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EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 2
One of the most common things I hear from people who don't play EVE Online is that they don't like the game itself but they absolutely love the stories that come out of it. There's something inherently brutal and visceral about the stories players act out every day in EVE's colossal sandbox. Tales of high-profile thefts and political intrigue occasionally creep into the media and grab our attention, but stories of that sort are a lot more common than you'd think. Last year, we told one such story of a player's descent into criminality and revenge taken too far. In last week's EVE Evolved, I began to tell the true tale of that same player in one of his biggest heists to date. If you haven't read the first part of this story yet, head back to last week's EVE Evolved before reading on. A matter of time Having discovered an opportunity for theft much greater than expected, Scott recognised that he would need help to pull off a successful heist. With the wormhole corporation's assets within Scott's reach, a sense of urgency began to overtake him. Based on discussions with his new corp members, he knew that the group's wormhole tenancy had just begun and that they were still in the process of clearing the starbase up following a frantic move-in. This explained the secure containers littering space -- a temporary measure to be used until an adequate hangar permission scheme could be created. In this week's conclusion of the story of the great wormhole heist, Scott discovers allies in some unexpected places and finds out first-hand whether there really is no honour amongst thieves.
EVE Evolved: The great wormhole heist, part 1
Several years ago, EVE Online's Community Manager CCP Wrangler made a statement that I felt really crystalised the sentiment behind the game. He said that "EVE isn't designed to just look like a cold, dark and harsh world; it's designed to be a cold, dark and harsh world." Although most of us are content to indulge ourselves in PvP, market games and other traditional modes of gameplay, a criminal underworld runs beneath that innocuous surface. A significant few carve their own illicit destinies from the void, stealing and cheating their way to the top. Whether these space-faring cyber-criminals are in it for fame and riches, political influence, or their own personal goals, the stories of their actions in EVE's colossal sandbox never fail to grip us. High-profile thefts like the Guiding Hand Social Club heist of 2005, the closure of EBank, and last year's Titans4U scandal have been made very public, and smaller-scale crimes occur every day in New Eden. Last year, we brought you the true tale of one player's revenge taken too far -- a story of corporate infiltration, social deception and utter destruction. Although this was Scott's first foray into criminality, it was most certainly not his last. The events in this week's story are true, but the names of the players and corporations involved have been changed. In this week's EVE Evolved, Scott returns as I begin to tell the true story of his huge wormhole heist.
The story behind the iPad's home screen photo
When Steve Jobs revealed the iPad back in January, viewers stared in breathless amazement, none more so than Richard Misrach, the artist whose photo is the default home screen image. He was sitting at home watching a movie when his phone rang. It was his agent, and he couldn't believe what was happening. Soon, Richard's family and friends were all calling. Needless to say, Apple's decision to use his photo for this "magical revolutionary device" was a surprise. Misrach had submitted 10 photos for Apple to consider for "wallpaper" some time ago, but they had all been rejected, he told Art Info. There was no mention of the iPad at the time, but they eventually called back to say yes, they'd like to use his "Pyramid Lake (at Night)" photo. He describes the image as "...a long night exposure where the moon is lighting up the mountains in the distance. I shot it on an 8x10 camera, so the quality is really beautiful and you can see star trails going through the sky." Those trails have startled some users, but I think they look great. The photo itself was taken at a Native American Indian reservation in Nevada. Richard notes that this is the first time in his 40-year career that he's commercially licensed an image. He explains why with tongue-in-cheek style: "What's funny is that for years I actually used the photo as my own screensaver. So I guess they know what they're doing." [Hat tip to Beau Colburn]
One Shots: The Keep calls
We love the new instances in Northrend. Now, normally we show off screenshots sent in to us here at One Shots, but we're down to staff-only shots at this point. As such, we're showing off a screen that was forwarded to this blogger by the leads from our sister site WoW Insider. The original submitter, Richard, said that he'd be thrilled to see the WoW Insider team use this as a small image for a Utgarde Keep post, but the Leads decided it was such a great shot that it would be best to show it off at full size. As such, you get to enjoy today's World of Warcraft image, showing one of Northrend's hottest destinations, sent to us (indirectly) from Richard!One Shots is about community, so why not show off what you've been doing in your favorite game? We could use lots of screenshots from lots of different games, so pick your favorites and email them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. We'll show them off and give you the love!%Gallery-9798%
LFG sells a Richard plushie, Resto4Life sells t-shirts
The Richard character on the WoW comic LFG seems to be pretty divisive -- either you want to rip his guts out, or you just can't love the guy enough. For both of you, there's good news: the folks behind the comic have released a plushie of the character, so either you can pick it up and torture it for being such a violent jerk (ah, the irony), or you can love and cuddle the maniac as your own. The item is in pre-order right now, and will supposedly ship in November of this year.And speaking of things you can cuddle, Resto4Life has some sharp new T-shirts in the mix -- they're rocking a Druid "Waffles" design, and the cheetah-skinned "Warsong Flag Carrier" (man I hate those sneaky Druids in WSG), but the best is the "Doncha wish your boyfriend cast 'hots' like me" shirt -- I don't know any boyfriends that would actually wear it, but it made me chuckle. Awesome to see these great fansites hopping with cool swag.Update: Not to be outdown, our own BigBearButt blogger also has some nice Druid wearables for sale. Don't miss the trucker hat -- perfect for showing off your feral side.
Sunday Morning Funnies: A random intermission
This week, Sunday Morning Funnies includes ranting, crying, joking, and even some crazy old guys trying to fight each other. Prepothteruth from Dark Legacy Comics talks about predictability and improbability that can creep into plots. Extra Life speaks out against level 30 mounts, crying, I earned that thing! Shakes and Fidget meet The Guardian. You even get a joke, an intermission, and some explanations (sort of). You may have noticed that we've been talking about the Spore Creature Creator lately. While it isn't Warcraft-related in itself, many people have been using it to create sporelings similar to WoW characters! We even have a gallery. So, to celebrate, and pique your curiosity, I am including GU Comics' The Spore Creature Editor. LFG's Richard is starting to go a little bit bonkers. No no, more than before. In fact, he even fancies that he has a destiny. NoObz has a lovely father and son moment. Ding!'s Kissybear is taking a walk on the Alliance side of things. Teh Gladiators come upon an old, old arena match. On The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf, Shari begins ranting about the rampant use of the word "gay" by certain types of players. Are you ready to cast your vote?
