By Jim Rossignol on November 16th, 2011 at 11:01 am.
After a year of controversy and bellyaching, it’s good to be able to report on what Eve does best – large, interesting expansions that are full of shiny space stuff. The next one of these, which is due to arrive on the 29th of November, apparently improves and updates “three dozen features”, which sounds like an awkwardly large amount, but in fact include combat and interface tweaks, changes to the all-important starbases, as well as bringing in the most important thing for many players: New spaceships. These are the tier 3 battlecruisers – large, shooter vessels – and they have me longing for Eve once again. I do love a good battlecruiser.
More information here.
16/11/2011 at 11:08 kyrieee says:
They’re actually addressing quite a big number of very long standing issues / requests, such as engine trails and a new cyno effect. I’m excited!
16/11/2011 at 11:11 MiniMatt says:
/me prays the ship spin counter from test makes it onto live
16/11/2011 at 11:11 Jim Rossignol says:
I don’t know why they ever changed the original jump visuals, they were amazing.
16/11/2011 at 11:14 Bantu says:
Oh dear… this looks like it may get me to resub again. I wonder if my little corp of friends is still active. t3 BC’s :D
16/11/2011 at 11:23 Dawngreeter says:
@MiniMatt: Ship spinning has been live on TQ for weeks now.
Edit: Oh. Counter. Blah. Reading comprehension fail.
16/11/2011 at 11:46 MiniMatt says:
@Dawngreeter, ship spinning yes, was referring to the ship spinning counter on test – https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=351737#post351737
edit: meh – reading of edit fail on my part too :o)
16/11/2011 at 12:50 Hanban says:
It’s been a few months but I think I’m gonna have to go back. The RPS Corp has now moved into a wormhole which was always something I was interested in. Hmm hmm.
16/11/2011 at 14:15 mpk says:
New cyno effect? Nooooooooooooooooo!
I told them I’d resub if they gave me back my cyno effect,
NoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooOoOOOoooOOoOOooOOoOOOooooOOOOoo1!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!
16/11/2011 at 14:50 Goomich says:
And they didn’t, so what’s the problem?
16/11/2011 at 15:19 Lone Gunman says:
Wish I could afford the sub.
16/11/2011 at 11:11 Hoaxfish says:
Should be interesting to see whether this is hailed with another community backlash about unfixed issues like that lag thing
16/11/2011 at 12:30 Kelron says:
There’s always going to be a “community backlash” from somewhere against any new feature. However, this expansion does feature a major change to the way the server handles large fights that should keep the most vocal section of Eve’s community happy.
16/11/2011 at 15:19 vecordae says:
The most vocal section in the Eve community are the whiners. They are never happy.
16/11/2011 at 15:21 Choca says:
@vecordae : The most vocal section in any MMO community are the whiners. They are never happy.
16/11/2011 at 15:44 vecordae says:
That’s not entirely true. I did play an MMO once. I think it was an MMO. Anyway, I played one where you picked a class (I picked wizard) like normal, but when I logged in my character was just in a big, dimly lit room full of other players. In the center of the room was a big statue that hurt to look at. I did what the tutorial instructed and hit 1 to offer my soul to the elder gods (such rich lore!), but don’t remember much past that. I haven’t played it since because trying to remember the name makes my head hurt and my heart long for the end of man.
Anyway, no one complained about anything in that game, ever. At least until they nerfed the wizard class.
16/11/2011 at 11:16 HisMastersVoice says:
I saw the picture and immediately went “Oh God, Homeworld 3 announced!”
You cannot imagine my disappointment…
16/11/2011 at 11:30 c-Row says:
Same here. Curse you, Jim, for getting my hopes up there for a second! *shakes fist in a rather non-intimidating way*
16/11/2011 at 14:52 Goomich says:
http://cdn1.eveonline.com/www/newssystem/media/2817/3062/Caldari_Ship.jpg
16/11/2011 at 22:51 vecordae says:
A good chunk of the original homeworld’s dev team seems to have formed Kerberos Productions. KB is currently trying to get Sword of the Stars 2 into working condition following its hugely disappointing release. For the time being it seems that they are pretty much the only folks interested in releasing anything even vaguely homeworld-like these days.
16/11/2011 at 11:20 Rii says:
I’m not into EVE but I do like their expansion names.
16/11/2011 at 11:32 Baka says:
And their expansion trailers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnL3slAfbuM
Still the most atmospheric in my humble opinion.
16/11/2011 at 11:36 RaytraceRat says:
That ship design is awesome
16/11/2011 at 11:47 hjd_uk says:
Looks like a flying-head-butt.
16/11/2011 at 11:52 Zarunil says:
Every time I read about Eve, I find myself wanting to resubscribe. The whole universe and theme interests me to no end.
Then I think of all the times I’ve tried it and spent most of the time training skills while docked, and I decide not to. Wish I could get into this game.
16/11/2011 at 12:54 Hanban says:
I think many people share your experience. My guess is that you didn’t join an active corporation. Personally I feel that the heart of EVE lies in the interaction you have in a group, with EVE. Playing EVE solo is missing out on the greater part of what makes EVE exciting.
There are some fleet battles I have that I’ll remember for all my life, even if they were losses.
16/11/2011 at 14:33 Stephen Roberts says:
It also hugely helps if you’re unemployed but payrolled some how, as it’s quite impossible to fit EVE Online into even a life of work and nothing else.
That’s when I stopped last ‘attempt’ (three one month attempts over the course of three years). When I realised I simply could not or would not give that much of my time to it.
16/11/2011 at 11:57 Dawngreeter says:
I protest! You disrespect and insult the suffering of millions upon millions of Matari slaves by advertizing new breakthroughs in technology as something that will lend further support to oppression and enslavement of the tribes.
It didn’t have to be Tornado in the picture, even though it is the ship that pushed the entire Tier 3 Battlecruiser category into existence. I’d be fine with Gallente or even Caldari ships if you really have to play footsie with bastard Calamari. But glorifying slave trade is just disgusting. For shame!
16/11/2011 at 12:10 Gurrah says:
Seconded! Incidentally I love all of the four new designs, Heavy guns on a BC – bring it on, I can’t wait.
16/11/2011 at 14:11 Gasmask Hero says:
Come back to us, Minmatar. We have hot food and proper toilets….
16/11/2011 at 15:32 cloudkiller says:
As someone who has never played a second of Eve but is interested in the game, how hard would it be for a new person to get started?
16/11/2011 at 16:34 Dawngreeter says:
Roll a d10 and consult the following table.
1: Literally impossible
2-8: Very hard, but if you stick with it long enough, you’ll eventually carve out a place for you among the stars
9: Not hard at all once you find a social framework for your in-game activities
10: Extremely easy, you’ll be having a ball from day one with a bunch of interesting like-minded people
Add +1 to the roll for each day you spend looking into player corporations and alliances with goals and interests compatible to yours.
16/11/2011 at 20:18 Hanban says:
Pretty much what the above fella says. On your own it’s difficult to get into due to the learning curve. If you’re in a friendly-minded corp, however, it’s a lot easier.
If you’re looking to try EVE out RPS has a corp. They’re called RPSH and can be found on the community part of the RPS forum.
16/11/2011 at 15:50 Zyrusticae says:
I have to say, looking at the stuff on the test server, the visual updates are jaw-dropping. The new nebulae, the V3′d Gallente and Caldari ships, new warp effect (ESPECIALLY the warping-through-planets effect)… all very nice and pretty’d up. So much so that I have difficulties going back to TQ because the downgrade is pretty palpable.
As far as actual gameplay changes, on the other hand… seems pretty light on those. However, as I’m neither a pirate nor a nullbear, it’s obvious the addition of t3 battlecruisers really doesn’t affect me much. I can imagine it’ll certainly affect suicide ganker targets, however…
16/11/2011 at 17:00 Nallen says:
Kinda wondered about those BC’s. I can see how the trickle down effect might be to encourage more small ship play, when your anti-cap DPS fleet with battleship guns suddenly costs 15% less than it did (I assume, 30m Harb, 60m Geddon…45m Tier 3 BC?). Fittings before people start on my maths.
16/11/2011 at 19:12 Batolemaeus says:
The new Battlecruisers actually murder support, not caps.
16/11/2011 at 19:07 Gesadt says:
couple of things:
1.those new ship designs are made by players who won the ccp ship design contest.
2. it seem quite a bit of the whiny community (read FHC) are all like “ccp y u no give us something to whine about no more with this actually good stuff that youre coming up with?”
3. i will probably resub on 29th :(
16/11/2011 at 19:13 Batolemaeus says:
See, this is much better than space barbies. I approve of fixing stuff, especially stuff that has been terrible for so many years.
Worried about the new ships though. They seem to be far too powerful and further shift the balance by making other ships obsolete.
16/11/2011 at 19:23 Frenzier says:
A little correction, its Tech 3 Battlecruisers not Tier 3, someone has been playing world of tanks.
16/11/2011 at 19:42 Gesadt says:
nope, your correction is wrong. those are precisely Tier 3 BCs and NOT Tech 3 BCs. thats two different things in eve online. if new tech 3 ships are introduced, its prolly gonna be frigates anyway
16/11/2011 at 21:06 Batolemaeus says:
To expand on what Gesadt said:
Tier != Tech.
The tier usually refers to the level of the primary skill needed for ships. The Condor is a Tier 1 Tech 1 Frigate, the Merlin is Tier 3.
The same goes for cruisers, battlecruisers and battleships.
Prophecy = Tier 1 Bc
Harbinger = Tier 2 Bc
Oracle = Tier 3 Bc
The old tier system sadly dictates ship stats and slots, most noticeable with frigates, making lower tier ships almost always undesirable and unused. When was the last time you saw a Prophecy, Ferox or Cyclone in combat? Or a Condor, Executioner…
16/11/2011 at 23:31 mpk says:
I know the Prophecy became fairly useless, but I used to fly a laser Ferox for awesome shits and giggles.
17/11/2011 at 19:24 Frenzier says:
ty for clrearing that for me
17/11/2011 at 09:34 ZephyrSB says:
I do miss my Hurricane….and those new BC’s look mighty pretty…but I can’t fit this massive timesink into my current life, nor can I forget how generally unfriendly EVE is towards lone wolfs with a low requirement for direct interaction with others. I love the passive interaction through the economy and such, as well as the thrill of never being truely safe. But you simply can’t make progress staying out of the corporation game…
(waits for someone to link Butterfly Effect trailer….)
17/11/2011 at 18:09 buzzmong says:
On the mention of EVE, CCP Greyscale posted an awesome message in the comment section of one of his dev blogs (Anomoly changes) regarding him not reading the forums much for the past year or so, which is actually quite an insight into CCP:
In short, quite a few CCP staffers who are on the EVE team (before the recent refocusing seeing lots more rejoin it) seem to actually give a damn about EVE but had their hands tied.
Interesting times ahead for the game.