Saturday, March 6, 2021

INTERVIEW: CCP GAMES TALK STARTING OUT IN EVE ONLINE

Eve Online Mining Ship

  Multiplayer sandbox games are a tough genre to break into, often leaving new players lost in all the features and options available. EVE Online, being a sandbox space simulator, takes that even further by placing as few restrictions on the player as possible while still being a competitive MMO. The choices come early on, and it can leave a lot of the new players, including myself, lost in space, wondering where to take all of this freedom. 

 Luckily, I got some help on my first steps into New Eden. Páll Bjarnason is an associate PR and marketing specialist at CCP Games who sat down with me during the tutorials to discuss the early choices, combat in EVE Online, and sage advice that beginning EVE pioneers should try and follow. 

 The first thing you do when starting EVE Online is build a character, and that immediately forces you to choose a starting faction. How much does that choice impact the game? Your character creation is purely an aesthetic point of view. The factions and bloodlines, all that stuff. The only differences that I can actually think of … are that you’re going to start off with some very, very basic skills.

YC 123 New Eden Capsuleers’ Writing Contest



In light of the successful contest the last seven years I am pleased to announce the EIGHTH (yay!) year for a writing contest for stories or poems by or about Capsuleers/Baseliners and their worlds and cultures.  
BASIC DETAILS: 

CATEGORIES: 
  • There will be FOUR categories this year: 
  • Poetry 
  • Prose 
  • Academic/
  • Scientific (e.g. Academic, Economic Reports, Science Reports, Theological Writings, Treatises, etc.) News/Gossip/Opinion Pieces 

RULES DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION - MAY 15th 

 There is no minimum length. Maximum length is 15,000 words. There is no required subject matter; the content may be fiction or non-fiction. 

 Prior works are eligible as long as posted or published AFTER May 15, YC 122 (2020). This means, for example, works in the recent story-time thread on the IGS or stories and gossip reports (in Player Fiction) in the past uear can be nominated by their authors for consideration. 

 Please post entries by linking in this thread or by a clear label in the Eve Fiction category of these forums, e.g. [YC 123 NEWCWC your work title here] as the title.
    PRIZES
  • FIRST PLACE - 5 billion isk
  • SECOND PLACE - 3 billion isk
  • THIRD PLACE - 750 million isk
  • FOURTH PLACE - 250 million isk
  • Honorable Mentions - 50 million isk

Friday, March 5, 2021

EVE Online's New Jump Tunnels Spice Up Travel In A Much Needed Way

Space Gate Jump

 

One of the things I dislike most about EVE Online is the time it takes to travel from one system to the next. Spending an hour getting from Jita to some far-flung system in New Eden can be a chore sometimes, especially if you live on the outskirts of HiSec like I do (I've started to make my home in LowSec to do some piracy lately). One major reason why this always felt dull was not just the time it took, but also simply the animations going from one system to the next never really inspired much. 

 For those who have never played EVE Online, jump tunnels before were a simple animation to essentially hide a loading screen. It felt right out of 90's sci-fi - a simple, muted kaleidascope of color that looked like a warp tunnel from Stargate SG-1 or a show like that. It wasn't bad - but it never felt compelling to me. And, after seven or eight jumps in a row, it started to get downright mundane.

Hilmar Veigar Pétursson interview: Remembering 20 years of Eve Online

Eve Online
Hilmar Veigar Pétursson has worked at Eve Online maker CCP Games, Iceland’s biggest game studio, for 20 years, and he has been CEO since 2004. For the service, he gets the honor of getting a big Viking sword. 

 To date, CCP Games has given out 80 swords. Pétursson takes pride in that because CCP Games has built a game that has persisted through the years, always managing to remain relevant despite changes in the industry. 
 “We’ve been doing for 20 years what people fantasize about doing today,” Pétursson said in an interview with me.

Thursday, March 4, 2021

EVE Online: 10 Most Expensive Ships (And How Much They Cost)

Eve Online Space ships

 

Given the fickle economy of Eve Online determining the cost of a ship is no small feat. The price of any given ship is determined by the fluctuating cost of materials, hanger rent, tax, usefulness in battle, and popularity. A ship could be worth billions one month only to drop to millions the next thanks to a patch. 

 That being said, there are some ships that consistently remain expensive to buy/build. It could be because of how rare they are, the lengths it takes to build them, or the fact that they’re flying bait for zealous Killboard climbers. These costs are estimates based on various sources and do not include any rare or limited edition ships such as the Gold Magnate or Cockroach.

EVE Online will let you 'borrow' skills to try new ships soon

Eve Online Free To Play


 

In EVE Online, it's not just enough to accrue the millions of ISK required to fly a battleship. You also have to train up the skills required to fly one, an act that can take months of actual time. But soon, CCP will let you take EVE's spiciest ships for a test drive, letting you borrow the required skills with new "Expert System" consumables. 

 Announced last week, Expert Systems will give you a week of temporary skill points in a "variety of professions", without having to commit. Considering the length of time it takes to train up (and the skill point limits applied to free pilots), these are pitched as a good way to explore new styles of play.

CCP RATTATI TWITCH Q AND A

Eve Dev Blog

 

CCP Director of Product CCP Rattati gave a Q&A yesterday on the economics-focused Twitch stream of Oz_Eve. 

The frank and friendly conversation began with a discussion of CCP Rattati’s promotion to director of product, a leadership and strategic role that covers all CCPs gaming properties, after more than 13 years at CCP. In that time, he has served as EVE environments director, company finance strategist, and a leader on CCP’s shuttered shooter, Dust 514. 

 In keeping with the economics focus of the Twitch channel (and Rattati’s own background as a financial analyst), much of the questioning was about the economic future of EVE in the age of scarcity, and CCP Rattati’s passion for the economic metagame was evident.

Player-Led EVE Online Event. Frigate Free For All, Happening This Saturday

Frigate Free for All

 

EVE Online's player exploits are legendary within the video game world. Large scale wars, Cold War-esque spy thrillers and more have littered EVE's history, but so have some of the player run events intended to bring capsuleers together. This weekend will see one such event, the 7th annual Frigate Free For All.
 
In a blog post by EVE Online player Rixx Javix, the large event will be hosted on Saturday, March 6th at 16:00 UTC/EVE time (that's 11am ET/8am PT for us here in North America) and will feature players duking it out in Frigates for a morning of fun and lots and lots of explosions.
"No matter what you do inside the game, this is your chance to experience the excitement of PvP without the worry or stress. We have pilots from all over who come to these and enjoy themselves. Many of our own pilots came to Stay Frosty from experiencing their first taste of PvP at one of our FFA Events. Who knows? The next one might be you." - Rixx Javix

Read More - Eve Online 

 



Sunday, February 28, 2021

EVE Online’s Short Squeeze And Real-World Economy Ambitions

 

EVE Online had its own unique short squeeze last year - in time, you may even be able to trade between EVE's economy and real ones.

Eve online


The studio behind EVE Online calls it the “endlessly scalable storytelling engine.” That’s according to Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games and the project manager who oversees all things EVE. Over the last 18 years, Pétursson and the rest of the team have put together a virtual economy so complex that it rivals that of a small country, like Pétursson’s own Iceland. As well as having a fully-functional bank at one point - which was then robbed by its in-game CEO, who proceeded to illegally exchange 200 billion ISK for real money - EVE experienced its very own short squeeze last year, not too dissimilar from the bizarre scenario we recently witnessed with GameStop.

EVE’s economy is founded upon arbitrage, meaning that profits are generated from simultaneously selling and purchasing the exact same asset in separate markets. In the case of EVE, this was originally accomplished by monetizing literally everything in the game. In the early days, some items were sold by NPCs to facilitate progression, but modern EVE places the onus of creating and destroying objects and resources entirely on players.

EVE Online Had A Fully Functional Bank In 2009 Before Its CEO Robbed 200 Billion From It

An EVE Online player set up a fully-functional bank in 2009 before going on to become the CEO and rob it, exchanging the funds for real-life currency.

 


EVE Online boasts a proprietary virtual economy that’s almost as complex as a real one, having seen its very own GameStop-esque short-squeeze just last year. Given that players are already successfully shorting resources based on scarcity speculation, it’s no surprise that some particularly apt spacefarers managed to put together a fully-functioning bank a few years back, complete with intricate interest repayment systems and (almost) airtight liquidity failsafes. 

 The only issue was the bank’s in-game CEO, who had plans of his own - specifically, plans to embezzle over 200 billion ISK (EVE's in-game currency) and convert it into real-life Australian dollars.

17 BEST FREE PC MULTIPLAYER GAMES TO CHECK OUT

"Eve Online is among the most player-driven MMOs you can play. It has mega-corporations that players run, and there are massive space battles where you can have over 5,000 pilots taking part. It’s chaotic but gorgeous, and a free multiplayer game you can really get lost in." 

 "Eve gives you the freedom to select your path across the galaxy. You can be a pirate, a trader, or take part in war or politics across the game’s 7,000 star systems. If you decide to take part in the PvP or PvE battles, though, here’s hoping you’re not emotionally invested in your ship — over 750 ships get destroyed in the game every hour."

Interview with Reload/Tatius Jorgstern of Eve Online

 During my day job, I listen to a lot of talk radio. I also like to watch interviews on YouTube and this is what inspired me to want to get to know the actual players that play characters in the game Eve Online. There are some interviews out there that are interviews of the in-character players, I wanted to know about the behind the scenes of the players who play and why they play the game. Comments are always welcome and give him a follow on Twitter and YouTube, the links are at the bottom of the interview.


What motivates you to Play Eve online specifically, compared to other games you may play? 

 It’s been many different things throughout the years that I’ve played EVE. Overall, I’d say it’s the complexity of the game and the absolute freedom to forge your own path. Currently, it’s the Triglavian Invasion that’s keeping most of my attention. I’m following it very closely and am very excited to see where the story leads. 

Who are your main characters and who are they? 

 My main character is my oldest one: Tatius Jorgstern. I've got a support character as well that I used to use early in my EVE career for hauling while I mined. The other characters I created were just for research purposes for new player tutorials

What do you characters do, or what positions do they hold? 

 My main is the CEO of my “1-man” corp and a loyal supporter of Max Singularity, the Pope of New Eden. This character has done just about everything in game. Started out as a miner/industrialist, then went on to mission runner and eventually exploration, all sprinkled with random pvp attempts. Right now, I've been focusing on training for Triglavian ships for the Invasion. 

 What is your personal main driving point that makes you play these character(s)? And how do you approach it? 

 It really depends on what I'm concentrating on in game. If, for example, I haven't tried Factional Warfare in a few years, I'll dive deep into it, training whatever skills are necessary that I may be missing. I would say that before the Triglavian Invasion hit, I was starting to look into reactions and how/if they can be profitable. That's one area of the game that I know very little about and it's interesting to learn more. 

 Do you have some sort of goal you want to reach for your character(s)? 

 I guess I’m aiming to be able to fly every ship in the game. I’m keeping the first goal a little more reasonable and limiting it to sub-capitals only, but absolutely every ship is definitely the stretch goal. I think I’m actually only a few ships away from being skilled for every subcap! 

 Are there any Rl factors as to why you play the characters as you do? 

 Life is busy, it’s tough to dedicate hours per day to EVE. That definitely dictates how I play the characters and what kinds of activities I favor. There are plenty of quick activities in EVE that you can pick up for just 30 minutes to an hour, whether it’s PVE or even PVP. Aside from that, I made a decision to avoid joining corps and alliances with strict “call to arms” actions and mandatory ops. For me, EVE is entertainment and, at times, a creativity outlet that I enjoy on my own time. 

 How old are you personally? If you don't mind me asking. 

 I’m in my 30s, heading steady into 40s :D 

 Do any of your real life perspectives influence how you run your character(s)? 

 I think initially, in the first few months of me starting to play EVE, I was adhering to the “noble principles” of how my characters should act, always doing “the right thing”. EVE chiseled that away pretty quickly and, quite frankly, it was very interesting to switch the sides. Real life perspectives and interests always manifest themselves one way or another when you're playing a sandbox game. I think I tend to steer towards industry in-game because I'm just generally interested in optimizing complex processes. 

 Do you have any personal objectives you strive for while in your character(s)? 

 Usually the objectives were directly related to what kind of activity or career I wanted to pursue in EVE at the time. First, I have learned industry and resource harvesting. Then I moved on to science and exploration, etc. As of right now, I’m working on getting that fancy lab coat from Project Discovery.

 Does your character(s) let you play out something that you wish you could do IRL? 

 I guess the most obvious one is I’d love to experience interstellar travel. But aside from that, I have to say not really. I think it’s quite the opposite effect. My EVE experience is directly tied to RL through the friendships that I’ve made in-game and at player meet-ups. Instead of being an escape from RL (like many games can be), I found that EVE actually enriched RL with meaningful connections to other people all over the world that have the same appreciation for EVE. 

 Please give Reload a follow both on Twitter and Youtube, you will not be disappointed!

Interview with Hideo Date of Eve University



1: What motivates you to Play Eve online specifically, compared to other games you may play?

The vast, complex and beautiful universe which allows you to do pretty much anything you can think of - if we are strictly talking of the game itself.

Central to any MMO is of course achieving something together with others. An aspect I generally like about them - in WoW I did a fair bit of raiding and group PvP - but in EVE I feel the sense of group achievements being something awesome is far more pronounced. And that applies to all levels and types of group activities: from a dual roam to small fleet to Corp/alliance management.

And with this, of course I have to mention the community. Specifically EVE University, but the wider community as well. I think it is a testament to the unmatched complexity of the game that we have - pretty much from the beginning - an organisation with a highly developed structure focused solely on helping players learn about the game.

2: Who are your main characters and who are they?

Well, in contrast to most EVE players I only really play this one character: Hideo Date. I do have a hauler alt on the same account and I do have a couple traders on an alpha account. But only the hauler gets somewhat regularly used.

I'll have to rant a bit on this one actually: I totally get why people have alts or even multiple mains where they focus on different aspects of the game. Especially nowadays in EVE Uni we have quite a few people who actively contribute with a character to the Uni, but also have mains in other corps.

And of course using multiple characters at a time is done widely, it often adds quality of life: scouts, salvagers, combat alts to "solo" group content. I got a friend who has his own mining fleet. All cool, but just not my playstyle.

But what I do have a problem with is, that with the proliferation of alts the expectation to have and actively use them is widespread. 

I once saw an info graphic from a null bloc that showed you where supposed to have your own alt support fleet to even be allowed to fly a Titan. That concept really baffles me, shouldn't the group I bring the most powerful weapons to make sure that they have a support network set up?

But apart from this kind of content (which most people never experience anyway), there are other parts of the game that are kinda blocked off due to these expectations. You can't fly a Jump Freighter without having at least a few cyno alts. Generally cyno alts are a must for any capital ship player. Wormholers seem to have an expectation that you are supposed to have at least a few characters in the chain.

What my gripe with all of this is? It takes away from what I find most appealing about the game: achieving things together. Sure it's so much more convenient if everybody brings his fleet of alts, than to build up and coordinate support networks, but for me personally it detracts from the game.

3: What do you characters do, or what positions do they hold?

I am a member of EVE University and currently a communications officer, working on PR and facilitating internal communication as well. Also a budding FC (fleet streamed every Monday at 1800 on twitch.tv/hideodate) and hopefully can get some time to become a teacher as well.

Otherwise I like to do a variety of things. But apart from PvP what I most enjoy is exploration. Did that with Probes, Cheetahs, Stilettos before and just did my first two trips with an Astero (even got a couple killmarks). For next Month Kelon Darklight is sponsoring a solo PvP event again, so I will take that as an opportunity to get back into doing that as well. Already have a progression path mapped out for me.

4: What is your personal main driving point that makes you play these character(s)? And how do you approach it?

Well, seeing as I am pretty ecstatic about EVE Unis mission and community I would say helping in any way I can to further these is a main driving point for me.

How do I do this? I guess mostly by trying to get the word out about all the great things we are doing in EVE Uni. Also trying to be more proactive about creating content (like my regular fleet now, and hopefully regular classes later as well).

5: Do you have some sort of goal you want to reach for your character(s)?

A general goal for me is to experience as much as I can in New Eden. My first significant step in that direction will be to join and organise events and fleets all around our campuses, completing our Cross Campus Initiative program and earning a shiny medal on the way.

Long-term I think I might leave the Uni for a couple years. I want to at least try and experience sov warfare and I would really like to be in a dedicated high class wormhole group for a while. But ultimately I think those will just be intermissions for me to come back to the Uni with more experience to give back.

6: Are there any RL factors as to why you play the characters as you do?

I suppose so. I like roleplaying, though I don't really actively do it in EVE. But any character I ever played and indeed the - I guess you could call it mask - I am wearing now is not far from my actual personality, I think. I am just better able to be a bit more outgoing that way. Though my general introvertedness probably still shines through and from time to time my social anxiety kicks in.

7: How old are you personally? If you don't mind me asking.

I think younger than most people I interact with regularly in EVE. Just 31. And I created this character when I was 23, joined EVE Uni when I was 27. And will probably still be in EVE Uni when I turn 35 at least :D

8: Do any of your real life perspectives influence how you run your character(s)?

Probably. I am a trained nurse and currently a nursing teacher, so the mentality of helping others to help themselves, building relationships and teaching others go quite well with what I do in EVE.

9: Do you have any personal objectives you strive for while in your character(s)?

Develop my people skills ("soft skills", but these are actually essential, as people should be aware by now). Getting better at English. Develop skills related to social media, writing, general creative skills. Hopefully getting some skills in graphics, video and streaming.

10: Does your character(s) let you play out something that you wish you could do IRL?

Well, I do mostly enjoy PvP. And that is certainly not something I want to experience IRL, I am more of a pacifist myself. But the other thing I really like is exploring. And seeing as I can't fly around the RL Universe in an actual rust bucket, I guess that is something fitting to your question.




 

Interview with Rixx Javix of Eve Online

 Since I started doing these interviews, I have always wanted to know someone who play a pirate in game and wondered how they played their characters. This is a small look into someone who not only plays a pirate but leads the biggest pirate corporation within the game!

I have also linked his artwork, blog and Twitter accounts below the interview. Give him a follow and support his awesome artwork!


What motivates you to Play Eve online specifically, compared to other games you may play?

I’ve never encountered anything that presents the constant challenges, complexity, and depth that Eve Online presents. Every time I log-in I’m presented with new adventures and opportunities to create content, drive conflict, and overcome challenges. This aspect of Eve, combined with the community of friends spread around the globe, has kept me playing for almost 12 years now.

I have one character and his name is Rixx Javix. I have a few support characters that help him with various aspects of the game, but essentially I’ve been playing Rixx exclusively for 12 years now.

Rixx is the CEO of Stay Frosty and Alliance Executor for A Band Apart Alliance in-game. He is the Pirate Lord of Low Sec and runs the largest independent group of traditional Pirates in all of Eve. He’s been -10 for almost ten years straight now and Stay Frosty recently celebrated its seventh anniversary.

I enjoy playing Eve, one of the most complex and difficult games in the world, on Hard Mode. Playing one character, being -10, living in low security space, and flying primarily solo and small gang piracy every single day is really pushing the envelope and is incredibly difficult. I find that rewarding in ways that other play-styles in the game didn’t fulfill for me personally. 

Establishing Stay Frosty and ABA and have them be successful was a huge personal goal for me. Winning the Alliance Tournament is a goal I’ve set for us that we haven’t achieved yet. But mostly I’d enjoy being thought of as someone who contributed content that helped make the game a better experience for all players.

I’m in my early fifties and started playing Eve with my Son during a divorce we were both going through at the time. He still plays as well.

Absolutely. Our Alliance/Corporations have a very strong culture and we do not tolerate hate speech or any other form of conduct that hurts other players in any way. We’re a huge family of players that enjoy playing a game, so certainly my personal beliefs have strongly influenced how I conduct myself in-game. And out of game.

I’ve created an environment inside of Eve that keeps me entertained and engaged, while surrounding myself with friends and fellow players that share those beliefs and goals. Content creation, engagement, and challenging ourselves every day to become better and better solo and small gang pilots. Keeping that going and thriving is an objective that never ends.

This is an interesting question for me. Not so much from my character’s perspective, but from my own. The line between myself and my character disappeared back in 2015 when I created a line of illustrated posters that CCP started selling in the store. Fanfest that year was the first player event I had ever attended. Since then my Wife and I have been to Amsterdam, Iceland (3 times), Toronto, Vegas, Alaska, and have held our own event in our home five years in a row. In addition I make all of my isk in-game by providing other players graphic design services for Alliance logos, streamer graphics, illustration commissions, and much more. So there really isn’t a line between me and my character anymore, we are truly one and the same.



Interview with Laura Karpinski CEO of Eve University

I personally was in Eve University awhile ago before joining the current corporation I am in now. I had not found another corporation and or group of people that had dedicated themselves to the new player experience than I did with Eve University. This Corporation is a must look at for any new player and also for any experienced players wanting to learn even more about anything Eve Online offers it's players.

I have linked the Eve University website and Wiki below the interview for you to check out!





What motivates you to Play Eve online specifically, compared to other games you may play?

Definitely the community. I have never found a community like it in any other game. I’ve made so many close friends in EVE from all across the world, and I’m lucky that I get to spend so much time hanging out with new people.

Who are your main characters and who are they?

My main character is Laura Karpinski, but I have lots of other characters. I have a bit of an addiction to the new player experience - its not unusual for me to roll a new character to try out the tutorial and the start of the game from the perception of a new player. That’s the most exciting part of EVE for me.

What do you characters do, or what positions do they hold?

Laura is the CEO of EVE University, a corporation aimed at teaching players new and old about EVE Online. Several of my alts are used in administrative roles to keep the corporation and the alliance, Ivy League, running smoothly.

What is your personal main driving point that makes you play these character(s)? And how do you approach it?

I love teaching new players and I find their excitement about the game infectious. That feeling you get when you lose your first ship, or get on your first kill, is pure adrenaline, and I love helping new players to experience that and share the experience with them. I just really love EVE and I want to help other people to love it too.

Do you have some sort of goal you want to reach for your character(s)?

My focus is on EVE University, I want to make it as successful as possible and continue the mission to educate players about EVE through the Uniwiki, classes, fleets and so on.

Are there any Rl factors as to why you play the characters as you do?

My hand-eye coordination and reaction speed are both pretty bad, so I’ve historically steered away from most PVP activities for that reason. For the same reason I tend to avoid FPS games and focus more on games that involve strategy and planning.

How old are you personally? If you don't mind me asking.

I’m in my early 30s.

Do any of your real life perspectives influence how you run your character(s)?

I always like to help people in real life, and I have personally experienced issues with my mental health and isolation. I know how important community and online friendship can be to people. So I like to try and foster a friendly and welcoming community where people can escape from whatever is going on in real life and just enjoy themselves.

Do you have any personal objectives you strive for while in your character(s)?

I’ve spent a long time doing PVE and space spreadsheets, so I’d like to try and improve my PVP skills. That’s more of a long term goal though, because I still have so much other stuff left to do.

Does your character(s) let you play out something that you wish you could do IRL?

Yes, being a space boss is awesome! Being responsible for a group of 2,000 people is something I don’t think I will ever have a chance to do in real life. It does have times when it is incredibly difficult, but it is a challenge I feel honoured to have been given the chance to take on.


 

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