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EVE Online trailer shows upcoming collaboration with Dust 514
During the EVE Fanfest held earlier this week, the MMO's developers revealed a new three-minute cinematic trailer demoing the game's interactivity with its upcoming sister title, Dust 514. Sorry, that sounded way more boring than it is: Watch the trailer below, because it has so many explosions.
EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 3
The third and final day of festivities at the massive EVE Online Fanfest has come to an end, and it was definitely worth waiting for. There were several round-table discussions and events going on today, but the event everyone was looking forward to was definitely the "CCP Presents" talk in the afternoon. With yesterday's keynote speech wrapping up all the awesome plans CCP has for EVE this year, it wasn't certain exactly what had been saved for today's show. Yesterday we heard details of the Incarna captain's quarters, server upgrades, new turret effects, new nebulae and more. Highlights of today included a round-table discussion on how CCP would be linking EVE with DUST 514, the hilarious finals of the Fanfest PvP tournament and the CCP Presents feature. This was followed by the CCP panel, in which developers answered questions from the audience. Having spent three days watching developers talk about the future of EVE, I get the distinct impression that many of them have as much passion for EVE as even the most fanatical EVE players. Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today and the Fanfest in general.
EVE Fanfest 2011: Closing ceremony video cluster shows off the future of the sandbox
Lots of super-cool stuff is coming out of this week's EVE Fanfest, much of it making sci-fi sandbox fanboys (and girls) weak in the knees. Possibly the slickest thing to date is a new video dubbed A Future Vision, in which CCP tips its hand for tying together the whole of New Eden across multiple gaming platforms. The clip is just under three minutes in length and shows off the integration of EVE Online's internet spaceships with DUST 514's ground-based mercs, war machines, and morally grey mayhem. While the footage is scripted and hand-made for the trailer, it was produced using CCP's proprietary Carbon graphics engine toolset (and is intended to represent what players will see and do in future versions of the EVE universe). A Future Vision is necessarily focused on expanding New Eden beyond ships, wormholes, and star gates, but CCP isn't neglecting its bread and butter either, as evidenced by an additional new trailer featuring turret upgrades to existing ships, as well as one featuring new nebula graphics. Check in with Massively all weekend as Brendan Drain, our resident EVE expert, weighs in on A Future Vision as well as all the exciting tidbits from EVE Fanfest 2011. In the meantime, you can view the trailers after the cut.
EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2
It's day two of CCP's enormous party at the top of the world, and Massively is right here to find out what the future holds for EVE Online. In yesterday's day 1 roundup, we covered a fantastic presentation on Incursion by CCP Soundwave, an enlightening question-and-answer session with EVE's Council of Stellar Management, and the hilarious (but absolutely not work-safe) alliance leader panel. Today has been similarly packed with activity. We've seen some great presentations on what's to come in the summer expansion, and the keynote speech discussed some very exciting developments due to hit EVE in the near future. Highlights of today included a video of Incarna's "captain's quarters" that we'll be getting as part of the summer expansion, details of massive server upgrades heading to Tranquility, and details of some awesome quality-of-life changes coming soon thanks to Team Best Friends Forever. There was so much awesome information to share that we unfortunately had to miss the chessboxing match to get it out in a timely manner. We missed Icelandic game developers punching each other in the face to write this up, so I hope you find it interesting! Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today's festivities and what we can expect to come later.
EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Keynote from the top of the world
It's an exciting time to be an EVE Online capsuleer, especially if you have the ability to make it to Iceland or are checking out the livestreams. For the rest of us desk-bound mortals who weren't able to hop across the pond to make it to Fanfest 2011, well... there's always next year! Even now, pilots are partying down with the CCP development team and talking all things internet spaceships while others are networking. We'd bet there's probably even a bit of setup for an in-game scam or two going on as well. We are talking about EVE Online, after all. Thankfully, we here at Massively have sent two of our own intrepid adventurers to get into the thick of the action: Shawn Schuster and Brendan Drain. These two brave souls are facing the crowds at the top of the world to catch all the myriad events this weekend and have sent us some Quafe t-shirts field reports of all the action going on at Fanfest 2011. First up, it's a tasty overview of this year's opening keynote. So grab your drink of choice and join us after the break for more!
EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 1
Once per year, EVE Online developer CCP Games throws a colossal party in its home country of Iceland. EVE players from around the world fly to Iceland to meet up with other players, talk about internet spaceships and usually get completely drunk. CCP hosts a series of events, round-table discussions and presentations all about EVE, showing what the team has been up to over the past year and revealing plans for the game's ongoing development. Fanfest has typically catered to EVE's most dedicated fans, or at least those motivated enough at the prospect of an EVE convention to brace the Icelandic weather. This year, the focus is much wider, with over 3,000 players in attendance and a huge contingent of press. Day one of the EVE Fanfest has come to a close, and the event is now in full swing. Read on for a roundup of what happened today, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today's festivities.
EVE Evolved: Planning for the EVE Fanfest
Every year, the developers at CCP Games host the truly massive EVE Online Fanfest. Players from all walks of life and countries will soon gather in Iceland for the world's biggest event dedicated entirely to internet spaceships. Fanfest originally started as a small gathering for the game's most dedicated fans, but over the years, it has grown both in size and in its importance to players. CCP often uses Fanfest to give EVE players a sneak peek of what's to come and to showcase what the company has been working on. We look forward each year to CEO Hilmar's keynote speech, in which the year's big reveals typically take place. Over time, the EVE Fanfest has become an integral part of CCP's feedback-gathering mechanisms. Developers run a series of presentations on game design, work being done at CCP, and the lessons learned from previous projects or expansions. Round-table discussions give players the opportunity to raise questions directly to developers, and Fanfest in general gives players a way to mingle with developers in a very informal way. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how to prepare for the EVE Fanfest and how you can get involved even if you won't be in attendance.
Schedule posted for the EVE fanfest livestream
If you're a fan of EVE Online, missing this year's fanfest is unpleasant... but unless you're taking a trip out to Iceland, it's also a sad reality. However, the livestream of the important events does at least help to take the edge off, giving players watching from afar a taste of what's going down at the gathering. The official schedule for the stream has just been posted, which gives everyone an idea of what to expect from the event. Players can either watch the stream free in normal quality on EVE TV or purchase the HD version for a nominal fee. (Purchasing the HD version also offers players a small promotional item for their characters by way of an additional carrot.) The livestream service currently is not planned to be recordable, so if you're considering shelling out money to watch the latest EVE Online gathering, there's that much more reason to check the schedule and make sure you won't be missing anything.
Package deals for EVE Online Fanfest released
Every year, the EVE Online crew put on a massive celebration of the game and its players. Players from across the world fly to Iceland to take part in the largest gathering of EVE players in the yearly calendar. Fanfest attendees often get a sneak peak at what CCP has in store for the future of EVE. Through a series of development talks, trailers and announcements, players get a deeper look at upcoming expansions. The fanfest has always been late in the year, which has unfortunately limited the number of players that could attend and the amount of information CCP could deliver on the upcoming summer expansion. This year's fanfest runs from the 24th to the 26th of March 2011 and is expected to give players a deep look into Incarna, which is scheduled for a Summer 2011 release. The official Fanfest 2011 webpage has been online since early last month, and this week CCP has released details of the various travel plans, accomodation packages, fanfest tickets and Icelandic tours available to players. Of particular interest is the "PLEX for passes" scheme, which lets players pay for fanfest tickets with PLEX that can be bought in-game for ISK. The normal price for tickets is $99 USD, but anyone buying their tickets before the 26th of December will get them for only $75 USD. As the fanfest is in Iceland, however, flights and accommodation are sure to account for most of the cost.
EVE fanfest pushed back due to work on Incarna
The EVE Online fanfest is the biggest annual gathering for EVE players from around the world. Each year EVE fans pour into Iceland and take over the seaside town of Reykjavik, home of the game's developers CCP Games. In addition to enjoying the usual Reykjavik night life, attendees can watch a whole host of events and talks from CCP's development teams and notable players. The fanfest often gives players a sneak peak at what's to come in EVE, with expansion announcements and trailers often screened for the first time. For many players, it's also a chance to meet the members of their corporation or alliance in a neutral setting and make new friends that play EVE. CCP have even organised bands, orchestras and other entertainment in previous years. If there's one thing the developers over at CCP know how to do, it's throw a party. The fanfest normally occurs late in the year, around September. This has presented CCP with problems in the past and limits the number of players that can spare the time to attend. Last Thursday, CCP announced that this year's fanfest is to be pushed back to March 2011, which seems set to become the new month for the annual event. In addition to being easier on CCP, the cost of flights and hotels should be lower around this time. CCP will also have more information on what they're currently working on to share and more sneak peaks at future expansions to release. Most importantly, pushing the fanfest back this year gives them some added time to work on Incarna, the absolutely goliath expansion that will introduce full body avatars and in-station environments. This hints that Incarna could be slated for a Summer 2011 release.
EVE's animated hangar backgrounds available as high-def downloads
EVE Online players who were fortunate enough to attend Fanfest in 2009 kept raving about a collection of animated video backgrounds that were running on screens during panels and presentations. Players were so taken with these that they'd been pressing CCP Games to make them available for download. CCP delivered on their promise this week, making these sweeping tours of the Gallente, Caldari, Amarr, and Minmatar space station interiors available for download in HD. Once you see them, you'll probably understand why the EVE Fanfest attendees have been wanting them ever since. Those are some fairly hefty file sizes though, so for a quick look you can also see all four of the hangars and a nice selection of each race's ships in HD on YouTube. Stick with us past the jump for a look within an Amarr hangar which shows off the theocratic race's golden fleet.
EVE soundtrack performed by 16 string symphony orchestra
The "HTFU" video by CCP Games employees Permaband got all the attention around EVE Fanfest 2009, but there was something else a bit different that attendees of the annual player gathering were treated to -- a live performance of EVE Online's in-game music. The performance was given by DJ Margeir and his Symphony Orchestra; unlike the game soundtrack, some songs have accompanying vocals. It's a very different take on the familiar sounds many of us have been flying with for years in EVE.CCP Games made the Fanfest performance available on YouTube, and we've got the video of this embedded for you after the jump.
EVE Fanfest 2009 videos are up
We mentioned some highlights from EVE Fanfest 2009 in Reykjavik the other day and Permaband's "HTFU" video went down very well with a lot of our readers. Now CCP Games have made video of some of the Fanfest panels, presentations, or general madness available on their YouTube page as well. Of course there's the main keynote that included DUST 514 info and gameplay footage, but the CCP Panel gave players in attendance the opportunity to ask the EVE Online developers whatever they felt like. The responses from the devs explain quite a bit about the choices CCP Games has made with both EVE and DUST 514, and there are some hints of what's to come. More than anything, it's interesting to see this kind of direct interaction between the players and the people who create the game. (Obligatory disclaimer: The CCP Panel video is a bit NSFW with the language in parts, but if you're watching something like this on the job... you probably don't care.)
EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights
The biggest player gathering of the year for EVE Online fans is EVE Fanfest, held annually in the CCP Games hometown of Reykjavik. Some interesting announcements of what's to come have been made over the past few days, as well as more details or clarification on previously announced aspects of both EVE Online and DUST 514. Read on for a few highlights of the info revealed at EVE Fanfest 2009 for the game and the IP beyond the Dominion expansion (slated for a December 1st launch):
EVE Fanfest streaming in live video Saturday, Oct 3
Are you disappointed you couldn't attend EVE Fanfest 2009 in Reykjavik this week? If so, there's some good news. CCP Games announced today that they're going to stream live video of the Fanfest presentations on Saturday, October 3rd, from 12:00 - 17:00 GMT. The live video stream can be viewed at the EVE Fanfest 2009 site and will feature keynotes on the future of CCP Games and EVE Online -- namely DUST 514 -- and Senior Producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson's keynote on the Dominion expansion (recorded Friday evening). CCP Games will also stream video of the finals from this year's Fanfest PvP tournament with its free-for-all and Tech III matches. If you're unable to view the video stream, you can also listen in on the keynotes through the EVE Online Facebook page thanks to Vivox. Information will be made available on the EVE Facebook page tomorrow, and this audio will stream from 15:00 - 17:00 GMT.
EVE Online Summer Buddy Program concluding, chance to win a trip to Fanfest
September is just a few days away and so the folks at CCP Games are keen to remind players that their Summer Buddy Program for EVE Online will conclude on September 1st. Why is this so important? Well, aside from introducing your pals to the world's biggest sci fi MMO, you are also in with a chance to win a trip to this year's Fanfest in Iceland for you and your friend as well as a trip to CCP's head office. The full prize is the following: Two return flight tickets from any destination that Icelandair flies to for you and your EVE Online buddy. Hotel Accommodation in Reykjavik from Sept, 30, 2009 to Oct, 04, 2009 Airport – Hotel transport in Reykjavik Two Fanfest VIP passes Organized visit to CCP HQ offices in Reykjavik All you need to do is have an active EVE account and start spreading the word, just get them signed up with a buddy account and then cross your fingers. If you do win, you can choose who you take with you, either a friend you introduced to the game or any of your online pals on Tranquility. So enter now before it's too late!
EVE Fanfest PvP tournament to have free-for-all and Tech III matches
The Drone Bay podcast returned recently with an EVE Online Fanfest preview. The podcast's hosts Crovan and Alsedrech got air time with EVE developers CCP Tyr and CCP Claw, as well as StevieSG from EVE TV. In addition to dropping more info about the sixth annual Fanfest and some of the options players will have for excursions in Iceland beyond the player gathering itself (which will be October 1 - 3), they discuss the Fanfest PvP tournament. The Fanfest PvP tournament is a major draw to the event. The Fanfest tournament differs from the Alliance PvP Tournament (which will be held earlier in the year, in September) in some noticeable ways. Where the Alliance tournament is taken very seriously by most competitors who spend weeks in preparation -- after all, a substantial part of the game's playerbase are watching or listening to the event live -- the Fanfest PvP tournament is meant to allow for more impromptu, spontaneous match-ups. Indeed, some winning teams at the Fanfest tournament were comprised of virtual strangers who joined up at the last minute, and the rules can lead to some... unusual scenarios. In keeping with this spirit of mixing it up, CCP has decided to hold free-for-all PvP matches at Fanfest 2009.
CCP Games launches new EVE Fanfest 2009 site
EVE Fanfest is the annual gathering for the internet spaceships faithful, held in CCP's hometown of Reykjavîk, Iceland. CCP Games opted to move up the date for Fanfest this year, the sixth annual meetup, to October and hopefully give visiting EVE Online fans a better (read: less frigid) time to see Iceland. To make things easier, CCP has launched a Fanfest site that's a one-stop destination for all news and information surrounding the capsuleer pilgrimage to 'the top of the world.' Of course they've announced that there will be a PvP tournament taking place during Fanfest as well, which should come as no surprise to past attendees. Plus they've put together a Reykjavîk survival guide that highlights the city's dining options and nightlife. EVE Fanfest 2009 will last from October 1-3, and as always CCP Games has worked out package deals for attendees with Icelandair that also include accommodation. A notable change this year is that EVE fans can purchase their Fanfest passes using PLEX, which is CCP's method of converting real world cash into an in-game item, sold in-game for ISK and redeemable for buyers as actual playtime. They give more detail on their new PLEX for Passes program: "In honor of our recent 6th anniversary, we decided to allow people to use PLEX to pay for their tickets to Fanfest, gathering as many players as possible. For the first time ever you can buy your Fanfest 2009 tickets with in-game Pilot License Extensions (PLEX). Using PLEX, attendees can attend Fanfest simply by playing EVE!"
EVE Online Fanfest 2009 dates and travel packages announced
The annual EVE Fanfest is the largest player gathering of the year for fans of the sci-fi MMO. It's held annually in Reykjavik, Iceland, the home of CCP Games, and is a major event for die-hard fans of the game. EVE Online dev CCP Tyr announced the sixth annual 'Party at the Top of the World' this week: "It is time once again to start marking your calendars and making your reservations for the 2009 Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland! Get ready for another weekend of PvP tournaments, hanging out with the developers, and partying in a sea of fellow EVE Online fans. As always, Fanfest attendees will be treated to videos and announcements on the future of EVE and what players can expect in the upcoming expansions." Rather than holding it in November as in all previous years, they've moved up this year's Fanfest dates to October 1- 3, when the weather should hopefully be a bit warmer. CCP Games has worked with Icelandair to put together airfare and hotel travel packages by country, the details of which can be found on the EVE Fanfest 2009 announcement page. For a peek at what EVE Fanfest is like, we've got a video embed of the Fanfest 2009 teaser trailer:
EVE Online interview confirms details of retail release
One of announcements that came out of EVE Online's most recent Fanfest was news that the game will be sold on retail shelves this March, with the release of the Apocrypha expansion. A publishing deal struck between EVE's developer CCP Games and Atari means that the game may well see an influx of players in the coming months. MMORPG.com's Managing Editor Jon Wood caught up with Ryan Dancey, Chief Marketing Officer at CCP Games, and the two discussed how EVE's shift away from being a purely digital product will affect the game. Also notable is that Dancey gives the details of what that $39.95 (€39.99) for the box will buy: Mac and PC versions; a Career Guide for new pilots; 60 days of game time that can be converted into PLEX; automatically have needed standings for factional warfare; a VIP pass which functions like the Buddy Program; and a shuttle with expanded cargo capacity. These extras were previously rumored to be included with the EVE retail purchase, but Ryan Dancey's comments in the MMORPG.com interview would seem to confirm those rumors. Have a look at the rest of the interview focused on EVE Online's retail release for more on how the publishing deal between CCP Games and Atari is shaping up.
