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EVE Evolved: Just another week in the Sleeper's den
Following last week's reassuringly popular article "Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers", our little expeditionary alliance has had an extremely action-packed week. In addition to several PvP encounters with roaming gangs, there's been a POS siege, a system invasion and a lot of drama. At the end of it all, I'm left with a renewed sense of awe for the unique experiences EVE Online can deliver if you're just willing to seek them out and actively involve yourself. At times I can truly immerse myself in EVE and feel like I'm taking an actor's part in a kind of intergalactic play scene, an experience I've never come close to in any other MMO. Taking part in these events is almost like being painted into an illustrative chapter of some historic record. In this article, I hope to solidify that record and share a glimpse of what it's like to immerse yourself in this part of EVE. What follows is a storytold account of Total Comfort alliance's deadly week in the Sleeper's den.
Apocrypha 1.3 improvements and Tech III changes coming to EVE on Monday June 29
EVE Online patch Apocrypha 1.3 is slated for a Monday June 29 deployment. CCP Games is pushing ahead with their Need for Speed initiative, which aims to streamline the game's performance and provide a better play experience. They're making some database changes with the next Apocrypha patch that should improve what you experience in your game client with inventory management, but beyond addressing "The Jita Problem" there will be a fair number of changes in the next patch. On that topic of speed, players should notice a huge change with starbase deployment (or hasty tear downs): players will be able to anchor, online, or unanchor offensive and defensive starbase structures in half the time it took previously. (Ninja POS deployment?) Perhaps more significant to some players than others, station reprocessing will be much faster -- apparently refining stacks of items will be up to 25 times faster than before. Also, some of those changes to Tech III production we've mentioned before are going into effect on Monday, and should ultimately be a boost for Tech III. Apocrypha 1.3's changes extend far beyond what is mentioned here; players heavily invested in wormhole exploration and the production it fuels should look closely at the patch notes to see how CCP's changes to the game might affect them.
Next EVE Online patch will boost Tech III production
The Apocrypha expansion for EVE Online introduced wormhole exploration to the game and with it, the potential to reverse engineer advanced technology from the Sleeper NPC race. The goal for many such explorers is ultimately to produce the next iteration of ship technology in the game; these Tech III strategic cruisers feature modular designs that can accomplish some impressive things. This, coupled with their rarity and sky high prices make Tech III ships into everybody's favorite multi-billion ISK gankmagnets, and it's that scarcity that EVE game designer CCP Chronotis addresses in his latest dev blog.He writes that CCP Games will make some changes in the next Apocrypha patch that will affect the supply of Tech III materials. Specifically, they're going to boost reverse engineering while also balancing out the types of salvage gained from Sleeper NPC wrecks, and increase the availability of Tech III production materials in general. If you're involved in wormhole exploration or Tech III production, consider this dev blog from CCP Chronotis a heads up as to the changes on the way.
One Shots: Beware unknown space
One of the things many EVE Online players have been enjoying (including Massively's very own Brendan 'Nyphur' Drain) is scanning down random wormholes, looking to see if there's something interesting waiting on the other side. Sure, you might find riches, but alternately you might find yourself stuck, and then heavens knows where you'll wind up next. So - as with all things in EVE Online - fun, but potentially really dangerous. Today's One Shots shows off one such adventurous player, Existentialist, who was spending some time scanning. He writes in: I was scanning down Cosmic Anomolies with my Caldari Heron. It all went down the drain after this... Sadly, he doesn't elaborate, but we hope it wasn't too bad! If you've found an strange or interesting area in your favorite game, we want to see it! Just send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/corp/guild/etc and a quick description. We'll post it out here for all the Massively readers to see and give you the credit. (Besides, it's pretty cool to see your own screenshot up here, we think.)%Gallery-9798%
EVE Online's wormhole exploration leads to new 'rescue' profession
Wormhole exploration is perhaps the key feature that came to EVE Online with the Apocrypha expansion. Its 'true exploration' of thousands of uncharted solar systems can bring great rewards but also entails equally great risks. The Sleepers are the strongest NPCs that players can face in the game's setting of New Eden, adding to the challenge of taking them on is the fact that you may be hunted down by players at the same time. The delayed local channel in wormhole space ("w-space") means you won't know if you're really alone in the uncharted solar system until you find yourself being targeted and fired upon by a roving gang of hostiles. Wormholes can also have tactical environments which affect how well your ship operates in that solar system, sometimes imposing penalties. Then factor in that wormholes are inherently unstable and can collapse once enough ships have passed through, and you've got a fair amount of unpredictability injected into your gameplay. Wormhole collapses have led to a number of EVE's capsuleers being stranded in unknown regions and unable to find a way back into known space ("k-space"), much less navigate their way home again. That's where "Wormhole Rescue Service" and its founder Astro Glyde can help.
Wormhole exploration hearkens back to EVE Online's early days
EVE Online's latest Apocrypha expansion has elevated the exploration profession to new heights. The addition of roughly 2500 new and uncharted solar systems, expanding the game's galaxy of New Eden to over 7500 solar systems in total, brings what can honestly be called 'true exploration' to the sci-fi MMO. Territoriality is a major aspect of EVE and wormholes allow players to emerge in far flung regions of New Eden -- sometimes places they're not supposed to be -- leading to all sorts of unexpected near-death experiences. Players have already reported emerging from wormholes and finding themselves hunted by the local territorial powers (player alliances claiming those regions of the galaxy) or by the NPC authorities, in those cases where players are involved in factional warfare. Some pilots have found themselves deep within enemy faction territory, leading to all kinds of insane chases across the galaxy.
EVE Evolved: A guide to probing in Apocrypha
Several years ago, CCP released a new upgrade for EVE Online's standard system scanner. Scanner probes were deployable tools that could be used to find ships, drones and a few hidden complexes lost in the vastness of space. The system was later expanded to provide an awesome exploration experience – combat encounters, dungeons and rich asteroid belts were strewn throughout space for some lucky explorer to find. With EVE's latest expansion, the exploration system received a complete overhaul. A new scanning system was devised, complete with new probes and probe launchers. As if that wasn't enough, a new "True Exploration" mechanic was introduced with the appearance of wormholes all throughout space. Many wormholes lead to one of the 2500 new star systems that aren't on the main system map, each of which contains lucrative but dangerous sleeper NPCs that drop components for tech 3 ship production. In this article, I delve into the new probing system with complete strategies that have been proven to work. Read on to get an edge on wormhole exploration.
EVE Online Apocrypha expansion trailer kicks off storyline events
CCP Games just dropped the trailer for EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion, which sets the tone for the storyline players will soon experience. The trailer depicts a cataclysmic event which creates rifts in space-time throughout the New Eden galaxy, affecting all of the races. We see fleets of ships investigating the anomalies and take their first journeys through wormholes, emerging in unknown space. There, the explorers find bizarre structures whose design is unknown to New Eden's races. These space stations house the technology behind Tech III, advanced modular ship designs, but seizing technology potentially thousands of years beyond that of the capsuleers awakens long-dormant defenses: the drones of the ancient Sleeper race. We've got the YouTube embed of the Apocrypha trailer in HD for you below the cut.
Massively's Apocrypha expansion hands-on: True Exploration
True Exploration For many EVE Online players, the Apocrypha expansion is the advent of true exploration. Exploration has been a mini-profession in EVE for some time now, and there are a number of dedicated explorers in the game. That said, the profession has been difficult to learn and players typically go through exploration probes like kleenex, in the hope that they'll find a hidden pocket of space to exploit. Critics of exploration have pointed out that they're not truly exploring new places, simply scanning down what's just hidden to most other players. The Apocrypha expansion will bring true exploration to the game, allowing players to find and enter wormholes leading to uncharted regions of space. Roughly 2500 new solar systems await EVE's explorers willing to brave the challenges within this hostile space.
EVE Online launches Apocrypha expansion site
EVE Online developers CCP Games have launched a new site for the sci-fi game's Apocrypha expansion, slated for a March 10th launch. The site has a teaser trailer, screenshots, wallpapers, and concept art related to Apocrypha. In addition, there are brief video presentations from three key developers involved with the expansion: Lead Game Designer Noah Ward (CCP Hammerhead), Associate Producer Arend Stührmann (CCP Whisper), and Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olaffson (CCP Torfifrans). Their presentations range from discussion of Tech III to how wormhole exploration and the New Player Experience will add something fresh to the game:
Facebook users get first peek at EVE 'Apocrypha' video
Facebook users got a first look at the in-game video opening for EVE Online's next expansion, Apocrypha, earlier today. The narration explains a fundamental aspect of the game's lore, that as a capsuleer in EVE, you're essentially an immortal and often viewed as a demigod. But in the game's setting of New Eden, you're faced with others of your caliber, individuals as driven to succeed and rule as you are. No further details about the new features in Apocrypha are revealed in the video, aside from a superimposed iris and wormhole. Unfortunately a download or embed isn't available at the time of writing, but a working cut of the footage can be viewed on the EVE Online Facebook page.
EVE Online developer explains how to build Tech III strategic cruisers
For many players of massively multiplayer online titles, the crafting side of these games is especially appealing. Quite a number of EVE Online's players are drawn to the crafting side of this particular sci-fi MMO, and those in large corporations and alliances have learned how their collective efforts can allow them to produce vast quantities of items and reap equally vast sums of ISK.EVE's crafting system is also very much the backbone of the game. Almost every ship and module used by players in the game was created by another player. Those who are into the combat aspects of the game are reliant upon the producers to supply their tools of destruction, and that destruction in turn creates demand (and fuels profits) for EVE's industrialists. It's an interesting bit of symbiosis (despite that animosity towards those on the other side of the fence) that keeps New Eden thriving.
EVE Online to introduce new NPC race with Apocrypha expansion
PvE gameplay in EVE Online can be profitable, but blasting apart NPC ships can also get repetitive after a while. Anyone who's run a solid week of missions knows this all too well, and the combat dynamic between players and NPCs is something CCP Games will start remedying in the next game expansion: Apocrypha.EVE dev CCP Ytterbium's dev blog "When Evolution Leaps Forward" has some big news about what's in store for players as of March 10th in Apocrypha. The devs tasked with revamping the game's PvE experience are making some substantial changes to the distribution of bigger and badder NPCs. They're also introducing a new NPC race to New Eden: the Sleepers, an ancient race with technology beyond what is currently available to players, but whose secrets can potentially be unlocked.
Players skeptical about EVE Online's introduction of Tech III
Everyone loves Lego, right? That childhood pastime of snapping together pieces to create new and often bizarre creations is coming to the spaceships of EVE Online, but not all players are happy to hear about this. The next EVE Online expansion, Apocrypha, is going to introduce some new aspects to gameplay. Some of these new features, like wormhole exploration, seem to be received positively by the player base. But others -- like the modular "Tech III" ship designs -- have drawn no small amount of criticism from EVE's subscribers. Tech III is an aspect of the game that has players pretty well divided, much like the upcoming Walking in Stations (aka Ambulation) expansion. The sentiment a number of players have been vocal about is 'Do we really need this?' Whines and tears are a daily occurrence on the game's official forums and perhaps the opinions voiced there aren't necessarily indicative of the sentiments of the larger player base. But concerns about Tech III are also beginning to show up on player blogs, far from the bandwagoning of the EVE Online forums, and in some cases from players who know the game very well.
Dates for EVE's next expansion, retail launch confirmed in video interview
Hilmar V. Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, has given a rather softspoken video interview with Gamereactor on where the sci-fi title EVE Online is today, and what's on the horizon. The interview seems intended for those who haven't played the game before -- as Hilmar gives an intro to the game and its single world setting -- or perhaps gamers who haven't gotten their feet wet in a massively multiplayer online game yet, as he highlights some of the benefits of incorporating more social aspects into video games. Hilmar gives some history of the company, discussing how CCP Games has grown into having nearly 400 employees at present, with 300 of them focused on the next expansion and its retail launch (in partnership with Atari). The next expansion -- which will include Tech III and wormhole exploration -- will go live on March 10th, and EVE Online will appear on retail shelves on March 12th. Check out the video interview over at Gamereactor for more on the upcoming EVE expansion.Update -- embedded video below the cut:
