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The Daily Grind: Do you attend specific MMO fan conventions?
A hot topic for yesterday's news was the details on two newly-announced fan fests for 2009. One being the long-time favorite BlizzCon, and the other being a new North American location for EVE Online's developer meet and greet, usually held only in Reykjavik, Iceland each year. In addition to these, we have conventions such as Sony's Fan Faire and various one-time meet-ups for various games or companies.So for this morning's TDG, we thought we'd get some reader opinion on these specific MMO get-togethers or corporate events. While they might not be able to bring in the numbers of the larger conventions like PAX (with the exception of BlizzCon), the specific target audience tends to be more of the "hardcore" or dedicated fan. So as our favorite hobby grows in popularity, would you rather see more of these specified meet-ups, or should they just remain part of the larger conventions with a broader appeal?
EVE developers to hold a meet and greet in Las Vegas
The major player gathering for EVE Online players is Fanfest, which is held in Reykjavik each year. However, the fact is many players can't make the trip to Iceland, and a number of North American players have hoped for an event that's more accessible to them. It looks like this is going to happen, and what's more accessible than Las Vegas? (Bonus: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.")The 2009 EVE Developers Meet and Greet in Las Vegas was mentioned very briefly during the recent (and excellent) Alliance PvP Tournament, but more info is available now. EVE Vegas is a two-day event that will be held on May 8th and 9th at the Imperial Palace (on the Strip). It kicks off on a Friday with the Meet and Greet, followed up by a conference on Saturday.
CCP Games releases EVE Fanfest 2008 videos
Most EVE Online players didn't have the opportunity to attend EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik earlier this month, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have to miss out on what was revealed. CCP Games and EVE TV have made good on their promise to release video footage of Fanfest presentations and panel discussions. While they did make live audio of some of this available in-game over EVE Voice, it was difficult to follow without the visuals to tie it all together. Now, they've put up a new video page dedicated to EVE Fanfest 2008, with both low res and high res downloads. They culled roughly 30 hours of raw footage down into 12 videos. We've listed them below, accompanied by the CCP descriptions and video links, for both YouTube (when available) and high resolution versions:
CCP reveals Tech 3 coming in EVE's March expansion
CCP Games revealed some details on the as-yet unnamed EVE Online expansion, slated for release in March of 2009. "The unnamed expansion will introduce 'Tech 3' modular ship designs, branching epic mission arcs, further improvements to the new player experience, and exploration of uncharted space through unstable wormholes," writes Oli Welsh, reporting from EVE Fanfest 2008 for Eurogamer.Welsh also reports that the exploration system of EVE Online will be revamped dramatically, now allowing for 'true exploration' where EVE's pilots will use "new skills and modules to travel through wormholes into all-new, unconnected space. There they will find unique stellar phenomena and the resources and artifacts that will lead to the third level of technology in the game universe, Tech 3 -- the first such update since Tech 2 was introduced back in 2004," Welsh adds.
CCP Games and Atari partner on EVE retail box sales
When EVE Online launched in 2003, it came in a box through the game's publisher, Simon and Schuster Interactive. But for much of EVE's lifespan, it's been a digital product. Nothing to buy at a store, no physical media to save. It seems CCP Games has gone retro, from what was announced by CCP's CEO Hilmar Pétursson today, live from EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik. He announced that CCP Games will be partnering with Atari to establish a retail presence once again... which is fitting really, as Atari will also be publishing Ghostbusters. Hilmar introduced a short presentation by David Gardner, Atari's CEO, who discussed the partnership with CCP Games. EVE typically has a winter expansion and a summer expansion. The winter expansion, Quantum Rise, is just days away. The summer expansion is expected (but not confirmed) to include Walking in Stations, only there's a little twist with the timing... They're not waiting for summer. It's coming in March. In a box. In your local game store. That's the information we have at this time, but we'll keep you informed as more details surface.Update: Note that we haven't locked down a release date with Walking in Stations yet. Massively will report on Walking in Station's official release date once that's available -- at this time we only know it's tentatively slated for 2009.
EVE Fanfest 2008 keynotes broadcasting live, November 8
EVE Fanfest 2008 is in full swing in Reykjavik, but fans of the game who can't make that trek to Iceland this year have let out a collective grumble that EVE TV isn't streaming live content, as they have in prior years. Rather, the EVE TV team is recording the events and interviewing players, with the aim to make the video footage available to everyone after Fanfest. But for those who really want to connect with what's happening in Reykjavik now, CCP Fallout announced another way for players to listen in:"For those pilots who are unable to warp to Fanfest this year, we are please to announce that we will broacast t0rfifrans's and Oveur's keynote addresses live in-game. Those of you who would like to listen in should join the 'Live Dev Blog' in-game channel on Saturday, 8 November at 13:00 GMT." We've also gotten word that CCP Games CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) will be delivering a keynote at 15:00 GMT on November 8th, which will also be broadcast live. As with all of the Live Dev Blogs, players need only activate audio via the right click menu to listen in on the keynote presentations.
EVE Fanfest presentation discusses graphics enhancements
EVE Online's Fanfest 2008 is now underway, and reports are already coming through on what's happening in Reykjavik. CCP Games held a press conference that discussed EVE's technical side, namely its server technology, but also touched upon EVE's impending graphic enhancements in 2009. EVE Online's Premium 'Trinity' graphics engine was a significant leap forward in the game. While some players felt that the graphics as they were prior to Trinity were still ahead of the curve in terms of what's expected of an MMO, the look of the game changed dramatically with Trinity. However, the Trinity deployment wasn't a complete revamp of EVE's look. Ships and stations benefited from Premium graphics, but other celestial objects did not, jump gates notwithstanding."EVE is in a state where, if you run the Premium graphics edition, half of it is done, you could say," said Chief Technologist Halldor Fannar of CCP Games, at Reykjavik's Fanfest 2008, as reported by Oli Welsh of Eurogamer. Future graphics updates will bring celestial objects in line with what's currently seen in Trinity, and may well arrive with the forthcoming Walking in Stations expansion which is slated to launch after the Quantum Rise expansion, just around the corner.
EVE Fanfest 2008 live dev blog Thursday, October 30
The 2008 Fanfest for EVE Online is almost here, and it seems that some things will be different this year, not limited to the new PvP Tournament scenario. CCP Wrangler writes: "With EVE Fanfest 2008 approaching we decided to let you ask the Fanfest organizers some questions. Murinae and Krisnitori will join us... and Whisper will be asking them your Fanfest related questions." The live dev blog will take place on Thursday, October 30th, at 20:00 GMT. To hear it, you'll need to enter the in-game channel 'Live Dev Blog' and enable EVE Voice via your right-click menu. As with the previous live dev blogs, the way to get your questions answered is to post in the announcement thread, from which the devs will select questions to field.
EVE TV returns to Fanfest, seeking interviews with players
CCP Games announced that EVE TV is going to returning for EVE Online Fanfest 2008, and will still operate under the principle of being "something made by EVE players, for EVE players." That's the word from one of newest members of the Marketing team at CCP Games, CCP Charlie, who introduces himself by announcing the scheduled content from Fanfest that they'll be recording and making available to everyone. He says, "Every video will be made available for download within a week or two after the Fanfest," and lists the specific content we can expect to view:
Live dev blog with EVE Online Senior Producer, October 23
Given all the EVE Online news of the past two weeks, not limited to new features being added to the game and old 'features' being taken away, CCP Games has announced a Live Dev Blog for tomorrow, October 23, at 20:00 GMT. The event is expected to last for about one hour. This time, the Senior Producer of EVE Online, CCP t0rfifrans, will be fielding questions from the players. As with the last few live dev blogs, the way this works is you need to post in the announcement thread with the questions you'd like answered. You can listen to the dev blog tomorrow by joining the in-game channel 'Live Dev Blog' and enabling EVE Voice via your right-click options once you're in. No doubt there will be a wave of Ghost Training nerf questions but it seems unlikely that this issue will be addressed any more beyond the two dev blogs on the matter. Then again, why should that stop you from trying if you've got legitimate concerns? But this would also be an excellent time for people to get Walking in Stations (Ambulation) questions answered as CCP is prepping a playable demo of it for Fanfest attendees, not to mention asking about new ship models like the Orca capital industrial ship.
CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times
Recent world events and their impact on global finance threaten to have dramatic consequences on the game industry. While an economic downturn isn't something to be taken lightly, it is unique in comparison with similar problems in the past -- now real world economic issues can potentially ripple into virtual economies, just as they certainly impact the companies who create MMOs and virtual worlds. CCP Games, founded in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a case-in-point. There has been commentary and speculation among EVE Online's playerbase and in the media about how Iceland's economic woes may impact the game. The CEO of CCP Games, Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) addresses these concerns in his dev blog, "Born Global."
EVE Community Spotlight: Winterblink
Some players in EVE Online are known for a particular contribution to the community. Others for their presence on the forums or for their reputation as a pilot. EVE's players know Winterblink for all of these reasons, and more. While there are a number of celebrated players in EVE Online, few names are as recognizable in the game as Winterblink. Whether you're a fan of the Warp Drive Active comic, you listen to his podcast, or perhaps you just want to podkill him... most players agree that he's one of the friendliest people you're likely to meet in EVE, except for when he's got you in his sights. Massively recently caught up with Winterblink and spoke with him about how Warp Drive Active came to be, finding humor in a game that's taken so seriously by its players, and what it means to him to be a part of the EVE community.
EVE Fanfest 2008 PvP Tournament details announced in video
We've mentioned that EVE Online's next PvP tournament will be unusual, featuring a mix of ship combat (as expected) and mining (completely unexpected). The end result promises to be wonderfully chaotic and offers something interesting for players of all types, whether hardcore PvP-er or carebear. In fact, this also creates the new possibility of having industry-focused players giving tournament commentary alongside the PvP veterans, but there's been no word on this to date. While EVE's PvP tournament viewers at Fanfest 2008 can look forward to the pandemonium of coordinating mining lasers with missile fire, it's a safe assumption that the tournament participants themselves would like to know how this is expected to go down. CCP Games now has a video explaining how the tournament will work, and has posted two charts showing the brackets of the EVE Fanfest 2008 PvP Tournament schedule. In fact, devs CCP Mindstar and CCP Claw were filmed randomly drawing teams from a 'hat' and matching them up, which was later solidified into the schedule.
CCP Games updates on Walking in Stations expansion for EVE
The latest EVE Online dev blog comes to us from CCP Eris Discordia. Her post, "Boozing in Stations", deals with the Walking in Stations expansion (formerly known by the much cooler name 'Ambulation'). She states that CCP Games is making good progress on Walking in Stations, but some more feedback from the players is needed: "We are continuously testing, designing, integrating, iterating and polishing on our internal server, but something is missing... the MM part from MMO -- the massively multiplayer part. Our fix? Open up the internal release for the Fanfest attendees so that for a few days our internal release will be public!" As reported earlier, EVE Fanfest 2008 attendees will get to preview Walking in Stations firsthand, well in advance of the expansion's release.She writes that this preview is not a public beta or even an alpha, just that CCP wants to share what they've done with the players. "There is only so much that we can explain through pictures and visual aids. In the end, you need to experience it in order to get a good idea of what we are truly doing." Eris also writes that EVE Fanfest 2008 will have a number of presentations by CCP devs on the Walking in Stations expansion, as well as roundtable discussions. Check out her "Boozing in Stations" dev blog for more info about where the Ambulation... no, Walking in Stations expansion is in terms of its development and what EVE Fanfest 2008 attendees can look forward to.
New details surface about EVE's 'Walking in Stations' expansion
Ambulation, or 'Walking in Stations' as it now seems to be known, is a hotly anticipated feature coming to EVE Online. It represents the first effort by CCP Games to add a more interactive dimension to the game, where players will finally be able to step out of their ships to socialize, play games, and ... modify one another's bodies? Apparently so. While some information about Walking in Stations is already known, EVE Stratics recently turned up more details. Trish "Seridove" Bennon and Michael "Solace" Lutes recently got some face time at PAX 2008 with CCP Games devs Jeremy Albert (Associate Producer) and Noah Ward (Lead Game Designer, aka CCP Hammerhead) who talked about aspects of the expansion.
EVE Fanfest PvP Tournament rules announced with video demo
We've known for a little while that the EVE Online 2008 PvP Tournament will be a departure from how it's been run in previous years. Perhaps better reflecting the interests of the wider player base, the 2008 PvP tournament will feature mining that takes place amidst the chaos of combat. The implementation of these new objectives was briefly outlined by CCP Games in July, but they've now clarified the rules and systems to be used; a video they've put up on the official EVE site does a good job of explaining how it's all going to work. Basically, all tournament participants will receive 'super characters' with all skills maxed at level 5. Both sides will have a Rorqual capital mining ship -- the space between those is considered to be the arena, where combat can occur. Both sides attempt to collect as much ore as possible within 15 minutes, as the video explains: "Any methods within the rules can be used to accomplish this and stop your opponents from doing the same. Mining ore yourself, killing enemy miners and looting their wrecks, stealing from enemy jetcans or just outright destroying the opposing team are all within the rules."
Official EVE Flickr images show Ambulation concept art
Ambulation, or 'Walking in Stations,' is a hot topic among EVE Online players, but for opposing reasons. Some are excited about the prospect of being able to get out of their capsules and ships and finally interact on an avatar level with one another. Other players feel that Ambulation offers little that will benefit the game as it's played by EVE's pilots. Regardless of what detractors from Ambulation are saying, CCP Games has been moving ahead with the project. Players will decide for themselves whether or not this is a positive addition to EVE Online when they get to try it out at Fanfest 2008 in November. Until then, CCP has provided a few images on their Flickr account that give EVE players a glimpse at how their avatars are going to look later this year, and what the station environments will be like. [Via CrazyKinux]%Gallery-29904%
EVE Fanfest 2008 PvP Tournament to be unconventional
One of the highlights of the annual EVE Online Fanfest in Reykjavik is the PvP Tournament, which draws strong competitors from the most powerful alliances and relative unknowns alike. As you'd expect, the PvP Tournament has always been purely about annihilating the opposing side or conversely losing horribly in front of a live audience of EVE fans. The 2008 PvP tournament, however, will be a little... different. CCP Claw has dubbed this year's tournament "The Super Ultimate EVE Online Mining Tournament of Awesomeness." Why, that name just rolls off your tongue. But the changes coming to the tournament aren't limited to an unwieldy name; players will need to mine for ore while under heavy fire from the opposing team. "Any method within the rules can be used to accomplish this and stop your opponent from doing the same. Mining ore for yourself, killing enemy miners and looting their wrecks, stealing from enemy jetcans, or just outright destroying the opposing team are all within the rules," CCP Claw states.
Inside the War Room: video interviews with key EVE Online developers
The devs at EVE Online have been busy of late. They rolled out a new expansion, released a CG video for Empyrean Age, organized EVE Fanfest 2008 and now they've put up video interviews with four of their key developers. CCP Games gives these highlights of the clips: Tony Gonzales, EVE Online's Lead Writer, explains that tensions built within the Empyrean Age novel were developed to entice both veteran and EVE players and the 'uninitiated' science fiction fan. Gonzales also toys with the idea of writing a sequel to the book. Noah Ward, EVE's Lead Designer, discusses the new features in Trinity 1.1: Boost Patch. Learn all about the new improvements, deadlier ships and interface renovations now available. Matthew Woodward, Game Designer for Empyrean Age, tells us,"These new missions give players the strength of narrative." New missions within Factional Warfare alter the focus from isolated PvE, taking these objectives and tying them into the sweeping story found in the Empyrean Age novel. Nathan Richardsson, Executive Producer, discusses the origins of EVE Online while providing an overview of Empyrean Age's features. All out war was the most brutal and obvious choice for this new expansion. Was this war inevitable? Yes. Richardsson also offers his view on what makes PvP exciting and worthwhile. The video footage of the devs at EVE Online's dedicated Empyrean Age site is found in the interviews section. Check out all four to gain a little more perspective on what's led up to the factional warfare expansion, and what is yet to come.
EVE Fanfest 2008 to have first public preview of Ambulation
Massively previously announced some of the details of the upcoming EVE Online Fanfest 2008, but CCP Games has just updated their site dedicated to the annual capsuleer pilgrimage. The three-day event (November 6-8) will be filled with a PvP Tournament; presentations by CCP devs to showcase upcoming game features; roundtable discussions between players and devs; and a silent auction of EVE collectibles with proceeds to benefit sick children. If any of that sounds enticing to you, it actually gets better. EVE Fanfest 2008 will feature a hands-on demo of Ambulation. CCP states: "You'll be able to sit down and interact with character avatars live at FanFest. This will be the first public demonstration of EVE with Walking in Stations and we expect this experience to be a huge draw." To help pack in the crowds, CCP Games is offering travel packages for reduced rates on airfare and hotel stays, and they've expanded the travel package offerings to more countries since their initial Fanfest announcement. Check out CCP's Fanfest '08 site for the full details on what's the most anticipated annual event for EVE Online fanatics (and a few Massively writers as well).
