Exclusive E3 EVE Online with CCP's Mark Smith
CCP's EVE Online is without a doubt the most unique Sci-Fi title on the MMO market today. The perennial sleeper hit, EVE has grown from a humble playerbase to more than 150,000 subscribers. With expansion into China on the horizon, a new content update due out later this year and enhanced graphical models, EVE Online shows no signs of slowing down. We sat down with members of CCP at their towering booth that overlooked the West Hall in the LA Convention Center to get an update on Eve's evolving community.
In a convention dominated by PR specialists and media gurus, what stood out the most was the special combination of CCP employees and EVE players that dominated the booth. CCP's top executives mingled with game volunteers they sponsored into E3 to show how unique their community is Mark Smith, one of those volunteers, talked to us about EVE's volunteer programs and how fluid they function within EVE's online universe.
The ISD, a volunteer support service that runs in-game, has a program called STARS where experienced players take novices under their wing, and shows them how EVE's expansive universe works. EVE boasts some of the MMORPG market's most cohesive player associations. Smith said that groups, even as large as 3,000 players, can claim control of territories and defend them from other rivals.
"Eve isn't a game where the guy with the better item wins," Smith explained. "Its all about strategy — where to attack, how and in what numbers."
EVE's AI police force patrols in varying degrees different system sectors. While PVP is enabled throughout the game, players attacked in heavily patrolled areas will be aided within minutes by security reinforcements. The offender's permanent record, which is viewable by all players, is modified by the security force to reflect his past actions. Outside patrolled sectors the players themselves become the law. "It's the players that police unsecured zones," Smith explained. Knowing whose turf you're on and what rules they play by becomes extremely important.
For those who unfortunately lose their ships during conflict, there is no quick re-spawning mechanism built in the game. However, insurance policies are freely available and will reimburse players the cost of their ship for a reasonable price. CCP told us most policies covered 3 months of game time. With hundreds of regions to explore in EVE's expansive universe, it's a wise investment.
EVE's graphics remain as impressive as anything on the market today, while not requiring a high end PC to remain smooth and playable. New player tutorials have been incorporated into the game to help lessen the game's learning curve. A special chat channel allows players to interact with numerous experienced players who gladly help out and answer questions – no matter how basic they might be.
The next expansion — codenamed "KALI" — is due out later this year and will be implemented as a downloadable patch. "Every new piece of content is free," said Smith, who elaborated on CCP's vision of once you buy and subscribe to the game you shouldn't need to pay more for new content. "Eve really caters to all types of players," Smith said. "It has some structure to it, but its all very opened ended so the players can create their own experience."
Stay tuned to the new ZAM Network as we continue to bring you the latest information and news about EVE Online!