EVE-Online: Walking In Stations @ FanFest 2008

[Cyric]

EVE Online | Downloads | Videos (http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/?type=7)

It's amazing how much information that they decided to bestow upon the players/fans of EVE-Online, at this year's FanFest, relating to the Walking In Stations expansion that is expected to be deployed by the end of 2009. I highly recommend watching every video at the link above that is related to WIS (Walking In Stations). Even the video that covers the Environments, most notably when they go into the interior design of their "demo" bar in a Minmatar station in the latter part of the video, and the attention to detail that they put into the 'placeables.' ie. using a 425mm projectile shell, to scale, as a stool and having the '425mm' embossed on the stool.

On top of that, I would also highly recommend watching the 'EVE IP' video with Tony Gonzales. Don't worry, this guy's Canadian, so you can understand his english easier. LOL

[Markus. D]

Oh that's awesome :D!

There was hardly any publicity about the Gracia Expansion for Lineage II (Most likely because no-one plays it)... FFXI has to do stuff like this aswell~ Informing really gets the public amped up :D

[Cyric]

That's why I mentioned watching the Tony Gonzales video as well, because he actually goes into just how difficult it is for CCP to actually effectively market EVE-Online. From word-of-mouth only, the game sounds pretty plain and uninteresting or even the other extreme of being overwhelming, but once would-be players get a feel for the actual backstory to the game, that's when it grabs everybody's attention. Getting that backstory to the outside audience is the challenge. There's no doubt that the graphics are top notch already, but for MMO's it's all about gameplay and player immersion.

[Rostum]

FFXI has to do stuff like this aswell~ Informing really gets the public amped up :D

Square has a FanFest every year in America and now have a developer's blog.

[Markus. D]

FFXI has to do stuff like this aswell~ Informing really gets the public amped up :D

Square has a FanFest every year in America and now have a developer's blog.

nomnomnom really o_O?

*searches and bookmarks*

[Madame Adequate]

That's why I mentioned watching the Tony Gonzales video as well, because he actually goes into just how difficult it is for CCP to actually effectively market EVE-Online. From word-of-mouth only, the game sounds pretty plain and uninteresting or even the other extreme of being overwhelming, but once would-be players get a feel for the actual backstory to the game, that's when it grabs everybody's attention. Getting that backstory to the outside audience is the challenge. There's no doubt that the graphics are top notch already, but for MMO's it's all about gameplay and player immersion.

The main problem with EVE is that it is seriously hardcore http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif. It really is. Massive props to the people who can commit like that, because I can tell how rewarding it is, and it's so awesome that CCP actually let http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif HAPPEN, like that massive theft a few months back and so forth. EVE feels more like a living world than any other MMO, and that's awesome.

[Cyric]

That's why I mentioned watching the Tony Gonzales video as well, because he actually goes into just how difficult it is for CCP to actually effectively market EVE-Online. From word-of-mouth only, the game sounds pretty plain and uninteresting or even the other extreme of being overwhelming, but once would-be players get a feel for the actual backstory to the game, that's when it grabs everybody's attention. Getting that backstory to the outside audience is the challenge. There's no doubt that the graphics are top notch already, but for MMO's it's all about gameplay and player immersion.

The main problem with EVE is that it is seriously hardcore :skull::skull::skull::skull:. It really is. Massive props to the people who can commit like that, because I can tell how rewarding it is, and it's so awesome that CCP actually let :skull::skull::skull::skull: HAPPEN, like that massive theft a few months back and so forth. EVE feels more like a living world than any other MMO, and that's awesome.

I can't remember which video I saw it said in, but a couple of the Dev's said that they're aiming to make EVE-Online a Sci-Fi Simulator. Essentially have just as much flexibility in the game as we would if it was real-life. First it was the Trinity graphics-upgrade expansion, which isn't even finished deploying yet. (The new nosferatu animation looks absolutely AMAZING.) Then it was factional warfare, next will be Walking In Stations, which will start out fairly basic and then they'll add stuff to it as time goes on. Then eventually going into planetary-ring mining, planetary/atmospheric flight, and then the ability to actually LAND on terran planets and start populating those. There are already a quarter of a million subscribers (people that play it on a regular basis), and most Sundays see 40k+ members logged onto the single shard. Another of the videos that may be worth watching is the one based on the economic differences between EVE-Online (Tranquility) and EVE-China (Serenity). It starts out really slow, but it does start to get a bit interesting later on.

[Madame Adequate]

Oh, I'm certainly not questioning the scope, success, or importance of EVE. It's no WoW in subscriber terms, but it's been plodding along for what, five years now? Constantly building up a subscriber base.

The fact that so many play on Tranquility is a shocking indictment of other MMOs, which can struggle when more than a couple thousand people are online at once. EVE's highest number online at once is what, over 41k? On one server? It's insane. EVE is a technical triumph.

In terms of gaming, EVE might be the most important game currently being played. It's certainly the only one where the devs and players interact like EVE's do, and although there might be some hubris involved, the reality is that whatever this generation is like, subsequent generations are only going to become more complex and intricate. Some people say it's just a game, but when people spend, say, four years, for a couple of hours every day throughout those four years, have spent hundreds of dollars on subscription fees, have made real friends, etc. in the game, it's inevitbaly going to form a more important part of their live than dicking around with Street Fighter 3.

I wholly and utterly support EVE. I just don't have the mindset to play it in a manner that would really give me my money's worth :p

[Cyric]

The fact that so many play on Tranquility is a shocking indictment of other MMOs, which can struggle when more than a couple thousand people are online at once. EVE's highest number online at once is what, over 41k? On one server? It's insane. EVE is a technical triumph.


Speaking of numbers, I'd probably say the most impressive thing that CCP has done with EVE up to this point, since the release of Trinity, is the introduction of StacklessIO. Lag is virtually, completely eliminated from the game on the server side. The best demonstration of this is the new "Quantum Rise" trailer which shows two MASSIVE fleets of Amarrian and Gallentean ships (and I'm talking in the hundreds to thousands) duking it out around a single station as 1 giant bubble, that before the StacklessIO would probably have everybody running at around 1-2fps. The trailer shows no real noticeable lag at all. And that video is in-game footage.

720p (48MB)
http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/Default.asp?a=download&vid=181

1080p (73MB)
http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/Default.asp?a=download&vid=182