From 02:05 UTC June 2nd, CCP noticed a significant DDOS (Distributed denial-of-service) attack on their servers. They immediately deployed a crack-team of specialists to look at the problem. From 03:07 UTC, they decided that the best course of action was to take the servers offline completely while they attempted to resolve the issue. They momentarily brought the servers back up that afternoon (14:51), but took them down again shortly afterwards, after learning more information.
To some, space is an unforgiving void full of danger. But to intrepid explorers, it’s a source of unlimited mystery and wonder. With Odyssey, EVE Online’s 19th expansion, due to land on June 4th, CCP is aiming to satisfy that desire to venture into the unknown.
With the spacefaring MMO heading into its second decade of operation, it’s fair to say that EVE is riding the crest of a wave of success. The previous expansion, Retribution, was met with thunderous applause at EVE FanFest back in April, earning executive producer Jon Lander a standing ovation from fans and becoming the most successful expansion to date.
As Lander heads on to focus on CCP’s mobile efforts, the baton has been handed to lead game designer Kristoffer Touborg and senior producer Andie Nordgren. But there’s no sign of a change in direction – the focus remains on building out the sandbox in a way that provides new features while encouraging the style of gameplay that EVE Online has become famous for.
As I came in to land at Keflavik International Airport, I stared intently out of the small cabin window. Partly out of fear – I’ve never been a great flyer, and I was consciously trying to avoid clawing holes in the arm-rests. But also partly out of fascination – as our plane followed the shoreline, no fields or forests came into view. Instead, I was confronted with rough and craggy black rock formed from solidified lava flow, tightly blanketed in a thick green moss. It seemed primal, barely post-creation, and utterly alien to anything I’d seen before.
It’s in this remote location that CCP held its annual EVE FanFest, inviting players from across the world to meet developers, renew friendships and, above all, celebrate the game. For five days the city of Reykjavik became the nexus of culture surrounding spaceships and the pilots that fly them. Stories were traded. Alliances were discussed. Pacts were forged. And many, many beers were drunk.
It's not every day that I get to try something as special as this. Announced today at EVE Fanfest, as part of a special EVE keynote in front of thousands of fans, CCP gave us a glimpse of another window into the universe of New Eden.
Named internally as EVE VR, the independent Icelandic studio has put together a dogfighting-style space combat sim, featuring intense multiplayer battles across a cluttered asteroid field. Fighters are launched from two opposing factional ships, ensuring a constant flow of action with little downtime.
It’s too easy to forget just how audacious CCP is as a company and just how successful it has been in pushing the envelope.
EVE Online has had continued growth across its 10 year history (as of May 6th) and now boasts over 500,000 subscribers. Those who are quick to detract (because, let’s face it, some people just do) would say there are bigger games; which is true. However, no other MMO has seen such consistent advancement in its player base across such an extended period.
Joining EVE in the New Eden universe is DUST 514, now in open beta on the PlayStation Network for the PS3. DUST, and its unique existence as a game within itself and as a living companion to EVE, exemplifies how CCP doesn’t just walk off the beaten track, it blasts away from it.
I joined Jon Lander, executive producer of EVE Online and Halldor Fannar, Chief technical officer for CCP Games to look back on the past 10 years and discern what is next as CCP enters its second decade of exploration.
MMO conventions are an incredible experience. There’s the chance to catch up with friends you’ve only spoken to online, grab some exclusive merchandise, and ask the developers that question you’ve had bugging you.
For EVE Online and DUST 514 players, the yearly Fanfest is the highlight of the gaming calendar. Held in Reykjavik, Iceland, this year will see fans return to Harpa for developer sessions, PVP tournaments, pub crawls and parties.
On the surface of Caldari Prime, an uprising is building. Mercenaries from DUST 514 are forming a battlefront on the surface, while EVE Online capsuleers are beginning to gather in nearby systems. For developer CCP Games, this weekend’s unfolding event will showcase one grand universe shared by two interconnected games.
As senior producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason explained, the past few months have seen a number of events throughout the EVE universe in order to introduce DUST Mercenaries to New Eden. These haven’t been limited to in-game events, with chronicles of lore helping to provide foundation to the overarching story.
When you think of the word "Design" what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most gamers it would be the obvious choice: video games. Well apparently the renouned Museum of Modern Art, located in New York City, had similar views.
March 1st marks the grand opening of their new "Applied Design" division of the museum which will run until Janurary 31st, 2014. The Applied Design division houses some of the world's most innovative and well designed devices and systems, including 14 different video games. Among these is the popular Sci-fi MMO, EVE Online.
