Category Archives: ccp-games

EVE Online seeks tourney commentators, plans dual character training for Odyssey

Posted on May 15, 2013 by MJ Guthrie| Leave a comment
Want to be a part of EVE Online's 11th annual Alliance Tournament that starts on July 20th, 2013, but not from the cockpit of your ship? You can apply to be one of the PvP commentators who will discuss the tourney, tactics, and teams involved live on air with developers as well as providing commentary on matches as they unfold. Yes, live means you'll actually be in Iceland for this gig! Qualifications include having a valid passport, being over 21, having a sharp wit, and being well-versed in PvP. Full details for the application process are available on the official site.

If you'd prefer to participate in the battles themselves, note that there will be a few changes to the tourney from years past. To start, Alliance Tournament XI will run over only three weekends, not four. Second, qualifying rounds and group stages have been replaced by double elimination from the get go. Next, from the second weekend onward, two ship types will be banned from the match by team captains. And finally, to fly with an alliance you had to have been a member since downtime this morning. Dev blogs covering all the rules, the broadcast schedule, and sign-up details will be coming soon.

[Update: CCP has been busy today! The official site has now also been updated with a dev blog announcing that dual character training will ship with the Odyssey expansion next month.]

MassivelyEVE Online seeks tourney commentators, plans dual character training for Odyssey originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online smashes PCU record during anniversary celebrations

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Brendan Drain| Leave a comment
Sci-fi MMO EVE Online has seen phenomenal success recently, from breaking through the 500,000 subscriber boundary to successfully relaunching in China. The game officially turned ten years old today, and CCP celebrated the occasion with events and gifts for all current subcribers. The part-jovian Gnosis battlecruiser was given to every subscribed account at midnight last night and can be claimed before the end of the month, and players logging in yesterday or today will have found a whole slew of bonus gifts.

EVE smashed its previous Peak Concurrent User total during the festivities by a clear margin, replacing 2011's record of 63,170 with a new figure of 65,303 players logged in simultaneously. Part of the reason for the record was the huge number of player-run events taking place that evening, such as the ever-popular Flight of a Thousand Rifters. The event saw almost 2,500 players join together to take down player Marlona Sky's expensive supercarrier. Most of the participants were in small frigates like Rifters and ended up being easy prey when a nullsec sniper Loki fleet turned up. The event was nevertheless a massive success and huge fun for those involved. Continue reading for a gallery of screenshots from the event and video footage from player Scott Manley.

Continue reading EVE Online smashes PCU record during anniversary celebrations

MassivelyEVE Online smashes PCU record during anniversary celebrations originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online introduces a new way to raise your security status

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Elisabeth Cardy| Leave a comment

Filed under: , , , , , ,

EVE Online introduces pirate NPCs and a new way to raise your security status
EVE Online players will soon have a new method by which to raise their security status: New pirate NPCs are being added to asteroid belts in low-security space. Upon death, these pirates drop a new sort of pirate tag, which can be taken into low-sec CONCORD stations and turned in at the Security Office to raise a character's security status.

It should be noted that this is a viable method only for raising your security status up to zero. To get a positive status, you'll need to go through more traditional methods. Additionally, the tags can be traded on the market like most goods, giving players different ways to acquire them.

You can check out all the details on the dev blog.

MassivelyEVE Online introduces a new way to raise your security status originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 May 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Five years of EVE Evolved

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Brendan Drain| Leave a comment
EVE Evolved title image About five years ago, on April 27th, 2008, I joined the Massively team and wrote the very first issue of the EVE Evolved column. Five years later, the column is still going strong and delivering its weekly dose of EVE Online to thousands of readers. I used to worry about running out of ideas to write about, but regular game updates and hilarious player shenanigans mean there's always something interesting going on in New Eden. When EVE hits its 10th anniversary in May, this column will have been running for just over half of the game's lifetime. In that time, I've written over 250 in-depth articles, guides, in-game stories and opinion pieces on EVE Online and a few on DUST 514.

As usual, I'll be celebrating this anniversary by rounding up this year's column highlights and giving away two 30-day Pilot's License Extensions to two lucky readers. To enter the competition, write a comment explaining which EVE Evolved articles from this year you liked best and what topics you'd like to see covered in the coming year. You will need an active EVE account to claim the prize, so be sure to include your character name in your comment if you want to be in with a chance. If you'd rather not give out your character name or don't have an EVE account but would like to give the game a go, you can sign up a new trial account and use the name of your new character.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the highlights from the column's fifth year!

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Five years of EVE Evolved

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Five years of EVE Evolved originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

EVE Online collecting player stories, CSM elections halfway over

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Matt Daniel| Comments Off

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

Screenshot -- EVE Online
In a lot of ways, EVE Online players are a lot like vikings. Or so CCP's new promotional video would have you believe. It draws comparisons between early Icelandic settlers carving out their place in the world to players in the galaxy of EVE Online doing much the same. It also makes the fine point that we would know nothing about the settlers of Iceland were it not for the few who took the time to write about the events of the time. The fine scholars at CCP want to preserve the history of EVE Online in a similar way, and they want players' help to do it. Internet spacefarers can go to the EVE True Stories site and submit their favorite tales, which will be voted upon by fellow players. One lucky player will even win a trip to Iceland to visit CCP's studios and take in the splendor of the country.

EVE players and politicians may also want to remember that the 8th Council of Stellar Management elections are halfway done, and voting will close on April 17th (that's today!) at 7 p.m. EST (midnight GMT). So if you want to make your voice heard, head on over to the election page and cast your ballot. Also, don't forget to check out the True Stories video after the cut.SM

Continue reading EVE Online collecting player stories, CSM elections halfway over

MassivelyEVE Online collecting player stories, CSM elections halfway over originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online executive producer moving to concentrate on mobile

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Beau Hindman| Comments Off
CCP office screenshot It looks like EVE Online's Jon Lander, otherwise known as CCP Unifex, will be moving on from his position as executive producer of the 10-year-old single-shard space MMO to concentrate on CCP's "emerging mobile strategy," according to a recent dev blog. Lander helped steer the team through EVE Online expansions Crucible, Inferno, Retribution, and the upcoming Odyssey. Don't worry, though; Senior Producer CCP Seagull and Development Director CCP Ripley will continue on with production of the game. Odyssey's release is still set for June 4th, and CCP promises that the transition will have zero impact on the quality of the upcoming new expansion.

Even more intriguingly, CCP wants to fill the position that Jon vacated with a candidate from outside the company. The dev blog wonders whether you have what it takes to take on the massive responsibility of running the world's biggest collection of pew-pews, or maybe you know someone who does. Good luck!

MassivelyEVE Online executive producer moving to concentrate on mobile originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

EVE dev blog details overhaul of navy ships in Odyssey

Posted on April 10, 2013 by MJ Guthrie| Comments Off
EVE dev blog details incoming changes to navy ships According to the latest dev blog, the last time navy ships saw any real developer attention in EVE Online was way back in 2009. Some ship specs, like the cruisers, haven't been dusted off in even longer. But fans can finally look forward to some of the rebalancing and retrofitting that other groups of ships have enjoyed in recent expansions; with Odyssey, navy vessels are getting an overhaul. The blog details the incoming changes, from a light once-over of the various frigates to a boat-load of changes for the cruisers and battlecruisers. Check out the full blog for specifics on your favorite ships.

MassivelyEVE dev blog details overhaul of navy ships in Odyssey originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

CCP launches True Stories, eyes possible EVE film or TV series

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Jef Reahard| Comments Off
CCP launches True Stories, eyes possible EVE film or TV series CCP has announced a new EVE Online initiative called True Stories that aims to collect and preserve noteworthy New Eden events in an archive powered by the game's players. Creative director Torfi Frans Olafsson explains, via a new dev blog, that CCP has set up a submission system for paying players that includes the ability to upvote, downvote, and debate.

The submission phase ends on May 1st, with a voting period to follow that concludes on May 15th.

There are prizes including a trip to CCP headquarters in Iceland as well as 10-year subscriptions to EVE. Olafsson also mentions that CCP is looking to expand EVE with additional books, comics, and a possible film or TV series. "Our prospective media partners have shown great interest in adapting or using as inspiration actual events from the game itself," Olafsson says.

MassivelyCCP launches True Stories, eyes possible EVE film or TV series originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

EVE Evolved: EVE’s Odyssey expansion could be incredible

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Brendan Drain| Comments Off
EVE Evolved title image When EVE Online's upcoming Odyssey expansion was officially announced last week at PAX East, the anticipation from players was almost palpable. Odyssey aims to follow in the footsteps of 2009's blockbuster Apocrypha expansion by revamping the exploration system and filling the void of space with thousands of new hidden treasures. We've been promised new ships, a new scanner mechanic with sleek new UI and additional functionality, and a rebalancing of industrial resources across the game.

Though CCP is saving most of the expansion reveals for next month's EVE Fanfest and beyond, we can make some fairly educated guesses on what the expansion will contain from the press release and teaser site. It's pretty much a given that we'll get some kind of new exploration ship, and there's pretty strong evidence that moon minerals will be changing somehow. We're also almost guaranteed to get new faction battlecruisers, and the evidence is mounting that Jove space may finally be about to open for exploration.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the evidence for Jove space finally opening, explain why we desperately need a new scanning system, and make some educated guesses on what else the Odyssey expansion might contain.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: EVE's Odyssey expansion could be incredible

MassivelyEVE Evolved: EVE's Odyssey expansion could be incredible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

EVE trailer takes you inside the Battle of Caldari Prime

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jef Reahard| Comments Off
EVE Online - Caldari Prime space footage Last week's Battle for Caldari Prime event caused quite a stir in the EVE Online community. The live event itself featured a typically ginormous space battle while the behind-the-scenes shenanigans prompted accusations that the supposedly player-driven event was scripted by CCP.

Whatever the case may be, if you missed the livestream you can now get a pretty good synopsis thanks to a nifty new trailer that combines game footage from EVE, DUST 514, and various in-character voiceovers to tell the story of the conflict. Click past the cut to check it out.

Continue reading EVE trailer takes you inside the Battle of Caldari Prime

MassivelyEVE trailer takes you inside the Battle of Caldari Prime originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | 

EVE Evolved: The Battle for Caldari Prime

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Brendan Drain| Comments Off

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVE Evolved The Battle for Caldari Prime
The empires of EVE Online have long and bloody histories that, until now, have been played out largely through fictional chronicles and in-character news posts. This week saw conflict erupt in-game between two NPC empires in the Battle for Caldari Prime live event. The neutral CONCORD faction has managed to maintain order between the four main empires of New Eden for decades, but that doesn't stop the Gallente and Caldari factions occasionally violating the peace.

The Caldari were originally part of the Gallente Federation but gained independence in a war lasting almost a hundred years. Following an attack on a Gallente city, a right-wing faction in the Gallente government seized power and ordered the bombing of the Caldari homeworld. Millions of Caldari citizens were evacuated from the homeworld, a planet that has been under dispute ever since. Caldari Prime resides in the Luminaire system and is officially inside Gallente territory, but recent events have seen the tables turn.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the story behind the recent Battle for Caldari Prime, accusations that the event was staged and scripted, and what the future may hold for live events in EVE.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The Battle for Caldari Prime

MassivelyEVE Evolved: The Battle for Caldari Prime originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX East 2013: EVE Online Odyssey expansion announced

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Brianna Royce| Comments Off

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

PAX East 2013 EVE Online Odyssey expansion announced
CCP Games has just announced at PAX East that EVE Online's next expansion will be called Odyssey and will hit the live servers this summer on June 4th. CCP told convention attendees that the focus of the expansion will be on exploration and shaking up the status quo of the classic space sandbox.

The studio has simultaneously unveiled an official website for the expansion; it promises, among other features, "a re-imagined scanning system, intuitive navigation and new exploration modules" that "will aid you as you search the heavens for your next conquest."

[This story is developing -- stay tuned as our PAX attendees post more info!]

Gallery: EVE Online PAX Prime 2013 Gallery

Continue reading PAX East 2013: EVE Online Odyssey expansion announced

MassivelyPAX East 2013: EVE Online Odyssey expansion announced originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online’s anti-bot policy now two-strikes-and-you’re-out

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jef Reahard| Comments Off

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Study this EVE graph to cure insomnia
Are you a fan of charts and graphs? Are you curious to know how CCP's war on bots is going in EVE Online? If you answered in the affirmative to either of those questions, the latest EVE dev blog is tailor-made for your reading pleasure.

In it, the firm details organization and personnel changes to the anti-botting team, and it also acknowledges the substantial amount of user feedback that frowned on the rather lenient "three strikes" enforcement policy. Effective immediately, then, EVE Online is switching to a two-strike policy wherein strike one results in a 30-day ban and strike two results in a permanent ban. Furthermore, any client modification or "involvement in RMT" will lead to a permanent ban on the first offense.

MassivelyEVE Online's anti-bot policy now two-strikes-and-you're-out originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Leaderboard: Defiance vs. DUST 514

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jef Reahard| Comments Off

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

DUST 514 remote vehicle repair
Shooter gameplay is on the rise in the MMO space, as titles like PlanetSide 2, Firefall, DUST 514, and Defiance are all marrying twitch-based running and gunning with some sort of persistent open-world progression component.

Defiance and DUST are particularly interesting, to me at least, because they're part of a larger IP. IN DUST's case, the title shares a game world and a server back-end with long-running sci-fi MMO EVE Online. Defiance, of course, is joined at the hip with the upcoming television show of the same name, though just how joined remains to be seen. For today's Leaderboard, let's pit these two titles against one another and see which is more anticipated amongst Massively readers. Vote after the cut!

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!

Continue reading Leaderboard: Defiance vs. DUST 514

MassivelyLeaderboard: Defiance vs. DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE’s EON magazine closing down

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Jef Reahard| Comments Off
EON Issue #2 coverMeatspace magazines devoted to MMORPGs are a rare breed, and they'll be rarer still after EVE Online's EON mag closes its doors this month.

MMM Publishing sent out an email blast informing subscribers and former customers of the decision, saying that "the economic realities are such that it is no longer viable to continue to produce the magazine in spite of EVE enjoying record success in its 10th year of operation."

The company will keep the lights on through March 31st to process outstanding orders and clear out its remaining stock. If you're an EVE fan and you need a few back issues to complete your collection (or you just want to see Massively columnist Brendan Drain's 2005-era tanking guide in print), head over to the EON website and get them while they last.

MassivelyEVE's EON magazine closing down originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this |