spreadsheets-online
Latest
CCP formally dedicates EVE Online monument to internet spaceships
This morning in Reykjavik, Iceland, near the CCP headquarters, the studio behind EVE Online, DUST 514, and EVE Valkyrie officially unveiled the EVE Universe Monument first announced last February. The monument includes the inscribed names of primary characters created before March 1st, 2014, with a special mention for those whose players have passed away. Beneath the monument is buried a time capsule with videos and messages from denizens of New Eden. To help EVE capsuleers find themselves on the monument, CCP has set up an online tool called the Name Finder. It's still technically in beta, but we've been able to find our characters! The studio also posted a brief video of the dedication ceremony and literal unveiling of the monument to its Instagram account. We've included it below!
Leaderboard: In which you help Massively plan its EVE Fanfest coverage
Normally Massively's Leaderboard is all about flame-worthy lighthearted MMO-related polling shenanigans. This week, though, we're putting on our serious business suits and traveling to the land of CCP in order to bring you the best EVE Fanfest coverage on the internet. EVE Online expert Brendan Drain is our man in Iceland, but he needs your help! See, Fanfest is huge, and there are a lot of panels and roundtables to attend. While CCP streams the former, the latter are typically behind closed doors. They're also extremely important, as they inform devs about player opinion and help guide future development. So, if you've ever wanted to help direct Massively's event coverage, click past the cut and vote on the panel and roundtable that you'd most like Brendan to attend. Don't forget to leave us a comment with your general suggestions and potential interview questions, too! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
CCP releases EVE's Rubicon 1.4, preps for monument reveal
EVE's latest patch is live, and it "mainly focuses on a slew of bug fixes and minor tweaks as we approach Fanfest 2014," according to CCP. Part of the Fanfest buildup includes the dedication of the EVE Universe Monument on April 30th. CCP's announcement post provides directions to the site and says that the festivities will kick off at 17:00 UTC.
CCP posts EVE Fanfest 2014's schedule
EVE Fanfest 2014 is just a week away, and participants will be pleased to know that CCP has posted the full schedule for the show. The Fanfest schedule includes the dedication of a monument to EVE's players, the wrestling matches between the staff and CCP, a lecture by NASA's Les Johnson on interstellar travel, news about the future of CCP's game roster, and a blowout party-slash-concert. The studio is psyched about the event: "Ask anyone at the CCP what their favorite time of the year is, they will say Fanfest. It is not just the players who look forward to attending, it's a highlight for us developers as well because interacting with the community is both the soul of our games and a thrilling reward." The 10th EVE Fanfest runs from May 1st through 3rd in Reykjavik, Iceland. The entire convention will be streamed for free on CCP's Twitch channel for fans who can't attend. And stay tuned on Massively, as we will be there on site!
CCP staff to wrestle MMA fighter at Fanfest 2014
CCP is looking to give its fans their admission's worth for Fanfest 2014, as the studio announced that members of its team will be wrestling against MMA fighter Gunnar Nelson during the show. That's MMA, not MMO, by the way. The event, called EVE OF DESTRUCTION, will take place on Friday, May 2nd, in a series of 10 one-on-one wrestling matches. CCP would also like to remind you that voting for EVE Online's 9th Council of Stellar Management ends tonight at midnight.
Here are lots of helpful EVE UI tips
If you're confused by EVE Online's UI, CCP Karkur has made a new video that you'll want to watch. Actually, you'll want to watch it even if you aren't confused, because it's full of tips and tricks relating to searches, inventory, the market, fittings, fleet settings, and more. Click past the cut to have a look!
One Shots: Bobble heads
Did we all have a good April Fools' Day this year? Oh hush you; this is why nobody invites you to parties. I certainly had fun, especially while running around with my giant bobble-headed characters in Guild Wars 2. Giant bobble heads are scientifically proven to make any video game 75% more enjoyable. Reader HawkEye sent me in a disturbing number of screenshots with his large noggins, but I chose this one because it also tickled me that the animals had their heads enlarged. "'Sup Mister Ram?" HawkEye said. "Don't headbutt me, okay? Please?" I think that creature more wanted to end its misery than contribute to yours, HawkEye, so hopefully you survived the experience. What other strange views await you in the rest of this column? Probably nothing this strange, that's for sure.
HD Streaming for EVE Fanfest now on sale
Are you a big fan of EVE Online? Do you want to go to EVE Fanfest but can't fit a trip to Iceland into your budget? Do you have a spare PLEX sitting around? Are you thinking about marzipan? Because right now you can buy a high-definition stream of the entire Fanfest from CCP Games for $19.95 or one PLEX, whichever works better for you. (The marzipan thing you'll have to sort out on your own.) Buying the stream gets you access to three days of high-definition coverage, the pre-convention livestream from developers, your choice of one of four industrial ship skins, subscriber-only giveaways, and a digital version of the Fanfest shirt for 2014. Sound good to you? Then head on over and drop your money! Or you can just watch the festivities streamed for free on Twitch, but you'll have to put up with normal definition footage, like an animal.
EVE Online begins voting for 9th Council of Stellar Management
It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year already since EVE Online's 8th Council of Stellar Management was voted into office to provide feedback and ideas between players and developers, but that's the cold, hard fact. Another such fact is that the ballots are now open for CSM9. As with last year, players will vote for not just one nominee but 14 candidates ranked in order of personal preference. CCP has improved the voting interface this time around and said that it will be talking more about the vital role that the CSM plays in the game's development during the voting process.
CCP's Valkyrie eyeing 'a really big transformation in how games are built and played'
Eurogamer recent talked to CCP chief marketing guru David Reid about the company's place at the forefront of the fledgling virtual reality movement. EVE Valkryie was the first title to be publicly played on both the Oculus Rift (PC) and Sony's Morpheus (PS4), which puts CCP in the driver's seat in terms of VR game development. "There aren't a lot of white papers and APIs and ways of doing these things yet," Reid explained. "We want to be a flagship game. We're on the cusp, potentially, of a really big transformation in how games are built and played, but we have to do our part to make sure that's worthwhile for everybody." Reid also talks up Valkryie's connection to the economies in DUST 514 and EVE Online as well as its "rock/scissors/paper" game mechanics. "As I go into a battle and I earn skill points and I earn currency, I can translate those to having the capabilities to fly bigger, better different ships and can kit them differently," Reid says. "It's a fundamental mechanic of the EVE universe, in EVE Online and in DUST, and it'll be coming to Valkyrie as well."
CCP introduces EVE's newest buddy program and rewards
As part of its ongoing initiative to "reduce the barriers for players joining -- and rejoining -- EVE Online," CCP Games has today revealed the latest version of EVE's buddy program, dubbed the Recall Program. Under the new plan, current EVE subbers will be able to send out seven-day game passes to their friends whose accounts have lain dormant for six months. What's in it for existing players, other than the comforting camaraderie of BFFs in a cutthroat space sandbox? If your invitees resub, you can claim not-necessarily-exclusive rewards, up to three per month, including new clothing, a cosmetic ship skin blueprint for the Mackinaw Exhumer, and PLEX.
EVE Online plans drone renaissance
EVE Online is giving much-needed love to its drones come this summer, and a new dev blog posted today has all of the copious details. "There are several aspects of drone balance that are not yet up to our current standards," the devs posted. "In the summer release we will be implementing a wide ranging balance rework for drones of all sizes." The changes will include balancing drones between the different empires, between quality levels, and between drone sizes. There will also be modifications made to drone skills and sentry drones. These changes will also impact skills and modules for fighters and fighter bombers. After the update, these "larger drones" will have reduced base damage and can only be hosted 10 at a time on a supercarrier instead of 20.
The Daily Grind: Do you separate your in-game and out-of-game behavior?
CCP recently released an official statement condemning out-of-EVE harassment. In that same statement, though, the company said that in-game bad behavior is not only acceptable but essential to its version of a sandbox. The separation between player and player character is a common sentiment among MMO fans, of course, whether you're a griefer, a raider, or a roleplayer. What say you, Massively readers? Do you try to separate your in-game and out-of-game behavior, or are you the sum of your actions in both virtual worlds and meatspace? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
CCP: Real-life harassment 'morally reprehensible,' in-game villainy integral to EVE
EVE Online developer CCP has released an official statement regarding real-life harassment in the wake of the sandbox title's latest brouhaha. CCP Falcon says that the company, in collaboration with the player-powered Council of Stellar Management, "have agreed and would like to state in the strongest possible terms and in accordance with our existing Terms of Service and End User License Agreement, that real life harassment is morally reprehensible, and verifiable examples of such behavior will be met with disciplinary action against game accounts in accordance with our Terms of Service." The forum post also states that "the freedom to scam and commit piracy, espionage, and extortion are all fundamental to the EVE Online experience, and CCP will never change that." [Thanks Pierre!]
Here's some of the cyberbullying that happens in EVE Online
EVE Online griefers have grabbed their share of headlines during the game's first decade, but rarely have the masses gotten a chance to witness them in action. Now you can, though, thanks to a player named Erotica 1 who has publicized an audio recording of a "Bonus Round" scam being carried out via voice chat. Jester at EVE News 24 has the full story as well as a link to the Soundcloud file. It's worth noting that portions of the audio are NSFW due to graphic language. [Thanks Max!]
CCP: EVE Valkyrie is at the forefront of the VR 'movement'
CCP is convinced that virtual reality is around to stay, which is why the studio is pouring its efforts into EVE Valkryie for Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus. In an interview with VG247, Chief Marketing Officer David Reid said that CCP's involvement is a signal that VR is coming back in a big way: "This is just great for virtual reality. It convinces all of us developers that this thing is really going to happen. That it isn't just a fad or a flash in the pan or just one company trying -– it is now a movement. When you have one of the foundational companies of the video game industry getting into this, it really has accelerated the chances of this becoming a very big deal." Reid said that CCP is showing that it is focused on "things that matter to gamers" by pursuing EVE Valkyrie. "We said a vision statement a couple years ago that we want to be a developer that created virtual worlds more meaningful than real life," he said.
GDC 2014: EVE Valkyrie coming to PS4, Sony's new VR headset
Sony announced its new virtual reality headset at GDC this week. The device is called Project Morpheus, and it seeks to turn your PlayStation 4 experience into something far more immersive than the typical couch and controller session. Shortly thereafter, CCP announced that its New Eden-based EVE Valkyrie action title is coming to both the PS4 and Project Morpheus. Valkyrie was specifically designed for VR devices, and was previously announced for the PC and the Oculus Rift. We've embedded the new trailer after the break.
Play EVE: Valkyrie on the Oculus Rift at PAX East
Ready to hop on the virtual reality hype train? Make sure you stop by the Oculus spread at this year's PAX East, as the company behind the Rift headset is partnering with CCP to bring you some hands-on time with EVE: Valkyrie. PAX East happens in Boston from April 11 through April 13. If you can't make it, don't worry because we'll be there with silly goggles on our head.
EVE Online: Rubicon 1.3 patch turns on the lights
A new patch has landed in EVE Online today that features a laundry list of tweaks, the most notable of which is the first pass at the game's new linear lighting. Rubicon 1.3's linear lighting system "increases the texture fidelity improving the richness of color," but CCP said that it still needs more work. The patch also includes several quality-of-life user interface improvements such as giving contacts labels, shift left-clicking to open up a kill report, and the addition of a guest list for stations. Other changes with today's patch include better asteroid shaders, new hull maintenance bots, two new mobile tractor unit variants, additional cosmetic options for ships, and improved corporation skills. You can read the full patch notes for all of the details.
EVE's Rubicon 1.3 patch updating directional scanning
CCP's latest EVE Online dev blog focuses on some UI changes headed your way in the March 12 Rubicon 1.3 update. Tweaks include word filtering and chat highlighting, Neocom blink settings, and updates to the game's directional scanner functionality. "As of Rubicon 1.3, you will have three ways to enter the scan range: one slider and two input fields (one in km and another one in AU)," CCP explains. "Those three input options will be interconnected. That means that when you enter 100,000 in the km field, the AU input field will display the corresponding distance in AU and the slider, which is linear, will also update."
