ccp games
Latest
EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's plan to remove tutorials and reinvent the new player experience
When we asked you what you wanted to hear about at EVE Fanfest 2014, the biggest area of interest was EVE Online's New Player Experience. Every player who's ever signed up to EVE following news of some huge battle or event will remember the frustration of his first few days in the sandbox. A new player's first experience of EVE is wading through windows full of text in a succession of boring tutorial missions that could take you hours or days to get though, followed by being ejected into the big bad world with very little direction. If that's been your experience of EVE, you might be interested to know that something's finally being done about it. Developers revealed during Fanfest that of all those who sign up to EVE and pay for a month's subscription, 50% of them don't renew and a further 40% or more end up in solo professions like mining and mission-running, which have the highest rate of player turnover. Only between 5% and 10% of those who sign up will ever get into the kind of gameplay that attracted them to EVE in the first place. CCP's response? Completely remove the tutorial. Read on to find out why killing the tutorial could be the best thing that has ever happened to EVE's new player experience.
Stick and Rudder: How Star Citizen is turning the game industry on its ear
When this column began, the first thing I talked about was Star Citizen's then-unique development model and how important it was both for fans and the game industry as a whole. Over a year later, the jury's still out on whether or not Cloud Imperium's opus will bring balance to the Force and give starving hardcores a home of their own. It's already safe to say that Star Citizen has turned the industry on its ear, though.
EVE Fanfest 2014: CCP responds to DUST 514 fans' rage over Project Legion
When this year's DUST 514 keynote presentation rolled around two days ago at EVE Fanfest 2014, fans of the PlayStation 3 shooter were understandably bewildered. Many tuned into the livestream of the talk or even attended Fanfest in person, expecting to hear an hourlong breakdown of the year's DUST 514 updates and some plans for the game's future. Viewers were instead met with a 30-minute presentation on something called Project Legion, a proposed plan to bring DUST's style of shooter gameplay to the PC in an entirely new MMO. In the absence of any information to the contrary, DUST players have understandably concluded that their game is being quietly closed down in favour of Legion. Earlier today at the CCP Presents keynote presentation, CCP took the opportunity to respond to fears and complaints that have surfaced on the DUST 514 community forum. The official word is that DUST 514 isn't being shuttered and that development will continue, but CCP admitted that it will have less development time going forward. A promise was also made that if Legion goes ahead, the names and assets of every DUST player will be copied over to the new title. That won't be much consolation for the people who bought a PS3 just to play DUST 514 or those who game only on consoles, as Legion is currently being developed only for PC. Another caveat is that Legion has not even been confirmed yet; It was presented in much the same style as EVE: Valkyrie last year, as an experiment that CCP could put significant resources into if players like it. Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new EVE Valkyrie scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland.
EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution
The EVE Online keynote presentation finished just a few hours ago at EVE Fanfest 2014, and it looks as if there are big plans for the year ahead. This summer will bring us the Kronos expansion, which is scheduled for June 3rd and aims to revolutionise every aspect of industrial activity in EVE Online in terms of both gameplay and accessibility. The economy has become quite stagnant over the past year as players have long since worked out all the most efficient ways to manufacture and trade, so CCP has planned its very own industrial revolution with a complete overhaul of industrial gameplay. Kronos also marks another important milestone for CCP, as the company will be switching from releasing two major expansions per year to a more agile strategy of releasing 10 smaller updates each year. The Kronos release was originally planned as a full expansion before the changeover to a 10-release schedule, so it's as packed as a full expansion. In addition to a deluge of industry overhauls, we'll be getting a shiny new mining ship, major pirate faction ship revamps, an enhanced new player experience, and a cool new effect when players warp into or out of an area. Read on for a breakdown of the EVE keynote presentation and to find out why CCP is moving away from its usual two expansions per year.
Is your name written on this giant EVE statue in Iceland?
EVE Online developer CCP has revealed an outdoor sculpture featuring the names of all active players. Designed by artist Sigurður Guðmundsson, the five-meter (16-foot) tall monument was presented before the company's annual Fanfest. If you were an "active, paying player" as of March 1, 2014, your name should be somewhere on the statue. Our own Xav deMatos is on plate row 3, column 5, line number 76. If you're an active player, you can find your name on the monument here. [Image: CCP]
CCP formally dedicates EVE Online monument to internet spaceships
This morning in Reykjavik, Iceland, near the CCP headquarters, the studio behind EVE Online, DUST 514, and EVE Valkyrie officially unveiled the EVE Universe Monument first announced last February. The monument includes the inscribed names of primary characters created before March 1st, 2014, with a special mention for those whose players have passed away. Beneath the monument is buried a time capsule with videos and messages from denizens of New Eden. To help EVE capsuleers find themselves on the monument, CCP has set up an online tool called the Name Finder. It's still technically in beta, but we've been able to find our characters! The studio also posted a brief video of the dedication ceremony and literal unveiling of the monument to its Instagram account. We've included it below!
Here's what CCP's World of Darkness looked like
CCP may have cancelled World of Darkness, but thanks to a leaker on Reddit you can get a look at some screenshots from the game as well as the lengthy manual from a March 2014 alpha playtest. Eurogamer reports that WoD featured safe zones such as your haven and various Elysium areas near churches, but otherwise the game allowed for open PvP. CCP's take on the beloved White Wolf property also featured four clans: the Tremere, Brujah, Toreador, and Ventrue, each with different skills, abilities, and aspect buffs. See the links below for the original Reddit post as well as the screenshot gallery and manual.
Leaderboard: In which you help Massively plan its EVE Fanfest coverage
Normally Massively's Leaderboard is all about flame-worthy lighthearted MMO-related polling shenanigans. This week, though, we're putting on our serious business suits and traveling to the land of CCP in order to bring you the best EVE Fanfest coverage on the internet. EVE Online expert Brendan Drain is our man in Iceland, but he needs your help! See, Fanfest is huge, and there are a lot of panels and roundtables to attend. While CCP streams the former, the latter are typically behind closed doors. They're also extremely important, as they inform devs about player opinion and help guide future development. So, if you've ever wanted to help direct Massively's event coverage, click past the cut and vote on the panel and roundtable that you'd most like Brendan to attend. Don't forget to leave us a comment with your general suggestions and potential interview questions, too! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
CCP releases EVE's Rubicon 1.4, preps for monument reveal
EVE's latest patch is live, and it "mainly focuses on a slew of bug fixes and minor tweaks as we approach Fanfest 2014," according to CCP. Part of the Fanfest buildup includes the dedication of the EVE Universe Monument on April 30th. CCP's announcement post provides directions to the site and says that the festivities will kick off at 17:00 UTC.
EVE Evolved: Six years of EVE Evolved
Six years ago to this exact day, I joined the Massively crew and published the first edition of this column dedicated to the ins and outs of EVE Online. The column has been home to over 300 featured articles since its creation, offering everything from guides and expansion reveals to opinion pieces, fiction, and tales of real in-game events. It's been my pleasure in the past six years to offer the Massively readers a digestible glimpse into the ordinarily somewhat impenetrable world of EVE Online and to introduce new players to the only game (other than Master of Orion II) that's managed to keep me hooked for over a decade. It's been a fantastic year to be a fan of EVE Online, with CCP announcing its long-term vision for deep space colonisation and the game being revitalised through the Odyssey and Rubicon expansions. I've had the opportunity to explore both expansions in this column and to share some hands-on experience with DUST 514 and CCP's upcoming dogfighter EVE Valkyrie. There's been no shortage of opinion pieces this year either, with articles on everything from PvP consequences and twitch controls to whether Star Citizen and Elite are a threat to the sandbox giant. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I round up the best articles from the column's sixth year of operation in one place.
Help fund an oral history of EVE Online
Andrew Groen, a games journalist whose work has appeared on such prestigious outlets as Wired and Ars Technica, wants to demystify CCP Games' epic space opera EVE Online, and he needs your help to do it. For the past six months, Groen has been gathering information and conducting interviews with EVE's most prominent community members, with the goal of compiling his research into a lengthy account of the past decade of EVE Online's existence. For most, EVE Online is a game that only registers when word spreads of a massive space battle or a particularly dramatic bit of interstellar intrigue leads to the loss of thousands of real-world dollars, but Groen hopes to crack open the game's thorny exterior and make it more accessible to the average person, while also building the first detailed history of the virtual universe. "I'm writing this because there is simply no way for people to learn the history of EVE, and it's getting more difficult every day," Groen writes. Those worried that Groen's book will be a long-form fluff piece devoted to making the game and developer CCP Games look good should rest easy. Groen claims to have spoken to CCP, and the studio agrees that it should have no oversight over his work. Of course, that also means that CCP will not be funding this book, so Groen has turned to the online masses for the $12,500 he requires to complete the project. Though the fundraiser launched just this morning, Groen has already attracted plenty of support, which bodes well for the success of the tome. For more information and to toss money into the ever-expanding pot, pay a visit to Kickstarter. [Image: CCP Games]
CCP posts EVE Fanfest 2014's schedule
EVE Fanfest 2014 is just a week away, and participants will be pleased to know that CCP has posted the full schedule for the show. The Fanfest schedule includes the dedication of a monument to EVE's players, the wrestling matches between the staff and CCP, a lecture by NASA's Les Johnson on interstellar travel, news about the future of CCP's game roster, and a blowout party-slash-concert. The studio is psyched about the event: "Ask anyone at the CCP what their favorite time of the year is, they will say Fanfest. It is not just the players who look forward to attending, it's a highlight for us developers as well because interacting with the community is both the soul of our games and a thrilling reward." The 10th EVE Fanfest runs from May 1st through 3rd in Reykjavik, Iceland. The entire convention will be streamed for free on CCP's Twitch channel for fans who can't attend. And stay tuned on Massively, as we will be there on site!
CCP staff to wrestle MMA fighter at Fanfest 2014
CCP is looking to give its fans their admission's worth for Fanfest 2014, as the studio announced that members of its team will be wrestling against MMA fighter Gunnar Nelson during the show. That's MMA, not MMO, by the way. The event, called EVE OF DESTRUCTION, will take place on Friday, May 2nd, in a series of 10 one-on-one wrestling matches. CCP would also like to remind you that voting for EVE Online's 9th Council of Stellar Management ends tonight at midnight.
Here are lots of helpful EVE UI tips
If you're confused by EVE Online's UI, CCP Karkur has made a new video that you'll want to watch. Actually, you'll want to watch it even if you aren't confused, because it's full of tips and tricks relating to searches, inventory, the market, fittings, fleet settings, and more. Click past the cut to have a look!
CCP is 'reviewing the status' of the World of Darkness IP
In the aftermath of World of Darkness' cancellation and the layoffs at its Atlanta studio, CCP said that it is taking time to "review" the White Wolf IP. "We believe that the World of Darkness IP is very valuable and will be reviewing the status of it in the coming weeks and months, but we have no specific plans under consideration at this time," a CCP spokesperson said to CVG. In the search to understand why World of Darkness got shuttered, players might turn to last December's financials for CCP. In these, the studio lodged a loss of $21 million for the year despite increasing revenue year-over-year. This was mostly due to a "massively increased R&D budget" that was feeding into projects such as WoD.
CCP shuttering World of Darkness
After a weekend full of Reddit rumors, CCP has formally announced that it is ceasing development on World of Darkness. The company laid off 56 employees from its Atlanta-based studio and will now focus exclusively on games set in its EVE Online universe. "To our current and former employees and fans of World of Darkness, I am truly sorry that we could not deliver the experience that we aspired to make," CEO Hilmar Petursson said in a statement. "We dreamed of a game that would transport you completely into the sweeping fantasy of World of Darkness, but had to admit that our efforts were falling regretfully short. One day I hope we will make it up to you."
EVE Evolved: Anatomy of a mining op
When EVE Online was first released in 2003, it was designed as a massive universe of competition and conflict between space-faring megacorporations in the distant future. Players bought into the premise completely and soon set about building their own empires and waging wars with neighbours. Corporations ran regular mining operations for resources to build frigates and cruisers for their members, and some of the larger corps co-operatively mined to build the first ever battleships in the game. The mining op has been a staple activity in the game ever since, providing a way for groups to work together on large manufacturing projects or just make some ISK during their down-time. Mining gets a lot of flak for being one of the most boring and least profitable professions in the game, but that's not exactly true. Solo mining can be a great way to spend your downtime while doing other activities, and it ensures that you're online when something exciting happens like a live event, your wormhole system being invaded, or a titan being tackled by your alliance. Co-operative mining ops also offer the social value of bonding with your corpmates when there's nothing else going on. Some players even run dozens of accounts at the same time to turn this ordinarily placid activity into an intensive profit-making activity focused on efficiency and organisation skills. With mining due to make a resurgence in the summer expansion, this edition of EVE Evolved is dedicated to the humble mining operation. I'll take a look at the various options for mining ships, the different haulers available, and the four different areas you can mine in.
One Shots: Bobble heads
Did we all have a good April Fools' Day this year? Oh hush you; this is why nobody invites you to parties. I certainly had fun, especially while running around with my giant bobble-headed characters in Guild Wars 2. Giant bobble heads are scientifically proven to make any video game 75% more enjoyable. Reader HawkEye sent me in a disturbing number of screenshots with his large noggins, but I chose this one because it also tickled me that the animals had their heads enlarged. "'Sup Mister Ram?" HawkEye said. "Don't headbutt me, okay? Please?" I think that creature more wanted to end its misery than contribute to yours, HawkEye, so hopefully you survived the experience. What other strange views await you in the rest of this column? Probably nothing this strange, that's for sure.
HD Streaming for EVE Fanfest now on sale
Are you a big fan of EVE Online? Do you want to go to EVE Fanfest but can't fit a trip to Iceland into your budget? Do you have a spare PLEX sitting around? Are you thinking about marzipan? Because right now you can buy a high-definition stream of the entire Fanfest from CCP Games for $19.95 or one PLEX, whichever works better for you. (The marzipan thing you'll have to sort out on your own.) Buying the stream gets you access to three days of high-definition coverage, the pre-convention livestream from developers, your choice of one of four industrial ship skins, subscriber-only giveaways, and a digital version of the Fanfest shirt for 2014. Sound good to you? Then head on over and drop your money! Or you can just watch the festivities streamed for free on Twitch, but you'll have to put up with normal definition footage, like an animal.
EVE Online begins voting for 9th Council of Stellar Management
It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year already since EVE Online's 8th Council of Stellar Management was voted into office to provide feedback and ideas between players and developers, but that's the cold, hard fact. Another such fact is that the ballots are now open for CSM9. As with last year, players will vote for not just one nominee but 14 candidates ranked in order of personal preference. CCP has improved the voting interface this time around and said that it will be talking more about the vital role that the CSM plays in the game's development during the voting process.
