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Puzzle Pirates celebrates five years of puzzley skulduggery
It's hard to imagine that Puzzle Pirates launched five years ago, but it's true. The online game from Three Rings has seen quite a lot over the years, too. In fact, according to Three Rings there have been over 250 million hours of puzzling, 4 million Puzzle Pirate accounts and one and a half million forum posts. That's a ton of puzzle skulduggery, not to mention the laundry list of past game updates. We can only hope for the same kind of content in Whirled.As part of the celebration for five years going, Three Rings is recognizing all their longtime pirates with a special in-game trophy to show off. We hope Puzzle Pirates and its players see another five fine years of updates, pirating and puzzling on the high seas!
Disney battles with piracy on affiliate website
We hate to laugh at a situation like this, but it's just too easy. While Disney (and everyone else) fights to keep fraudulent Blu-ray Discs out of the Chinese market, said studio is also fighting another outlet of piracy: a website in which it holds a stake. In an admittedly bizarre twist of fate, Disney has discovered that several full-length, high-quality bootlegs of Wall-E were posted up at 56.com, a site which Disney's venture-capital affiliate, Steamboat Ventures, invested in just two years ago. We always heard that expecting someone to play by the rules when the only rule was lawlessness was a touch insane -- case in point, no?
Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs
Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad. [Image courtesy of UberGizmo]
Warner Bros. ends home video / DVD business in South Korea, piracy to blame
Those guys look pretty passionate, wouldn't you say? It's folks like that (we presume) that have forced Warner Brothers' hand, and now the studio will end its home video and DVD business in the nation of South Korea. According to an unnamed official at Warner Brothers Home Video Korea, "one of the reasons for the pullout is a slump in the video and DVD market, resulting from online piracy and illegal downloading," and amazingly enough, Warner Bros. is actually the last remaining Hollywood company to pull out of the region. Instead, the firm will focus on "digital distribution," and given that just about everyone and their grandmother has access to the internetz in South Korea, we'd say that's probably an intelligent move.
MapleStory set to be boarded, mateys
Ever wanted to take on monsters and swagger around, with nary a care for lesser landlubbers? Well Nexon's got just the thing for you in their newly created MapleStory player class - Pirates! Launching this month, the addition of the Pirate class adds a new facet on this already popular game. Players start with the Pirate, but can choose one of two job paths as their levels increase. At level 30, players can specialize in the fast melee attacks of the Brawler, or go for the ranged-attack prowess of the Gunslinger. Both job trees continue up to Buccaneer or Corsair at level 120, respectively. Additionally, pirates gain several fun new abilities like sneaking past monsters in barrels, the ability to summon sea creatures to help, and even transformative battle powers.As if that weren't timber-shivering enough to give players an incentive for rolling a Pirate, MapleStory is also adding in a series of new maps and areas to experience aboard the Pirate ship Nautilus, just full of new adventures. They're also planning a series of contests based around the new class, including a costume contest, a user-generated content contest and even a competition for pirate-themed guilds. To top it all off, MapleStory is introducing a new server for people to play on - Demethos - which should give new players a chance to be on a more even footing as everyone levels up. Sounds like some serious sea fun to us. Yarr!
Outlaws of EVE Online: Miz Cenuij
There are many criminals in EVE Online, but some push their chosen profession to a whole different level, sometimes even at the expense of their fellow outlaws. Being an outlaw in EVE Online's setting of New Eden isn't just about prowess in combat. For some, the pull of New Eden's underworld is all about the social fabric of the game... and how to exploit it. Deception is their greatest weapon, and paired with the endless opportunities for social engineering in EVE, that weapon can be put to devastating use. Among all of the conmen and scam artists in New Eden, there's one name that conjures up more rage and misery than most others: Miz Cenuij. From the earliest days of New Eden, Miz was on the path to becoming a major antagonist in EVE. While some players love him, most just love to hate him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Over time, Miz has become one of New Eden's most notorious thieves and hell raisers, an evil celebrity of sorts. His manipulations have triggered alliance wars, brought him numerous threats from other pilots, thousands of confirmed kills, and raked in a fantastic amount of wealth in the process. His preferred modus operandi in EVE is the long con, but since he learned to convert his wealth into influence over others, he's found that corruption and practiced deception make a formidable combination. As if a counter to restlessness, his apparent goal of keeping New Eden set in motion, if not set ablaze, has ensured that Miz Cenuij lives on a steady diet of tears and rage.Massively caught up with Miz Cenuij, who told us what motivates him to engage in activities that oppose the interests of so many other citizens of New Eden, and why he enjoys igniting controversy in EVE.
EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - The dark side
One of the big lures to EVE Online is the fact that its PvP isn't just shoehorned into consensual duels and battlegrounds. Instead, EVE PvP can occur anywhere whether you like it or not and punishments are levied after-the-fact for engaging in unsanctioned combat in designated safe areas. In the previous three parts of this exhaustive guide on where you can take your PvP career, I described the different types of PvP EVE has to offer from small gang warfare to massive territorial fleets. In this final part, I explore EVE's evil side as I talk about piracy and corporate infiltration.Griefing?:In most MMOs, stealing from other players or indiscriminately killing them for fun or profit can be considered griefing and may be against the rules or worse. In the cold, harsh universe of New Eden, however, piracy and theft are just another facet of the complex player-based gameplay. From the common gatecamping pirate to the criminal masterminds behind the Guiding Hand Social Club heist, players of all kinds are drawn into the criminal underworld of EVE Online.If piracy, theft and corporate infiltration sounds like your cup of tea, continue reading as I delve into the dark side of EVE Online.
One Shots: A favorite first faction ship
There's nothing quite as thrilling as seeing a cool piece of gear, then targeting in on it and achieving it. It's those kinds of rewards that keep many playing games; from fancy mounts and vanity pets to gear and titles. Today's EVE Online One Shots is of just such an item, and comes from our staff writer James Egan. James included the following story about this image for us: This is a Daredevil, a pirate faction ship from the Angel Cartel in EVE Online. In my first days in EVE, I caught sight of one of these aggressive-looking frigates and just had to have it. As a 3-day-old noob, it was a lofty goal at the time. I suppose it was anticlimactic when I obtained one shortly thereafter, that goal being nowhere near as lofty as I'd envisioned, but it's still a valued part of my collection. It also represents the first major bit of gear I lusted after in an MMO. Those trinkets, titles, pets, mounts, ships and awesome gear are cool, but it's always more fun if you share your accomplishments with others. So if you've had that one thing you lusted over and achieved, why not grab a screenshot of it and send it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. It only takes a few minutes, and you'll get to tell the world about how exciting it was to finally attain! We look forward to hearing (and seeing) your stories. %Gallery-9798%
EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Gang warfare
PvP Masterclass is a series of articles explaining PvP from the bottom up and showing you how to get involved even if you're a new player. In part 1 of this series, I examined the main types of PvP a player can choose in EVE Online and showed the directions players can take their PvP careers. In this second part, I explore how small gang warfare fits into the PvP landscape of EVE and help you decide what avenues you should pursue if small gang warfare is your cup of tea.Numbers game:A complaint I hear all too often today is that small gang warfare in EVE is dead, that PvP is a numbers game and competing on the battlefield means having the biggest blob. It almost always transpires that these people are trying to shoehorn small gang warfare into places it's not suited for like major 0.0 territorial conflicts or that they're neglecting the importance of intel-gathering scouts. Small gang warfare isn't about your gang of five ships trying to take on a blob of two hundred. It's about putting together a small, tight unit of pilots and picking your fights carefully.Whether you're planning to pirate, fight for the Gallente Federation or declare war on your neighbours, small gang warfare is for you. Read on as I examine the small roaming gang, one of EVE's oldest and most fun avenues of PvP.
Learning to pull the trigger in EVE Online
Not a day goes by without someone in EVE Online being cut down by the guns, lasers, missiles or drones of another player, given how PvP-centric the game is. Only in EVE, you don't just respawn and all's well. There's often more... drama... involved. A ship lost, implants obliterated, screams of it being unfair or "Whyyyy?!" echo in Local or on the forums. This can be a brutal game at times, and most every player in EVE learns their lessons the hard way. Much of what's said on this is typically from the perspective of the victim. But what about the person behind those guns? Is it always easy for them to pull the trigger? EVE Online blogger Black Claw addresses that sense of regret that carebears go through when turning towards piracy in "Feeling guilty?" After all, many pirates were once the 'innocent' victims of someone else when they were starting out. Black Claw writes about what it's like to make the transition from a PvP victim to a killer.
TV pirate gets 14 months in federal slammer for rebroadcasting DISH Network material
If you really needed proof that the statement "crime doesn't pay" had at least a semblance of truth behind it, here's your sign. Known satellite TV pirate Glenn White has been sentenced to a 14 month stint in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally rebroadcasting DISH Network's programming. As the story goes, Mr. White was doing business in Wagram, North Carolina under the name Wagram Cable, but rather than distributing material in a legal manner, he chose to crack DISH's encryption and then monetize it. Big mistake. Oh, and DISH Network actually put this out on a press release in order to let the public know it "will continue to fight those who aid or participate in illegally breaking into encrypted DISH Network TV channels and set-top boxes." Don't say it didn't warn you.[Image courtesy of FlatPanelTV]
EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Introduction
One of the most perplexing things about EVE Online has to be the fact that although the game is essentially designed around PvP, a lot of players avoid it entirely. In this new series of articles, I will explain PvP from the bottom up, with a particular focus on helping anyone that has always wanted to give EVE's high quality PvP a try but wasn't sure what to do. In this first article, I examine the different types of PvP available in EVE Online and suggest ways to get involved in them even if you're just finishing the 14-day trial.Types of PvP:In most MMOs, PvP means organised battleground matches or one versus one player duels. For those games lucky enough to have open world PvP, the options are a lot more varied. In EVE Online, the exact right combination of factors come together to create what on a good day I can only describe as the best PvP experience I have ever had in a computer game. Rather than just being something fun to do, PvP in EVE arises as a natural consequence of normal play, used by players to push forward their own agenda in a harsh, dismal space-borne society.Continue reading as I help you choose which type of PvP suits you the best and suggest ways to get involved in it.
Surviving gatecamps in EVE Online
A large percentage of EVE Online's playerbase prefers to remain safely ensconced in highsec space, where they can move about running missions, mining, or engaging in their chosen playstyle with minimal risks. However, the real action in EVE occurs in lowsec or more lawless tracts of space -- where players themselves determine what the game is, not CCP's mission designers. But if you've played EVE for any length of time and ventured out into lowsec or 0.0 space, you've no doubt encountered -- or been a part of -- a gatecamp.That ambush waiting on the other side of a star gate is ubiquitous in EVE, and is pretty much a core tactic used in the game. If you're on the pain-giving end of the scenario, you've probably got little to fear if the numbers (and warp disruption capabilities) are on your side, save for those sentry guns... and the occasional billboard packing heat. However, for those attempting to survive gatecamps that block access to a given destination, or bypass them altogether, there are a few things you'll need to know. Xiphos, of Agony Unleashed PvP school, has lived in 0.0 for roughly two years and recently imparted some tips on surviving gatecamps.
EVE Evolved: Electronic Warfare, part 3
In the first two parts of this three part guide, I explained the basics of electronic warfare in EVE Online and examined the skills and equipment you'll need as an electronic warfare specialist. In this final section, I tackle the tricky issues of battlefield operations and survival.Survival:An unfortunate fact about being part of a fleet's electronic warfare crew is that you'll almost certainly be a high priority target for your enemies. To make matters worse, specialist electronic warfare ships tend to have very poor defensive capabilities. Fitting any kind of tank on an electronic warfare ship can waste vital module slots and severely impact the performance of your ship. This is particularly true in the case of ECM jamming ships where the low slots should be used for signal distortion amplifiers.What can you do to keep your ship safe on the battlefield and what should you do to help your fleet be victorious? Join me as I answer these questions in a thorough tactical overview of electronic warfare in EVE Online.
EVE Online: Et tu, Brute?
Mynxee of the Life in Low Sec blog is a prominent member of the EVE Online community, but like many others who share her passion for both playing the game and blogging about the experience, she has a tendency to 'violence boats'. Lots of them. In light of this fact, she found herself in a bit of a dilemma: Should friends made in the online space, who share the same passion for the game, be off-limits when she's hunting for targets in EVE? She posed this question to her fellow capsuleers (and bloggers); carebears and pirates alike responded in kind. In fact, the comments read like a Who's Who of the EVE blogging community. While a few felt killing their friends should be off limits, the consensus was that anything that comes into their sites is fair game. After all, killing other pilots in acts of piracy -- or just for some PvP -- isn't usually personal, although victims may feel otherwise. Do you kill your friends who happen to be in other corps or alliances on an NBSI basis*, or would that be crossing a line for you in EVE? * For those who are newer to EVE Online, NBSI means "Not Blue, Shoot It" -- in EVE you can set standings for different player corps and alliances. If a corp is set to red, they're fair game for anyone in your own corporation/alliance. If they're set to blue, you don't (or shouldn't) fire upon them.
Pirate Loot Phriday: Foror's Eyepatch
Yaaaarrrr maties, that scurvy-ridden deck-scrubber Schramm was made to walk the plank during the last plunderin' voyage on the South Seas, so I, Capt'n' Blackbeard, be here to tell yer about my favorite Pirate Loot in the game today. Ye may remember me from such posts as my Piratical quest guide, and if ye really want to dress up like a pirate, maybe ye'll be interested in some Savory Deviate Delight. But enough high seas promotin' -- let's get to this Epic eyepatch!Name: Foror's Eyepatch (Wowhead, Thottbot, Wowdb)Type: Epic Leather HeadpieceArmor: 183Abilities: Yaaar maties -- this eyepatch increases yer Stamina by 19, which is good, because you'll need as much Staminer as ye can manage to drink toe to toe with ol' Blackbeard. O'course, +19 Stamina ain't much now that ye're sailing around the cosmos in Outland and such, but back when we pirates ruled the seven seas of Azeroth, it were plenty! It also increases yer crit strike rating by 28 (which'll help ye stab yer rapier right under the shirt folds of those bastards in the Royal Navy), and increases attack power by 44. Plus, it's as stylish an eyepatch as ye'll find. While there be plenty of eyecovers hidden in treasure chests all over the world, this be the only Epic one ye can wear (at least until our ships set sail again t'Northrend). Which reminds me, ye scurvy landlubbers -- did I ever tell ye how I lost my own eye? It was the first day I had me hook. Arrr, but that's a story for another day. How to Get It: Ah, to nab this beautiful booty for yerself, ye need to bring down the biggest freshwater kraken that ever terrified the trolls of Zul'Gurub. Aye, lads and lasses, Gahz'ranka, the dreaded Hydra that swims in the ancient Troll city. Once upon a time, the beast required a whole crew of 25 pirates to kill, but nowadays, with the shiny cutlasses and bootstraps ye adventurers have, ye can do it with just a few folks.But bringing the beast up from the swirling waters of Zul'Gurub is a quest in itself -- ye've first got to go into the instance and get the measuring tape of ol' Nat Pagle. Now, Nat Pagle isn't a pirate by any means, but those of us swashbucklers have to respect a man who's tamed as many fish as he has, even if he is a lousy landlubber. Give him the tape (last the echoes of Davy Jones' locker told us, he was in Dustwallow Marsh), and ye'll find him with a Mudskunk Lure. Then ye've got to go back into Gurubsville, fish out five Mudskunks from the pools in the water, and finally ye'll be able to face Gahz'ranka. Ye'll see the eyepatch once out of every ten kills, so get to farming, scallywags! That eyepatch ain't going to pull itself from the beasts' guts on its own!As for who Foror is, ye captain haven't a clue. But he must be a cursed yellow-belly landlubber if he's going to go leaving his eyepatch in the belly of Gahz'ranka! A real pirate would have taken off his boots (Posiedon knows ye don't want to get yer boots dirty), and climbed right down the throat of the beast to get it back!Getting Rid of It: Disenchants into a Nexus Crystal (yer pirate ain't so sure of disenchanting -- fishing is his only profession, and voodoo is better left to those who know how it's done), and will sell back to vendors for 2g 59s 33c. But real pirates don't sell -- if ye got treasure ye don't need, just bury it on a remote island somewhere! That's the pirate way!
EVE Evolved: Electronic warfare, part 2
In part 1 of this guide, I delved into the world of electronic warfare in EVE Online. In this second segment, I examine the skills and equipment you'll need to be an electronic warfare specialist with special regard to ECM jammers, remote sensor dampeners and tracking disruptors. Contrary to popular belief, new pilots with few skillpoints can still be extremely useful in this area of PvP. The entry-level skills and equipment for electronic warfare specialists can be obtained within days of starting the game.Entry-level ships:Although electronic warfare modules can be fitted to any ship, each race has its own set of specialised ships that get bonuses to them. Ranging from cheap expendable frigates up to expensive force recon ships, there are specialist ships for players of all skill levels and in all price ranges. The Caldari race have ships that specialise in ECM jammers, the Gallente specialise in remote sensor dampeners and the Amarr make good use of tracking disruptors and energy neutralisers.Read on as I examine the skills and equipment you'll need to be one of the most effective electronic warfare specialists in EVE.
EVE Evolved: Electronic warfare, part 1
Whether you're taking part in faction warfare, pirating, fighting a dirty corporate war or defending your homeland in 0.0, chances are you'll be engaging in a lot of fleet warfare. Although a lot of newer fleet commanders prefer all fleet members to be in ships that deal a lot of damage, the optimum setup makes better use of a variety of ship types. A strong fleet in EVE Online is typically composed of three main groups. First you have the tacklers who intercept and warp-scramble enemies, then the damage dealers who kill the enemy and finally you have the electronic warfare crew.What is electronic warfare?:Electronic warfare involves the use of modules that debilitate the enemy indirectly rather than attacking them head-on. This includes using target jammers to cause the enemy to lose his active target locks, sensor dampeners to decrease his lock range and energy neutralisers to deplete his capacitor. A good electronic warfare ship has the potential to remove several enemy ships from the battle, cutting the effectiveness of the enemy fleet down significantly. For this reason, a good electronic warfare wing in your fleet can be seen as a force multiplier, allowing your fleet to engage much larger forces and succeed.In the first part of this guide, I cover the basics of electronic warfare in EVE and show just how important this often underused portion of a fleet is.
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%
