Today at E3, RPGamer had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Magnus Bergsson from CCP Games about their MMORPG EVE Online. Discussed were the basics of the game and future updates, among other things.
One of the unique features of EVE Online is that there is a single server that all players join, meaning that you're guaranteed to be able to play with your friends, though you may need to travel across the galaxy to do so. Peak times see up to 12 to 13 thousand people on at once. Since the game houses 5,000 solar systems, however, you don't need to worry about being too crowded into a little space. EVE claims to be the largest MMO world out there.
EVE Online tends to be a very social game, with political alliances (something the players created that were never thought of by the developers at first) vying for control of large regions of space. These same alliances will help you (once you join, that is) get used to the game as well as contribute a bit to funding your ship--something you'll definitely need as there are 20,000 different modifications you can make to your ship.
While many MMORPG populations have started to lessen in recent times, the population of EVE has continued to increase even after the release of several new games in competition, and CCP is in the process of releasing a new patch to the game to give new players a more friendly introduction to the game. Mr. Bergsson admits that EVE Online in its current state is very difficult for a new player to get started in and that has prompted the work for this update.
On the topic of the corporation alliances in the game, there is an update that is currently in the works that will allow players to view exactly who is in control of regions of space. Also, the update will add the ability to hire NPCs to police an alliance's region of space for intruders.
At the end of our interview we discussed the coordination aspect within alliances when it comes to large scale operations, and also speculated about the possibility of adding a fully integrated voice chat element into the software. This would allow for an even greater amount of flexibility in how players would be able to communicate in the heat of battle. Nothing has been set in stone, but it is definitely something CCP is looking into.
Overall, EVE Online views itself as a growing and evolving playground for players, compared to the pre-packaged experiences offered by some other MMOs. It's made by gamers, for gamers, allowing you the chance to log in and carve out your destiny in the galaxy.
RPGamer has been invited to take part in a tour of the game world in order to get a more in-depth feel for the game. We look forward to bringing you our further impressions of the game as well as new media for the game.
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