Bam-zine

EVE Online: Dominion set for Winter 2009

Ten free expansions down. Now an eleventh.  Set for Winter 2009, EVE Online: Dominion will focus on what is often cited as EVE’s “end game” – alliance warfare. It offers a complete overhaul of the current sovereignty mechanics in favor of a system that’s a brilliant mix of our game design vision and the input we’ve received from fans on forums, at conventions (FANFEST!) and via the CSM. Savvy alliances will benefit greatly from following and understanding these changes, which will receive extensive testing.

In addition, we’ll be adding some new epic arcs for pirate factions, offering the first iteration of the integrated social networking platform known as COSMOS, setting our artists free to rebeautify planets and more.

As always, more information is in the pipeline from any number of sources. Check in with our dev blogs, CCP interviews at conventions like PAX and Austin GDC, coverage from Fanfest and Alliance Tournament VII, gaming news and fansites, our forums, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the newly launched (but still mysterious) EVE Online: Dominion feature page.

Tranquility is up! *Update*

Tranquility will be going down at 22:30 GMT for a reboot. This will be to fix the issues surrounding Jita. Server will be back up at around 23:30 GMT.

Update: Downtime extended another 30 minutes and will up at 23:30 GMT.

Update: Tranquility is up and running. Fly safe!

CCP at PAX, 4-6 September and more….

Each year we use the convention season to gear up for Fanfest. Once again we’ll be bringing EVE Online to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle. 4-6 September. It’s one of our favorite shows each year, bringing the unbridled enthusiasm of video games to the downtown area.  We’ll have developers in tow and some stations set up for your PvP pleasure, so please stop by if you are planning on coming.

In addition, we’ll also have a couple panels at DragonCon (Atlanta 4-7 Sep) and a booth setup at Austin Game Developer’s Conference (Austin 15-18 Sep). If you are in the area or attending any of those, please join us!

Epic is as epic does

Since the release of Apocrypha, the Content team has been developing and producing more arcs of the epic variety. As a result, four new epic arcs have been added, one for each of the major empire factions. I’ll cut right to the chase and give you their descriptions.

Caldari arc: “Penumbra”

In the heartland of State space, inter-corporate tensions come to the fore as Nugoeihuvi makes a move for some quick ISK, and you must choose who to trust and who to betray. The moral ambiguity continues through to the end, as the player begins to unravel an even darker side to corporate self-interest and the ongoing conflict in Black Rise.

Amarr arc: “Right to Rule”

For over a century the mighty Amarr Empire has been at an uneasy peace with the enigmatic Sansha’s Nation. But the Sansha are pushing further into Amarr space without warning or explanation. Ministry of Internal Order agent Kandus Sandar enlists you to be his primary investigator, to uncover plots and annihilate threats as only a capsuleer can.

Gallente arc: “Syndication”

In the outer reaches of Gallente space, you are enlisted on a mission to escort a Federation Senator’s son on his way to a holoreel shoot. En route, the boy is kidnapped by pirates. The chase is on, and you must enter the seedier parts of free-wheeling Gallente society in order to find him. Along the way, you’ll encounter embedded Scope reporters, upstart Minmatar gangs, retired flesh merchants, and dubious Black Eagle chicanery as you search for the missing boy.

Minmatar arc: “Wildfire”

The Brutor tribe stands in to support an historical research effort being undertaken by the Republic University, a move bolstered by the presence of a powerful and capable capsuleer – that is, you. Repeatedly denied access to an important historical artifact, the academics are pitted in a constant struggle to uncover ancient truths, and it will be your mission to help them. The histories of conquered civilizations are seldom told in full by the victors, and many organizations will do their best to keep things that way.

Redefining Missions

Epic arcs are a different breed, a different style of mission altogether, and as such require the player to approach them from new angles and perspectives. Fundamentally, these current epic arcs we’re releasing are equivalent to level 4 missions in difficulty, possibly a bit harder than most level 4s. However, you should not approach them as if you were grinding “Worlds Collide” or “Damsel in Distress” from your agent’s base in Dodixie. You are not playing disparate scenes chosen from a random list by a chatty robot in a space station. No, sir.

Instead, you are playing an immersive story, with dramatic arcs, unique characters, and an ebb and flow of dramatic events (including that fan favorite, story branching). You, as a player, are engaging in a persistent story handed to you by characters with motivations, desires, and personalities unique to them. The missions are scenes of a longer narrative, and the drama unfolds not only in the agent window, but through the action you experience in deadspace.

Thus, while diving into these epic arcs, keep a couple things in mind:

1.      Pack your bags. Be expected to travel through different regions, constellations, and systems. New Eden is a big place: This is your chance to explore part of the universe and to poke at EVE’s hidden corners, the nooks and crannies of deep space. Does this mean that you will have to travel 8 jumps every mission just to get to that deadspace complex? No, of course not. We don’t want you to spend all your time on autopilot. But the agents will not always be in the same system as you, nor even the same region. It’s okay to explore and discover what the universe has to offer. You’ll be surprised what you might find.

2.      Check your standings. Each of the four major factions is getting an epic arc in this batch, so if you couldn’t complete “The Blood-Stained Stars” because your Amarr standing was in the negatives, not to worry. You can still run the Minmatar arc, or the Gallente arc. Should you try to attempt the Amarr arc? Well, you can try, but if the Imperial Navy attacks you, don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if you have good standing (or at least, non-negative standing) with a particular faction, try the arc. That will not be an obstacle for you.

3.      Ebb and flow. We have designed these missions to be the equivalent difficulty of level 4 missions. However, this will not just be wave after wave of battleships and elite cruisers waiting for you after each gate. Some missions will be more difficult than others. Some deadspace pockets may not have any combat at all (but getting there might be the real effort). We have designed these arcs to including dramatic pacing and story flow.

4.      Into the void. Branching provides us an opportunity to offer different play styles within each story without forcing any one upon the player. At certain points in these arcs, we can offer multiple routes to completion based on what the player is ready and/or willing to do. The story forks: Do you want to risk your ship for the greater rewards of lowsec? Or will you play it safe and stick to your hisec roots for the lower rewards? Are we going to force you into that possible gate camp where you’ll lose all your beloved faction mods? No, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But will we offer you carrots to break that liminal boundary between hisec and lowsec? You bet we will. Epic players are not afraid of lowsec.

5.      Not just words, but actions. Much of the storytelling of these arcs will not come from those few paragraphs spouted at you by your agent. Instead, you will play the story, experience it, and watch events unfold through deadspace complexes, encounter sites, and NPC interaction. We are creating scenes here, not just dialogue. You are witness to, and participant of, the universal play: Go and experience the story, be a part of it, and help determine its outcome.

6.      Chew the scenery. Flavor is everywhere, tucked away in bits and pieces strewn throughout EVE. Thus, we encourage you to take in the story and find the flavor wherever you can: NPC descriptions, character bios, item descriptions, storyline items, the works. We placed bits of story everywhere you could think of, and everywhere we could. Don’t be afraid to look for those little pieces that could enhance the world you’ve entered. Sometimes they might just be for show – other times, they could have a deeper purpose.

7.      EVE is a dark place. Yes, these epic arcs may be about larger-than-life stories in which you play the part of the protagonist. You are doing Important Things because you are the protagonist of your gaming life. But are you the hero? Maybe. Just because we call them “epic arcs” does not mean you’ll be slaying the dragon and saving the day. Sure, you can do that. Be the hero, if you want. But New Eden isn’t a black-and-white world. A hero to one group is a villain to another. Sometimes, you’ll have to make tough choices. New Eden has just as many anti-heroes as heroes. Remember that, as you destroy that fleet of battleships or plant that bomb to destroy a station full of civilians.

8.      Just desserts. You will be rewarded for your actions. We’ll make sure of that. Lots of ISK? You betcha. Cool modules and equipment to use and play with? Yep. We didn’t forget about those. I won’t tell you exactly what we have in store, but I can tell you that each of the four arcs has at least one unique reward. Some may have more, based on the ending you choose or the path you take. You may have to do some nefarious things in order to get the sweet loot, but that’s all a part of the epic arcs experience.

9.      Don’t panic. We’re here to offer you stories to play with, not to ruin your game experience. We have put a lot of time and effort into these arcs, to ensure that we would not put the player in a situation that would have detrimental effects on their character without providing alternatives or giving them a substantial or mechanical reason for doing questionable things. That Minmatar gang you face off against will not destroy your standings with the Minmatar faction (even the Republic has its pirates, you know). Is there risk involved? Of course. You will face some very difficult missions (and you might want to bring a friend along at certain times). But we will make sure that you are always rewarded well for whatever you do.

We hope you enjoy this latest batch of epic arcs and the stories we have to offer. We promise we have more to come.

New Chronicle: The Human Painting

They say that Jacus Roden, one of the biggest arms dealers in the Federation, is an eccentric freak, a lunatic whom the Federation’s elite Black Eagles can easily overcome. But no one, especially their leader Mentas Blaque, would ever expect the delicious deviousness of Roden uniting the e***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED***

“The Human Painting” is a new EVE Chronicle written by CCP Gnauton. Published every other Monday, Chronicles are intended to examine the various aspects of life in New Eden. The entire list is contained here, and a comment thread for this particular story may be found here.

Downtime News: Monday, August 24, 2009

In order to fix the Minmatar Epic Arc “Playing All Their Cards,” we will be extending our normal downtime on Monday, August 24, 2009 by a few minutes.

Summer Buddy Program Coming to a Close

There is still time left to win a trip to Fanfest 2009. The 2009 Summer Buddy Promotion is quickly coming to an end. There are only 9 days left for you and a buddy to win a free trip to Iceland for Fanfest. To enter, simply tell your friends about EVE and get them signed up with a buddy account! For rules and information see this EVElopedia page.

See you in Iceland!

Summer Buddy Program Comming to a Close.

There is still time left to win a trip to Fanfest 2009. The 2009 Summer Buddy Promotion is quickly coming to an end. There are only 9 days left for you and a buddy to win a free trip to Iceland for Fanfest. To enter, simply tell your friends about EVE and get them signed up with a buddy account! For rules and information see this EVElopedia page.

See you in Iceland!

Providence Directorate announces Gallente auction winners

New Caldari – The Caldari Providence Directorate has today announced the winning bids for their recent auction of Gallente space. Big winners include Kaalakiota and Sukuuvestaa, while Ishukone makes do with just a single solitary system. The winning corporations are now authorized to exploit these systems to the fullest for as long as they remain in Caldari hands.

As expected, the wealth and reach of the megacorporations has driven smaller corps entirely out of the running. The “blind auction” format seems to have made it difficult for even comparatively wealthy sub-megas – such as perennially successful Ytiri – to gain any kind of foothold. All eight megacorps had at least one successful bid, with Suvee leading the charge and claiming fourteen systems. Meanwhile, in a move many are describing as “baffling”, Ishukone has laid claim to a single system – Intaki, generally considered to be the least promising prospect in the auction due to its comparative lack of mineral wealth and vast native population. Sources believe that this was the only bid Ishukone made, and several question where the financially struggling megacorp managed to find the money.

Political analysts are in agreement that a large degree of politicking has taken place behind the scenes, with many pointing out that the coherent clustering of both individual corporations and ideological blocs is not something that would occur without extensive horse-trading. There is much disagreement over what the long-term consequences of the auction will be, but there are signs that the megacorps are already moving assets into place to begin exploitation as soon as possible.

The full results follow :-

Sukuuvestaa Corporation [14 Systems]:

·         Abune

·         Costolle

·         Deven

·         Fliet

·         Heydieles

·         Indregulle

·         Ladistier

·         Loes

·         Menmaniel

·         Muetralle

·         Murethand

·         Old Man Star

·         Ouelletta

·         Vifrevaert

CBD Corporation [6 Systems]:

·         Covryn

·         Dastryns

·         Harroule

·         Hevrice

·         Jovainnon

·         Ostingele

Nugoeihuvi Corporation [2 Systems]:

·         Iges

·         Uphallant

Hyasyoda Corporation [4 Systems]:

·         Agoze

·         Annancale

·         Brarel

·         Vey

Ishukone Corporation [1 System]:

·         Intaki

Kaalakiota Corporation [8 Systems]:

·         Alamel

·         Alparena

·         Arderonne

·         Athounon

·         Mantenault

·         Mercomesier

·         Odamia

·         Reschard

Lai Dai Corporation [4 Systems]:

·         Aldranette

·         Anchauttes

·         Esesier

·         Evaulon

Wiyrkomi Corporation [8 Systems]:

·         Aslavoinon

·         Aubenall

·         Eugales

·         Fraire

·         Moclinamaud

·         Oicx

·         Renarelle

·         Vlillirier

Extended downtime added Caldari Epic Arc

The downtime today has been extended by one hour to add the Caldari Epic Arc, Tranquility will be back up and open for business at 13:00 GMT.

Update: The Caldari Epic Arc has been enabled in the game. All four Epic Arcs are now available to players.