EVE Online
| EVE Online | |||
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| Studio |
 CCP Games
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| Publisher |
CCP Games Atari SA
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
June 2003 | ||
| platform |
Windows , Mac OS X (based on Cider ) Linux (2007–2009) |
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| genre | MMORPG , space flight simulation | ||
| Subject | Science fiction | ||
| Game mode | Multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | Download , DVD-ROM | ||
| language | English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Icelandic, Chinese | ||
| Age rating |
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EVE Online is a multiplayer internet role-playing game ( MMORPG ) from the Icelandic developer CCP Games . The space flight simulation sees itself in the tradition of the classic game Elite and has its focus on trade and combat in space.
Background story and setting
Due to centuries of exploitation, there was a scarcity of resources on planet earth. There were also wars over the remains of the raw materials that were still available. However, with the development of new space technology, these conflicts have been resolved. Huge jump gates now made it possible to bridge the distances between solar systems. The colonization of space began and was driven primarily by private companies. When this spread finally came to an end, these companies turned against each other.
This only changed when a natural wormhole was discovered, which led into previously undiscovered area. After the first expeditions survived unscathed through the wormhole now known as "EVE", millions of settlers set out to develop the new land. The newly discovered area was christened “New Eden”.
However, the EVE wormhole collapsed soon after, separating the new territories from Earth's sphere of influence. The colonies fell into disrepair, human knowledge faded, the new worlds became the grave of millions and the history of the settlers became more and more myths and legends.
Very few planets have been able to hold off Earth without supplies. The first people to rediscover spaceflight were the Jovians. They met the Amarr, a people of religious fundamentalists, and found them worthy to learn from them. Shortly afterwards, the Jovians were almost completely wiped out by an unknown disease. They withdrew to the so-called Jove regions, which are still inaccessible today. Nothing is known about their fate.
Now that the Amarr were once again familiar with space technology, they too began to explore space. They quickly encountered the Minmatar, whom they regarded as primitive barbarians, and began to subjugate them in a mighty crusade. Later, the Minmatar tribes would shake off Amarr rule and establish their own empire.
At the same time as the Amarr, the Gallente people rose and founded a federation of free states in their sphere of influence, of which the Caldari formed the strongest faction. After a serious civil war, the Caldari people separated from the Gallente and built an ultra-capitalist empire, which succeeded in depriving the democratic Gallente state of a large part of its possessions.
Over time, other factions formed. Apart from countless organizations within the four playable empires (e.g. war fleets, media organizations, and parties), there are some independent entities that are not accessible to players:
- The Ammatar Mandate, a friendly relationship between Amarr and Minmatar, is accepted by both empires and has its own sphere of influence.
- In different ways, lawless organizations arose in each empire and settled in uncontrolled areas near their home regions. These are the Serpentis Corporation, Guristas, Blood Raider and the Angel Cartel. They are also known as pirates .
- The Sansha nation split off from the Caldari state long ago because Sansha Kuvakei's transhumanist experiments had become incompatible with the management of the Caldari companies. Sansha, himself a wealthy entrepreneur, bought a remote region of space where he fled with his followers (today this region is known as the “stain” or “eyesore”). As a result, his nation expanded rapidly in the sparsely populated areas and had to be repulsed by all four empires with combined forces. Deprived of their leader, the remaining cyber slaves of the Sansha regime degenerated; they are now counted among the pirate factions and hold the stain region in hijack.
- Outer Ring Excavations, the leading mining organization, has its own properties, as does the Sisters of EVE, the Caldari mercenary fleet Mordus' Legion and the Jove faction Society of Conscious Thought.
Relations between Caldari and Gallente and Amarr and Minmatar were strained for a long time. However, there was almost a century of truce between the four empires. However, these times of peace are finally over. Gallente and Minmatar, on the one hand, and Caldari and Amarr, on the other, are currently at war with one another, while most of the other factions maintain their neutrality.
After the outbreak of war, but probably not because of it, smaller wormholes were increasingly noticed in New Eden. These are just as unstable as the EVE wormhole, but they allow the inhabitants of New Eden intermittent access to other solar systems. The Sleeper race was also discovered in connection with these wormholes. This highly dangerous and aggressive breed is widely understood as a variant of the lost Jove, but has not been fully researched.
After all, the Sansha nation also appears to have survived its alleged annihilation. For a number of years, Master Kuvakei has been sending war fleets to New Eden from a previously undiscovered headquarters. However, the ships of these fleets are not comparable to the remnants of the old Sansha state mentioned above and apparently have no contact with them. It is not clear how Kuvakia was able to secretly create such a powerful force.
Players enter New Eden as members of one of the four empires. They belong to a privileged caste, the so-called capsuleer pilots. Capsuleers have the advantage over the rest of the population of the galaxy that they are virtually immortal thanks to cloning technology . If they are shot down in space, their consciousness is transferred through their escape capsule into a prepared clone and this is activated. This capsuleer technology originally came from the Jovians and was part of their aura of invincibility.
These privileges as well as the activities of capsuleers sometimes lead to role-playing disputes with other residents of New Eden, but are not relevant for the majority of the players - they do not take part in the role-playing games of the developer company.
However, in order to prevent some player activities in the sphere of influence of the four empires, the regulatory organization and police “CONCORD” was created. In addition, it is the empire's warships to target criminal capsuleers and enemies of the state in their area.
Gameplay
General
A wide range of specializations is available to players. These include:
- Non-martial fields of activity such as mining, industry, research, logistics, trade and financial services (banks, money lending, participations)
- Martial fields of activity such as piracy, anti-piracy, warding off Sansha incursions, fighting the sleepers, mercenaries or conflicts between groups of players
- Hybrid activities such as space exploration, theft or fraud, leading a group of players, etc.
There are also other services that are offered by players, but do not necessarily have to be part of the basic game, e.g. B.
- Space maps and similar databases,
- Planning software for player characters and ships,
- Killboards that record conflicts among players,
- Discussion forums and meetings of player groups,
- Self-help groups for addicts or suicidal players,
- Radio stations and news sites.
The avatar itself only appears in the form of a portrait and in the space stations. However, the overwhelming majority of gameplay takes place in space. There players are represented by their spaceships.
There are well over 200 different ships in over 20 classes. Depending on the role, these ships differ drastically in terms of requirements, price, play values, equipment options, special abilities and mobility. Some ships are better suited for certain activities than others. There are also ship classes that have unique abilities that they specialize in.
Players must purchase equipment in addition to purchasing each ship, as the mere hull is usually useless. Due to the sheer variety of all conceivable items of equipment, equipping a ship is a complex matter that is often carried out using guides and other aids. The selection is only limited by the minimum requirements that ship and equipment place on the player.
Almost all items in EVE require that the player-character become familiar with their use. This is done via the skill system, which is real-time based. This means players acquire skills ( skills improve) at level 0, "inject" this knowledge in their avatars, and this knowledge can then over time to the level of the fifth The time required for each skill usually varies between three minutes and two weeks, but in extreme cases it can be three months. The time periods can be significantly reduced by various game mechanics. Skills are trained even when the character is not online.
A feature of Eve Online is that outside of space stations there is always a risk of being shot down. If a ship is destroyed, it is irretrievably lost and must be bought again. Insurance and scrap recycling only partially cover the loss.
The sphere of influence of the four starting empires is protected by the police organization CONCORD. Players who provoke a CONCORD mission are shot down within a few seconds; CONCORD ships are invincible and infinitely available. However, that doesn't mean that players, especially in groups, won't be able to destroy an enemy ship before the police arrive. The reaction time of the police is strongest in the center of the empires (security level 1.0) and decreases towards the outside. Below a security level of 0.5, players are no longer protected by CONCORD ships, but by stationary artillery, which, however, cause negligible damage. Below a security level of 0.1, players are in a lawless room. No laws or rules apply in the so-called “zero-zero” area.
In the 0.0 range, it is also possible for groups of players to conquer individual systems or entire regions and claim them over the long term. There are numerous options available to players to design these possessions. In addition to various infrastructure projects, space stations can also be built in which ships are safe from attacks. Since the lawless room also has valuable resources, groups of players are in constant conflict with one another.
Playable races
Amarr
The Amarr are the largest of the four empires in the EVE universe. The Amarr people consider themselves to be the race chosen by God. They are the only empire actively involved in the slave trade. The Amarr pursue expansionist policies which, among other things, ended in a severe defeat against their former sponsor, the Jove.
Amarrian ships are extremely heavily armored and specialize in the use of laser weapons on the offensive.
Caldari
The Caldari were originally part of the Gallente Federation, but split off due to different geopolitical and economic views and have since formed the sovereign state of Caldari. The state is held together and controlled by so-called mega-corporations. These corporations are in constant competition with one another, but act together in foreign policy. The Caldari society is based on the view that every citizen is just a small cog in the larger state structure.
The Caldari generally have the most advanced shield technology of all races and mostly use rockets or cruise missiles in combat; but hybrid guns are also used.
Gallente
The Gallente Federation is the only democracy in New Eden. They value their personal freedom and that of others and, if necessary, defend it by force of arms. The Gallente economy is largely dominated by trade and services. The Gallente also have a keen sense of patriotism. They despise the slave trade and supported the Minmatar in their wars of liberation against the Amarr.
The Gallente ships rely on their high drone capacity combined with hybrid guns. Similar to the Amarr, the armor of their ships is usually superior to the shields.
Minmatar
The Minmatar Republic is divided into different tribes, which repeatedly leads to internal tensions. Hence, the Minmatar are sometimes considered weak by the other empires. In the course of time the people became fragmented due to conquests and forced to "voluntarily emigrate". A portion of the Minmatar were enslaved by the Amarr long ago. Although very few of them live within the borders of the Minmatarian Republic, they are loyal to their tribal gangs. Due to the fact that their homeworld is very sparse, the Minmatar have evolved into a race of recyclers, and they manage to make something useful out of almost anything.
While projectile weapons are normally used as guns, almost all Minmatar ships are also suitable for the use of drones and cruise missiles; Similarly, depending on the ship, either shield systems or armor are favored.
Each race offers the player three historical lineages to choose from. This opens up other options for the player when creating the character portrait, but has no effect on the character's game values. The Caldari come from the Asian part of the world, the Amarr from today's North America, the Minmatar from the Maghreb as well as Africa and the Gallente Europe.
particularities
EVE Online differs in a few ways from classic MMORPGs such as Ultima Online .
Limited to only one server
The players are not distributed over different game servers , but all play at the same time in the same galaxy , which is made up of over 7,500 solar systems.
This means that it is not possible to completely avoid certain players and groups by switching the game server. Feuds and conflicts must either be ended by oneself or eaten out.
The past of each character can also be reconstructed in many ways (memberships in certain groups, news items, entries on killboards and forums, etc.). Anyone who, as a member of a corporation, attacks the property of the group or makes themselves otherwise unpopular is often publicly branded and has virtually no prospect of being accepted into a reputable group. This can become a problem, especially after years of playing.
As a result, players in EVE Online must exercise particular caution when choosing their player group. Having previously belonged to a hostile organization can have an impact on a group's chances of being accepted. But also the group of players must be careful when choosing their members, as the developer company of EVE Online usually does not punish fraud and theft ( social Darwinism ). A wrong decision in the selection of applicants can therefore have serious consequences.
Admission procedures that are done in a few seconds in other MMORPGs develop into interviews lasting several days or even several weeks, in which the applicant is put through its paces and subjected to a risk analysis. As a rule, it is at least required that applicants disclose their financial circumstances and consent to an insight into the character's internal mail history. Applicants may also have to provide security, provide guarantors or go through a probation period. This sometimes becomes the starting point for various humorous statements in the gaming scene.
EVE Online also holds the simultaneous gaming record of over 65,000, set in May 2013.
Game objective
The goal of the game is not set. Characters develop primarily through the constant gain of skill points, although there is now a limited possibility to trade skill points. However, more experienced characters are severely disadvantaged by this system, which is why it is particularly suitable for new players who want to catch up quickly.
Other advances in the game are manifested through personal wealth, and most importantly, personal, galaxy-wide fame. Since all players have been playing in the same game world since 2003, some anecdotes within the community have become legendary. A real personality cult developed around some leaders.
Sometimes control over the totality of the 0.0 range is referred to as “winning EVE”. So far, no player group has succeeded in doing this, although stable structures have emerged that have existed in large parts of this area for many years.
Economy
The market system, which is completely dominated by the players, is also special. With the exception of a negligible number of items, all ships and items in EVE Online are made by players. Only the necessary blueprints and a few basic products are sold by ( NPCs ) in order to give the players this freedom.
The procurement of raw materials, their transport, processing and distribution are entirely in the hands of the player. Usually these steps are taken by different players for reasons of efficiency. A player will mine the necessary ores and sell them to an industrialist who has a partner bring them to the production site. The finished product is then usually taken to one of the dozen or so main hubs and sold there. Buyers use the products until they are inevitably destroyed or consumed in a battle. Supply and demand fluctuate strongly and galaxy-wide wars can have drastic effects on the structure of the market.
Particularly wealthy groups of players may be able to afford to temporarily buy up the full range of certain items in order to force enemy groups to either pay higher prices for war material or to switch to inferior equipment.
Fraud and theft
EVE Online players are more free in their actions than in many other MMORPGs . The operator, CCP, does not intervene in the case of cheating between players as long as they remain within the framework of the game. Even experienced players are not immune from these scams, as new strategies are constantly being developed to make it easier for others to find their play money.
Business model
Until November 15, 2016, EVE Online was generally chargeable for the player after a test phase lasting several weeks, making it one of the last subscription-based MMORPGs.
On November 15, 2016, a freemium system was introduced with the Ascension extension. You can play for free with the Alpha Clone for an unlimited period of time. The skills that can be learned are limited, the training speed is reduced by 50% and you don't have an infinitely long queue. With the paid Omega Clone, all features included in the game are available, including a. also the extensive color change of the user interface, which is limited to black with Alpha Cloning.
A PLEX can also be used to upgrade from Alpha to Omega. A PLEX is a tradable item that exists in the game. They are created by gamers by purchasing game time and converting the code received into PLEX. The players are then free to sell them in the game's own market. PLEX is a way of being able to play the game for free if the character has sufficient income.
technology
Behind the game world is a server cluster with several levels. These are the database, the proxy nodes and so-called SOL nodes. Proxy nodes handle the network traffic between the end users (clients) and the cluster. The actual arithmetic work takes place on the SOL nodes.
There are specialized SOL nodes for various tasks, such as managing the market of a game region, managing chat or hosting a solar system. The communication between client, proxy and SOL node takes place using the RPC protocol MachoNet developed by CCP . Processing is carried out using a special version of the Python programming language, Stackless Python , the development of which is significantly supported by CCP.
By dispensing with the processor stack, Stackless Python threads can be serialized particularly easily . EVE makes use of this, for example, when switching players between solar systems. The thread representing the player is serialized on the issuing SOL node and deserialized again by the target node. Limitations of the MachoNet protocol mean that a solar system is permanently assigned to a SOL node and has to run there in a single thread. The most heavily visited solar systems therefore have their own SOL node, while less loaded systems can share a node. When a SOL node is fully used, this can manifest itself in noticeable delays for the players, e.g. B. as an in-game effect of time dilation .
Is it foreseeable for the players that there will be a large number of players in a certain solar system at a certain time, e.g. B. in an agreed space battle, you have the opportunity to report this to CCP, an attempt is then made to run this solar system on its own physical host at the defined time, so that the game experience runs as smoothly as possible for the players.
As a possible solution to this problem, CCP is currently evaluating a porting of the software to InfiniBand technology. According to the developers' statements at Fanfest 2008, a development version of EVE-Online is already running on a small HPC cluster as a test environment.
Other platforms
EVE is also available for Mac OS X , but uses the Windows-compatible Cedega runtime environment . A boxed version of the game has also been on the market since early 2009.
The official Linux support has been discontinued with Apocrypha. Linux users can now use the unofficial launcher from CCP developer Snorlax to play EVE.
Extensions
The expansions are included in the monthly fee and expand the functions and scope of EVE in some cases considerably. Not only are existing game mechanics updated, as is the case with other MMORPGs, for example by increasing the level maximum, but also completely new functionalities are introduced:
- Vivox's VoIP system planned for December 2006 was only installed and released on the live server in the 2nd quarter of 2007 after a long test phase.
- With the release of EVE Trinity, the graphics engine was adapted to the DirectX -9 standard. It is still possible to play EvE-Online on less powerful computers.
- The "Empyrean Age" update made it possible for an NPC empire to commit to fighting its enemies and occupying solar systems.
- With “Dominion” the mechanism of sovereignty in the lawless space was fundamentally changed. Furthermore, the engine of the web browser Google Chrome has been integrated into the game's in-game browser.
- The update "Tyrannis" enabled the development of planets. Previously, planets had not played a significant role and, as orbital bodies, had only occasionally been the scene of battles.
- The “Incursion” expansion was released in three parts. The second part introduced the already mentioned incursions. The third part included a new character editor based on the Carbon engine that revolutionized character creation.
- With the update to “Incarna”, the so-called “Captains Quarter” was introduced. For the first time, it made it possible to leave the spaceship and move around the space station with your own player character.
- The graphics were updated to DirectX 11 with the Rubicon extension. Rubicon was also the last extension in the old release rhythm, which was characterized by two large extensions per year. With the Kronos expansion, a new cycle was introduced, which includes six smaller expansions spread over the year. Among other things, the sovereignty mechanics from “Dominion” in “Aegis” have been radically revised again.
reception
On November 29, 2012, the Museum of Modern Art announced the purchase of 14 computer games, including EVE Online , for a new permanent design exhibition in the Philip Johnson Galleries from March 2013. The announcement identified the titles as outstanding representatives in the field of interaction design. In addition to the visual quality and the aesthetic experience, criteria were therefore all aspects that contribute to the design of the interaction, such as the elegance of the program code or the design of the player behavior.
Criticisms
Incarna
The "Incarna" extension caused great criticism from many customers. Many felt that their wishes would be ignored and internal CCP documents with contentious content that had become public reinforced this impression. In addition, there were problems with graphics cards in connection with the “Incarna” software and concerns about the future of EVE-Online, especially in connection with the newly introduced “Item Shop”. CCP then dropped the further plans associated with Incarna and oriented itself more closely to feedback from the community. The fears of the players regarding the item shop (regarding an uncertain future of the game) have not been confirmed either.
Lack of game performance, lag
The servers sometimes reach the limits of their performance ( lag ). It is noticeable negatively that all players use the same server cluster . Technically, this is circumvented in that the game speed is reduced by time dilation to up to 10% in order to at least maintain the flow of the game.
Therefore, the server cluster was completely replaced in February 2006 (based on AMD Opteron 64-bit IBM blade servers ) and has been expanded several times since then. The software is also constantly being revised to offer increased performance. Also worth mentioning from a technical point of view is the use of so-called RAMSANs, a kind of high-speed solid state drive for the database.
t20 incident and the CSM
In the summer of 2006, an employee of the development company CCP intervened in the game and abused his powers to give a certain player alliance he favored an unfair advantage. This led to the creation of the “Council of Stellar Management” (CSM), a player-elected council that is supposed to have a control function over the CCP.
Trivia
Since the end of summer 2006, CCP has been operating a separate server (Serenity) together with Optic Communications as a license partner in China. This server is intended for residents of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.
EVE: The Second Genesis , a trading card game for Eve Online, has existed since October 2006 . The first expansion "The Exiled" was released in summer 2007.
The embassy employee Sean Smith was killed in the attack on the US Mission in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 . Smith had been the chief diplomat of a major alliance during his lifetime under the character name “Vile Rat”. The news of his death sparked condolences and collective mourning from allies and enemies. A fundraising campaign for the bereaved also attracted some media attention. Since then, his alliance has held an annual memorial day on which all members are called to shoot their allies. This alludes to Smith's ability to resolve diplomatic entanglements and the phrase "Shoot blues, tell Vile Rat".
A similar case occurred in the wake of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino . Here, too, EVE players donated for the bereaved relatives of their teammates.
The “Burn Jita” campaign also takes place every year. This is traditionally sponsored by a specific alliance, although all players are eligible to participate. It is a week of action during which as many merchant ships as possible are to be destroyed by suicide attacks in the Jita trading center.
On January 27, 2014, the 21-hour "Battle for B-R5RB" took place in the EVE Online universe. In addition to some in-game records, the record for the most expensive online battle was achieved with destruction in the theoretical equivalent of more than 300,000 USD (~ 240,000 €). EVE Online had already caused a sensation with major space battles.
A household word has circulated in the EVE community for many years. “EVE is dying” (“EVE dies”) is a term that has been used since 2008 at the latest. This is to prophesy the discontinuation of the game offer by CCP. Over time, however, the term itself has become a sarcastic response to appropriately pessimistic remarks.
In early 2016, after a period of relative stability, a major conflict broke out in the 0.0 area. After the "Imperium" coalition had tried to force surrounding regions that it did not control to pay tribute, it was surprisingly repulsed by much smaller groups. The defenders received significant support from wealthy allies after their initial successes. Due to personal differences with one of the "Imperium" alliances, the providers of a popular gambling site decided to finance the other side. This so-called "Money Badger Coalition" (MBC) recorded large territorial gains quickly, as the "Empire" quickly gave up any serious resistance due to its numerical inferiority and instead announced that it would begin to recapture after an assumed collapse of the MBC. At the end of April 2016, the territory of the "empire" was almost completely conquered by the MBC. At about the same time, two important MBC members were expelled from their coalition for different reasons.
In EVE's virtual universe, players interact with real-world astronomical data provided by the University of Geneva through a fully integrated part of the EVE online gaming experience called Project Discovery. As soon as enough players come to an agreement on the classification of data, they go back to the university and are used there to optimize the search for exoplanets.
Web links
- official website
- EVE Online at MobyGames (English)
- Link catalog on the subject of Eve Online at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ ) (links to fan sites)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on the official website eveonline.com, accessed on March 21, 2015.
- ↑ Example rocketbeans.tv, accessed April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Activity recording of the server eve-offline.net, accessed on April 14, 2016. (English)
- ^ An economy called EVE Zeit.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ EVE Online scam - $ 45,000 stolen from t-online.de, accessed April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Billions robbery in online game EVE Online t-online.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ The EVE-Cluster ( Memento of the original of April 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at battlefield.no
- ↑ Software in the background at myeve.eve-online.com
- ↑ Support article ( Memento of the original from September 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. eve-online.com
- ↑ CCP: EVE Launcher for Linux - Linux - EVE Online Forums. Retrieved March 21, 2017 .
- ↑ Video Games: 14 in the Collection, for Starters moma.org, Retrieved April 14, 2016. (English)
- ↑ Unmasked: Eve online developer caught cheating golem.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ EVE Online mourns diplomats killed in Benghazi spiegel.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ^ The extraordinary mischievous too short life of Sean Smith kotaku.com, Retrieved April 14, 2016. (English)
- ↑ Eve Online: Player dies in a terrorist attack, community supports survivors mein-mmo.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Gamers engage in a record-breaking space battle zeit.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ EVE Online players destroy ships worth 200,000 euros spiegel.de, accessed on April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Eve players stage giant online space battle bbc.com, Retrieved April 14, 2016. (English)
- ↑ Eve Online - For Science: Players are looking for real planets - GameStar . In: GameStar.de . ( gamestar.de [accessed on March 17, 2017]).
