps us glued to EVE's most illicit events, the game continues to deliver them with startling regularity. Most scams, thefts, and high-profile battles will never make the news, instead becoming another forgotten part of EVE's history or just a story for a few friends to reminisce about. But those stories that do reach the news always draw in a huge audience that wouldn't play EVE in a million years but can't get enough of its engrossing stories. In this week's EVE Evolved, I run down a list of ten incredible EVE kills, scams, heists, and sandbox events that have made it into the news over the years.
EVE Evolved: Bounty hunting and revenge
Last week I looked into the major PvP changes coming in EVE Online's upcoming Retribution expansion, from the piracy revamp to a new global flagging system that puts players in the driving seat of justice. This week CCP Games revealed full details of the upcoming bounty hunting system revamp, and I have to say I'm really excited. The new bounty system not only makes bounty hunting a viable profession again but also gives players a way to deal significant financial damage to their enemies without getting their hands dirty. As if that weren't enough, players will even be able to enforce the law on their own terms, trawling high-security space for criminals and lighting them up for everyone to kill. Corporate- and alliance-level bounties will push grudges to new levels, enabling a new type of passive financial warfare. The new bounty system can also be used as a tool to motivate troops into battle, a way to incentivise boring but necessary starbase warfare, and even a method for running tournaments. In this week's EVE Evolved, I get ridiculously excited about EVE's upcoming bounty hunting revamp and explain why it makes the Retribution expansion a complete game-changer.
EVE Evolved: Hulk hunting in highsec
As it's a sandbox game, a big part of what makes EVE Online special is the interesting things players make and do within the game world that developers didn't anticipate. It's ultimately the players who collectively shape the game world, in extreme cases even overturning some of the developed game mechanics. Most players think of high-security space as a safe place to mine and run missions, with CONCORD police keeping a watchful eye on players and destroying any ship that breaks the law. But in EVE you're never truly safe anywhere but inside a station. With the right ship setup, it's possible to kill a target in the few seconds before the police ships arrive to turn you into a smoking wreck. In 2008, GoonSwarm alliance launched its infamous JihadSwarm campaign aiming to suicide gank every mining barge in high-security space. The imaginary safety bubble that miners had lived in for years burst, and highsec mining temporarily became one of the game's most dangerous professions. When Helicity Boson later kicked off the first Hulkageddon event, pirates competed to see who could destroy the most mining barges, and miners in high-security space were prime targets. Hulkageddon went on to become a regular event, with achievements to be won and billions of ISK in sponsored prizes. Recently, Hulkageddon V took an interesting turn when Goonswarm Federation pledged to keep the event running permanently by paying players 100 million ISK for every 10 tech 2 mining barges they kill. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at Hulkageddon from both sides of the fence, with tips on how to suicide gank mining barges and how to stay safe when mining.
EVE's Hulkageddon IV event begins today
Once or twice per year, EVE Online players across the world are gripped by the desire to destroy everything in sight. During the nine-day Hulkageddon bloodbath, players compete to destroy as many mining ships as possible. A variety of prizes are then handed out to individuals and corporations with the most kills or for special achievements completed during the event. The event was first organised by pirate Helicity Boson back in 2009, and so far it has been responsible for the destruction of several hundred billion ISK worth of Hulks and other mining ships. The event has come under fire for promoting griefing, as the primary method of gaining kills is the use of suicide attacks in high-security space. Hulkageddon supporters argue that it's a perfectly legitimate way to play the game, and EVE's sandbox-style game design and rules do permit it. Whether you like it or hate it, Hulkageddon has become a regular EVE tradition. To avoid a grim fate, miners should probably take a break between February 19th and February 28th. Head over to the official forum thread for full details of the impending carnage and the prize fund available for participants.
The Daily Grind: Things that go bump in the night
Imagine this: You're wandering along, minding your own business, when you hear a Rogue's attack -- then your character is dead. Or perhaps you've been getting your zen on while mining, only to realize all too late that your can of ore was flipped and someone now has kill rights on you. Perhaps your heart started pounding after seeing the big nasty boss you've been working up to finally unleash his fury on your group. Plenty of opportunities exist for us to be scared in our favorite games. For Halloween, we want to ask this: What's your most memorable MMO scary moment? Was it your guild pulling off a long-standing prank on you? Perhaps it was someone staging a coup on your corp? Or maybe it was something completely innocuous like someone startling you over vent? Leave your tale of MMO terror in the comments below! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Questionable EVE attack deals 30 billion ISK in damage
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/10/questionable-eve-attack-deals-30-billion-isk-in-damage/"; reddit_target="gaming"; Tweet It's often said that EVE Online is a game that revolves around PvP. Even people who engage only in PvE aren't safe from the wrathful influence of other pilots. Players are almost forced to compete with each other in a ruthless open sandbox where all the rules are thrown out the window. Even in the relative safety of high-security space, the threat of harm isn't completely removed. Scams, spies, corporate infiltrations and suicide attacks are a common occurrence in New Eden, forcing players to stay aware of their surroundings and exercise good judgment. This week, a player by the name of Solarius became the unfortunate target of EVE's more ruthless player element. Solarius, CEO of Quantanamo Corporation, was running missions in high-security space in his Paladin when players destroyed his ship in a coordinated suicide attack. What makes this particular suicide attack special is the sheer magnitude of the loss. Solarius had fit the ship with an impressive array of rare and expensive officer modules, putting the total value of his ship at over 30 billion ISK. Since a destroyed ship drops around half of its modules as loot, flying a ship with such an expensive setup is almost guaranteed to draw some unwanted attention. Pilots from the corporations Honorless Internet Jerks, Ex Obscuritas, Suddenly Ninjas, Alarm Clock Corp and Defner.org jointly participated in the attack and split the proceeds from the loot. To put the magnitude of this kill into perspective, 30 billion ISK could currently buy over 80 PLEX, which is around seven years of game time. To buy the same number of PLEX with cash would cost over $1200 U.S., making this a costly warning to all EVE players that you're never completely safe in New Eden.
Changes to EVE Online's PLEX make it possible to loot game time
When it comes to fighting the gold-sellers, Icelandic game developer CCP Games took an innovative approach to the problem. Players of EVE Online can buy game time with cash and then trade it with other players as in-game "Pilots License EXtensions" (PLEX). This lets people with cash to spare effectively purchase ISK from other players, while those with plenty of in-game ISK can effectively play for free. With a legitimate method for buying ISK, players needn't face the inevitable threat of bans and key-loggers from nefarious sources. Fearing that the market for PLEX might not take off if they were at risk of being lost during transport. To combat this issue, CCP made it impossible to move them from the station they were redeemed at. In a new devblog, CCP Zulu explains plans to remove all the transport restrictions on PLEX. In addition to being able to undock with a PLEX in your cargo hold, you'll also be able to place them into courier contracts. When these changes come into effect, you might see someone hauling game time from station to station. If you plan to move any PLEX around, be extremely wary of suicide attacks. EVE's darker social element routinely scans passers-by in high-security space, looking for juicy targets to gank. The possibility of finding game time amongst the loot may send them into overdrive. The changes are due to come into effect on Tuesday the 13th of July.
Lock up your mining barges, the Hulkageddon cometh to EVE Online!
Like it or loathe it, EVE Online's infamous fan-run Hulkageddon event is back with its teeth sharpened. During this unofficial week and a half of torture, some of the game's more vicious players band together with one common goal -- the complete eradication of mining ships. Organised by pirate Helicity Boson back in October 2009, the first event was met with strong vocal opposition by miners. Cries that the unofficial event sanctioned griefing and calls for Helicity to be banned flooded the forums, sparking intense debate into what is and isn't acceptable in the sandbox. Despite opposition, the event made a return early this year, with January's Hulkageddon II destroying a record 278 billion ISK in mining barges and exhumers. With Hulkageddon III scheduled to begin next week on the 9th of July, continuing until July 18th, miners across EVE are in for a rough time. If January's event is any indication, even pilots in high security space aren't safe from attack. Suicide tactics have always been a popular way to kill barges, with packs of destroyers able to kill a Hulk before CONCORD arrive. Skip past the cut to read our in-depth interview with Helicity Boson on the upcoming carnage and how to stay safe.
What draws players to EVE while keeping others away?
EVE Online is the type of game that doesn't have the broad appeal of fantasy that titles like World of Warcraft. Certainly, it attracts a number of players who are looking for an edgier game experience where actions have consequences. For some, the consequences can be steep, causing those gamers to shy away from EVE. Being wary of your fellow pilots is always a good idea, but it's not all piracy and suicide ganks. The game offers freedom to do what you want in the sandbox, but most EVE pilots stay on the right side of the law. Sam Guss is a writer at EVE-Mag.com, an up and coming site that focuses on EVE Online, who wrote a piece that caught our eye at Massively. His article is titled "Is EVE for You?" and looks at what the attraction to the game is for him, and speculates about the wider appeal of EVE to other dedicated players. If you're an EVE fan, what is it that sets the game apart from other MMOs? And for those that don't play EVE Online, what aspects of the game keep you away?
The 7 Deadly Sins of EVE Online
EVE Online is by design a darker game than most other MMOs, which means certain actions unthinkable in other games are allowed in EVE's setting of New Eden. It's a game that rewards cunning and brutally punishes stupidity. Players can assume many roles in New Eden, but the villains in a story are often the most interesting. In EVE, you get to be one. While there are many wrongs a pilot in New Eden can commit, these are seven of the worst. Some players specialize in one of these 'sins,' while others manage to indulge in all seven. Come explore the darker side of EVE >> %Gallery-29722%
Era of suicide ganking in EVE Online coming to a close
CCP Games has addressed the long-standing problem of suicide ganking in EVE Online in their latest dev blog, titled "Serious Security." CCP Fear stepped up to inform the player base that, yes, the devs do take the issue of suicide ganking seriously, and that they're going to take action. The proposed changes, outlined below, are not going into effect immediately, nor do they impact actions taken as part of Empire war declarations. However, they will be implemented with the next major update to EVE, which will be Empyrean Age 1.1, rolling out this Fall. The dev blog focuses on CONCORD improvements and the increased consequences of suicide ganks. CCP Fear states: "We have been looking at suicide ganking and overall security standing issues, and how these features affect the general landscape of EVE. We are not happy with the current ease of suicide ganking and the relative 'no hassle' it has become. In many cases, unsuspecting victims have no chance to escape, nor any help from CONCORD. We want to change this."
