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CCP still planning to expand EVE's station gameplay
Just when you internet-spaceship-only types thought it was safe to resume your relationship with CCP, the EVE Online studio has dropped a dev blog detailing its plans for further Incarna-style avatar development. The recent CCP reorganization put bidpedal gameplay on the back burner due to a player outcry in favor of the game's flying-in-space elements, but as it turns out, CCP "still believes in the vision to bring your characters fully into the world of EVE." CCP t0rfifrans says it will simply take a bit longer for the firm to realize its ambitious sandbox goals. He also says those goals are currently up for debate, and while gambling minigames, corporation-owned hubs, and contraband trading haven't been ruled out entirely, Team Avatar has gone "back to the drawing board" in the interests of identifying rewarding gameplay and developing a prototype. In other New Eden news, CCP's Power of 2 promotion is making a return engagement, and you can create a second account at a discount price through April 1st. [Thanks to Kane Hart for the tip!]
EVE Online's Crucible expansion coming Nov 29th
CCP's feel-good post count has been building to a fever pitch in recent weeks, and today the company has announced the ultimate win-back promotion in the form of EVE Online's 15th major expansion. The content drop is called Crucible, and it's currently scheduled to debut on November 29th. "Crucible evolves the graphics, interface, and game mechanics with over three dozen updated and improved features based on feedback and challenges put forth by its players. This is EVE re-forged," CCP says on the expansion's teaser page. The web portal also provides a handy collated list of the aforementioned developer updates, and in spite of what was unquestionably the rockiest summer in the sci-fi sandbox title's eight-year existence, the future is looking pretty bright.
New EVE dev diary talks PvE content
CCP has fired off another EVE Online press release, this time extolling the virtues of the PvE content coming in the winter expansion. New DED complexes are on the way, as are new bosses, modules, and "more reasons to generate massive explosions in space," according to CCP Affinity. Anomalies will feature increased payouts and more NPCs, and consequently more ISK for the players. Magnometric sites will also see their overall value increase, and CCP is even adding a minimize function for dungeon-related pop-up messages to improve capsuleer quality of life. Read all about it on the official EVE website.
EVE CEO: 'We are back in the spaceship business' [Updated]
CCP's damage control tour continues, and the latest stop is Eurogamer. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently sat down for a lengthy interview with the website and offered up what should be music to the ears of disgruntled EVE Online veterans. "We're really focused on making kick-ass EVE expansions in the more traditional way that we've done so many times in the past. What becomes of the store and Incarna is something that's not a big priority right now," he said. Petursson also has some interesting things to say about his own accountability during EVE's turbulent summer and the role of the player-run Council of Stellar Management. "I'm starting to get feedback from players that they worry the CSM is too pre-occupied by a certain playstyle. That might mean we may need to change the structure, but definitely the CSM has worked as a feedback tool greatly throughout the years," he explained. Head to Eurogamer for the full report. [Update]: Petursson made similar remarks, and also touched on the recent CCP layoffs, in an interview at GamaSutra.
EVE dev blog teases new player customs offices
How does the prospect of a player-owned customs office in EVE Online grab you? Whoa, settle down there, Mr. flying-in-space troll, as we're not talking about Incarna-style player housing here but rather a new mechanic that seeks to add a bit more sand to New Eden's sandbox. CCP Omen has the details in the latest EVE dev blog and in a nutshell, player customs houses exist to enable planetary taxation and to add a new wrinkle to the game's planetary interaction mechanics. You'll need to erect a customs office in orbit around a planet (note: there can be only one), and of course it can be attacked and destroyed by your fellow capsuleers. For a list of materials, costs, and associated corporation functionality, warp on over to the official EVE dev blog.
CCP to EVE players: We've heard you, unprecedented development refocusing in the works
Significant change is afoot in EVE Online, and no, we're not just talking about the latest clothing item on the Noble Exchange or additional captain's quarters built on top of Incarna's foundation. A brief blog post on the official website indicates that CCP has taken the firestorm of criticism from long-time players over the last several months to heart. While it's not quite a mea culpa, CCP Zulu does say that the company has been engaging in an "extensive and intense introspection and revitalization. The result of this is a refocusing and reprioritization on a scale unheard of within our company." How extensive (and how intense)? That remains to be seen, of course, but the post points to the recent ship-spinning update and also goes a step further. "We are listening to you, we have heard you, and plans are already in motion," Zulu writes.
EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses
Over the last few months, the phrase "Flying in Space" has been increasingly used by both EVE Online's developers and its players to describe features other than those of Incarna. It seems like a redundant phrase as all of EVE's gameplay currently takes place in space, but the distinction has become necessary when discussing the allocation of development resources. Members of EVE's player-elected Council of Stellar Management have recently spearheaded a wave of new complaints about the level of resources dedicated to EVE's in-space features, claiming that developers have been left without the resources necessary to do a good job. In the previous three EVE Evolved columns, I discussed the upcoming nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter and the incredible new gameplay players might get as part of it. Members of the CSM know exactly how many people will be working on that revamp, and although those numbers haven't been made public, several delegates have gone public with their disapproval. EVE's subscription fees are currently paying for the development of CCP's upcoming fantasy MMO World of Darkness and its ambitious console MMOFPS DUST 514, leaving few resources for new EVE gameplay and content. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the success of EVE's first blockbuster expansion and ask why development on EVE Online has dramatically decreased over the past two and a half years.
