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New York Comic Con: EVE Online - The Empyrean Age Expansion
At New York Comic Con, Managing Editor Jon Wood caught up with CCP designer Matt Woodward to talk about the recently announced EVE expansion, "The Empyrean Age".
Yesterday, MMORPG.com news Manager Keith Cross talked about EVE Online and their Ambulation project that will eventually see players able to get out of their ships and interact as characters rather than as space ships. While that’s all fine and good, and will undoubtedly add a lot to the sandbox game, but we’ve heard about Ambulation before. Turns out that there’s a new kid on the block that we haven’t talked about yet and that’s exactly why I sat down with EVE designer Matthew Woodward at NY Comic Con.
When CCP launched their last expansion, Trinity, players were treated to all kinds of new stuff, not the least of which was a major graphical upgrade that saw the realism of EVE kicked up a few notches. This time, with the announcement of the follow-up expansion, Empyrian Age, the developers are adding to the story of the game and the depth of the universe by starting a great war between four empires.
“A war between empires?” You ask, “but isn’t EVE all about war, pretty much all the time?” Well, yes, but this is the first time that individual players and even entire player corporations will have a chance to unite under an NPC banner to wage an even bigger war.
“Empyrian Age is the first expansion that we’ve really been building the story into things,” said Woodward. “We’ve got [an author] who has written us a novel of the same name and it’s about four big empires who exist in a kind of uneasy peace for some time. It all comes to a head and it all starts. The whole cluster is extreme and everything is kicking off, so the expansion ties into this.” They are also planning to have news and information come out in-game to prep players for the expansion’s release.
When the expansion does indeed kick off, players will be able to sign up for one side or the other. From there, they start to run missions and complete tasks for their empire, gaining more and more standing with them.
You can sign up individually,” Woodward said, “or you can sign up with your corporation. This, of course, will put you at war with the other factions. You‘re going to be fighting them in space, and you‘re going to be fighting them for glory.”
While there will be war-specific missions available, players who tend toward a style that doesn’t see them collecting missions will still have plenty to do as you can fly around and attack enemy installations and the like.
The system will keep track of what has happened and systems will change hands based on the success or failure of the players.
The goal with this expansion, Woodward tells us, is to try to bridge the gap between players who play in safe space, generally running missions and the like and the players who are actively engaging in the game’s PvP. The distance between those two play styles is what Woodward called a “big step” that is often intimidating.
“The step from one to the other is a big step and what we’re trying to do is build a bridge so that you can say ‘I want to try some PvP in a semi-controlled environment.’ It’s not safe, obviously. You’re going to die a lot because that‘s what PvP is about. Still, once you get into the mindset of ‘I’m going to lose this ship’, it’s all a lot more fun.”
“[The players] can start up and their agents will give them objectives to complete. You’ve got direction. You’ll go out there and get shot at and you’ll shoot at people and either you’re going to find that they like it or not.”
Woodward went on to tell us that while there will always be players who just aren’t interested in PvP (there will still be plenty for them to do), that he has had a number of experiences with players who had been more industrious before and avoided PvP, who had a great time with it. There’s just something about PvP that can really get people hooked. The expansion is at least partially about introducing these people to the fun of PvP. There is also a hope that the four empires will provide players with an excuse to interact and maybe make friends and start their own corporations.
While in the initial release of the expansion, there are no mechanics in place for resource gatherers, Woodward did point out that such a massive war effort is going to require raw materials, ships and the like and there will be enterprising players who take full advantage of this point.
“When someone dies, they’re going to need a new ship and someone’s got to make it. Why not you?”
The last question that I asked Matt before our time was up was whether or not I could sign up for one particular faction, fight for them for the bulk of the war and then suddenly change sides (betrayal is awesome). He told me that when players first start and choose their empire faction, they will be able to easily change their minds, but once players commit to a path, it becomes much more difficult to switch sides. Essentially what happens is that as you complete objectives for an empire, you gain favor with them. At the same time, you start to get a bad reputation with your enemies (blowing up their stuff will do that). Once you’ve got a really bad rep with one side, they’re not going to trust you or take you on.
Obviously, there is still a lot of development left to do on this new expansion, after all, this is really the first that we’re hearing of it. MMORPG.com will continue to follow the Empryian Age as more information becomes available.
Ah, the ever-promised faction warfare.
If they pull it off, I might have to start playing again.
Can't wait!
I just don't see this bringing a lot of people into the PvP game of Eve. I think that the people who want to PvP already are and the people who don't want to PvP aren't. This to me seems like it's just expanding the PvP for the PvPers and that's great, but as I said, I just don't see it bringing many non-PvPers into PvP.
It reminds me the concept which should be in Warhammer Online - pick a faction, do missions and PVP for it, die for it . The others will do it on the opposite side, flags changing everywhere constantly.
Looking forward to it. All for Amarr!
You called the next expansion both "Empryian" and "Empyrian".
However, the correct name is "The Empyrean Age".
Copy-paste, anyone?
Hey, the long awaited Factional Warfare!
When this and "ambulation" goes live EVE Online will not only be an entirely more advanecd game but will likely canabalize a large portion of the player base from games like SWG and EQ2. Can't wait!
I've been looking forward to Factional Warfare for years, it's the only expansion which matters to me. Empryian Age, what a great name for an expansion.
Very doubtful. Sure SWG has a "space" interaction facet, but EVE plays nothing like it. I fail to see how a point and click, space based, player driven economy, pvp biased game such as EVE has any comparison to EQ2 either.
Reading the reports about "Ambulation" I get the impression that social interaction will be limited to chat channels and a handful of emotes. No "ambulation" combat. No handguns. No light sabers. Nothing to do but chat. So I get the impression it will be nothing more than a 3D chat channel.
Eve is still dominated by pvp, and rightly so. That is its roots. I'm not for one second suggesting that they change that. However, shoe-horning in factional warfare won't actively attract pve players into lower sec space in the game.
On the contrary, it may in fact, help to drive pve based players away from the game if factional warfare spills into "high sec" space. Now.....if you're wanting an alternative to SWG's space combat...........people are starting to look at Jumpgate Evolution......but that's a different story entirely.
I'm not really a PvP lover, but this certainly has my attention. I'm wondering if, rather than selecting any faction you can be against all factions... a baseless pirate of sorts... That might be intriguing as well.
Ofcourse that would require that players be able to build their own stations, and I don't think they are ready for that... or perhaps just implementing a nuetral faction that services any faction.
Not ready for players building their own stations?
Players already build their own stations and full size outposts.
As for neutral or Pirate factions. I am sure this will be a part of it as these factions already exist. There are plenty that are not part of the Empires.
Cheers CCP! Keep up the good work!
From what i understand at first when it comes out Ambulation will mainly be a 3D social forum set in various different types of detailed space station interiors. It will however have other stuff to start with like the ability to rent shop space on the shopping promenades where you can add furniture and arrange it how you want to make your store look good for selling your products. There are also going to be abilities fro you to make a casino or bar and club instead of just a shop.
You can even set up a standard bar setup with some under the counter black market goods. Also there will be shops designed to change your clothing and even plastic surgery shops which can change your look [for a price]. Also most importantly over time the player base like with EvE itself can come forward with ideas to add to the Ambulation system, Speaking of which right now is floating the idea of some kind of arena system which you can put onto your shop floor based on the Cash sports system [its a bit of EvE fluff and holds lots of ways of spending cash and involves 2 virtual Mechs with interchangeable parts].
so, the mission runners, mostly composed of folks which run these pve missions because they DON'T want to pvp...
yes, there's no way in hell this is going to implode upon impact.
Players have been building their own stations for I think close to 2 years now. Since Revelations, they've been able to claim "sovereignty" over whole systems and I believe constellations even.
I'm guessing that corporations that don't affiliate themselves with any one faction will be neither liked nor hated by any faction. I don't think you'd have missions for that kind of gameplay though. Unless the pirate groups already in the game (guristas, etc.) are going to be giving out missions.
To damian: It's a very small step to go from missions that reward you for killing npc ships to missions that reward you for killing pc ships.
I already plan on renewing my account for these PvP missions, because I'm a mission runner, and it's not that I don't "want" to PvP, I would just rather follow a pseudo storyline and reap rewards from a agent/faction for doing it.
I think the added pvp missions will be a huge hit, and will give non-pvpers a reason to pvp other than for the rush of it, or for the gain of an alliance. It makes PvPing viable for the slightly more casual person.
Perhaps it is time I reactivate my Eve account.
Speaking as a missionrunner i must say it has well the potential to bring me into pvp.
Was doing pvp quite a while ago for 2 months, but from my point of view it had no purpose, so i gave it up. Grab 20 guys and go roaming for few hours till you find find an enemy gang that is willing to engage and not dock. And when you finally met one, your coward FC tells to warp to a savespot and avoid combat, since they have few ships more. Or you wait 2 hours at a gate to "protect" the entrance to your ally's space, 2 hours nothing happens. Then there are reports that a fleet 3 times larger that the gatecamp is coming in and again FC decides to give up the camp. Or you finally catch a smaller gang and kill them, but can't feel realy good about it, as it wasn't a fair fight / their intel sucked up. Maybe it's just me but i need some sort of motivation to kill someone, don't like kill people randomly like a pirate.
And this is what factional warfare might provide, a solid background story, a motivation to do pvp to protect your empire (and not some dumb decisions of your alliance ceo). You don't have to give up your freedom, making your ceo planning your eve time, it's more for the casual player i guess, unlike alliance warfare.
I stockpiled billions for this event, it was announced years ago and was delayed many times so i don't know if it won't be delayed again, but if it will come this year and will be about that what i think it will be, i (as a missionrunner who didn't do that much pvp yet) will for sure participate and throw hundreds of battelships into it .
Let me see if I understand this clearly.
In an earlier article it was reported that 80% are PVE and 20% are PVP. So CCP is putting out a PVP expansion?
Are the folks at CCP taking advice from the Star Wars Galaxies team?
Where is the expansion for the PVE people? The 80% of your subscriber base?
It is not difficult to join in the PVP experience. It can be fun.
I agree with an earlier poster: the guard duty thing stinks.
If CCP wants to work on an expansion, how about expanding the graphics for the crafter?
The spaceship builder gets to watch a timer count down as the ship is made? A lot of room for improvement.
The miner watches the cargo bay fill up? A lot of room for improvement.
A researcher looks at the same count down. Things to improve. Just my opinion of course.
I've never seen a fair fight in Eve. I tried to do a fair fight frig vs frig (can flipper) in 0.8 space the other night, he had a cruiser and another frigate buddy warp in to help him....
Eve's PVP is a sad parody of a real "war".
In EVE a "fair" fight is a lost fight. And since when has war ever been "fair"? I won't go into this, but in EVE, like in real life, most fights are decided before they even begin. Unfortunately this has led to some practices, like logoffski, that people in real life can't emulate.
As for the Expansion: Can't wait to kick some unwashed Minmatar behinds. Amarr Victor!
If I read it right, this expansion will be for PvP and PvE ppl with PvP and PvE missions.
Faction warfare....another gaming company sees the light.Now this is really interesting.
(Now if they just had player housing .... I would be there a L O N G time)
It's called "Player Owned Structure" and you can even build an Outpost. Admittedly, building an OP needs at least a very large Corp or an Alliance. But then, EVE IS a MMO.
I'm looking forward to this.
It is going to be great to have PvP battles inside deadspace complexes where new fleet tactics has to be developed. Especially as the acceleration gates can limit ships types that can enter the field.
If they are smart they will have battle areas restricted .So even lower level players can play.
No idea where the PvE expansion is. They do add PvE things (L5 missions) but they use those to get people into PvP (L5 missions are only in low sec).
Now they only have to make ship combat interesting and I resubscribe.
Distinct lack of new information
A new ship module that gives you a interior to your sip that you can outfit definatly fits the housing definition.
You get a gold star for hitting the nail right on the head. I could not of summed it up any better (or briefer).
http://myeve.eve-online.com/updates/plannedfeat.asp?sid=149043546
People have wanted PLAYER houseing since before there was Corporation housing EG POS's. So that is what he was refering to (if I understood him right). If I didn't, well that is what I am referring to. I like the idea of this expansion but it did not have to have another name. It already had one, it was called "Revelations".
Ahh faction wars, cant wait. Long live Caldari State, death to all gallente dogs :P
I'm disappointed because I wanted ambulation to be the next big thing added.
That said, I'm already out in 0.0 amongst the player controlled empires. This expansion seems to me that it will add nothing at all to 0.0 warfare, and will basically just be some new twist for the empire mission runners (I'm sick of empire and mission running, which is why I am in 0.0).
PS: I agree that as it sounds now it's not the best choice, but don't insult CCP by comparing them in the slightest to the group of semi evolved simians who make up the SWG dev team. If they were, they'd be nerfing Titans down to the same level as an Ibis and giving them away on character creation like SOE did to Jedi.
this could be the best thing that could happen to this game, now pvp will soar and ships will explode, finally the insane deflation might actually end. mining for 10 hours straight to earn a decent profit might finally come to an end. thank god.
now that i think of it, guess what BYE BYE JITA, i have a feeling that woudl be the first target. ive always wanted to kick the crap outta that system because of its lag, and now i have the chance :)
A speciality of Jon Wood is raising the eyebrows of English-speaking gamers.
To bridge the gap and balance the distribution. I don't see a more logical course of action.
While I mostly PVE I can see this being fun but frustraing to the point of account cancelation. Ships in eve can get expensive. I hate how the Dev is so smug about losing your ship when the economy is so inflated, a loss of a few ships can mean complete Eve financial disaster. Please don't give me that crap about getting loans and ships from your Corp. Some players don't like to be free loaders or in the hole for millions of isk.
Yawn.......................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thats why its often best to have a good way of earning more cash to replace your lost ship. I personally used to get a mining barge mine good ore for a couple of hours or so and use that to fund my fun.
Not sure how that would qualify as logical.
"hi, i'm a dev and i think that we can get more pve'ers doing pvp by making the best missions where you HAVE to pvp and one side or the other will each lose 100-250m+ (individually) in ships and equipment per mission." but the rewards you can get would be... a few million iskies? downside is re-purchasing and re-fitting your ship, time and time again. sorry, it's just not sounding thought-out. UNLESS they make the rewards from the missions jump into the 10s of millions range (between LP and isk).
Long overdue but too little too late. For those players that care about their faction, it might be good also to re-examine that RP event rigging that CCP was caught doing. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they've already decided who "wins" these faction wars before they even start. Sucks to be you if you happen to pick the side rigged to lose.
Geeeez! They sure are pushy with this whole PvP thing. " Here, quick! Take this Rookie ship and go to null-sec! Good luck sucker!" So to the lovely devs of CCP. Been playing Eve for over two years. Don't want to PvP, don't like PvP. If I wanted to PvP I would load up the interceptor and head over to 0.0 BoB space. Don't make me PvP when I don't want to. Or I can just go somewhere other than Eve.
*Sigh* But on the subject of Factional Warfare. Gallente FTW! Amarr and Caldari can suck it!
I used the same way "Hyperion".
Gosh!!! No money even in the game...
Burn Federation, BURN.
Level 4s are already worth 10s of millions of ISK. Bounties, salvage, loot, mission reward/bonus, and LP.
Keep in mind that if missions were several times more profitable, you'd probably see inflation, and still pay the same amount in the end.
Had the game been designed with a great percentage being pve orientated I would agree. And from my own personal preference, I agree. I find it lacking some fundamental aspects of pve like variety and content for pve players and the pve content feels like CCP have "tacked" it on under duress. It just misses the mark as far as I'm concerned.
But given that, after all, this game is still a pvp biased game, I feel that I shouldn't be screaming how the game should change to suit my tastes. Instead, I'll find a game that suits me better.......
I do not like pvp or pve. I have some values, but in this world also in rl it is also about taking and not giving.
I liked the mining, then came the ore thiefs, in mission lvl 4 you can be scanned out and they take you loot or worse if you have faction ship they shoot you too pieces.
And now you have too choose between the faction,
For example if you have 4 accounts in the 4 different classes and you do with all missions in 4 area's.
You can never come with characters too one enviroment for pve, pvp, mining, because all characters are enemies of each other.
I find this the worst scenario for not pvp or pve. 5 years of eve too the drain, because some terrors of hell figure comes up with this expansion.
AK
Can I have your stuff? :p
I'm holding off judgement but this does sound interesting to say the least. As with every major change/addition to any MMO there is speculation on all sides. I like the view from the fence tyvm.
You can stay neutral in the conflict soo I dont get what people who like pve are whining about,it wont affect you too much except that you will see more ships getting blown up in hi-sec.I realy hope you can pick a pirate NPC faction,id join the arch angels in a heartbeat,jove ship armada ftw!
Curse you CCP! I haven't even begun to delve in to the Trinity expansion and now they have the nerve to announce even more cool stuff and things to do. Damn, how will I ever catch up and find time to become bored and disenchanted with the game?
Won't the Caldari Empire just walk away with this. What with all the CNR flying about doing the lvl4 missions around The Forge and Lonetrek. They will have an advantage over the other three empires who aren't the first choice for mission runners.
A mission runners navy raven with top gear will be great against NPC faction enermies but not so great against an Experienced PvP player who knows that Ravens are **** when it comes to PvP.
"When the expansion does indeed kick off, players will be able to sign up for one side or the other. From there, they start to run missions and complete tasks for their empire, gaining more and more standing with them."
But yes if they do come up against PVP that will put a spanner in the works.
I quit playing this game because it was too PVP oriented.
I was an industrialist that couldn't make a profit (or one that barely mattered). The entire game is centered around PVP. The game is almost entirely about BOB and the Goons. When people started referring to "safe space" as "less safe space" I knew it was time to move on.
Macro miners are killing the market and they are uninterested in stopping it (regardless of what they say)
All I see is developers adding more content to what they like to play.
I will say this in their defence though, their subscriptions numbers have steadily gone up. So I doubt they care about losing industrialist.
Finally, if you like PVP........THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU!!!!!! I even gave it a shot but everyone is so scared of losing expensive ships that you pretty much fight a war of a billion disposable ships against a billion other disposable ships. That's not a war.
Be great for the Industrialists who 'made it' and make such ships to sell.
This sounds like a great jump for eve, perhaps i will give it a go when it goes live, i miss playing it sometimes, as long as theres no big sighn that sais do not reboot your computer, boot.ini
It will be a great part of a great game!
when will this be done :p
to all the PVE players, don't forget what you'll probably get after this patch :)
ok the ambulation thingie will at first be more of a social thing with just walking around and stuff, but i've already seen a movie of a developer flying and shooting in the atmosphere of a planet.
Ambulation + planets = some very interesting features, but then i'm thinking about when it will be implemented ....