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EVE Online<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;"> Image:EVE logo.jpg </td></tr>
Developer(s)	CCP Games <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>SSI (expired) CCP Games</td></tr>
Release date(s)	Image:Flag of the United States.svg May 6, 2003 Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg May 6, 2003 Image:European flag.svg May 23, 2003
Genre(s)	MMORPG Space simulation
Mode(s)	Multiplayer <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)</th><td>ESRB: T (Teen)</td></tr>
Platform(s)	Windows <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media</th><td>CD, FTP download</td></tr>

EVE Online is a player-driven persistent world multiplayer online game (MMOG) set in space. It is developed by the Icelandic company CCP Games; it was published from May to December 2003 by Simon & Schuster Interactive,<ref name="ccp_pr_publisher">CCP Games Press Release: New Release Date For EVE Online: The Second Genesis Announced</ref> after which CCP purchased the rights back and began to self-publish via a digital distribution scheme.<ref name="ccp_pr_publishbuyback">CCP Games Press Release: EVE Online Available for Download</ref> Players pilot customizable spaceships in an immense online environment. A wide array of ships are available, most suited for specific uses.

EVE Online is one of the few MMOGs in which all players exist in one large virtual universe at the same time, without the "sharding" common in other MMOGs (though there is now a second server intended for the Asian market).

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Races 2 Gameplay 2.1 Advancement 2.2 Economy 2.3 Combat 2.4 Security Index System 2.5 Death 2.6 Jump Clones 3 Cost 4 Demographics 5 Major Content Patches 5.1 Gemini 5.2 Castor 5.3 Exodus 5.4 Cold War Edition 5.5 Red Moon Rising 5.6 Bloodlines 5.7 Dragon 5.8 Revelations 5.9 Planned Future Developments 6 Serenity and the Chinese EVE Online 7 Ships 8 Weapons 9 Equipment 10 Graphics Engine and Windows Vista 11 Milestones 12 Quafe 13 EVE-Radio 14 Awards 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

[edit] Background

The fictional background story<ref name="eve_background">EVE Online background story page</ref> for EVE Online explains that long ago, humankind, having used up most of the Earth's resources, had started colonizing the rest of the Milky Way to sustain itself. Eventually, humans had expanded to most of the galaxy, resources became contested and war broke out. However, one day, a stable natural wormhole was discovered. The first people to pass through this wormhole found themselves in an uncharted system, which they named New Eden, in a completely foreign galaxy. Soon, colonists passed through the wormhole to colonize this unfamiliar galaxy. Unfortunately, after several years, the EVE wormhole collapsed in a catastrophic explosion, completely destroying the wormhole, and the star system of New Eden, wherein most of the government of the new galaxy had been based. With the wormhole closed, the colonists were completely cut off from the Milky Way and their much needed supplies--as minimal work had been done on making the colonies completely self-sufficient due to the ease of travel through the wormhole. Thus the colonies were thrown into a technological dark age. Many colonies died out completely, though many survived. Only five known colonies would ever return to any kind of prominence again, and they would eventually rebuild society together. These make up the five major empires in EVE, The Amarr Empire, The Gallente Federation, The Minmatar Republic, The Caldari State and the Jovian Empire. Players may choose from four of these races (Amarr, Gallente, Caldari, Minmatar) when creating a new character, the fifth race (Jove) are not currently playable however CCP have said they intend to use the race within the EVE storyline.<ref name="FraglandNetCCPInterview">Fragland.net: Interview with CCP</ref>

[edit] Races

The Amarr, a group descendant from a fundamentalist group called the Conformists,<ref name="amarr_background">Background on the Amarr Race</ref> were the first of the playable races to rediscover interstellar and faster-than-light travel.<ref name="amarr_timeline">Timeline of the Amarr Empire</ref> Armed with this new technology, they set about expanding their empire, enslaving several races in the process, including the Minmatar,<ref name="minmatar_background">Background on the Minmatar Race</ref> who had only just invented space flight for themselves.<ref name="minmatar_timeline">Timeline of the Minmatar Tribes</ref> The Amarr Empire found its expansionist vigor through the Reclaiming, a crusade to bring their vaunted ideals to the galaxy. This was swiftly ended after their confrontations with the Gallente and, most notably, the Jove. After the destruction of the Imperial Navy in conflict with a single Jovian mothership, the Minmatar rebelled against their masters and broke off to form their own faction in the EVE universe. They are the underdogs in the galaxy, holding the least number of star systems, and many of their people are still enslaved in the Amarr Empire or are refugee members of the Gallente Federation.

The Gallente<ref name="gallente_background">Background on the Gallente Race</ref><ref name="gallente_timeline">Timeline of the Gallente Federation</ref> and the Caldari<ref name="caldari_background">Background on the Caldari Race</ref><ref name="caldari_timeline">Timeline of the Caldari State</ref> homeworlds were situated in the same star system. The Gallente homeworld was originally settled by French colonists from Tau Ceti, while the planet that would later become Caldari Prime was purchased by a mega-corporation, which began to terraform it. However, the process was incomplete at the time of the gate collapse, and Caldari Prime remained environmentally inhospitable for millennia, delaying the rise of advanced society. The Gallente, with a more hospitable homeworld, restored a working civilization some hundred years before the Caldari, building the first democratic republic of the new era. However, the Caldari were able to reverse-engineer the terraforming equipment, giving their technology a substantial boost.

With their ideological differences, the Gallente and the Caldari proved incapable of co-habiting the same star system, and the increasing friction between the two races culminated in the blockade of the Caldari homeworld and the sabotage of the Gallente sub-aquatic city of Nouvelle Rouvenor on Caldari Prime which killed millions. These acts sparked the Caldari-Gallente war. During this time, the Gallente Federal Navy unleashed a campaign of orbital bombardment against Caldari Prime. The Caldari, however, were able to hold off and distract the Gallente with their superior technology and great determination and sacrifice, allowing for Caldari Prime to be evacuated. The war continued for several decades until the Gallente came into contact with the Amarr, and finally brokered a peace deal. Meanwhile, the Caldari had encountered the Jovians, and benefited greatly from the older race's advanced technology.

The Jovians<ref name="jovian_background">Background on the Jovian Race</ref> (currently a non-playable race) themselves had been a human colony, or group of colonies located in a distant region from the EVE Gate. After the collapse of the gate and the crumbling of interstellar trade and travel-ways, the Jovians were able to revive their civilization almost immediately, losing very little time and very little information thanks to the shortness of their relative dark age. For years they expanded outward and explored their sector of space as the other races still huddled, overcrowded in their isolated home systems. Eventually, the Jovians turned to wide-spread genetic engineering in order to mould themselves into a people more suited to deep space life and long range interstellar exploration. However, for some reason lost to history, a disaster occurred in their genetic research programmes, causing massive information loss. The Jovian’s genetic experiments began to spiral wildly out of control, irrevocably damaging the race. The worst of their afflictions is a dreaded psychopathy, colloquially known as the "Jovian Disease", which inflicts an abject depression on the victim, who loses the will to live and generally expires within a short time of the onset of symptoms. The Jovians have since renounced genetic tampering, though have continued their genetic research in earnest, hoping to discover ways to cure themselves and continue their experimentations with much greater caution.

When the Amarr encountered the Jovians, their first response was to attack and to attempt to subjugate them. The Battle of Vak'Aioth was a humiliating defeat for the Imperial Navy, as a single Jovian mothership massacred their proud fleet, destroying even the formidable "Apocalypse"-class battleships with a single shot. Seizing their moment, many of the Minmatar slaves used the consternation this caused within the Empire as an opportunity to rebel, successfully earning their freedom and establishing their own sovereign domain and founding the Minmatar Republic.

[edit] Gameplay

Players can engage in many tasks in the EVE universe. Examples include mining, fighting, manufacturing, researching, completing missions, trade, piracy, market interaction and transportation of cargo.<ref name="review_ign">IGN: EVE Online Review, June 23 2003, by Ken Bartrum</ref><ref name="eve_playerguide_firstdays">EVE Online Player Guide, Chapter 4, Your First Days In Space</ref>

Since its release, EVE Online has claimed awards for its graphics, gameplay, PvP, and creating company.<ref name="eve_awards">List of awards received by EVE Online</ref> EVE owns the most powerful supercomputer in the gaming industry<ref name="ccp_supercomp">EVE Online launches the most powerful supercomputer in gaming history</ref> and is played entirely on one large server cluster named Tranquility; however, a Chinese shard called Serenity launched in late 2006.<ref name="ccp_pr_chinese_server">CCP Games Press Release: EVE Online Reaches the 100,000 Subscriber Mark, 2nd paragraph</ref> All the players (not testers) are on the same server cluster and in the same game-world. On September 4, 2006, EVE Online achieved a new record for the maximum number of simultaneous pilots online with 30,538 concurrent accounts logged on to the same server.<ref name="eve_pcu_sep4_2006">EVE Online reports new PCU record</ref> As of October 2006, EVE Online has about 150,000 active subscriptions.<ref name="vern_hilmarpeturson_evecurrency">Virtual Economy Research Network: Interview with Hilmar Pétursson and Magnús Bergsson</ref>

The servers have a scheduled daily downtime between 11:00 and 12:00 GMT.<ref name="eve_kb_downtime">EVE Online Knowledge Base: Daily Downtime</ref>

There is a test server cluster called Singularity where players may get a first look at new content, as well as help the developers test changes.

[edit] Advancement

EVE Online is different from MMOGs such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest II because the player characters do not gain experience points through actions or by completing tasks. Instead, the player learns skills by training a specific skill over time, a passive process that occurs in real world time so that the learning process will continue even if the player is not logged in. As a result, new players are unable to gain more skills than existing players who continue to train their skills<ref name="eve_playerguide_skills">EVE Online Player Guide, Chapter 7, Gaining Skill and Advancing in EVE</ref> but this drawback is somewhat balanced by a steep diminishing returns policy for training higher skill levels. The time required to train a skill is determined by the player's attributes and how many skill points a certain skill requires, determined by a skills rank. This allows all players to advance their characters' skills at a roughly equal (but not fixed) rate, regardless of the amount of time spent playing. The skill training system is connected with five attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, Willpower and Memory. Each skill has a primary and secondary attribute, thus the higher these attributes, the faster skills that use them are trained. There are also skills and implants that can increase attributes. Another distinguishing feature of this advancement system is that there is no upper limit for a character's skills other than the total amount of skills in the game.

Skills are divided into fifteen groups: Corporation Management, Drones, Electronics, Engineering, Gunnery, Industry, Leadership, Learning, Mechanic, Missiles, Navigation, Science, Social, Spaceship Command and Trade. New players start with a small number of core skills (depending on choices made during the character creation process) and need to buy skill books in order to acquire new skills. Each skill has a different multiplier, or "rank", that determines how long each subsequent level takes to train. For example, the basic skills, with low ranks, may take the player 10 minutes to train to the first level, while high-ranking skills like Capital Ships may take a month or more to train to the highest level. Skills may have the requirement that other skills that must be trained to a specific level before the new skill can be trained.

[edit] Economy

There is a single currency unit in EVE Online, the Inter Stellar Kredit (ISK), which takes its name from the Icelandic króna, whose ISO code is ISK. Players can barter between themselves for items, or may use the extensive in-game market system for ISK-based transactions. A large proportion of the in-game economy is player driven; NPC merchants supply some basic equipment, as well as tech 1 blueprints and items and trade goods.

Players, through the use of blueprints and in-game skills, can gain the ability to build items ranging from basic ammunition to cutting-edge capital ship hulls, and manufacture them for personal use or for sale. Pricing and availability of goods varies from region to region within the EVE universe. These aspects contribute to an economic environment influenced by factors like scarcity of resources, specialization of labor and supply/demand dynamics.<ref name="RedundencyEconomyDevBlog">"A Deal is a Deal..." - a Dev Blog by Redundancy on the EVE Economy</ref>

The economy is closely tied with the (also player driven) political aspect of the game. Player corporations (the EVE equivalent of guilds) rise and fall as they struggle for market dominance as well as territorial control. One example worth noting is when an independent industrial corporation was attacked by a military alliance to prevent it from delivering a prototype capital ship to their enemies; a demonstration of the level of interaction between the in-game economy and politics.<ref name="bob_vs_trust">alliances band together to bring down capital ship production outfit</ref>

From a technical point of view, the economy in EVE is known as an "Faucet/Drain" or Open economy, that is there is no fixed amount of money or materials in the universe. CCP did attempt to implement a Closed economy (that is an economy where there is a fixed amount of currency and therefore materials) early on in the game's existence, however it proved too difficult to balance the effects of new players entering the game with the capabilities of older players able to earn more ISK or obtaining more materials. The current Open economy is automatically balanced by introducing extra materials in underpopulated areas to encourage an even spread of players.<ref name="vern_hilmarpeturson_evecurrency">Virtual Economy Research Network: Interview with Hilmar Pétursson and Magnús Bergsson</ref>

There is a second, smaller market which does not operate under the same rules as the regular market. It is entirely player-driven and was initially conceived by players.<ref name="PlayerGuideEscrowGuide">Player Guide - Escrow Guide</ref> Called "escrow", it is generally used for very high-price items to avoid market tax, for selling limited-run blueprint copies (impossible on the normal market), or for very rare items. Escrow has the added benefit of being viewable from any region. In its current incarnation the Escrow system is susceptible to abuse by players, as it relies on the creator of the Escrow to use an accurate description, this can be abused to trick or scam players into purchasing a valuable item at an inflated price. The developers have stated that this system is to be replaced by a Contracts system in the upcoming expansion codenamed Kali.<ref name="devblog_contracts_270706">Developer Blog by Code Monkey: Talking About Contracts...</ref>

[edit] Combat

While it is perfectly possible to remain in high security star systems and engage in non-combat activities like manufacturing and commerce, most ambitious pilots turn to low-security space for its high rewards. But the trade-off for the rare minerals and high bounties of low-sec space is the constant threat of ambush that lies on the other side of every gate.

Combat in EVE is a mixture of both tactical intelligence and spontaneous decision-making, using a Point-and-click interface rather than providing the player with joystick like controls. While every race has certain tendencies for different battle tactics (Caldari ships have bonuses for utilizing missiles and sniping turrets for long-range engagements while Gallente bonuses are weighted toward blasters and automated drones at point-blank ranges; for example), a player's combat capabilities are determined by his/her skill levels, the ship being piloted and various hardware modules fitted into it. Making a good selection out of hundreds of ships and thousands of weapons/equipment for a particular situation is as important as fighting the battle itself. Due to the huge variety of possible equipment loadouts opponents can have, adaptability in tactics is essential. Fleeing to fight another day is a common occurrence.

EVE's combat system allows ships of all sizes to be viable in combat. Large ships such as battleships are typically outfitted with heavy weapons allowing them to battle other ships of their size. Such weapons however do not have the accuracy to effectively damage smaller, faster ships like frigates. While a large ship can equip smaller weapons designed for attacking smaller targets, this leaves them at a disadvantage versus other large ships. Small ships such as frigates may be unable to do significant damage to larger ships on their own, but can greatly affect the outcome of small group battles by employing tactics such as disrupting the engines of enemies (reducing mobility or chance to escape) and jamming enemy sensors.

The open player versus player combat system, and the fact that ships frequently "drop" some of their cargo and equipment when destroyed, provides incentive for player piracy. Pirates frequently work in small groups, summoning each other when they find unguarded targets. In turn, pirates risk being branded criminals by CONCORD (the equivalent of the INTERPOL) and thus becoming open targets to all other players, as well as being unable to access high security systems. Players may even place a bounty on another player's head, providing work for bounty hunters, although as of November 2006, this system is still considered to be flawed, as there is no control over who claims a bounty - meaning that in the event that a bounty exceeds its targets clone contract fee, there is nothing to stop that player killing themselves with an alternate account and profiting. For this reason, player bounties in EVE at present are usually token amounts only. This flaw is being addressed through the contract system that will be introduced with the "Kali" expansion. Some players also form anti-pirate corps who seek out pirates and destroy them, making the area safe for non-combat players to mine or travel in.

At the strategic level, the rich resources available in low security space reward large cooperative groups. Usually formed when several player-owned-and-operated corporations (similar to guilds, in other MMORPGs) band together, these "alliances" can vary widely in size and strength. The network of jumpgates, which allows travel between star systems, includes a multitude of chokepoints, which careful alliances can garrison to restrict access to claimed 0.0 systems. Moreover, corporations and alliances have the ability to manufacture player-operated stations (POS) that mine resources from moons in a system. Each POS requires substantial logistical support to remain in operation, but once an alliance mounts and maintains such facilities at the majority of moons in a system, it achieves the status of sovereignty. At that point, any neutral (or "conquerable") station in the system becomes the property of the successful alliance, and remains so until an enemy destroys enough alliance POSs and replaces them with its own. The conquerable stations tend to provide a wide variety of services in a single location, and so offer considerable benefits.

[edit] Security Index System

EVE features an open PvP system where every player can attack any other player without warning everywhere in the game universe. To balance this "free aggression", EVE has implemented a "security index system". Every solar system in the EVE universe has a public security status which ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. Systems with a rating of 0.0 are completely lawless. 0.1 to 0.4 have absolutely no protection by NPC law enforcement but offer a somewhat limited protection by sentry guns at stargates and stations. 0.5 to 0.8 have increasing amounts of sentry gun cover as well as NPC security patrols. 0.9 and 1.0 systems are considered extremely secure, with constant security patrols at every major point and heavy CONCORD presence. Any time a player commits an act of aggression in a system with a security rating at or above 0.5, CONCORD ships and/or stationary weapons platforms will attack and destroy the aggressor, with escaping considered an exploit.

It is worth noting that while breaking the law in high-security systems means certain death for the offender, this does not guarantee the absolute safety of the victim: a well-planned suicide attack can still successfully destroy a ship before CONCORD and sentry guns turn the aggressor into space dust. For example, the system of 'Jita' in Caldari space is known as the most dangerous system in EVE, even though it has the second highest security rating (0.9). This is partly due to suicide attacks, where pirates will scan ships passing through Jita, looking for expensive cargo. When a ship is labeled a target, pirates will destroy them to get the cargo, even though they know CONCORD will destroy their own ship. To ensure the pirate who did the work gets the cargo an "alt" (alternate character) will often be used. The pirate's alt will be waiting near by, ready to come in and get the loot.

[edit] Death

In the event the player's ship is destroyed a wreck is left behind, any modules, drones and ammunition that were not destroyed in the explosion can be recovered by any player, additional components of the structure of the ship can be retrieved by a player with the correct "salvaging" modules and skills. These components can be used to build rigs. To mitigate the loss ships can be insured against destruction. Insurance payouts are based strictly on material build costs;<ref name="EVESupportInsuranceTips">EVE Support: Insurance Tips</ref> the market value of the ship is not taken into account. Some ships have a market value that is dozens, if not hundreds of times as much as the ship's build cost - as a result, a player who loses such a ship will lose a large investment, with no possibility of indemnification. (Modules cannot be insured; some modules may have a market value much higher than the ship itself.)

When a ship is destroyed, the player is ejected in his or her lifepod. This pod may be destroyed as well, if a player aggressor chooses to open fire on it. In this case, the player character will die and be revived in a clone at a pre-determined cloning facility. This player death is known as "podding" or "being podded". Non-player characters will not attack a pod. Any implants installed on a player will be irrevocably lost when he or she is podded. Implants cannot be insured.<ref name="eve_playerguide_skills">EVE Online Player Guide, Chapter 7, Gaining Skill and Advancing in EVE</ref>

Players may purchase an upgraded clone which is used in the event of pod death. The cost of a clone depends on how many skill points it can hold - the more skill points, the more expensive the clone becomes. When the player dies and is revived in his or her clone, if this clone holds a number of skill points lower than the number the player had at the time of death, then the player will lose skill points. The amount varies, and is a percentage of the difference between the clone rating, and the player's skill point total. When this happens, players with low rated clones could lose up to a half level of the highest skill learned.<ref name="eve_playerguide_skills">EVE Online Player Guide, Chapter 7, Gaining Skill and Advancing in EVE</ref> In some cases, this represents more than a month's worth of training time. Therefore, players who value their skill points purchase upgraded clones sufficient to hold all their skill points. (This is known as "keeping your clone up-to-date".)

[edit] Jump Clones

Expanding the cloning system further, Jump Clones were added in Red Moon Rising to allow advanced players to mitigate risking their cybernetic implants by using the Infomorph Psychology skill to jump into a cloned body in another station, without requiring their existing body to die to achieve this. The original body (complete with its cybernetic implants) is then stored in a station medical facility and may be returned to via another clone jump (after a 24-hour waiting period).<ref name="RMRFeaturesProjectRebirth">Red Moon Rising Features: Project Rebirth</ref> Through this method a developed character may engage in risky combat operations, something they would otherwise be unwilling to do if they were putting several billion ISK worth of cybernetic implants on the line to do so. Jump Clones are only offered on stations where the character's player corporation has a very high standing with the station owners; for this reason many jump clones are installed in player-constructed outpost stations, balancing the removal of risk that a jump clone provides with the possibility that the outpost may change ownership and the jump clone may become stranded in hostile space. As an alternative, some corporations with very high standings toward certain NPC stations offer a service where a player can join the corporation for a short time, for a fee, in order to set jump clones at the NPC stations. This alternative is much quicker for a player than building up standings with the NPC corporation themselves.<ref name="EVEKBHowDoIUseAndConfigureJumpClones">EVE Online Knowledge Base: How do I use and configure jump clones?</ref>

Although a player must have very high standing with a station's owners to initially place a jump clone at the station, once the clone exists, the player may travel to any other station before jumping back to his or her original clone. A station does not even need medical facilities for a player to leave a clone behind when jumping.

Players may also use jump clones to instantly travel great (or short) distances across the EVE Universe for any purpose, not simply combat. Trader characters may do business in one trade hub, and then clone jump to another hub to continue their buying and selling, they will not however be able to carry anything with them.

Jump clones require 8.0 corporation or personal standing.<ref name="EVESupportHowDoIUseAndConfigureJumpClones>EVE Support: How do I use and configure Jump Clones?</ref> As a result, it is relatively difficult for players to create Jump Clones at NPC stations.

[edit] Cost

EVE currently costs €14.95 / $14.95 a month<ref name="eve_kb_costs">EVE Online Knowledge Base: Payment options</ref> (the European cost is higher as VAT is included). Like other MMOGs, the cost can be reduced by paying for larger subscription intervals. Players can pay via online payment services or by mail order. The mail order costs more than online payment, though the large subscription discount still applies.

CCP purchased distribution rights back from Simon & Schuster in 2003, and now distributes the game client via free digital download.

Those who are playing EVE Online can send 14-day trials to their friends via the 'Buddy Program',<ref name="eve_buddypage">EVE Online Buddy Program (must be signed into EVE account to view)</ref><ref name="eve_kb_buddyprogram">EVE Online Knowledge Base: The Buddy Program</ref> available from the EVE Online website. A trial account is able to perform almost all of the same functions as a full account with the exception of training certain skills (such as industrial ships), using the escrow system, and transferring ISK to other players. If the buddy upgrades their trial account to a paying account, the person who sent the invitation will be entered into a monthly raffle for various prizes.

Free 14-day trials for EVE Online are also available at: https://secure.eve-online.com/ft/?aid=100001

It is also possible to pay for a subscription through the in game purchase of ETC (EVE time cards) using ISK (in game currency). This system was instituted by CCP and the transactions are protected by CCP staff.<ref name="eve_forum_gtcsales">EVE Online Forums: Time Code Sell orders, sticky thread</ref> This allows more advanced players able to generate the needed ISK to pay for their characters without any real money. The ETC sellers are also players and they gain in game ISK in trade for the purchase and resale of the ETC's. ETCs come in 30-50-90-100-180 day increments, and are treated just like normal subscriptions in every way.

[edit] Demographics

As of October 2006 the average age of an EVE Player was 27. 95% of players are male, and 5% are female. The average weekly playtime is 17 hours, or just under 2.5 hours per day.<ref name="vern_hilmarpeturson_evecurrency">Virtual Economy Research Network: Interview with Hilmar Pétursson and Magnús Bergsson</ref>

[edit] Major Content Patches

[edit] Gemini

Gemini was not actually a content patch, but is included here for the sake of completeness. When EVE Online: The Second Genesis<ref name="eve_genesis_features">Features of Second Gensis, the original game release</ref> was released, the base was codenamed Gemini, version 1.00.0000.

[edit] Castor

Castor was the first major content addition.<ref name="eve_castor_features">Features of the Castor content expansion.</ref> It focused on refining current functions along with adding Tech Level 2. With its release, EVE players saw conquerable stations in 0.0 security systems, the introduction of the agent system, the introduction of research agents, and many other features released between the launch of Castor and its follower, Exodus. Castor was released in December 2003.

[edit] Exodus

Exodus was released on 24 November 2004 and added new content<ref name="eve_exodus_features">Features of the Exodus content expansion.</ref> such as player owned starbases, multi-level "deadspace" scenarios, new environments, a new alliance system (which included formal alliance formation), new ships, better handling of conflicts, new market functionality, user interface improvements, and an updated in-game web browser. Starbases now counted towards "Sovereignty," the ability to own a system in-game. Prior to its official release, this expansion was codenamed "Shiva".

[edit] Cold War Edition

Cold War Edition added larger structures and ships, new environments, more user interface changes and new agent functionality, the biggest of which was the new "level 4" agent missions which were previously unavailable.<ref name="eve_coldwar_features">Features of the Cold War content expansion.</ref> Newly added "COSMOS" constellations contain new in-space agents with story-driven missions and unique rewards. The content patch also contained an extensive new tutorial sequence and a storyline background introduction. The Cold War Edition was released in July 2005.

[edit] Red Moon Rising

Red Moon Rising added new content,<ref name="eve_rmr_features">Features of the Red Moon Rising content expansion.</ref> much of which was originally slated to be in the 'Kali' expansion. Red Moon Rising was split off in order to maintain a more regular patch schedule. It included many code optimizations and updates to combat, research, and manufacturing. Red Moon Rising added new Tech 2 ships and rebalanced the existing Tech Level 1 ships. Added to the ship classes were Recon Cruisers (cruiser class ships designed to cloak and/or operate in support roles), Command Cruisers (battlecruiser class ships that grant bonuses to leadership), and Interdictors (destroyer class ships that can pull ships out of warp). Mining and manufacturing players have new items, implants, and ships to use. Carrier, Mothership, and Titan ship classes were added. Some of these ships utilize extra-large drones (or 'Fighters') as their primary weapons systems, and have many abilities focused at supporting fleets of lesser ships. Titans additionally have special abilities such as wormhole generators and super weapons. Finally, NPC ships have received a significant overhaul, with new abilities and new ships. Red Moon Rising or 'RMR' was released on December 14, 2005.

[edit] Bloodlines

Bloodlines is the codename for the small content patch that added one new bloodline to each race.<ref name="expansion_bloodlines_patchnotes">Blood Patch Notes, Build 3807 to 3893</ref> The Achura, citizens of the Caldari State and expert scientists; the Jin-Mei, members of the Gallente Federation renowned for their legendary leadership traits; the Khanid of the Amarr Empire, the primary fighter-warriors of their culture; and the Vherokior of the Minmatar Republic, the established manufacturers and engineers of the tribes.

This patch included additional code optimizations and bug fixes, and was released on March 2, 2006.

[edit] Dragon

Not a content patch, but again added for completeness. This update was major as it brought the codebase from the Chinese server (Serenity) and Tranquillity together and it was heralded as the "road to Kali". The changes included an important update to introduce Unicode and incorporate updates from Chinese server creation. With this patch, EVE could no longer be played on Windows 95/98, ME or Windows 2000 SP1.<ref name="patchnotes_3913-4557">EVE Online Version 4557 (Dragon) Patchnotes</ref>

[edit] Revelations

Revelations is the fifth content patch for EVE Online, previously known by its codename, Kali.<ref name="ccp_pr_kali">CCP Games Press Release: EVE Online Reveals the Path to Kali</ref><ref name="devblog_kali_e3">Developer Blog by Oveur: The Path Forward - EVE Voice, Lite, Vista, Kali and World Domination</ref><ref name="SkellibjallaKaliNameReply">EVE Developer Skellibjalla responds to questions about the nature of a advert run in PCGamer</ref> Slated to be released in three parts, the first was released on the morning of 29 November 2006. With it came a Combat Organization system, allowing people to be grouped into squadrons and wings. A contract system, seamless map and improved scanning system have also been implemented, as well as Tier-3 Battleships and Tier-2 Battlecruisers.<ref name="KaliFeatures">EVE Online's Kali (Revelations) Feature page</ref> Additionally, combat boosters, and rigs made from salvaged ships have been introduced. Revelations is also to include fully integrated and tiered voice support for the client designed by Vivox.<ref name="ccp_pr_voice">CCP Games Press Release: EVE Online Screams With Vivox Real-Time Voice Technology</ref> Although full details have not been announced at this time, developers at CCP have stated that the new voice system will allow for simple and effective communication within corporations and gangs, even as far as allowing gang leaders to mute the whole channel to communicate within it or even listen to multiple channels. This feature has not been included with the first portion of Revelations; it should be in the second. Expected in the third release are features such as Medals, Ranks, Titles and Certifications which are to be awarded to players, corporations, alliances, and factions. Factional Warfare will allow a pilot to declare allegiance to a side in the inter-factional conflict in the EVE universe. CCP Expects to publish the final part of this expansion during April 2007.

[edit] Planned Future Developments

CCP have recently begun work on implementing a game feature that will allow players to "Step out" of their pods and interact with other player avatars in the communal setting of the interior of a station.<ref name="CCPDevBlogt0rfiFransWalkingInStations">"Walking in Stations" a Dev Blog by t0rfiFrans</ref> CCP have not yet formally speculated on a release date for this feature.

[edit] Serenity and the Chinese EVE Online

As discussed in the dev blog with LeKjart,<ref name="devblog_biginchina">Developer Blog by LeKjart: Big in China</ref> Serenity is the nickname given to a EVE Online partnership with Optic Communications to bring EVE Online to the Chinese mainstream. Serenity is in its early stages, and was in closed alpha testing on a small cluster for some time, with about 3,000 players chosen from an initial pool of 50,000. The Chinese EVE web site is up and running and some events have already been held. At the end of March, several CCP Devs went to China to participate in PR activities in preparation for Launch of EVE China by the end of summer, 2006.

Following the alpha, Serenity went into closed beta running on the brand new hardware that Optic has invested in to run the game. The code base between Serenity and Tranquility will be strictly in sync, so that any new development will be distributed to all players. The main new addition needed was converting the whole of EVE Online to Unicode, as well as putting in place a whole new back-end system to enable localization of each and every aspect of the game's content and UI.

The Chinese open beta test began in June 2006,<ref name="GamingHorizonBetaLaunch">EVE Online Chinese Beta Launches on Gaming Horizon</ref> and prices are believed to be around 3.5USD for a CD-key promo package (includes a CD-key card, DVD client, player guide, and postcard), with an 8.00USD monthly fee after that^{[citation needed]}. The game has gone through an extremely severe examination by China's authorities in order to prevent Chinese players from coming in contact with anything that might violate Chinese policy and related laws^{[citation needed]}. Changes to the backstory of the Chinese version of EVE were, for the most part, limited to translations.<ref name="TenTonHammerFanFestCoverage">TenTonHammer: Day Three - 'The 5th Horseman' with Oveur, Hellmar's Keynote</ref>

[edit] Ships

Main article: Spaceships of EVE Online

Ships in the EVE universe are organized into a variety of different classes, varying from minute frigates to titans thousands of times larger. Each of these types has its own advantages and disadvantages in the game. One should not simply assume that the bigger a ship is, the better. For instance, a frigate is incredibly small compared to a battleship, but many users outfit these smaller ships with equipment that impairs the abilities of the battleship. This leaves the battleship vulnerable to attack from other ships. However, some of the weapons available to the battleship could destroy that frigate in a few shots. The balance between ships is also maintained by the implementation of the signature radius. The smaller an object (ship or otherwise) is, the harder it is to target.

The enormous scale of some of the newer vessels in the EVE universe can been seen in this ship scale comparison chart. Using the Caldari fleet as an example, the small vessels in the top right of the chart are Frigates, along with the Shuttle and Destroyer. Moving counter-clockwise around the Caldari fleet, the next four vessels are Cruisers, while the following is a Battlecruiser. Following the Battlecruiser are the two Battleships, then the Carrier, Mothership, Titan, Freighter, three Industrials, and finally the Dreadnought. The Eiffel Tower, for comparison, can be seen in the far bottom left hand corner.

[edit] Weapons

Weapons in EVE are divided into four types: turrets, missile launchers, drones, and smartbombs. Each type requires a different set of skills in order to use effectively, and have distinctive behaviors and tactical uses. Each of the four playable races favor a different subcategory of these weapon types; missile launchers (Caldari), energy turrets(Amarr), hybrid turrets(Gallente), and projectile turrets (Minmatar). Additionally, certain modules have an important effect on tactics used in combat including warp scramblers/disruptors (and their counter, warp stabilizers), webifiers, energy vampires and energy destabilizers.

Every weapon has its advantages and disadvantages. Missile effectiveness is determined by several variables: target speed, missile explosion speed and diameter, and the signature radius of the target. Missile maximum range is determined by each missile's time of flight multiplied by flight speed. The effectiveness of a turret is determined by other variables: its tracking speed, the distance between it and its target, its target's relative velocity, and the signature radius of the target. Ammunition used by turrets affects both the optimal range of the turret and the standard damage inflicted by each hit; closer range ammunition causes more damage, and longer range ammunition causes less. Missiles are available that do different types of damage, and many launchers can use more than one type of missile. Slower missiles, such as torpedoes, tend to do more damage to large targets. Drones follow the target, and shoot at it, causing different types of damage based on drone type.

Other offensive systems include electronic countermeasures (ECM) modules that keep an opponent from achieving a target lock or interfere with weapon systems. These can be countered using various ECCM (electronic counter-countermeasures) modules.

[edit] Equipment

Main article: Equipment types of Eve Online

Equipment in EVE is divided into different categories - ammunition, deployable equipment, drones, electronic warfare, electronics and sensor upgrades, engineering equipment, hull & armor, propulsion, shield, smartbombs, turrets & bays, ship upgrades(rigs), civilian modules and gang assist modules. Within these categories different versions of individual items are available, each version has its specific advantages. For example: cheaper to produce, doing more damage or repairing more shield points a time.

[edit] Graphics Engine and Windows Vista

On March 14, 2006, the EVE Online development team announced that they would be upgrading the graphics engine of EVE Online to a DirectX 10 / Windows Vista graphics platform.<ref name="devblog_graphics_vista">Developer blog entry on graphics upgrades, DirectX 10 and Windows Vista</ref> As a five-year-old engine, the 'Trinity' engine that EVE Online currently runs on is nearing the end of its lifespan. However, there is no requirement that players upgrade to the new Vista compatible client, and an enhanced version of the existing DirectX 9 compatible client will continue to function. The current version (EVE Classic) is likely to continue to be the preferred version for performance and stability.<ref name="EVEDevBlogRedundancyOnALittleThingCalledVista">"A Little Thing Called Vista..." - a Dev Blog by Redundancy on the impact of Vista on the EVE client</ref>

[edit] Milestones

• On June 14, 2006, a new Chinese server, Serenity, quickly seized the PCU World Record as more than 33,000 concurrent users logged in on the second day of service. Maximum PCU recorded during the open beta is 38,000 announced by the company running the server for CCP in China.<ref name="gamespot_pr_evechina">CCP Games Press Release: EVE Online Goes Live In China, reported by GameSpot.</ref>

• During two weekends in July 2006, a live streaming video production called EVETV<ref name="devblog_evetv_gonnahappen">Developer Blog by LeMonde: EVETV - Gonna Happen!</ref><ref name="evetv">EVETV</ref> covered the events of the 2nd Caldari Alliance Tournament. The tournament pitted five-man teams from the top alliances against each other. EVETV provided live in-game footage of the battles along with expert commentary. Analysis of the teams and strategies, interviews with CCP staff and behind-the-scenes specials were also aired between battles. EVETV was produced and hosted primarily by DJs<ref name="devblog_evetv_gonnahappen" /> from EVE-Radio (a player-run streaming radio station) with resources provided by CCP. A total of 95 matches were scheduled, with the Band of Brothers<ref name="band_of_brothers">Band of Brothers alliance info page</ref> alliance emerging the winner on the final day.<ref name="evetv_final16">2nd Caldari Alliance Tournament: Final 16 Team Bracket Chart</ref> Recordings of the event are now available via BitTorrent<ref name="EVEForums2ndAllianceTournamentBitTorrent">EVE Online Forums - 2^nd Alliance Tournament available for download</ref> and on EVE Files.<ref name="EVEFilesEVETV">EVE Files: EVETV</ref> Additionally, a better quality DVD is available through the EVE Online Webstore.<ref name="EVEStore2ndPvPTournament">EVE Store: PVP Tournament DVD</ref>

• On September 4, 2006 at 18:21 a new PCU milestone was reached when 30,538 EVE Players were logged in at the same time.<ref name="eve_pcu_sep4_2006" />

• A new record was achieved on December 3, 2006 when 32,955 players were logged on simultaneously, beating the old record by 2,417 players.

[edit] Quafe

Quafe is both the name of a popular drink in EVE<ref name="quafe_chronicles">EVE Online Chronicles - Quafe</ref> and the name of the company which produces it.<ref name="quafe_corp_info">Quafe - EVE Online Organizations</ref> On October 22, 2004, CCP made a marketing first when they launched the virtual drink for sale in the real world.<ref name="GamesIndustryQuafePressRelease">"CCP announces The Availability of QUAFE" - GamersIndustry.biz Press Release</ref> CCP sold the drink from their website for $1.50 (USD) for a single bottle, or $15.10 for a multi-pack, but sales of this drink have since ceased. Quafe has a distinct lemon-lime taste.

[edit] EVE-Radio

EVE-Radio is an unofficial fan-operated Internet radio station dedicated to EVE Online. It currently broadcasts a free SHOUTcast service around the clock to a worldwide audience including non-EVE players. EVE-Radio's live coverage of the Alliance PvP Tournament, a significant event in the EVE Online universe, enabled its growth to continue on the back of a renewed listenership.^{[citation needed]}

EVE-Radio recently partnered with CCP to create EVETV, a live video broadcast from the CCP offices in Iceland.<ref name="evetv">EVETV</ref>

[edit] Awards

• PC Gamer Sweden: Best Online RPG 2003
• SuperPlay GULDPIXELN 2003: Online Game of the year
• 2003 Gamespy Best Graphics
• 2005 MMORPG.com Best Graphics, Best PvP, Favorite Company, and Reader's Choice Best Game

[edit] See also

• CCP
• Stackless Python, the language used to implement EVE Online server-side
• EVETV

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Official EVE Online site - English
• The Official EVE Online site - Chinese
• CCP Games - Developer of EVE Online
• EVE-Online Community Page: List of English and non-English community sites
• All about EVE (PDF): A personal account of Jim Rossignol's experiences in EVE, written in the New Games Journalism style. Originally published in PC Gamer UK.
• Trust Me: Article discussing trust in gameworld economies, contrasting EVE Online with Second Life and using the example of the 'Interstellar Starbase Syndicate' venture.<ref name="eve-iss">Interstellar Starbase Syndicate Website</ref>
• EVEWiki: The EVE Online wiki
• EVE Online at the Open Directory Projectde:EVE Online

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